We have been in our new place for about 3 weeks now and we have fallen in love with it for many reasons. Let’s see, those reasons include, in no particular order… it’s super bright and sunny, clean, new kitchen, hardwood floors, very private, tons of storage, 1.5 baths plus an outdoor shower, big wrap-around lanai and best of all a view of the ocean, Molokini, Haleakala, the West Maui Mountains and Kahoolawe… all from the couch! Well, maybe best of all is the absence of Bud’s endless singing and enforcement of intrusive, pointless rules.

The new house is actually the same size as the previous cottage but looks smaller because we no longer have the huge ceilings or the extra bedroom. The law in our neighborhood limits cottages to a size of 700 square feet and I believe this one is on the books as 699 sq. feet. The amount of storage is fantastic though, we have a carport with a storage room, another outdoor shed and various large closets. We like this way of life because it forces you to be organized and only own what you really need, kind of like the theory behind those glass Mid-Century homes purposely built with few places to hide un-needed stuff.

I love my new desk and chair! After using a free hand-me-down desk for the last decade, I finally bought myself a REAL desk. I spend enough time there, I might as well like it. I also scored Darlene an awesome solid mahogany desk on Craigslist that weighs a ton. Good desks are not easy to find here so we are happy to have these.

My other obsession with this house is the outdoor shower. In fact, I have only showered indoors 3 times since we moved in. I love to be out in the sun with the trees over my head and a handful of green geckos waiting for me to finish so they can come lap up the water drops. I’m addicted and feel like I have to have an outdoor shower for the rest of my life.

OK, enough babbling, here’s a walk through of the house. Make sure to read the captions to better understand what you are looking at.