I just came into some gorgeous old oval braided rugs with tremendous color in them. I took them down to Camden to get cleaned and they came back in beautiful condition. I just need to sew some of the braids back together

Burning Sunnyside

No, It's not what you think! Now that the weather has turned cold, we are having more fires in the wood stove at home. I just opened a new contractor bag full of scrap wood and it happens to be a bag full of cut down 2 x 4s from the demolition @ Sunnyside last year. She gave her insides so that we could be warm. Until now, we have been burning scraps from the build out, so there are random pieces of shiplap and beadboard fueling the fires, but now, its the old board from the original building and then the 1930s spiffing up of the place. Every time I build a fire now, I think of taking down walls and of the huge scrap wood pile that I insisted on keeping out on the porch. Well, it comes in handy now.

So, our other cottage, Little Bohemia, has been on the market since just after Labor Day and we have not had one person even interested in looking at the place. I know the price is too high for today's market, but I cannot believe there aren't people out there, like us, who will look at a house out of their price range in hopes that they could get it for a lower price. I am not going to price the cottage at a give-away deal, because we don't have to sell. But, that said, I know what I want for the place and am willing to deal to a certain extent. I guess the buyers just aren't there. We will only have Little Bohemia up for sale for another six weeks and then she comes off the market so that I can start renting for next season. I already have my repeat renters lined up for their weeks, which I am holding in limbo for them, and I am already fielding rental requests for the rest of the summer. We have put Little Bohemia to sleep for the winter, but still have Sunnyside up and running. If we do not have any rental interest for the Christmas holiday, I might just host a party there, which would be a nice change of pace.

What a downpour today...mystery storm?? I never saw it coming. We lost power for a couple of hours this morning and I was thinking of packing up and moving to Sunnyside for the day, but there was too much to do here.

We had to move some things around at Sunnyside, and instead of putting the outdoor furniture in the basement, for now, I have it around the house. The living room looks like it's all set up for a sewing circle. I moved the sofa around so that heat from the monitor heater actually permeated the house rather than get soaked into the sofa. I've been thinking of drawing the curtains and putting down the shades at the cottage, but I really like the natural light that comes in from all sides.

Nice additions to the cottage are the new doors that finally arrived for the master bedroom. And yes, I know we need to paint the trim...in the Spring. I thought this was a nice shot of the open feeling that the upstairs rooms have for such a small space. Love the big double doors. I hope the renters did last year.

Started back to work on Sunnyside this weekend. I think we will be weekend warriors there for a while. Greg and I finally found some really great carpeting for the stairs that we both liked and that would be fairly easy to work with. It is an indoor-outdoor carpeting that looks a bit like horse-hair sisal carpet. We found it at Marden's (where else) on a large roll, and had them cut three 30" wide strips. Total cost for the rug bits was about $60.00 or .68 cents a foot

I felt bad for the renters last summer who had to deal with the all white stairs. Finally when my parents came to stay, my mother complained about not being able to see the steps so much that I put blue painter's tape on the treads for her. We left it there through all the rest of the rentals. We were never able to agree or find carpeting that either one of us liked.

White stairs with pretty blue tape

The rug roll

I picked this pattern because it looks a bit Victorian and goes best with the interior.

I have to admit that I did nothing but carry the rug rolls inside the house and hand Greg some tools for a bit before setting up his Pandora channel so that he could rock out and install the carpet. It is kind of a narrow area, suitable for one person.

He did a beautiful job

We are now going back to Marden's to get more of this stuff for our house. I really like the quality.

So what was I doing for the day and a half that Greg took to install the rug? I was outside raking.......and raking......and raking. I am ready to cut down the two large maples in front of the house. They rain down so may leaves!!!

I think I must rent a leaf blower in the spring to get ALL the leaves out of the rock walls, and from under the house, but I figure 13 densely packed bags full was enough for me...Had to come home and pop some Aleve tablets after that ordeal.
I put an ad on Craig's List again for free eco-insulation and within an hour had a response from the same couple who took all the bags last year. They came yesterday and loaded the bagged leaves onto their truck and took off happy!

This is about 3/4s of the leaves

If anyone knows of someone who is looking for a winter rental, or is looking for a month or two respite on the coast of Maine in a furnished and cozy house overlooking the water, send 'em my way.

I would also consider renting for the Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's holidays!

2bdrm/ 2ba totally renovated cottage with amazing water views from every room. Walk in shower down and tub up. King, Queen and twin beds.
Dogs welcome.
Quaint seaside village of Bayside in Northport, ME
$1200 a month, utilities included.
207 323-8383

check back in again soon. I am going to begin working on Sunnyside again this winter, so stay tuned for such stimulating entries as: "Finally, a carpet for the stairs that we both agree upon!" and "finding the #%#$& leak that only happens during Nor'Easters!" or, one of my favorites..."finally painting that bedroom trim."

All this and more in the next coming weeks!