Shed

 

Mortgage

Self-employed borrowers can have a challenging time qualifying for a traditional home loan. But you do not have to worry about there not being a program available to help you qualify for a mortgage. Bank Statement programs are designed specifically for those who do not have the tax documents, W-2’s,or adequate proof of income that clearly indicates their ability to pay. The home that seemed out of reach can now be a reality! The mortgage rates for these programs are reasonable.

Contact me today for a customized mortgage solution that best fits your circumstances. You don't want to wait the night before you are making an offer. My team will get you looking strong, your Underwritten Approval letter, and your horse saddled and ready for the rodeo.

Don’t miss out on the home of your dreams! Now there are even more customized options to help you qualify for a mortgage. If you have a solid income and are self-employed, you may qualify for our Bank Statement program. If you have net worth and assets but don’t have income you may qualify for our Asset Qualifier program. And for those who qualify, Jumbo loans are available with only 10% down.

C G Barbeau

NMLS 324982

(949) 784-9699

Sun West Mortgage

 

Alaska Trip

Our road trip in Alaska was amazing. The natural beauty of the wildflowers, seeing grizzly, whales, bald eagles, moose and wolves, and talking about the history of this landscape was mind jogging. We flew into Anchorage then drove a motor-home up to Denali. Then far north to Mukluk Land and south through Whittier and Homer. Caught fish that we barbequed. Hiked on a melting glacier and felt sad that the blue ice is going away so rapidly. 

I recommend Phillips Tour boat in Whittier and Crazy Rays for both the experience of hearing kittiwake gulls calling to the seals and Rays for a real fishing adventure.  

Denali is majestic.  Though you are required to ride a bus, you can get out and hike.

The Anton Andersen tunnel to Whittier is a feat of engineering. The abandoned Buckner building haunted by those who died in the 1964 earthquake is worth peeking in the chain link fence before they knock it down.

In Homer we had halibut tacos at the trailer The Tickled Pear. Rode the ferry with Coldwater Boats for a day trip to camp in Kachemak Bay State Park. We saw bald eagles fishing there and they remind how wonderful America is to see. Thank you everyone in Alaska for your kindness and warm greetings.

Wooly lousewort wildflowers

Cotton grass Eriophorum angustifolium often enjoyed by Canada geese

    All photographs are copyright  ©  Caroline Gerardo 
 

Cherry Blossom

The Nightjar and the Cherry Blossom

When I arrive in Angel Island to meet my new husband, I expect a man in white, but he has a dirty jacket. His face resembles the kind smile in his photograph.

“Sakura you are more beautiful than the cherry tree you are named after.”

I nod.

Our apartment is not what the Omiai promised. Dust enters through the walls and soon my case of clothing turns sooty grey. A women next door disappears at night, with her case. In the evening he comes to speak with my husband.

“Did you notice her leaving?”

“No I was repairing nets all day.”

“Did your wife speak with her?” He looks to me with crimson eyes. I say nothing. My husband is kind and pats my arm.

“Sakura never knew her.”

The next day my husband takes me to the fields.

“Don’t speak with neighbors.” He says softly looking at the ground.

"It's dangerous."

My mother would be ashamed if she knew I’m tearing corn, I don’t tell them in my letters. In time my palms callous. Rarely, I miss sleeping on linens in Osaka and rubbing camellia oil on my hands. The smell of my husband’s hair is now my home.

In the fields I hear news of the war. My parents never write about invading Nanking or oil embargos. The order comes. All Issei must pack.  

“Order 9066 says to pack what we can carry.”

“Can we go home to Osaka?”

“No.”

“Can we go somewhere else?”

“No.”

The next day we leave our apartment to walk to the corrals at the Salinas rodeo, then we board the train to Poston. Yuma County is a dusty landscape. Again, I adapt to a foreign place. The unit we are assigned, like the rail car slats has gaps from redwood shrinking in the heat.

Mixing adobe becomes my passion. I plan to seal up the unit before the baby arrives. If there is too much water or too much clay the effort to get the bricks to dry in the sun results in cracked and bumped blobs. If I add more sand to the mud, the blocks set. There are no guard towers, so at night I hoist two buckets on my shoulders to gather gravel from areas closer to the river.

Repeating the exercise makes me strong. My skin becomes dark and ruddy from the work, but my husband says I am beautiful.

As I walk to find grit, a buff nightjar follows me calling cuk cuk cuk. I step carefully under the starry sky. At this time when the cooler air rises I think of the petals of the cherry trees shedding the pink candy and flying to heaven.

 

copyright Caroline Gerardo 4/5/2021