High on a hill overlooking Winterpast sits a lonely mansion. I don’t use that term loosely. Five years ago, when I moved to Winterpast, the mystery of the mansion was already years old. On its lofty perch, it watches over the rest of us who live in the low-lying areas. In all its grandeur, it’s been missing one thing. A family.
The home was built long ago by the man that built Winterpast. I met him one time under strange circumstances.
When I moved into Winterpast in 2020, I had things from many past lives. There were the high school Algebra books cherished from my days as a continuation high school teacher. I owned a complete set of Kinder-8th-grade language arts books and workbooks. There were books covering such a variety of subjects that any teacher would be drooling. But, I still owned some things from my days as a farmer that had to go.
In the garage sat two five gallon jugs of very old chemicals from my vineyard. One jug held Round-Up, which has turned into a bad name in non-farming circles. The other held a soil sterilant called Surflan. These two jugs were at least twenty years old and I must admit, even I was getting a little freaked out about having them in the garage.
There was one small problem. Northwestern Nevada has no place to dispose of chemicals like the ones I had in my possession. I was left to my own resourcefulness to find a home for them.
It was then I thought of a gentleman that had a ranchette not far from Winterpast. He owned four horses and had a sizeable amount of property. I’d see he and his son burning weeds often, and it came to me. He was a man who could use these chemicals in the right way.
One day, I wrote the man a letter complimenting him on his ginormous American flag waving high over his property. After explaining who I was, I asked if he might have a use for the chemicals I was trying to re-home. I got a call from him the evening after I’d dropped off the letter. A resounding YES!
When delivering the chemicals, I found he was, indeed, the man who had done a lot of the construction on the neighborhood. It was he who had built the home for himself, but then the building boom crashed in 2008. He lost the house.
This place is a beauty. Sitting atop the highest hill in town, she overlooks the entire town. At over 10,000 feet and three stories, she’s complete with an elevator all her own. A gourmet kitchen and views that just don’t stop. At $2,999,999, she should have all that with a butler included.
I snuck an online peek of this beautiful home the other day. Needing to leave some personal information before I could look, I got a call from the realtor handling the listing. After explaining I was just a nosey neighbor without the $2,999,999 to buy the home, he asked if I was related to the mayor.
That’s life in a very small, but growing, town. Everyone has gone to school with everyone and their brother’s grandson. I love it so much. You never know the strangers with whom you might find connections, especially if you’re related to the mayor and his huge family.
As for the mansion, there she sits. One evening a few weeks back, she was bathed in lights, not something that has happened in five years. Looking at the realtor’s pictures, I realized that was the night she went on the market.
Whatever you do today, if you are thinking of buying a mansion on a hill, check her out. She is truly a gem located in one of the best towns in the US.
More on Monday.