Wednesday, April 15, 2009

PEACE AND QUIET

A plaque welcomes you as you step thru the door of my father’s home. A friend of my mother’s gave it to her and it’s perfect.

WELCOME TO OUR LAKE HOME

If you come cheerily, here shall be fun for you.

If you come wearily, here shall be rest for you.

If you come sorrowing, love will be shown to you.

At our lake home, dear friend

Peace will abide for you

And the door will swing wide.

It has always been all those things for us. And all that enter. That’s the kind of home my parents have always had. Everyone is welcome. They have the kind of home that beckons to family and friends to “come a callin.” You never know who will drop in. It’s wonderful. They didn’t always live on the lake but now it’s even more inviting.

Come along with me. I’ll show you around.

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This is the pond on the side of the property. There’s a few gators in there. You can’t see ‘em but they’re there.

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Another view of the pond. Don’t you just love the Spanish moss?

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As I walked out to the lake behind the house, I saw this bird drying his wings on the dock.



Oh, and there's lots more gators out there in the lake.

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If you lived here and had to pick up the moss, you’d probably hate it when the wind blows but I think it’s beautiful. Of course, I don’t live here.

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The lake is really low. It’s just crazy that the area where Beth lives, only a few hours away, was flooding just a short time ago. It’s so dry here. These cypress knees are usually under water when the lake it up where it’s supposed to be.

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We used to be able to walk off this dock onto the boat. Now Daddy can’t even keep the boat here.

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Baseball fans might be interested to know that Wade Boggs owns the home just a few doors down from here.

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Pixie, don’t jump!

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Can you see a break in the trees straight across the lake? The break is the entrance to Cross Creek. Literary fans might recognize the name. Cross Creek was the home of the Margorie Kinnan Rawlings, the author of The Yearling and her autobiographical work of the same name, Cross Creek.

I hope that you enjoyed the tour. Please leave your fifty cents in the basket by the door on your way out. Y’all come back now, ya hear?

23 comments:

Midlife, menopause, mistakes and random stuff... said...

Wade Boggs lives down the road? And I can see Pixie???
Now where is this exactly and WOW how beautiful :)

Steady On
Reggie Girl

Anonymous said...

It's lovely... well, except for the gators... eek. Better NOT jump Pixie.

Di
The Blue Ridge Gal

Lori said...

How beautiful! I could just sit there in a chair, put my feet up and drink a nice cold beer and take it all in. Heaven.

Pseudo said...

I love those pictures. I love love love spanish moss. It reminds me when my sister and her husband took us boating on the St. John's river. Which looked more like a lake to me.

Fragrant Liar said...

Oh, just makes me miss Florida even more. Not the gators, of course, but the water and the Spanish moss. Lovely pics.

cheatymoon said...

Is he booking for vacation times? That's so lovely - thanks for sharing. Also, we had a poodle/spaniel mix named Pixie when we were growing up. She was the bomb.

Joe Todd said...

Looks like a great spot. Thanks for the pictures. Joe Todd

Anonymous said...

Great pics. I bet Pixie is so sweet that the gators would put her back on the deck unharmed.

Jan said...

Cypress trees have knees?

Oh, and is that the resting place of the poor little duckling that didn't get a proper Viking funeral?

Linda said...

Love the spanish moss, Beautiful! except for the gater part. shudder! Wondering where they are all the time would make me SO nervous!

Unknown said...

What a fantastic plaque, no wonder you're the person you are today!

I LOVE (and miss desperately!) Spanish Moss and I'll volunteer to come pick it up for your parents anytime!

Beautiful photos, beautiful place, so serene.

Anonymous said...

I loved the tour - it's beautiful and so inviting (except for the gators) - as an orphan I envy you your family you lucky blessed girl. Enjoy. Hugs!

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

How beautiful! Yes, there be gators! I lived in Flordia with all seven children during our last tour of duty in the Marines. Walked under the crossed swords and left for California immediately afterward. I have family there..and of course in Georgia.
I loved the moss..sometimes it felt a bit spooky. The dock..why doesn't your father have his boat there any more? You didn't say.
There was a small creek behind our home..NO fence seperating us from it..and gators were seen in it.
Most of all I remember the national anthem at midnight..the flag blowing, the moss, and they played Dixie. Then the anthem, then came the snowy screen. LOVED it...but..NOT the bugs!! :)
Mona
LOL..I think this is called "total recall"...ye gods!!!

midlife slices said...

grrrr....left a comment and it told me I had to sign in first and then my comment was gone. Oh well....basically I said.....

BEE U TEE FULL!!!

And uhm shouldn't you lower your prices in light of this bad economy and besides.....home sales are down and I haven't received my bail out as of yet so times are tough.

duchess said...

I had such a strange feeling reading your post and looking at the pictures, the same feeling I have when I drive into the state of Florida -- which I haven't done for almost 20 years -- of coming home.

My family lived there when I was a teenager. Maybe those are such important years that they don't go away. It seemed strange to me then to be there, and strange to me now.

And yet it also feels like home. We lived on a lake. Skinny dipped at night. Watched for 'gators, feared the water snakes.

Thanks for reminding me.

Anonymous said...

I'm convinced that you live closer to heaven than I do.

Michel said...

Shit! Should you and pixie be that close to the lake?? You said there were gators. I'm just saying..it's culling the herd!!!

great pics!!!

Debbie said...

Beautiful photos and I never would have imagined there'd be gators! Wow! I've never been to Florida and never seen one in person. The whole gator thing is weird to me I guess. Thanks for sharing your lovely photos with us.:)

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I did enjoy the tour. And I hope that people think of my own home with the welcome your parents provide. Means you, too, must have a welcoming soul.

Smart Mouth Broad said...

Reggie-If I told you, I'd have to kill you. LOL

I promise to reveal the secret location if you promise to visit.

Di-Definitely no jumping in the lake for Pix.

Smiles-I would love that because I would join you. It's not far from your son either.

Pseudo-It really is a beautiful area and much more hilly than the flat terrain around my house.

Liar-You and me! Next time you visit your parents.

Movie-Pixie is D1's dog but she can't have her where she lives so she's mine for now.
Daddy has an open door policy-no reservations. The more the merrier, we just squish together.

Joe-Looking at your picture there, you'd love this place. Great fishing.

Lisa-I don't think so. Gators think dogs are like filet mignon.

Jan-Isn't it funny, that's what they're called: knees.
As for the duck burial: yep, that's the spot.

Linda-you don't really have much to worry about as long as you stay out of the water. And daddy would say you'd be fine to go in too but I never do.

Jane-Aww thanks.

My father would love it if you picked up his moss. My mother passed 5 years ago. Daddy is remarried to a lovely woman, Daisy.

C&B-I know what you mean. I miss my mother more every day. Really.
Hugs.

Mona-He doesn't have the boat there because the water is too low right now. It hasn't been there for a long time. Very sad to see the lake so low.

MLS-Sorry Blogger's bein a Biatch to you.
Oh and I did lower my prices. I used to charge a dollar. *wink*

Duchess-I never knew that you lived in Florida. You should write about those memories. You're a braver girl than me. You won't find me in any fresh water round these parts. Tho daddy swears the gators are more afraid of us than we are of them. They must really be afraid.

BV-Maybe so?

Michel-If Pixie wasn't such a fraidy cat and I wasn't SURE that she wouldn't jump, I wouldn't let her out that far. She's afraid of her own shadow.

Debbie-Oh yes, the gators are there. We see them all the time. I'll have to dig up some photos for you.

MLJH-Thanks. I hope so. I strive to create that same atmosphere.

Girl Tornado said...

I loved the tour, lovely place to live, esp with the spanish moss decorating everything, except for the 'gators! Yikes!

Debra said...

Really beautiful! I miss seeing cypress trees and spanish moss. There is a lot of that in Louisiana but not so much in Ohio. ;-)

Wendy said...

Great tour... I love it. Such interesting trees and the moss. We don't have that where I live!