Summer Road goes on Forever

One of the really exciting things about us moving to Winton and buying this historic lake property is that fact that Mark's parents are buying a house right next to our back lot. The house has two bedrooms, and will be our home for the next year. It will then turn into Ann and David's cabin away from home - right next to us! It is located on Summer Road, which is the perfect name for the private property.

We planned to move in on July 1 when their closing date was set, but that got pushed back to July 15th and now it has been held up again by title issues. Apparently, there is a stack of papers 3 inches thick on the lawyer's desk about the property lines and it will be a mess to straighten out. In the meantime, we are living in the property as renters, and it is great!

It didn't start out so great as our friends Arin and Andrea can attest. The renter who moved out left quite a mess on the carpets (think bathroom carpet full of cat litter directly next to the shower #whatthe#@!?). We immediately ripped up the carpets before taking photos which I now regret. Then we painted the chipboard floors just to seal it up and create a more pleasant space. We painted the fake wood paneling in one of the rooms, and that helped to brighten the small closet sized bedroom that Mark and I stay in. The kids are sharing one large bedroom with dressers as dividers, and it actually works quite well. The living room is the most comfortable space with large windows that open to the south and look out on beautiful trees.

Our first week in the new house was kind of crazy with moving boxes out of our temporary storage, trying to settle in, and immediately hosting some wonderful friends who came to help us warm this place into being. It was so heartening to have good people around us and we held an impromptu dance party one evening to really give good vibes to the previous bad energy we felt from the house. We are enjoying living here, have already had lots of visitors and are also looking forward to more in the near future!

My 95 year old grandmother Nonie came to visit with her son and a friend who is 94 years old. They were impressed with the log structure you can see behind Mark which was built in 1914.

Dance party!

 We had Nic and Riley Whitman, as well as Isaiah Curtis for a weekend and we put them to work stacking firewood for the upcoming long cold winter! Behind them is the other old log structure that Ann and Dave are wanting to fix up as a cute guest house. It will be so wonderful!

 Raif and Fiona in their bedroom that they share with Cora. It has a lofted ceiling to add to the spacious feel, as well as a built-in bookshelf for tons of storage.

 View of the bookshelf filled up with books!

 I am baking lots now that I finally have a stove again. While living at the outfitters it was cooking on a campstove or using the grill outside. This was a peach and blueberry crostata made from the "Joy of Cooking" that reminded me of my Grandma Pat. MMM!

One more shot of the living room where we all hang out, and no doubt will for many more hours through the winter.