A Garden Tour: Pied-à-Terre

Pied-à-terre is a french expression that literally means "feet to the ground", but linguistically refers to a small city dwelling that is like a home-away-from-home, more than likely used perodically to ease longer distance commuting during the work week. The expression can be generally applied to any second home or getaway. So, such is the moniker we chose for our house in Orange. Rewind to 1985: when my father retired from teaching at OCHS he and mom were still living in the Main Street house on the corner of Landon Lane where I lived as a high schooler and summer resident during my college days. They had a relationship with an elderly lady  down the street who was in a nursing home. Her desire had been for her house to pass on to them at her death but she sped up the process (not dying but the transfer of the house) and my folks moved in about a year later. Since then our family has enjoyed many memorable events there, one of particular note was the reception following the marriage of the youngest which took place in the garden in the back of the house. The family has diminished over time due to age and illness and now M and I are the sole proprietors and still enjoying place. 

A dear friend and I were standing out back the other evening and she commented on the beauty of the view and how the back porch was arranged. When I am there alone I usually work like a Trojan and miss those beautiful moments, but two days later, I was mowing the 2 acres of lawn, most of which is in the back arranged in a set of three descending terraces and beyond them what we lovingly call the "lower 40." The angle of the sun cast remarkable shadows so when I finished I was compelled to capture this particular moment. The photos came out OK for an amateur so why not share them? Following is a sequence of pictures beginning on the steps of the back porch, and proceeding down through the center boxwoods, the terraces, the lower 40, and then back up the south lane around the terraces to the shop and house.

The last picture is "Papa's Shop". When mom and dad moved in it was a small garage at the end of the drive and my dad converted into his workshop by adding the ell to the right in place of the garage door and the porch in front with the curved roof. You may have noticed (go back if you missed it) the same curved roofline on the back porch which my folks also added so they could sit and enjoy the view. Many a leisurely hour has passed on that porch and scads of friends have been entertained there as well. The ever-present hill viewed from west to east from the back is appropriately called "Henry's Hill", or at least as far as those who did the porch sitting were concerned. My mom and dad loved that view and never let the spell of a beautiful moment escape them. I have some practicing to do.