views from the rectory...come visit!

How cute is Lucy?

It's doing it again. The sun is bouncing off the ripples of the breeze-ruffled pond and reflecting in a stretched window-shaped view screen on the master bedroom ceiling. Now it is that I wish my cell phone could capture this as video...and return to it at will for mesmerizing viewing. (hmm...it occurs to me that perhaps my phone might actually do that. Does Motorola have a Hogwarts school of cell phone wizardry? I'd certainly need to attend to become Hermione of all Razr features.)

Long overdue, here are photos of the breathtaking view from the rectory (the interior is in various states of order/disorder, but we're almost there!). These were taken during our first week, when the weather was somber...sometimes stormy...gray around the edges. I like the drama in that. But we've had some brilliant, beautiful, blue-sky days recently which tempt with another view.

The rectory is one of 20 homes surrounding a spring-fed pond with an island in the middle (thus our street name: Island View Drive). The homes vary in age, style, size. But they all have one thing in common: the sloping backyard that ends at the pond, with a second, basement level revealed as you look back at the house. The windmill above belongs to our neighbor; judging from the mowing, I'd say it marks the property line. In the land of no fences and vast expanses of green carpet, I've seen other kinds of 'markers', presumably to remind of that.

View of the opposite shore, from the dining room.

Taken from the driveway: Woods across the street with three of its many inhabitants. Lucy isn't quite sure what they are, but one thing's for sure: they're interlopers and need the business end of a border collie's sheep herding instinct to keep them under control. Translation: lots of barking upon sightings!

The driveway, from kitchen window. The house is full of triptych windows. There are no curtains or blinds at this point, and we almost wish it could stay like that.

One corner of the kitchen. The first week we allowed ourselves the luxury of hanging a few paintings as a reward for progress. The Vine Street kitchen could fit in this space... and still have room for table & chairs...DD's tall desk/cabinet...a newly purchased Martha Stewart 'wicker' sofa (killer sale at KMart! Of course, it didn't come with cushions, but that's a minor detail, right?)...a corner cabinet...and still has plenty of room for walking around!! Oh, and sweeping...

From Lucy's fenced yard: the kitchen at night.

Island view from the deck. What you're not seeing are the stacks of empty Bekins boxes lining the wall.

View from the enclosed porch directly under the deck.
Fr. C has already fallen asleep to a few lightening-filled thunderstorms here.

Bixby looking outside longingly, but securely, from our bed. He's turned into a total candy a$$! Loves the indoor life, doesn't seem to miss catching his own food, has gained a lot of weight and still manages to find time to turn his coat into spun silk, daily. I'm sure it's not as easy as it sounds.

Fr. C's first Sunday: the recessional. St. Anne's is lovely in every way! That will be another picture album.

Ah. Fr. C has just uploaded recent photos from the camera. Sunny day pics!

View from the master bedroom: the pond world, coolly reflected in still water.

The infamous Bixby! Bravely (ha!) venturing out on the deck...which, by the way, is inaccessible from anything below and too high for him to jump off of.

Deep sky blue pond

Sunny deck - and the bridge that connects to the island in the background. Check out the swan boat docked at the bridge!!! I'm thinking 'Christmas present' for DD...but deep down I know it's more fun when you're not the one cleaning and maintaining.

Love to all, near and far!