Introductions

Howdy!

Please allow us to introduce ourselves. We're Brian & Margie Hoag. Some of you already know us around town and through church, most of you likely don't as we don't live in town, but out in the country 4 miles north. Brian is a retired engineer, and Margie got laid off work 8 years ago in the Denver area that was our home. Shortly after Margie lost her job, we decided to do what any rational person would do... sell the house and everything in it, move into a big RV, and travel full time.

We traveled and looked for a place to live throughout the west that whole 5 years. What we found was unlimited growth and sprawl near population centers. Places that just a few years ago would have really excited us with scenic beauty has drawn so many people that property values are through the roof.

What we were looking for was a small piece of land out by ourselves with a nice view. WOW! Who knew we'd find it right here in Nebraska! We've discovered we have great neighbors willing to take us under their wing so to speak, a town with a lot going for it, and the peace and quiet of the country we sought but never found in our property search until that fateful day when Brian found the Internet ad that led us here.

Exactly two years ago, we made an offer and it was accepted to buy the old O'Brien place. It seemed too good to be true to us. Sitting on top of a hill, a view of the Republican and Medicine Creek valleys, surrounded by farm land, and nearest neighbor we can see is a mile away. We never found any property anywhere like this at any price. Granted, the place needed a bit of work and frankly the barn looked like it was a candidate for a fire department training exercise to start with, but we've managed to save the barn so far, knocked down most of the weeds with a lot of help from my neighbor, and we couldn't be happier with our little slice of heaven in Furnas county!

When we made our offer to purchase, we didn't know anyone in the area, and we've been asked several times why we picked Cambridge to retire to. Well, if you really want to find out, you will have to follow along with this blog as I will be telling our story some, mixing some fun stuff in now and then, and generally trying to promote the Cambridge Clarion's web site through this blog as well as the town.

I hope you will make comments to blog posts, add your 2 cents worth, share your experiences, and generally turn the Clarion's blog area into a community forum where opinions can be expressed and ideas put forward. You have a rather unique opportunity to voice your opinions without having to let people know who you are if you so desire, and let city leaders and your fellow citizens know about your concerns, ideas, and opinions.