THE BEAVER

Soon after we purchased the house in the fall of 2010, we noticed that the water level of our pond was rising. A few weeks later, we saw what looked to be a beaver lodge on one end of the pond and a dam on the other. The impact on the surrounding landscape was immediate, leading to the flooding of the adjacent forest. Having no experience with beavers, or any large-ish wildlife for that matter, John, with the help of my 70-year-old father, decided to remove the dam themselves. After many hours of labor (think two men in wellies with an assortment of garden tools), a few broken rakes and at least one sore back, the water level in the pond began to lower at a noticeable rate. Unfortunately, however, it didn't take long for the beavers to also note the change in water level. No sooner had our team put down their muddy shovels and hoes than the two beavers emerged from their lodge. Running the risk of sounding anthropomorphic, the beavers did seem quite upset by our efforts. There was some tail slapping and a few very close dives before they started re-building the dam. When we stopped by the property the following day, the dam was fully intact, appearing stronger than before, and the water back up to pre-work levels. Long story short, feeling over-matched and defeated, we placed a call to a local trapper. Over a year passed, and we didn't hear anything from the trapper or the taxidermist who agreed to mount one of the beavers. Recently, we began to worry that the beaver had somehow been lost in the shuffle of middlemen and turnover within the taxidermy company. Much to our surprise, when we came up to the house this weekend, we were greeted by a very large beaver, sitting in on our kitchen table. I cannot overstate the size of this thing. It is huge and fascinating to behold, from its webbed feet, to its long teeth and beady eyes. We are looking to find a special place for the beaver in the recently furnished great room and hope that the pond continues to remain beaver-free for the foreseeable future.

THE WALLS

As the doldrums of winter set in, we're slowly turning our attention to decorating the inside of the house. All of the interior walls are currently white and the thinking is that a bit of color might help add some warmth this time of year. We do have a few framed photos and prints, but I've also been looking into creative and inexpensive ways to add some interest to the walls (and ceilings!). See below for a few ideas from my favorite print publications: Anthology, Domino (sadly, now defunct), and ELLE Decor.
 

A YEAR LATER

What a difference a year makes! Given the mild winter we've had this year, it's hard to imagine that last year at this time we were under two feet of snow. As for the house, it was uninhabitable last winter. The kitchen was in the process of being gutted and the exterior siding unfinished and unpainted. While we miss the snow, we're glad to be in our home. The photos below are from early February, past and present.

THE GREAT ROOM

All of the newly painted rooms in the house are white. We like the white because it's emphasizes the the views outside and creates a clean, bright interior. In the middle of the house, however, is a much darker, wood paneled room that we refer to as 'The Great Room.' The Great Room has its quirks. It's a double height room with a large stone fireplace and wide chestnut floors. There's also a small, strange loft-like space above, which at one point had a separate staircase (the outline of the steps still marks the west wall). When we bought the house, there was an exterior door on the southwest side of the room and a large hatch in the floor, leading to the basement. Our carpenter recently installed reclaimed chestnut slats over the hatch and, last year, the door was exchanged for a window and the former stair landing removed. We've recently started furnishing the space with sconces along the south wall, a couch from the ABC Carpet & Home outlet in the Bronx, and a couple of leather chairs from J. Seitz & Co in New Preston, CT. Future plans include wall to wall bookshelves (Hello, Putnam Ladder! http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/nyregion/thecity/29ladd.html) and additional lighting. This winter, we've found the room to be our favorite in the house.

THE FRONT ENTRY IS FINISHED

Happy New Year! After many months of muddy slopes, moats, bobcats, and piles of stone and debris, the front entry wall and steps are finally finished. We are excited to be able to enter the house without having to don wellies or walk over a gang plank. The fieldstone wall and granite steps look beautiful; we couldn't be happier with the results. See below for a few photos. The final soil grading, driveway gravel, stepping stones, tree planting, and wildflower and grass seeding will all have to wait until the ground thaws again in Spring.

THE FRONT ENTRY - PART 3

One of the many things we've learned over the past year is that building a dry-laid stone wall is a slow process. Each stone has to fit somewhat snugly with the adjacent one, leading to a jig-saw puzzle-like installation. Needless to say, the front wall and terrace work continues. Our landscape contractor is convinced that he will finish this year, but given the drop in temperatures and the short days, we are only cautiously optimistic. To date, the 11 large granite steps have been installed and the North/South wall running from the house is completely finished. All that remains is the tall corner on the East/West wall, final grading, and the placing of the stepping stones. See below for relatively recent progress photographs. I especially love how the granite slab steps are all of different lengths, and their overages are simply buried within the wall.

 

 

WOODLAND PATHS

Lately we've been discussing the idea of cutting a few paths through the woods. These woodland paths would allow us to take walks year-round, not only in the fall when the leaves have fallen and the brambles have died back to the ground. Now we only have to determine our favorite routes and mark the trees with orange tape. Our landscape contractor will then follow the markings with his bobcat, mowing down the herbaceous and woody material in its way. Marking a path, however, is easier said than done. Our point of entry into the woods is mostly the same, just west of the shed, but we always come out, unintentionally, in a different spot. Sometimes we find a deer path to follow for a time or don wellies and walk the stream until the brush becomes too thick to continue. See below for a few woodland path inspiration images, from grand gestures like Warren Manning's birch allee at Stan Hywet Hall in Ohio, to the smaller interventions such as Susan Child's jagged boardwalk in Vermont that ends almost as quickly as it begins.