Billie's Folly

Tanglewood is the company in Maryland that is fabricating my greenhouse and other glassed-in areas.  It all started with the greenhouse-style structure at the entry, an idea I got from an English greenhouse/conservatory company's advertisement.  In reality it was probably off the rear of the house, but I thought it was a unique way to come in from the weather before hitting the front door.  We refer to it as the conservatory--but I like to think of it as something much more casual.  Then there's the breezeway, a transition hall from the family room to the garage and the southern garden.  It has a slanted glass roof and greenhouse-like doors at each end.  And finally a glass-covered patio that will still be open-air between the 6 foot walls and the glass ceiling. It's funny to me that from California I envisioned Oregon as being dark and gloomy in the rainy season.  I grew up in Seattle and never felt that true, so I don't know why I projected that on...

Today marks a significant transition from hole in the ground, with cement and some horizontal boards, to something resembling a house.  Most important from my point of view, the plywood on the main floor, and back-filling up to the foundation walls--both of which meant I could enter the structure and get a sense of the rooms. Here it was before any back-fill.  That's the garage, which will be entered from the far side. Today in the sunshine, I was able to step into my house and feel, what up to now I'd only known in my imagination.  Not all exterior walls are up, but enough of the main floor interior walls are, to make it all feel familiar and comfortable and like the beginning of the home I've spent so much time dreaming of and planning.    Standing at the front door, this will be my view of the cottage.  Looking out the front window of the dining room. Entering the front door is the framed entry wall with a powder room behind, and a h...

It was not the best time to be leaving the country, I had a few things happening at the house, my Palo Alto house was in contract with minor complications, and my daughter's horse, Zoe, would suddenly take a turn for the worse.  But this trip had been planned for months, and when is a good time? I learned about this Brocante (vintage & antiques) Tour from the one blog I follow: My French Country Home.  Sharon Santoni takes gorgeous photographs and writes a refreshingly unpretentious blog.  She writes modestly of her life and observations, uses flowers from her garden to create beautiful arrangements, and shares recipes she makes for her family.  She exposes her followers to an authentic French lifestyle, lesser known places in France, and local artisans.  I should add, she's written two books, publishes a bi-monthly magazine, and curates quarterly boxes of French goods, crafts and antiques.  I don't know how she finds time to also host several tours ...