Our Homes Over Married Years

At this time I am unable to find a photo of this home that is not in print format, just slide...
This home was just a cabin - It was all electric heat, but had NO running water, and therefore NO bathroom! Our first child was born while we still lived in this home...

We purchased this New Home built on a full unfinished basement in the fall of 1964. It had 2 bedrooms, full bath, and a good sized livingroom, dining area and kitchen with a wall between it and the livingroom. This particular photo was taken in the winter of 1969-70, I think. We lived at this location until sometime in t972. By the time we left this home, it was fully landscaped - it had a steep, challenging backyard. The basement had been mostly finished off with a master bedroom, 3/4 bath with a big custom walk-in shower, and a playroom for the kids. It was located south of Tudor Road in a Subdivision called Wickersham Park. Our second and third children were born while we lived here. It was inline with the main Anchorage International Airport runway flight path, when wind direction forced aircraft to occasionally took off towards the mountains.

Front View Through Trees

View of Deck End & Front

Dave really wanted this Log Home if it ever came up for sale. When it did, we sold our First New Home and moved up here mid 1972. The home was located about 1 mile Northeast of the Experiment Farm. The setting was on a dead end road, right on the edge of a field, in a cleaned up wooded area. It had no real formal yard, and only a small "lawn" patch we mowed with a reel hand mower. On the North side, out from the house and the field about a 100 yards was lot that went down over a steep bank. We bought this extra land to insure no one would build close to the log home
The home had an open beam ceiling, or should I say two huge bridge-style trusses, that supported the roof, and was finished in a log look inside created by 1" x 6" boards install horizontally over 2" x 4" studs with insulation. It was an all electric home, with a huge corner fireplace to which we added an insert for added heat in winter. Our livingroom, dining area, bathroom, and kitchen occupied the right-hand 2/3rds of the upstairs, with a large storage unit separating the kitchen from part of the livingroom (front 1/2 of this combined area). The left 1/3rd contained the master and second bedrooms. There was a loft play area for the children above these rooms. It also had a full basement, with two more bedrooms under the upstairs ones, and a combined half bath and laundry room under the upstairs bath. There was a recreation room under the livingroom upstairs, and an uninsulated shop area under the kitchen, dining areas above. When we had to sell the home/land in June 1976, we wished we could have packed it up like Lincoln Logs and move it south with us to Washington...

Front of Home & End of Second Building

Backyard area boarded by Home, 2nd Bldg.

     This was our First Washington Orchard Home Complex, located on the road edge of one of two, 10 acre blocks - At 951 Webb Place, East Wenatchee, WA . When we arrived in September 1976, it consisted of just a six year old 60' x 24' Doublewide Mobile Home set on a concrete block foundation. A couple of years later, we added the two story Shop/Garage, with living-space above building you see in both photos.
     The main home had three bedrooms, two baths, kitchen with breakfast bar, with the dining area next to it. The large livingroom ran across the end of both halves. We added a built in fireplace when the other building was built.
     The second building had an insulated workshop in the back 1/3 and two open bays in the front 2/3 area initially. We later enclosed the front with a garage door on the left and a hobby area build-out on the right. An airtight wood stove was added after insulating for primary heat in this area, and my laundry equipment was moved out of the house, to here. We had ceiling electric unit as backup. This area also served as a great "mud room". We also had a utility 3/4 bath installed. The upstairs consisted of a room for our oldest son until he went to College and a full bath, while the rest was mainly storage and a sewing room for Phoebe. Large equipment storage lean-tos were added across the East end, and along the backside soon after.
     After the kids left, Dave and Phoebe remained there until January 1993. Then Teresa and her family lived there until they purchased their own home in summer 1995. For the remaining years we owned the Ranch, the home was occupied by our Steady Man's Family.

Front, Fall 2002, from 40' up wind machine

Backyard, Huge Garden - Summer 2003

     In late 1992, just before the snows came, we started ground work and utility installation for the triple-wide modular home we planned to install dead center of our second 10 acre block at 5170 SE 8th Street. The home consisted or 3 modular units - two 60' and one 45' long ones by 14' wide. It was finally moved on site late January 1993, after a couple of huge snowfalls we had to clear away off the setup pad and surrounding areas.
     The home never looked like a mobile one, but rather a large Ranch Style Home, both inside and out. Starting from the South-deck end, the livingroom extended across both longer units and back in another 6' beyond the deck end of the short unit. The center unit was super high, which afforded a vaulted ceiling in nearly every room. Archways took you from the livingroom into the breakfast area to the kitchen, and another into the formal dining area. We had a very efficient airtight stove in one corner of the livingroom. Living in orchard areas we generated tons of "free" firewood!
     Across the center areas of all three units we had the large kitchen with breakfast area in half the short unit, a large two sided pass through panty/buffet/china cabinet that separated the formal dining area from the kitchen. On across into the back unit was my large office, which could have been a 3rd bedroom or recreation/playroom.
     The North end of our home consisted of 1/2 of the master bedroom and the master bath with garden tub and huge shower. all in the other half of the short unit. The center unit housed our big walk-in closet, rest of the actual bedroom and a sitting area next to the bathroom. The guest bedroom, guest bathroom, then the laundry with, storage, mudroom area at the back entrance up against the office, all in the back unit, rounded out the floor plan of our home. Since we actually ordered the modular home, we could choose all the finishes and colors throughout. This was pretty much like having a "stick home" built.
     Dave and Phoebe moved in the first week of February on what was the shortest/fastest move we ever made - just 1/2 mile between home locations using our big 4 horse/stock trailer. That summer we went to work planting trees and shrubs along the West side, hoping that they would grew larger quickly (see photo above left), and would afford some protection for the hot, summer Wenatchee Valley sun. We really could feel the difference as the trees grew taller. The following summer we added a large deck on the South end of the shorter section, and a covered back porch along half the East side. A couple of years later we built a separate covered patio for year round grilling and shady sitting. However, we never got a chance to build the two story shop/garage with workroom above that we hoped to have...
     In the fall of 2002, still hoping to negotiate a situation to retain this home with some land, as a Bank Repossession loomed, we cleared the trees in that acre around our home. Summer of 2003, we planted a huge garden area, which produce large amounts of produce we gave away to many friends. It was really spectacular and afforded something to keep me busy, while Dave worked his job and we waited for the end of our farming days. The Sheriff's sale came in September and final papers about vacating the proper just before Christmas. Three months later we were packed and gone...

Front Side, Yard

Backside, Patio Area

This was the home we rented from June 2004 to January 2007, that belonged to a friend from Alaska - Becky (Woolcot) Polizzotto. She was the same age as our daughter. We occupied the top floor, while Becky's sister Barbara lived in the basement apartment.
During the couple of years we lived there, we treated the home as our own, adding shrubs and flowers, even building a corner shade area with vines growing over the top, on the cement patio next to their hot tub. It was a very nice home, but not one we wished to purchase when Becky decided to sell the home in 2006. It would cost too much for us to handle and had too many problems coming up since it was older. We had for some time thought it better to move a bit further North when the time came, due to Georgia's intense humidity.

Front View of our Home 4/10

Backside of our Home 8/09

     In mid January 2007, we officially moved into what we expect to be our final Home. Our present home, built in 2000, is located in a 20 lot quality subdivision, that just happens to be 5 miles from Lenoir. The location is in the foothills, but not in the actual mountains. However, we can be up on the Blue Ridge Highway in about half an hour. The setting is really ideal. All our utilities are all underground, which adds to the appearance. Most lots are just over 1/2 acre. Ours is 100' wide by 200 feet deep. The back 1/4 of our lot is populated with many very tall native trees. In the first few months we cleared out all the underbrush and took down a number of unwanted or damaged trees, to give this area a more park-like look. We encourage much of the wildlife, mostly birds with our feeders kept full all year round. We do have problems keeping the squirrels out of the bird feeders.
     Our house is about 1500 sq. ft. - three bedroom, two bath, medium sized livingroom, dining area with laundry closet beside, and a fairly large kitchen. It has a two car garage with a half car width of shop/storage space. With all of Dave's woodworking equipment, we rarely garage either car, and then only one, as it is more of a workshop room now than a garage.
     We have lovely Hickory hardwood flooring in the livingroom/foyer, hall, and master bedroom. We have been working to repaint and generally upgrade our home over time; two bedrooms, the hall, and the livingroom/foyer have been redone. We have a gas fireplace in one corner that was nothing but a bare wall. Have since built a custom surround/mantle for it. Still need to rework the office, both bathrooms and the kitchen as time and money permits.

In the meantime we have concentrated on major landscaping renovations. Viewing the photo above taken Summer of 2009, you can see the redone sloped area nearly the full width of the backyard. This section of our property makes a fairly steep ascent from about 25' out from the back of the house. When we came, the area where the mulch is was very sparse grass and weeds. It was difficult to mow, so in the Fall of 2008, on through Mid summer of 2009, we reworked the whole hill side putting in Perennials, Evergreens and Flowering Trees and Shrubs, a couple rock garden spots, and of course Mulch. Old, solid brick edges the main section. The area on the right side of the photo with the small pond was pretty much established when we came. However, everything from left of the grass strip going up the hill, on across the slope to the left side of the photo, is all new plantings by us. Our established vegetable garden plot is behind the stacked railroad ties in the upper left corner. Our Yard Equipment Storage Building sits semi-hidden up in the woods, just up from and to the left of bird house post. It also can be seen in the left-hand photo below - at the top the stairs, and back in the woods about 25 feet and slightly to the right. The dark line way back and left of the shed in our neighbor's 6' high cedar fence...

Shown in the 2 photos at left are two views of the cement reinforce staircase we created to make for an easier assent up our back hillside. In the panoramic photo above the previous commentary section, this staircase is shown starting halfway up the left side of that photo, going up around the tear drop flower bed, and on past the vegetable garden to the tree line. As you can see in the far left photo, the staircase curves to the left and around that bed area, then straight up the hillside to the woods.

     The other (right) photo shows the view from the top of the stairway. In this photo you can see the materials we used: 10 hole bricks for the surface of each step, cast scalloped shaped edging blocks for both the flat front to hold bricks in place, with another standing up under the top one for support.
     Originally we cut into our red clay soil up the bank and just placed the aggregate in where we wanted it. During the first winter 2008-09, heavy rains, with the help of voles tunneling underneath, eroded the front edges on four of the rise fronts making them unstable. The following summer we dug out the clay behind and under the scalloped blocks, resetting those blocks on and against poured concrete reinforced with nails. It took 13 bags of QuikRete mixed by hand in a plastic tub to do the job!! We then filled the holes in the brick with sand, something we will have to do again this summer as well. The staircase has experienced no further deterioration in the past two winters.
     April of 2010, our sons came and helped us install a 4' chainlink fence to enclose the back yard. We needed one to keep our dog IN and the strays OUT. You can see part of that fence in the front view of our Lenoir Home. For the remainder of the summer months we changed a few permanent plantings but nothing major in back. In the front of the house we pulled out the rather plain looking variegated Privet and Boxwood, and have replanted with some Rose of Sharon Bushes, Cone Flowers against the wall, and Red Petunias for summer color. Perhaps in a year or so, we will pull those same shrubs on the right front of the house, and replant something similar
     For 2011 we had not figured on doing anything major until we realized our lawns were falling apart both front and back. We thought to have at least the front lawn rework by a contractor, but found the idea too expensive for right now. Instead, we opted to install a large corner Rock Garden Area up by the driveway and the front sidewalk. We have managed a good start but had to stop without finishing the area when we could not find the plantings we desired. Below are photos recently taken to show what we look like currently...

Front View showing Planted Area between the Sidewalk & the Garage, and a well started Rock Garden

Backyard Sloped area currently, as it compares to the photo taken right after the Major Renovation in 2009