Dreamland

Low Maintenance Landscaping

I've been looking at property, trying to find a place away from the city to retire. My sister told me about this place near Albuquerque. All new homes being built, with high-tech features. Close enough to the city if you need anything, but far enough away to be out of the traffic. And the price is really affordable.

I catch a flight out, then drive a rental car to the developer's office. We get in his van and drive out to the homesite. They named the place "Riverview Estates", but I don't see any river nearby. Just a dry wash, and a hazy view of the city in the distance. The area is all dirt. Graded dirt roads laid out in a grid, with a few houses in the early stages of being built on sandy plots with scruffy cactus and dusty sagebrush growth.

In the center lot is one finished home."Here's the model,lets go in and I'll give you a tour," he says as we pull up in front.

The place is really nice. High end furniture and entertainment center. A spacious kitchen with quality builtins. A sauna with a "natural sunlight" solarium. One thing I notice is there are no curtains on any of the windows. And looking out the windows is like looking into a different world. Out in back, a perfectly manicured lawn. Fruit trees with singing birds. In the living room, instead of the dusty road I expected is a view looking down from a rolling green hillside towards a winding river. the sky above is picture postcard perfect, sunlight filtered through slowly drifting fluffy white clouds...

Seeing my puzzled look, the agent says "Hi-def windows. It's always a beautiful day out because it's digital! Or you can have thunderstorms, blizzards, whatever you like. It's all included on the house computer, you get to pick what you want. You don't need any curtains, because people outside can't see in. The outside windows are for appearance only. Smoked an mirrored, attached over a solid wall."

The idea does have it's appeal. I hate yardwork, and this way I get to enjoy a perfect lawn without the work. I do have one concern. "What about the dust with all these sandy lots, especially on windy days?" I ask.

"Trust me, there won't be any dust problems once we finish the landscaping. And we do the maintainance on it for you. It's included in your monthly homeowners fees. Of course it won't look quite as nice as what you see through these windows, but you'll never have to mow a lawn again!"

I decide to buy, and pick out one of the lots on the gridmap. They all are pretty much the same anyway. We go back to the office and fill out the paperwork. I write a check for the down payment. "Your house will be ready for you to move in on the first of June," he assures me.

Moving Day: I phone ahead, the agent says he'll meet me at the house.

"You sure you'll be able to find it ok? You might not recognize the place," he says.

"No problem, I printed it out on Mapquest," I reply

I turn off the highway and drive past the entrance sign. He's right, I don't recognize the place. All the houses are up and finished, and very square foot of dirt is paved! Not just the streets and driveways, but all the yards too! I pull up to my house and walk across the asphalt "yard". The agent is standing outside. "Well, whaddya think?" he asks, pointing at the house.

I don't know what to say. "The yard... I mean, it's not what I expected..."

"Yeah, it is a bit of a shocker for some folks, but once you're inside you won't be looking at it anyway. And trust me, you'll get to like it! No more worries about getting a lawn tore up by kids on bikes or the neighbors dogs. And if you have people over, you've got enough space to park four or five extra cars! Super low maintenance too. Our guys come buy once a week and hose it all down for you, no problem!"