Our house had a heart, and a soul, and eyes to see us with;
and approvals, and solicitudes, and deep sympathies;
it was of us, and we were in its confidence,
and lived in its grace and in the peace of its benediction.
We never came home from an absence that its face did not light up and speak out its eloquent welcome
and we could not enter it unmoved.
TYN invited me over today on this most beautiful of blustery Saturday afternoons. Like I, she lives in a house built in the ’20’s. It is my favorite kind of house. Ramshackle, spilling over with worn beauty and frayed edges.
It is a house with a warm BIG presence. Nooks and crannies begging to be seen. Stunning views the eyes can’t fully absorb. Color on top of color. Light on top of shadow. This house has it ALL. While I walked around with my gracious hosts and my camera, the Mark Twain piece above kept reading itself aloud in mind.
And I listened.
I couldn’t help but be distracted by the visual poetry of this house. Later while strolling the grounds, hawks flew overhead. Clouds blew past. Tiny white blossoms rained down from the trees.
Tyn picked me this dear bouquet of narsturtium, sweet peas, sunflowers, geraniums, and wildflowers while we walked. They sit above me here on my desk and fill the room with fragrance.
A parting shot.
Thanks Tyn & Harry for letting me and my camera run wild.
The layers of paint on that window almost took my breath away.
And~I knew there were sweet peas in the mix! So many beautiful flowers, and what a lovely bouquet to receive from a precious friend.
Oh! Your post today is lovely and amazing. Reminds me about what is beautiful in the imperfections of our homes and our lives. Thanks you for the delicious words.
so jealous of these warm…overflowing flowers! Our time will come….
Fabulous visit and adore you new banner and the makings of your new travel journal…perhaps a wheelie would be in order?
What a visual feast you share. Paging up or down is amazing.
Which Twain book is the quote from? Must read it, as I, too live in a 1920’s house ‘with a heart and a soul.’
Tyn’s house is indeed a treasure. Just like me, it has great bones and has very interesting things everywhere you look. A true “artists house”.
I read that Mark Twain started writing as a means of keeping that very house his quote refers to. He and his wife were ‘besotted’ with it, spent loving fortunes on it, yearned for it when they were away from it. I identified with that information when I found it out. I was transfixed by the photo of the light coming through the curtains; my favorite kind of light to nap in, filtered, floral! In Italy, everyone names their home; I’ve never been able to think of the right one for our house — but you have Moss Cottage.
I love your photographs! Wonderful, loving shots of a wonderful home. Thanks for the post—you made my day.
Breath-taking. A home with a Voice.
Flowers, already? (asks the Coloradoan as SPRING SNOW FALLS).
You gave us a lovely visual gift. Now, off to visit Tyn’s site.
Happy Spring, L.A.
ooxx
Lisa H
Simply beautiful! Love the idea of the heart & soul of a house.
My favorite is the window with the sweetpeas. Makes me miss my old house in Orenco that had similar windows and the sweetpeas too. Maybe I’ll pick up a packet of seeds today. Sweetpeas always make me think of mother. Seeing life through your eyes Mary Ann – wonderful.xo
Oh my gosh- thanks for sharing the pics with us. Our house is in need of so much, but it does have soul and I knew that you if anyone could see it. We had a lovely day!