Yesterday (October 1, 2010) Joyce completed the accounting for the sale of Grandpa Andy's forest. The sale was actually completed about ten days ago, but we had to track all of the expenses, convert euros into dollars and run all of the numbers by an accountant to make sure it was all right.
Joyce emailed to say that it was all finished, and that she and Al were celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary, too! Joyce and I have been working very hard for over a year to resolve the inheritance and sale of the Forest in Slovenia, and now it is finally over. We weren't sure we could do it. Grandma Louise and Olga tried to do it. Olga tried for over 15 years. Before that, Andy & Louise wrote letters to relatives in the old country and pleaded for help, but nothing worked until now.
I was very lucky to have the means to travel to Slovenia. The first trip, with Olga (my grandmother), in 1970, and then twice again in 2007 and 2010. But I could not have completed this task alone. If Joyce hadn't been there every step of the way, it never would have happened. She was the coordinator. She had relationships with all of the family heirs and was able to get everyone on the same page. Her kind persistence really paid off at one point when we thought all was lost - she kept talking and found a solution. What a diplomat!
In Slovenia last June, I was able to update the land records in a court hearing and make sure all of the current heirs to the property were correctly recorded. Once that was done, I could look for a buyer for the forest. I had one in mind: the caretaker of our forest and the owner of the neighboring land, Albreht Rajko. I had met him on my 2007 trip and felt he was the right person to pass the forest on to, but didn't know if he could afford to purchase it or not.
Our friend and translator, Janez, took me to visit Albreht and his wife Nada. Over several pleasant visits, we negotiated a price and prepared contracts to seal the deal. Due to legal restrictions, we couldn't finalize the sale during my visit, but we set everything in motion so that it would be accomplished by the end of the summer. There were a few glitches, but the sale was finalized on the first day of autumn - September 21, 2010.This photo is Albreht Rajko, the new owner of Grandpa Andy's Forest in Slovenia. I feel so lucky to have met him and hope to see him and his wife Nada again soon! Srečno Rajko!
