Page 4 - Scene Magazine 42-06 June 2017

As Scene By
BY FREDERICK (RICK) DERUITER
When I was a boy, going to my cousins tri-level home with a pool seemed like a “per- fect” life. A life I promised to my- self... that I would
someday have.
So, way back in 1999, a house on a hill
– with a pool – came up for sale. Good for- tune and a good economy made it possible. The four-level dwelling (quad-style) made me feel – accomplished – and the pool made me a hero with the kids.
The “quad” seemed like a good decision. The house we moved from just wasn’t enough space for a married couple with three dogs, two children, and a pile of belongings. So, we moved.
The first five years were... and, are a blur to my memories. We chased the kids around to sporting events, school activi- ties, and plays. The pool was a pleasure to have... and I HATED IT! Those first five years left the house on the hill nearly un- changed, and the pool laughed at our awk- ward attempts to keep it clean.
During the next five years I got
The Quad
pretty good at having a pool. My canine total whittled down to one... and the kids moved away.
Still, the quad sat mostly unchanged. College loans gobbled up most of the bud- get... and a CLEAN pool was the perfect reason to celebrate summer-long “stay- cations.” I LOVED THE POOL!
In the years that followed... college loans were paid... my wife, Terri, and I resisted the temptation to add more four- legged friends... we made the pool an oasis... then made the quad come to life!
Living on a budget for so many years made it hard to imagine that we could spend money on hired-help for upgrades and remodeling... so we learned how to do it ourselves. We’d put all our sweat into the quad for the next eight years and washed off that sweat in our sparkling pool.
Terri and I remodeled the kitchen, two bathrooms, four bedrooms, the family room, the living room, the workshop, and the outdoor living space. We planted more plants than I can count. Cut down trees, manicured the lawn, tanned by the pool, and ACCESSORISED! Oh, finding stuff for the quad has been fun.
It is nearly perfect – the quad – and
there are just a couple more upgrades we thought we’d like to take on as we’ve approached 20 years at the house on the hill.
And then a simple question... perhaps a statement, really. “Honey,” Terri said. “The quad, it seems, just might be too much house for us now.”
Remember that promise I made to myself when I started this journey? Well, a smart wife wasn’t mentioned – but awfully important to my plan.
We’ve found a little house perfect for a couple just short of retirement. It’ll need some work. But not so much that experi- enced DIYers can’t handle. I like to call our new house... “The next adventure!”
We watch more than our share of DIY television. We like making house-hunting shows a competition. “House TWO,” Terri will say. “REALLY? No way. It’s house three for sure!” I’ll insist.
It tickles us how the house hunters have a name for the houses they tour. And, we’ve spent hours brainstorming the “per- fect” name for the quad – without any luck.
I think we were trying too hard to be clever. We named it the day we moved in... “Home.”
DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Be a super sleuth... join the ongoing hunt for Rick DeRuiter
Pour through the pages of Scene this month and find the
elusive DeRuiter. Warn your friends. Warn your neighbors. He’s in there somewhere, waiting for the one lucky detective to find him!
LAST MONTH... Page 17 LAST MONTH’S WINNER... RENEE PRATER
LOOK! - Now you can e-mail your detective work too! rick@scenepub.com. Include your name, daytime phone and what page you found him.
OR on-line at... www.scenepub.com
WHERE
COULD HE BE?
Have you found him in this issue?
If yes, call Scene at 979-1410 ext. 307 to have your name entered in the drawing to receive A GIFT CERTIFICATE TO A LOCAL EATERY. You must make your discovery by July 5-ish, 2017 and the winner will be announced in the next issue of Scene!
WIN A VALUABLE PRIZE!
4 SCENE 4206 I CITY ISSUE