Hunkering Down

I just love the seasonal changes in Oregon.  And all of them can happen in one day!  You can wake up to sunshine and have hail by mid-day.  You can have dreary rain all day and enjoy a gorgeous sunset.  And every year we get at least one decent snowfall.  It's lovely to look out on the blanket shrouding the world.  But the nice thing is, it usually doesn't last long or cause too much inconvenience—just one or two snow days for the kids.  Valentine's Day brought us a winter wonderland this year.

     

I chose to build this simple white conservatory on the front of my house to add informality to what might appear a severe stone facade.  I call it the porch.  It was also for practicality--a place to leave umbrellas and wet coats before entering the house.  But the reality is, most people don't come in drenched (at least not this door) and no one seems to use an umbrella.  

But it's turned into a nice place to witness the winter weather.    

A cozy reading corner in the living room 

Muted color in the snow from the dining room

The covered patio off the kitchen is where the outdoors meets the inside.  An open-air greenhouse roof lets the breeze through in the summer and keeps most of the weather out in the winter.  I could install heat lamps if I wanted to use it all year, but a fire in mild weather is all I need.

The sunroom is by far my favorite place to relax in both winter or summer and morning or evening.  You're warm or cool and can sip coffee or wine with the seasonal beauty on all sides.  

The breezeway (an oversized mud room) can be opened at both ends for summer ventilation.  

But in the winter it's a warm refuge from whatever's happening outside.  

And it's a buffer for Sadie's wet or muddy feet before they hit the hardwood.  

~ THE END ~