"And that's what you're going to get, Lad"

Let's start with a quotation from one of the classics of modern cinema:

When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that's what you're going to get, Lad, the strongest castle in all of England.

Here's the plot plan, as drawn up by  Shea Engineering & Surveying (link over --> there).


We're buying Parcel 3.    Here's a closeup of the upper right corner of Parcel 3:

One of the items in the P&S will be, "Corners of the lot to be clearly staked."  Mike annotated a draft copy with,  "except for one in water."


And here's a photograph of the "wetlands area":

Um... when I was growing up, I called that a "swamp."  Although I guess that's not politically correct now-a-days, especially when talking to a real estate broker.  But if it has lily pads, nesting birds, reeds, and noisy bullfrogs... I'll always think of it as a swamp in my heart of hearts.

But be it pond, wetlands, swamp, marsh, drainage area, runoff catchbasin, or whatever -- if the deal goes through, Trish and I will own nearly 900 square feet of the stuff.  That's enough to make me an abbuttor for any zoning notifications, as well as getting me on the list for any future environmental impact statements and Conservation Commission meetings. 

An upcoming post will feature my research into the topographical history of the area, including how the surface area of the standing water has grown over the past century as North Mendon has grown.  One of Trish's "must have" dealbreakers is "Nothing in a flood plain".  The plot plan calls for the house to be 30 feet above the pond, so that isn't an issue.  In terms of risk assessment, if there is a climate change or natural disaster severe enough to inundate the house, the whole region will have more serious things to cope with.

Whomever buys the adjacent parcel will be getting about an acre and a half of non-dry land.  I guess there are people out who will be thrilled to "own" it.  Maybe they'll go wading, or fishing, or boating on it.  Me, I've never been that interested in aquatic recreation.  I prefer a slightly less damp back yard I can hike in: