Personal Paintings

 

Leif has finished a 3' x 4' painting for a friend who wanted the landscape of her hometown, Litchfield CT., artistically displayed in her new home in NJ. I stretched 4 of these canvases for Leif as a Christmas gift, using the best vintage canvas Bill had left from Princeton University's Visual Arts Studio.

The Sycamore tree on Leif's street.

Sanford Farm fields, Nantucket.

Self portrait.

Nothing But Blue Skies

This visit to Old Farm was nothing but blue skies and perfect weather to prune the left side of the property opening up a view of it driving by, while planting apple trees from friend Tom increasing a small grove out back. Soon, we clear 20' of trees roadside for the new septic line.

Bleached Hardwood Floors

We bought prefinished solid white oak 1" x  4" boards in a "Frozen Coast" finish from Lumber Liquidators, installing 500 sq. ft. in a 12 hr. day.

A wonderful finish to a North facing studio that houses much of Bill's ceramic work. Bill & I met when he was building this room, making pots in the kitchen and showing his pottery in the only room heated with a woodstove - after shoveling a foot of chicken droppings off the old floors. We removed gray industrial carpeting from this backroom after 40 yrs. of heavy use raising 3 boys.

I made the down vest I'm wearing from a kit sourced in "The Last Whole Earth Catalog"; a seventies bible to save the planet. Christian wore it while rescuing his 1780 farmhouse nearby.

Yellow House In Norway

This yellow house is often photographed in Sakrisoy on the Lofoten Islands Norway amid Arctic peaks and crystal blue waters. Discovering it reinforces my Norwegian sense of colors. charlescodyphotography via pinterest.

My shed with doors Bill hand built Scandinavian style & painted, echoed on our porch.

This shed was built with Christian & Leif's help while in high school and a foot taller than usual to fit a sleeping loft inside. I am now making it ready for grandkids to play in. The white cabinet was designed by the architect responsible for Copenhagen's Parliamentary Building and one of 3 he built for grandsons. Having a building in one's backyard for sons or daughters is a Norwegian concept also. I bleached & lymed the floorboards my neighbor grew, milled and planed for me.

September At Old Farm

September is a wonderful month to be on Cape and Christian's family is joining us here after Labor Day when crowds, traffic & temps have gone down leaving all rather serene & scenic. Especially evenings.

   Our private lake beach is a few houses away and similar Millway Beach 10 min.; both sequestered with powdery white sand & shallow pools of water great for toddlers. 

Eating out and grilling on Christian's restored vintage Weber or using the old kitchen which was the "Keeping Room".

We will also cut down several large tree trunks with so many damaged by storms or in the way of our coming new septic line. All trees 10' from both sides of it need removal.

Oak wood pile for heating the house, with a cord from "Country Gardens".

Mill Way Beach - residents only.

Old Farm Road Beach - private.

Collecting Antique Clothes

 I have been collecting antique clothes since the 1960's and was married in a dress of all handmade early embroidered & pierced white cotton, with my sister in finer white Victorian laces. While cleaning our attic, I decided to gift my collection to a young, enthusiastic woman to wear, share, mend and maintain.

The collection was over 30 pieces including some long vintage dresses and early hats. I sold my wedding dress to a collector and kept 2 white Victorian walking outfits. All lovely!

Note: We got married in our house the day the electricity was completed, and served 50 guests dinner in our back studio room. "Soup Du Jour" (now Nomad Pizza) catered the dinner and the flowers came from a farm across our street and shop in town. Some guests came by train in the one passenger car still stopping at the Hopewell Train Station.

New Roofs & Skylights

All our houses had roof work this summer. My roof was 25 yrs. old, skylights twice that and porch roof older. "Bella Roofing" 908 797 7887 replaced everything including two back shed roofs and five large Velux skylights, in two days beautifully!

Leif had shingles we sourced & bought installed near recent chimney work, while our chimney was repointed and given a 3-flu cap by Velasco Chimney. 

Even from a distance, the new brick pointing & chimney cap are lovely with copper flashing.

Christian hired Damiano & Sons Roofing 609 695 0854 (who did a stupendous job on his garage barn roof) to replace the asphalt shingling on his house additions.

Updating Velux skylights is great as they come fixed with remote controlled shades to be installed in 20 min.. Our back room was terrific with our first 50 yrs. ago and now affordably (total $1500 ea. installed for the largest size MO8) sensational.