A drive down Whiskey Hill

Saturday, July 28, 2007 by Dave Winer.

I was early arriving at the party so I decided to drive by the back end of my old hacienda in Woodside, the one I sold in 2003 as I was moving east.  

I sold it to a neighbor with plans to build a megahouse with a huge outdoor entertainment complex, and he needed the extra acres so he would comply with Woodside's strict zoning laws.  

I already knew, from Google Maps, that he tore down my old house, and that he had never built the huge house he planned to build. There must be a story. Illness, a death or divorce? Or he just got busy or lazy, or ran out of money? 

I didn't have the heart to drive up to the front entrance and see what the land looked like without the house.  

It was an old house, constructed in many projects over many years. Some of the contruction was excellent, some of it terribly bad. All the roofs leaked at one time or another. Each segment of the house had its own roof, a different style, as if the builder were experimenting to find the least reliable form of roofing (if so, he found it, a flat tar roof with a skylight). But I loved the house nonetheless. It had a charm to it. And around this time of year, bees (which are really yellowjackets). 

Yesterday, as I approached the property from Whiskey Hill Road, the first surprise was to find that Joan Baez's house is for sale. And then the really big surprise, the property of the guy who bought my property is for sale too! Wow. If I had enough money I could buy it back. Heh. No way of course, Berkeley is a fine place, and I'm sure I can't afford it. But it was a lovely place to live. And it's great to see that the story keeps evolving even when I'm not there. I bet Jamis at Bucks knows what's going on there, assuming he still owns Bucks after all this time?