Estate Envy: A Topanga Dream

So, big, kinda insane but totally deflating news: Last week, the dude put an offer on a mountain getaway for us and the vintage shasta camper in Topanga.

But – we got beat out by an all cash offer. People in LA be crazy loaded apparently. We were seriously one of SEVEN offers on the property. We came in second, so we are still a strong backup, but name me a reason why their cash offer won’t come to fruition. Nonetheless – my fingers are still crossed, the property is/was PERFECT. My huge fantasy fueled mind is having a really hard time moving on. Alas, I remembered “Estate Envy” and then it occurred to me that I fall in love with real estate listings all the time that I can’t have.

This is the MLS view that captured our attention:

To be real, the place was a little weird and I don’t understand how it would work for ANYONE but us? It featured two structures. One was the perfect pitched roof studio with a tiny cool concrete basement to store all of the fruits of Heffe’s beer brewing habit and maybe a lounging spot or sleeping space. It was really easy to see us utilizing the studio space above for the dude’s woodworking projects, along with all of the kids’ arts&crafts on weekends. I was envisioning a pottery wheel in one of the windowed corners. I wanna throw lopsided pots and have the access to make infinite ashtrays, like I did as a ceramics instructor in college – and I wanna do it all in a caftan. Jeff’s daughter and I even made up a pattern idea for our “Topanga Dress.” The main house was super freaking cute, I can’t even begin. The bedroom and the kid’s sleeping loft are tiny, but the deck and the views are HUGE and since basically its just an old wooden tent, the tiny kitchen and shelter feels super glamorous. The main house also featured another separate bedroom and bathroom downstairs, which in my mind served as the guest room for anyone that wanted to come up and join us for a weekend….. or perhaps it would serve as a music studio if you should want to lock yourself away on the mountain and make a hit record. It’s only 12 miles from our home in Santa Monica, but holy CRAP, it feels like escaping to another more sensible and natural, quieter place. The best part was this lovely pad in the backyard that was covered by the arms of this insanely beautiful tree. Home of our future treehouse, and protector of our Vintage Shasta Camper. This place also served as the perfect backdrop to everything that my other project, Seven Wanders is all about.

So sad y’all. *Pray for me. We’ll keep looking, but I’m afraid nothing will compare.

I dug up this photo that I took with my iPhone, of a set of cocktail napkins that I drew on at the bar in Hickory in 2009, when I was in the middle of one of those, “what should I do with my life” conversations with a friend. This was the illustrated dream.

Meanwhile, here is a view of the Topanga Place. It’s kind of uncanny how it’s pretty much THE illustration.

I can’t get into too much heartache over the fact that we lost out to an all cash offer because I should just be thrilled and amazed that I’m living in a world where this is a real prospect. I am truly grateful, and I know that this is borderline disgusting if not downright snotty – to be disappointed, but I can’t help it…. How quickly we acclimate from the havenots to the haves.

We are still on the hunt, and we totally love Dan, our Realtor Man. I’ll probably still fall asleep every night for the next 10 days until their offer moves past pending – wishing that something goes wrong and they call us up and tell us its ours.

That’s it. Sorry. I’m not Sorry. I’ll just keep on fantasizing here.
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