So because it was being remodeled, we lost out on the home we regularly rent at the Oregon Coast. The manager of several properties suggested an alternative. The four of us took one look at the photos and agreed. So last week we were there for three nights and had one of our best rentals ever.
Now the house was not fancy in terms of modern granite drainboards, furniture from Sears, etc. Well it might have had some of that. It was from the outside a rather plain home built many years ago and not much remodeled (other than required by storm damage). It had big windows, large living room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, family room, fully equipped kitchen, and best of all, for one of our group, a cozy art studio (photo below with the guitar). It was well-maintained and depicted the owner of the home so much that even though she had been dead 11 years, the home still had all of her energy, helped along by the family desiring it to be so. It's still called by her name and inside were things she had collected that gave meaning to clearly an eclectic, fun, thoughtful, artistic lady. You cannot buy that kind of a home. You have to create it.
So for all our days there, we were looking at the various corners and niches with this or that and putting together more pieces of her personality. There were two photos that likely were her but no labeling; so cannot be sure. She had though books, and her art as well as what she collected. It was interesting enough that we did some research online to find that in 1978, after being widowed, she had moved to Yachats and the home that looked directly onto the beach. She lived there until her death. She was very involved in her community and left behind a home which shares a legacy that goes beyond money. It depicts a life.
What I loved especially was how so many of the things she had chosen told stories. They went beyond what they were to stoke imaginations. A good example of that is in the first two photos. Was it really from a sea going vessel? Looking at it closely and some research (the house had internet), it was a replica of Britania, which is in England. You can buy one to paint yourself. Perhaps that's what she did. The job, whoever did, made it look very old. It led to imagining a ship going down on the rocks off the surf, perhaps wreckers tricked it or maybe a storm. Did the villagers rush out to retrieve what they could? It's a story in an object. It was how the home felt.
9 comments:
So well said! The artist in the lady of the house was not only proficient in painting watercolors but her artistry is most evident in what she collected and how she put together her garden. Living her process so I imagined was a greater experience than visiting a museum. Rain, you really do a great job in finding the most amazing places to stay.
Looks like a great place to spend a long weekend at the coast.
That's the kind of place we would love to stay. Beautiful in every way!
The poster exposing yourself to art was Portland's one-of-a-kind mayor, Bud Clark. It inspired the other one and that woman was another Portland original. There have been a lot of them ;) Anne Hughes
So 80's! I remember being in the middle of all that once upon a time in Portland.
The added interest was seeing her own art which changed through the years as to the style she was working in and what influenced her. She was in several groups that support various aspects of the arts. I am sure the furnishings in the house were purchased after she died as they didn't look old but the art objects, the collectibles are likely from her.
My brother and I are currently clearing out the house my parents lived in, disposing of all the things they collected through the years. It's nice to think of a place where all those meaningful things could stay and tell their stories.
That's definitely an issue, Mark. We did it for our parents when they died. I kept very little from either family as you can be swamped. In our case, we gave away everything to family or friends first and then good causes rather than garage sales but some do the other. Not many have a setting like this home where it can stay intact, not as a museum but as a home. VRBO though makes it work if the home is in a good locale where others want to stay.
It's a home full of love, life, and imagination. A tribute to its one-time owner. Can't wait to see the garden!
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