Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Leaving the nest


A misty, contemplative June morning. 

Our friend's youngest child just left the nest for the other side of the continent. I remember when our children left us to make their own way in the world; a bittersweet time. We find ourselves in a similar situation now but this time we are the ones leaving what we thought would be our forever home. 

It has been said that your home never looked better than when it is ready for market. So true. Mill Pond Cottage is dusted and sparkling. Look at my clean Skybridge gutters! 


Because the studio is all packed up, I am spending my days in the flower and vegetable gardens. Surprisingly satisfying. In the future, I may become less full-time artist and more of a gardener (and new-nest builder).


Happy June everyone!




Friday, June 17, 2022

For Sale


 It's true!

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

The times, they are a changin'


Nearly 100 years ago, when my father was a teenager, he worked with his father building boats for the loggers working in the mill pond on Lake Sawyer. When payday came around, the loggers were a little short on cash so they offered my grandpa a portion of the lake in payment. Grandpa replied, “I don’t want no part of this blankety-blank swamp.” referring to “The Boot” portion of the lake. In 2013 my husband and I acquired the property for our new home, right where Grandpa left it.

We enlisted the help of well-known Craftsman home designer Will Thomas to make our home traditional in style but to also include special spaces for each of us. An art studio for me with a patio and flower gardens just outside the French doors and wall of windows. An area above the garage for my husband, big enough for a pool table and office. We imagined the art studio would eventually become our bedroom when we were too advanced in age to climb the stairs to our lake view master suite. 

 

Things we especially love about this place:

 

Our kitchen and bathroom radiant heat floor for bare feet

Morning coffee on the lakeside patio watching eagles, osprey, ducks, and geese.

Sitting on our dock watching our dog swim in the lake. 

Kayaking from our dock all the way to the other end of the lake.

Cherries, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and Asian pears.

Our flowers! Especially the peonies and hydrangeas passed down from past generations.

Our privacy bamboo. Our lawn, that expands to our great neighbors.

Our greenhouse and fenced vegetable garden.

Our solar panels. The automatic generator that comes on instantly when needed.

 

We planned to grow VERY old in this great house. But time changes us all and we now feel the need to spend more of our time left closer to our children. And so, Mill Pond Cottage will become the home for a new family with new hopes, dreams and memories of their own. 

 


Saturday, May 21, 2022

Spring 2022 at Mill Pond Cottage

 Suddenly, after cold wet weather, it is Spring at Mill Pond Cottage. The flower gardens outside the Studio are coming to life, shooting up and greening up.




It will be a good summer for blueberries

The Mock Orange shrub

Auntie Laura's red peony...very old.





Friday, January 21, 2022

Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea

 

Remnants of the Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea this January day. Can't wait until August. It is amazing!

Thursday, January 20, 2022

January 2022 Sunrise at Mill Pond Cottage

 


Early morning milestone birthday. January 2022 sunrise.