Saturday, November 24, 2012

The View from Up Here

My goal for yesterday was to get our outdoor Christmas lights up.  The only place we put lights is on the eaves and roof of the porch, and I can walk right out onto the porch roof to do this ... no need for a ladder.

As I was sitting up there cross-legged on the roof, working to untangle and straighten out the icicle lights, I realized that you would probably like to see what it looks like from up there.  A few quick iPad photos later, and this is what we have ... going from left to right. 

Our house faces east.  This is the view toward the north.  The leaves are almost all off the trees now, but there are still a surprising number of roses in the Hybrid Tea Garden.  Look in the background and you can see the round hay bales that Hartwood Winery next door uses for their fall decoration. 

 
 
When I tell folks that I live next door to a winery, some of them can't comprehend that I REALLY mean next door ... in country road terms, that is.  (Our pasture separates the two driveways)  This photo also shows a peek at our across-the-street neighbors' house.  It's a lovely early 20th Century farmhouse, which was built when one of the granddaughters of our home's original owner married into the Courtney family down the road.
 
 
 
Our front yard needs a BIG renovation next year.  It's vast and empty, and we HAVE to do something about it.  The only feature the storms have left us is this large Southern Magnolia tree.  Losing our big trees has opened up the whole yard to sunshine, so we have lots of landscaping choices to make ... have to repair the fence, too.
 
 
 
This is where you can REALLY see the devastation.  There used to be two huge oak trees, where there are now just piles of wood chips (from the stump grinder).  The stack of wood that we saved from the one tree is still sitting in the yard under that brown tarp.  Each piece huge and heavy, and we will soon put together a work crew with strong young men, a trailer and a couple of tractors to get it moved to the barn so it can dry.
 
 
 
Here is our view to the south.  The white fence holds my Van Fleet Ramblers, and the brown fence is the beginning of the Barbier Rambler Fence.  You also get a good look at the top of the bay window in our family room.  The 4-sided, 2-story bays are very distinctive feature of our house.
 
 
 
It didn't take very long for me to put up the Christmas lights.  This evening, once the sun goes down, I will take a photo and show you what they look like.
 

11 comments:

  1. My husband puts one very small string of lights across our front porch. Takes all of five minutes.. LOL

    Love seeing your views from the porch. Give a better idea of just what the neighborhood is like there.

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  2. What beautiful views you have from your porch!!! How lucky you are to live next to a winery! Our yard needs a total overhaul too! Guess we will both be very busy come spring?!?!? LOL
    Have a great weekend!
    ~Des

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  3. Your views are wonderful and it was fun to see them with you! I love outdoor lights but we don't seem to get them up around here...sigh! Happy Holidays!
    Linda

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  4. Only a truly passionate, dedicated Blogger would stand on her roof to take photos while untangling Christmas lights!

    Andie

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  5. I foresee a nice formal knot garden in that front yard....or at least a few roses!

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  6. You live in a very beautiful area, Connie. It was very sad that the trees were lost, but exciting that you have a new project for next year.

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  7. Very pretty, Connie. For some reason we MUST photograph everything, right? And, of course, another project was just what you needed. Enjoy your Christmas lights.

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  8. What a beautiful view you have, Connie! Such a glorious place to live with all that open space around you, the pines, and the houses tucked back from the road. It's all so pretty! You're a better woman than I getting up on the roof like that, girl. I'd be shakin' in my shoes. lol! Can hardly wait to see how your decorating turned out! :)

    xoxo laurie

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  9. Such a beautiful view! You're fortunate you have an easily accessible roof area so you can frequently go there and enjoy it. I always loved "roof sitting" when I was a kid and wish I could do it again.

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  10. I love having a bird's eye view, Connie. Your place is just lovely- and it just yells COUNTRY to me- xo Diana

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  11. I was loving your view and reading along, and when I saw the house across the road, and then you go on to explain that the granddaughter of the original owner married a Courtney...I gasped. Bob's family is all over that area, this is interesting, there has been much research of the family tree here, what was her name? When I told Bob, he didn't seem surprised...lol! I still need to take a picture out my kitchen window. donna :)

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