Day One and 1/2 of Natchez Recon
We're halfway through Day Two in Natchez, rising at 7:30 a.m. to get ready to meet the owner of the downtown loft-style rental. We had some time, so we also got online to the local newspaper website to check out the listings in the classified section. There were a couple of other promising-sounding listings, so we called those numbers for more information. One had already been snatched up. The other, a "two person rental" near downtown was listed at $675, which seemed a lot for such a small place....plus, what does "two person rental" mean exactly? Does that mean only two people fit inside the place or that it's two bedroom or what? It turned out to be a moot point because the house is actually for sale and is just for rent until the owner finds a buyer....and then the renter has to move out. And for the $675 asking price we would still be responsible for paying utilities, trash, etc. The owner gave us the address so we put it on our list for a drive-by. While it was technically near downtown, it was in a location that wasn't entirely desireable and it was more of a shack than a house. For those of you who have seen pictures of some of the shacks from my mission trip to Belize, this house was similar, only with glass windows.
When we arrived at the time scheduled to meet with the owner of the downtown loft, we knocked and waited and knocked and waited and peered in the window to find that the backdoor was standing open, so we knocked and waited some more and then we decided to call again only to get his voicemail so we knocked and waited some more....and he never met us. We decided to leave and eventually heard from the owner of another small rental "near" downtown. This one was touted as a "one-bedroom apartment" and when we arrived it looked charming enough....until we stepped inside. You know those Hallmark cards that are so darling but they're square shaped and require extra postage? Imagine something slightly smaller than that and you'll have some idea of how big this apartment was. Let's just say we'd have to find another home for MOST of our belongings if we chose to rent this apartment. We would have room for our bed and a dresser in the bedrooom, one couch and MAYBE a chair in the living room along with the piece of furniture that our TV sits on, a table and maybe our cute little white kitchen armoire in the dining area (it'd be a tight fit for both to be in the same space). The one closet (in the bedroom) is -- and this is absolutely not an exaggeration in the slightest -- LITERALLY three feet wide. That's not even enough room for all of Joe's shoes. Things we'd have to say goodbye to: most of our clothing, our washer and dryer, the guest bed, Joe's desk, my desk, Joe's stereo, the bedroom armoire, the loveseat, anything that currently resides in the garage, our BBQ grill, and most anything considered purely decorative.
Somewhere in the midst of our day, we also met with one of the congregation members who had a key to the church and offered us a tour. Joe and I had previously tried to determine when th church had been built and thought maybe it was built in the 80s. Once we walked inside the church it was obvious that the church had been built (or at least decorated) in the 70s. The floors were all covered in brown/gold/orange toned sculptured shag carpet. The pew seats are upholstered in mustard yellow. There's brown paneling throughout, including in the bathrooms. The office is very outdated. My mind reeled with the number of things I would need to redecorate in this church to bring it into the modern era and make it attractive. The church is a great size, with a sanctuary that seats approximately 200, a large fellowship hall, a kitchen, four or five classrooms and an office.
After these adventures we needed sustenance and chose a local eatery called the "Pig Out Inn". There we got two plates of VERY tasty BBQ sandwiches, sides and sweet tea. So far the Pig Out Inn is the highlight of the day. We're still hoping that the owner of the loft will become available to show us that location because I'd really hate to find other homes for all my stuff.
When we arrived at the time scheduled to meet with the owner of the downtown loft, we knocked and waited and knocked and waited and peered in the window to find that the backdoor was standing open, so we knocked and waited some more and then we decided to call again only to get his voicemail so we knocked and waited some more....and he never met us. We decided to leave and eventually heard from the owner of another small rental "near" downtown. This one was touted as a "one-bedroom apartment" and when we arrived it looked charming enough....until we stepped inside. You know those Hallmark cards that are so darling but they're square shaped and require extra postage? Imagine something slightly smaller than that and you'll have some idea of how big this apartment was. Let's just say we'd have to find another home for MOST of our belongings if we chose to rent this apartment. We would have room for our bed and a dresser in the bedrooom, one couch and MAYBE a chair in the living room along with the piece of furniture that our TV sits on, a table and maybe our cute little white kitchen armoire in the dining area (it'd be a tight fit for both to be in the same space). The one closet (in the bedroom) is -- and this is absolutely not an exaggeration in the slightest -- LITERALLY three feet wide. That's not even enough room for all of Joe's shoes. Things we'd have to say goodbye to: most of our clothing, our washer and dryer, the guest bed, Joe's desk, my desk, Joe's stereo, the bedroom armoire, the loveseat, anything that currently resides in the garage, our BBQ grill, and most anything considered purely decorative.
Somewhere in the midst of our day, we also met with one of the congregation members who had a key to the church and offered us a tour. Joe and I had previously tried to determine when th church had been built and thought maybe it was built in the 80s. Once we walked inside the church it was obvious that the church had been built (or at least decorated) in the 70s. The floors were all covered in brown/gold/orange toned sculptured shag carpet. The pew seats are upholstered in mustard yellow. There's brown paneling throughout, including in the bathrooms. The office is very outdated. My mind reeled with the number of things I would need to redecorate in this church to bring it into the modern era and make it attractive. The church is a great size, with a sanctuary that seats approximately 200, a large fellowship hall, a kitchen, four or five classrooms and an office.
After these adventures we needed sustenance and chose a local eatery called the "Pig Out Inn". There we got two plates of VERY tasty BBQ sandwiches, sides and sweet tea. So far the Pig Out Inn is the highlight of the day. We're still hoping that the owner of the loft will become available to show us that location because I'd really hate to find other homes for all my stuff.
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