At least cell coverage still sucks

It's a sad little day here at Woodhaven. Don't worry, we, the cat, and the grapevines are all fine. It's just that today we unfortunately discovered something that makes us feel a little less boondocky.

For the last four years, Rob and I rather enjoyed the fact that our house could not be found on any of the mapping websites. All of them relied on the same out-of-date satellite photo when Woodhaven and its neighbors were a cattle ranch. The photo - and therefore the mapping sites - showed an old cow path as our now paved road. Well, paved if you discount the potholes and gravel finale and the fact that the cows climbed a hill but our street doesn't. So whenever we gave directions, especially to contractors, we would happily warn: "Don't use Yahoo or Mapquest cuz you'll get lost. Call us when you are in town and we'll give you directions. If you wait until you get closer, your cell phone won't work."

And so it was last week when we scheduled a maintenance check on our heat pump. Imagine my unshowered surprise this morning when Chris rang our doorbell a half-hour early.

"Yeah, I expected to get lost! The installers told me that last year they got really lost. So I gave myself a lot of time."

"What map did you use?"

"The office printed out directions for me using Mapquest. It worked great!"

Chris was elated and I was deflated. After getting him oriented with our furnace, thermostat, and heat pump, I dashed to the couch to see if this unfortunate sign of yet more progress was true.

Mapquest. Yep, it works. Google Maps. Yep, it works, too. Yahoo Maps. Yeah, it works but it sends you a slightly different route on a different gravel road. But all of them will get you to Woodhaven without needing to phone ahead or pack a lunch.

For a few years now, we've told people we live out in the middle of nowhere, then turn left. I guess that's still true. I'm just bummed that you can now prove it on the Internet.