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Diaryland
Tour of my Grandparent's Home 2004-08-04 @ 10:25 a.m.
So I guess this turned out to actually be a three part entry because two just didn't suffice. In fact, looking back over this entry now, I don't think three will work either...
When we got back from the Lake, Jonathan and I spent two days at our grandparent's house in Oroville. It is an interesting house. The main part was originally one of those premade, mobile homes that you order and "install". But the house itself is on a hill and has a bunch of things around it that enhance it.
My grandparents have a big garage where they store lots of stuff. Among the things inside the garage are a pair of comfy old chairs, an extensive tool bench, painting supplies, and really fancy crocheting machines that my nana uses to make things like afghans.
The driveway is gravel and is littered with acorns from the several oak trees around the property. Jonathan and I used to collect the acorns into big bags when we were young. We had various ideas about how to use them, ranging from planting more oak trees to reproducing native recipes for acorn mush. Of course, my mom would always get rid of them the first chance she got. You take big wooden stairs up to the front patio and door of the house. The wood is a deep reddish color - I know they used one of the rarer woods for the porches but I think a little staining also came in handy. The front porch has a wonderful view of the valley, and its lovely to sit out there in the evening and watch the sunset or, later, the city lights.
Instead of going up the stairs to the front porch, you can walk straight ahead up a few stone stairs and onto a stone path that leads through a front garden. There's lots of pretty plants and flowers that my nana planted there, and one or two of those flower windmills that spin in the wind. The walkway leads around to the back porch, which is also made of the same red wood & stain as the front porch, and has little iron & shaved glass street lamps. There's two sets of tables and chairs and a custom brick barbeque that my papa had specially built and enjoys using. My grandparents are one of the few people I know that actually use their outdoor tables enough to warrant them.
The house is simple, but very nice. There's a front room with chairs and couches where you can watch tv or chat about things. On the wall near the doorway are cabinets full of interesting books my grandparents read. My grandfather is a big history buff like me, and he loans me lots of books. Once I get done with the ones I'm working on, I'm hoping to borrow "Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews" from him. On the same shelf as the book cabinets are some of nana's "pretties" and a picture of each of their six grandchildren, including one of my better pictures.
Behind the front room is a nice kitchen, and off to the side a little dining room. On the other side of the kitchen (it has two entrances and we've had to learn to go around it and not through it) is the other main room in the house. There's a comfy sofa where both nana and I like to read, a table and chairs where we usually have breakfast, a china cabinet, and an electric organ. I've been trying to learn how to play that thing since I was little, but I've never invested as much time and patience with music as I probably should. Nana plays different folk tunes quite well on it. I can sometimes pick out songs I know by ear and play them, but I have a long way to go with learning music. The rest of the house includes a laundry room, where the pantry is, my granparent's bedroom and bathroom, and the guest bedroom and bath where we get to stay if there aren't any older guests we brought with us. The walls of that hall and the guest room are filled with pictures of our extended family at various stages of our lives. You can see just how cute my brother was when he was younger, look at and old black and white photo of my great-grandparents, and see photos of my now deceased Aunt Joan and Uncle Gary.
Out back, to the left of the deck, there's a little gazebo with a stone fountain that my grandfather built. He's stocked it with fish before, but the racoons usually come down and help themselves. We brought home a sunfish from the lake and put it in there recently. Papa wants fish for it not just for decorative purposes, but because he needs something to get rid of any mosquito larvae that might appear in the fountain.
From the gazebo, a steep stone pathway leads down past the clothesline, where my nana used to have a garden that Jon and I loved to pick strawberries from. The path goes sharply downhill towards the garage, and near the door of the garage is a compost bin and a work surface where you can paint or do crafts stuff. He, guess there's a little liberal spirit in my grandparents after all. You might think from this description that my grandparents have a real big home, but the wonder of it is that they've managed to fit so much into the space they have. Not that the place is tiny and cramped, but its just built in a real interesting way. My grandparents have lived there for a little over twenty years, and I have a lot of good memories of times spent there. I should visit them more often - things just aren't quite as simple and easy as they used to be.
"Details in the Fabric" - May 31, 2009
Not So Quick Questions - April 6, 2009
The Morning Stars - Lords of the 15 - April 9, 2009
Sincerity and Faith in Magic - April 10, 2009
Not So Quick Questions (2) - April 14, 2009
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