Chapter 15: The Price of a View
The next few weeks were ugly.
Cedar Ridge residents flooded town meetings. They called me petty, dangerous, selfish, unstable.
Funny how quickly people discover moral language when inconvenience reaches their driveway.
But the facts did not move.
The trees were mine.
The road was mine.
The easement did not exist.
Summit Tree’s insurance company contacted Dana first.
Their tone had changed completely.
Brad no longer talked about work orders like they were holy documents.
Then the HOA’s attorneys reached out.
They wanted access restored immediately.
Dana said access could be discussed after compensation, restoration, and a legal easement were negotiated.
Preston refused.
For about four days.
Then school buses had to reroute. Delivery trucks stopped coming. Contractors refused to haul materials up the ridge without guaranteed access.
The view they wanted had become very expensive.
By Friday, Cedar Ridge was ready to talk… Continue Reading ⬇️