Burn Baby Burn!

Just in time to warm up the crisp autumn air! Rising from the ground like the claw of some ancient stone giant, a massive fire circle serves as the focal point of our ever-evolving backyard.

About 5 tons of locally sourced reclaimed New England granite foundation block was relocated and buried to create an outdoor living space.

 

The fire circle is nearly 4 feet across. Likewise, the center stone in back rises nearly 4 feet tall (with another 3' or so buried underground)

 

Working from just a vague idea and a tiny picture of something seen once online, our expert landscaping crew once again knew exactly where to get the reclaimed slabs (just a couple miles away!), and worked very quickly to complete the site in less than a day.

Dirt

Thought we could put this off for a while, but as it turns out our tolerance for looking at a rocky minefield is pretty low.  A house just doesn't feel like home without a nice lush lawn to lounge upon.

200+ yards of enriched Dirt plus a few tanks of hydro seed, and with luck (well, luck, sunlight, twice daily watering) we should be rolling in green by summer.)

Marrakesh Express

Having survived an historic first winter in our new home, Spring has arrived and we're getting back to putting some of the finishing touches on the house.   First up is a tiled backsplash for the kitchen.

Surprisingly eclectic, the only thing we ever envisioned for our classic New England Farmhouse was something arabesque. Our tile designer of course immediately knew exactly the right tile, this Cepac Lantern tile, in Cafe Latte. It picks up on both the soft white of our cabinets and the deep browns in the (Coffee Brown) granite counters.

It looks as amazing as we'd envisioned.

(Extra special thanks to the tile installer, who expertly made thousands of individual little cuts in this already funky shaped tile)

Deck The Halls

Having been nomads for the past couple years, it felt especially nice to have some halls to deck this year.  With all the decorations unpacked and up, it's finally starting to feel like home. 

We got to the tree farm a little late, because the last big tree they had left was this eleven footer.  It fits our front hall nicely, but next year I'm looking to go thirteen+.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and the best to you all in the New Year.

Winter Wonderland

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Mother Nature delivered a fresh blanket of holiday decoration.

Country Roads, Take Me Home

Around town there are lots of what the locals call "scenic" roads.  Dirt roads that have been, and always will be, dirt roads.  Much of the time they're a bother of rocks, dust, mud, and ruts.  But around foliage season?  It's like living in a painting.

The Green, Green Grass...Of Home

Around here, it's been as exciting as watching grass grow...