October 29, 2012

Weekend Update: Sandy Edition

Basically, all everyone and anyone I know did over the weekend is get ready for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy!imageAs I write this at nearly midnight, the storm has not yet arrived in all its fury. It’s raining lightly and is so still outside, but I know it’s coming, having just watched the news for hours!

On Saturday, it was eerily quiet, and the sky will filled with high pale clouds, sundogsas well as some fast-moving puffier clouds, being spun off the storm.

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This week, I was visited in the back garden by a number of blue jays! Although they are terribly squawky birds, and not at all friendly, they are great to look at.

They were chasing the squirrels and the other birds in order to gather the most acorns.

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I had a chance to look at a historic house the other day. It was sad because it had been used as a home for wayward girls for the past 50 years, and so had gone through a lot of rack and ruin by people who had no appreciation for it. However, enough of the original details remained that it was still interesting.

There were fireplaces in each of the rooms, including the TEN bedrooms.

Some were rather simple,

while others retained their classical motifs.

Several of the original pier mirrors remained, but they weren’t in perfect condition.
These two are at opposite ends of two adjoining parlours.
One of the fascinating things about the house was the system of skylights on the second and third floors. This hallway is lit by a skylight above bringing in a lot of natural light, and in the floors, at regular intervals, there are huge pieces of heavy glass that allow the light to pass through to the hallway below.

There were still many of the original “below the stairs” features, including this old pantry,

this old-fashioned porch,

with its haint-blue ceiling,

and almost all of the original shutters in each of the dozens of windows.The house is for sale for $495,000, but it needs some work to make it gorgeous again!

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My friend Ella just left for South Georgia Island, ANTARTICA! For 14 months! imageElla’s going to be the boating officer for the British Antarctic Survey. She’s started a blog so that friends in warmer climes (and that would be pretty much everyone!) can follow along on her adventures. Check out Ella’s blog at Ella Down South and give the gal some words of encouragement. It will take a few days for her to get there, so maybe look later this week!

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My pumpkins have been stowed away safely, lest they blow away during the storm.

If you’re in the path of the storm, I hope that you make it through undamaged in every way.

7 comments:

  1. I hope that you are able to evade the storm; I think that despite some apprehension, there is also a degree of exhilaration in anticipating it.

    The house that you feature is quite interesting. Although it has seen some hard use, there is a surprising amount of original material and features left, and I would think it would be a prime candidate for restoration. Ten bedrooms sounds good to me. I would like to know what the exterior looks like--possibly something like the glimpse we get of the house across the street.
    --Road to Parnassus

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not evading the storm. Just waiting for it to show up, and then we will wait it out.

      Delete
  2. Sending love; I know that you are ready. Does Connor have any ear muffs incase of thunder?
    Be well, and dry inside!!
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It shouldn't thunder, just heavy (40-60 mph) winds and lots of rain.

      Delete
  3. Hope you two weathered the storm high + dry. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Meg,

    Be safe! I am sure that you are ready as hopefully everyone in the path is.

    The storm is fierce, the weather here is still pounding and we are just starting to be on the back side. The wind and rain are terrible.

    Prayers for you and Conor as well as all of the people in the path of the storm!

    Elizabeth

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  5. That home looks like a prime candidate for This Old House -- I don't know if that's even on the air anymore, but my husband and I loved watching it when we first got married and lived in a "fixer-upper!"

    I'll be thinking of you throughout the storm. Stay safe, pumpkins and all!

    ReplyDelete

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