Blog 3226 – 09.01.2024

The America Dream

Some people believe that the American Dream of owning your own home on a piece of ground that is truly yours – real estate, is a myth propagated by our overlords to keep us working hard making them richer and richer. Sadly there is indeed an element of truth in that dark view of the American Dream.

I watched an interview yesterday of Friday evening’s Bill Maher show Real Time. Bill’s feature guest was former long time Speaker of The House, Nancy Pelosi. He asked her what she thought of California passing a law to give low interest mortgage rates to undocumented emigrants living in California to buy homes. She said she was for it and also for creating a path to citizenship for them. That is the American Dream that has kept a steady flow of people coming into this country since the First People came here likely thousands of years before Europeans landed on these shores, even the Vikings or Phoenicians.

I wrote a piece about Sacred Ground a few days ago speaking in particular of the small plots with memorial stones on them to honor the departed. Most of us hope to own a little more ground than that and to pass it on to our children..

My wife and I own a home in a neighborhood in Houston called Oak Forest. It is a subdivision that was developed right after World War Two to provide low cost starter homes where G.I.s returning from the war could transition back into civilian life and start their families. They were small two bed room, one bath, one car garage homes that all were built on the same floor plan. Over the years as families grew most of the houses were remodeled to close in the garages to make an additional bedroom and some added a room or rooms to the back or maybe an additional story. The character of the homes became more diverse.

Fifteen years or so ago people started buying up lots to tear down the old homes and build what I like to call mini-mansions. These are a million dollar plus homes. The land is worth far more than the older homes on these properties. We were recently offered a half a million dollars for our property. Oak Forest is located just outside the 610 Loop in the northwest section of Houston, just a minutes drive from downtown and uptown. So many are weary of the long commutes in rush-hour traffic from their suburban homes twenty or thirty miles from where they work. They are eager to buy the new homes gingerly up in this neighborhood.

My mom and dad always dreamed of owning a home and they realized their dream finally later in life. They even had title to some acreage miles away from our hometown of Chattanooga, but never had the opportunity to build a cabin on it as dad once hoped they would.

I, too, have had such a dream and just this morning took a small step toward realizing that dream. My son owns about 60 acres northeast of Houston near the Louisiana border and a small East Texas town called Bon Weir. I have seen his property twice now. He bought it to have a place to hunt and he and I have talked about his developing a camp site with some electrical, water, and septic tank or sewer connections for a couple of RV campers, or a mobile home, and a possible cabin or vacation home later.

A few months ago he mentioned wanting to purchase at least one more 15.53 acre section that borders his property to give him more county road frontage and some higher ground for a campsite/homesite. The property also has a small 1/4 acre natural pond on it. My wife and I visit our son and his one year old daughter Emma Grace most Saturdays as he is home with the baby while his wife Lauren works as an R.N. at Methodist Memorial in the Houston Medical Center. I asked Jonathan (Jay) how his plans were going to secure the 15.53 acre tract. It is the first of three small tracks he hopes to one day add to his in Newton County, Texas. He said the those plans were on hold as he and his wife just purchased a new home in Kingwood to be nearer her parents and have a lot more room, big yard, and better schools for Emma. I suggested that I was interested in buying that 15.53 acre tract which would of course be his when my wife and I pass, to help move the campsite/ homesite project along.

This morning I mailed a letter to the owner of the property making an offer for the land and explaining that I would like to buy the acreage adjoining my son’s property if he is willing to to sell it to me and that someday I hope to build a house on it.

I believe that we create our reality and realize our dreams my making our intentions known. Our reality finds its roots and realization first in or thoughts, followed by our words and our deeds. I informed my son in a text this morning that I mailed the offer letter and made a copy for myself to put in my Intention File along with the above picture of a small RV trailer and small SUV to pull it around the country in. I went on to say that now I can envision myself living on the property near Bon Weir and also pulling my little home on wheels all across this great nation.

That folks is my take on the American Dream.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David White