Building A Picket Gate

I designed this gate for Bill to build entirely from pressure treated wood; 4" x 4" posts, 2" x 4" door frame and 1" sq. pickets trapped at the top. It joins the privet hedges that front our property and adds closure. I gave it a coat of BM MoorGard Low Lustre white paint. 

Alex & Leif when it was first finished many yrs. ago. The wood is still perfect.

A Guest Room Desk

Alex was first in our family to get a moveable desk; so many hours while working remote & standing some. He bought another, and in our guest room now for when his family visits.

I have also added a Pottery Barn floating headboard to the bed here, which has portals on both sides.

The front guest bedroom has an antique French painted table to use as a desk or vanity. Alex's first furniture purchase which always finds a use and much admiration.

Sometimes it is the room that makes a desk great. Leif's guestroom.

Sewing For A Baby Girl

Last Sunday was a baby shower for our first grandaughter and baby girl in a family generation. My gifts included two vintage style dresses I made; the blue  is from a "new" vintage tablecloth, and the striped has vintage cultured pearl buttons on the back. The patterns were from my Mom's early collection.

Nantucket inspired.

Getting To Old Farm

Bill gets to the Cape in his Tesla now stopping to half-recharge once since he fully charges at Old Farm; parking next to the house and charger. Such an old 1717 house and new vehicle! Sweet.

It is like a jungle.

Professional Framing

The best framer I know is Michael in Hopewell at the Morpeth Gallery. He recently framed Leif's painting of our late dog Anders using 1 1/4" X 3/8" Light Oak Molding; mitered at the corners after restretching them. He has also added canvas to a collectable painting and stretched very large ones onto thick frames for us with superb craftsmanship and no need for a frame!

I have not removed the protective plastic from the painting yet, waiting to hang.

Repainting The Sheds

We are now repainting our back sheds. The newest was built while the boys were in high school and taught them basic construction. This early image helped find the original door color; BM "Mardi Gras". Bill built the doors Scandinavian style; two layers, 2" thick with exterior beveled boards. The custom interior ladder leads to a loft with a queen futon and skylight. We now have copper gutters on both sides.

Below are the post & beam garden shed and slate roofed outhouse turned chicken coop to be repainted Benjamin Moore's "Golden Light" with "Essex Green" trim.

Splitting In The Shade

We spent the holiday weekend splitting enormous piles of wood at two houses here, which will warm both houses all winter. Braving the current heat however, meant parking the splitter in the shade while using a large umbrella and two wheelbarrows to stack as we split. Our old barn foundation fits four stacks of wood and the above is four stacks deep now.

Shade Trees On Sale

At home we bought two shade trees, now on sale at Rutger's Nursery, for our backyard as the last of ours were taken down for a new neighbor's fence. Both are fast growing, beautiful leafed trees with lovely shapes; the Swamp White Oak and Sycamore Plane trees. Instant shade!