Let your imagination take you on a vacation

Every year we get a calendar of porches. This is from the December page. All other images from the Net.

When I look at it it makes me feel so serene,  so tranquil and then the gears start turning in my brain.
 I can picture G and I sitting out there, I 'm wearing a big sweater over my PJs and my ugg boots, drinking a hot cup of coffee and feeling all my senses. G is standng at the railing wearing his barn jacket saying how much he loves it there. Being from the midwest, but living in CA for over 30 years, it's nice for him to be in the snow for a bit.
It's a long weekend away, we just finished some molasses pancakes.and inside a fire is going in the wood cook stove and a big pot of hearty soup is simmering for later with a loaf of crusty french bread waiting with a bottle of Shiraz.
.

There is no TV or Internet
The great room (although not huge) has a sofa and a few scattered overstuffed chairs and ottomans that all face a beautiful stone fireplace. The stones were hand carried many years ago from the creek down the hill. The mantel has a carving in the center front of a pine tree and crescent moon. There are various quilts draped around to use for warmth in winter. The wood floor has various Navajo rugs that have been well worn.  There is a CD player for music and most selections are perfect for sitting with a journal sketching, reading a book or just drifting away in the shear calmness of it all. I find myself writing voraciously, stories of snow gnomes who live at the base of the trees. I've never been so inspired.


The table we eat on is made of 2 salvaged planks of wood created in to one table, weathered but well preserved. Guests are encouraged to carve their initials in it along with the year they were there. We sit and run our fingers over the carvings that go back to 1943. We wonder who they were, why they came there. There are 4 mismatched chairs and a bench around the table.
The kitchen is vintage but has been upgraded with all the modern conveniences. The refrigerator is cleverly inside what would appear to be an armoire. The sink is an old farmhouse sink but still boasts a disposal. The stove is a refurbished O'Keefe and Merrit or you can cook on the wood stove sitting across the room. We opt for the wood stove.....just because we can. The cupboards are made of reclaimed lumber and the counter tops were recently replaced with a cement that has tiny pebbles inbedded in it all along the edges. Windows, windows everywhere.
 
There's a bathroom with a clawfoot tub/shower combo, a pedestal sink, a standard loo and cabinet made of willow that holds thick, fluffy white towels. The walls are made from old barn wood. The window is large enough to see out when sitting in a hot bath and now and then you can see a family of deer stroll by.

The bedroom  consists of a queen size iron bed piled with a thick down comforter and quilts. The sheets are crisp and the pillows plumped. A hand woven rug covers part of the wood floor and there is a wardrobe for your things.

A staircase leads to an open loft where there are 2 more of the same comfy beds, another bathroom and windows with a view as far as the eye can see. Moonlight comes in those windows on a clear night and casts shadows you can see from below.


There is also a stacked washer and dryer in a small room near the back door as it's the guests responsibility to leave clean towels and linens. We don't mind one bit.
The place can sleep 6 people but it's just the 2 of us. We hear later that it does turn out that mostly couples book the cabin although the occasional group does go up.
If this were a real place (and not my imagination) it would be a wonderful art retreat.
We go for long walks every day and our cheeks get red from the cold but we don't even notice. We make snow angels and a snow man and we put out food for the deer.
Many photographs are taken to record these moments.
We pick up some pine cones and look for heart shaped rocks.....and we gather memories.

We take a drive to a nearby village where there are little shops, a market, a cafe and post office. Everyone smiles as they walk by and all the shopkeepers are so courteous. When they find out where we're staying there are many stories from those who have been around for years. Turns out it(cabin) was made lovingly by hand as a honeymoon gift from Jacob O'Hara to his new bride Ruth a long time ago..... yet they never stayed there...........but that's another story, for another day.

See what happens when I just let my imagination run wild from one photo.

So let's hear it, what do YOU think of when you look at that calendar page?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend wherever you are!
Love,
Lisa
XOXO

P.S. This is a sneak peek of just one of the items being given away at my birthday party coming  the 15th. Yes, there will be more than one thing!  Watch this space for details.

Comments

[kai]

Aloha Lisa,
OMG, can I relate to this. I wanted to go on holiday this season, a long weekend and now I'm cat sitting instead..lol..

So Thank you for sharing a little bit of Christmas Cottage dreams and a sneak away in my mind vision..It's just what I needed and I love the way you describe it!!
peace n hugs, Kai (ring...ring..)

[Patricia]

What a lovely portrait of a winter dream place.

[Sioux]

Wow, sounds so dreamy!

[karen]

Oh, this is a wonderful post, I love all the details and the photographs are gorgeous. What a dream. Your birthday is the fifteen, mine is the ninth. Born under the same stars, I might have known. I love the idea of this cottage, my dream to be lost in the woods in a cozy cabin.

Karen

[Serena]

What a wonderfully detailed imagination! I look at that photo and think, "Oh, how I adore porches", and "I'd just love to live somewhere like that!" Within me I get fleeting images, but I don't think I could sit here and roll them off in such vivid detail like you did. But, let me tell you, your description sounds pretty much like all I could ever want and, if I were to read it into a tape recorder, it would make a PERFECT guided creative visualization! I've got your birthday marked off on my calendar! xoxo Serena

[gemma]

Lisa, How romantic!! Fantastic descriptions of this place. Bet G loves keeping your tootsies warm under those covers. :-)
When are you going to write a novel??? You could you know Lisa...you are mega talented.

[pam aries]

I am there.You have conjured up a cozy feeling.... oh yes.. I am warm and toasty ! in fact.. I am raising a mug of hot buttered rum ..to your Birthday!

[Terisa]

Is your Birhtday the 15th? Mine is the 16th!
I got so drawn into your cabin adventure, I can't even think of any place better. My house is so cold right now I feel like I'm already sitting on that porch!
Terisa

[PEA]

Make room for me, I'm going with you and G at that cabin!! lol Oh, Lisa, aren't we so very lucky to have imagination, it truly can take us to a world our hearts are one with. I've always wanted a log cabin with a big stone fireplace...deep in the woods with a little stream nearby. Love you girl! xoxo

[Colette]

It sounds like a real place; now that you've described it, it will become a real place. And I will be there for the art retreat. I already have all the winter gear ;)

When I look at porches, I see only breezy summer scenes, with gauzy casuarina trees, bougenvillae, and espadrilles...

XOXOXOXO
Moi

[Mo'a]

Wow!!! I am ready to book this cabin for a romantic get away. Love the way you tell a story. Those photos are wonderful especially the one of the porch...that started it all :)

[artzyjudie]

Ah Lisa dear. I was right there with you on your imaginary vacation. Didn't you see me, sitting over in the corner? It was warm and comfy and beautiful. Thanks for inviting me! luv you xoxoxoxoxo

[Gillian]

Yes, all those things.
What a lovely vision from just those two chairs.
That porch is fantastic! I actually thought it may look out over a lake!
xoxo

[Sacred Suzie]

So beautiful! I love the journey you have taken here with your imagination and your waking dreaming. I love this place you dream of too.

[Vallen]

Could you book me in the next weekend, please? Except for the snow. I'll let you and G enjoy that and then let it melt.
Birthday? Whoopee - Par-tay!!!

[jeanie]

This is beautiful, Lisa -- how tranquil. Love the deer popping by! And cozy and romantic -- I can almost taste that soup!

It's good to be back! Stop by the Marmelade Gypsy -- I'm having my blogaversary this month and every comment is entered into a drawing (that'll happen December 31). I haven't decided the prize package yet, but I promise, it'll be good!

[St. Maarten island]

Its hard to imagine that you are in a beach.Doing water activities,like para sailing,kayaking and then when the night come your friends and you will making some burn fire.Wow that is my dream vacation.

-Sarah