You may not be speaking to me after you see the fabulousness of it, so let me thank you for your support over the years and remind you that we are RENTING this house and therefore cannot claim ownership, nor credit, for it. It was fabulous when we got here.
At first I thought I'd just put together a slide show for you, which led to a day-long CD shelf search to try to find the perfect song with the word "home" in it. (Oddly enough, most of those are really depressing. Who knew?) But then, I decided more explanation was warranted.
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| This is the front of the house. I loved it from the first time I saw it. It reminds me of the understatedness of our neighborhood in Austin. (Only with better landscaping.) |
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| The first time I walked to the front door, I was utterly enchanted by this corner. I thought I would put a little bistro table and chairs in it, like our next door neighbors in Austin had. And then I walked in the house and out the back door and I never thought about that little corner again. |
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| This is the back of our house. |
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| This, um, is the cabana. (You just stopped speaking to me, didn't you?) |
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| This is the cabana kitchen. (It was so nice knowing you!) |
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| I KNOW! |
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| Breezeway |
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| Cabana Bathroom (I KNOW!) |
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| Behind cabana to the right. |
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| BBQ area--used by the Coopers at least once per week, sun or snow. |
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| Behind cabana to the right--potting area! ( It's kind of a mess because I was looking for some tools yesterday.) |
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| Stairs leading to cabana deck. (Those little black things are lights.) |
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| Shed. |
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| View from cabana deck. |
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| Yes, those are solar panels on the roof. I KNOW! |
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| Austin hiding in the rose bushes. |
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| This planter is really a SPEAKER. (I KNOW!) |
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| Fountain |
So, I know.
I really know.
It's spectacular. It's just...beyond fantastic. We love it.
Even these photos don't do justice to the level of attention to detail in this house. The lighting alone is art. The landscaping is beyond my wildest dreams. I've said it before, but it's like living in a fireworks display. One gorgeous thing blooms and as it is spent, another even more gorgeous thing blooms. There were these peonies out front this spring that literally brought a tear to my eye. Here... look:
It's weird to be renters after 20 years or more of homeownership. But this house is such an unusual property that I kind of feel like we're
stewards of it. We're really blessed in our relationship with the homeowners, too --they've been willing to split the costs on some of the improvements we wanted, they trust us to oversee the upkeep, when we report minor issues, they are taken care of immediately, and best of all, we're friends now. It's a good house that can create friendships, y'all. Seriously.
I know you're going to ask so:
A) I don't believe the owners really want to sell this house and
B) if they did, I'm not sure we could afford it.
Our plans are uncertain. Katherine still has one year in the academically advanced school that she and Jane attend, which goes through ninth grade. (Excuse me while I lean over and breathe into a paper bag as I take in what that sentence says. MY BABY IS IN HIGH SCHOOL.) We're still evaluating the local school district to see if it's a good fit for her, or if we need to move closer to a different school or find some other option.
In the meanwhile, though, I am leaning into the uncertainty, and I wake up happy every day in this house.
It's a pretty good fairytale I've got going here, isn't it?
Comments
Is this an antidote to depression or what?
What caring parents you are to choose to live near a special school for your special youngsters. They are very lucky.
You are all blessed, and you deserve. Enjoy!
You are lucky (abundantly blessed!) to have found this place. It's all so spectacular and looks like you clipped pics from BH&G to show us. House-envy starting to creep in again...sigh...
Do put something in that little entry corner. It's really cute!
I'm lying. But we have down-sized since we saw you last.