Visiting Winterthur

I had the pleasure of touring the grounds and rooms of Winterthur Museum earlier this week. This was a whirlwind tour to see as much as possible in as little time as possible knowing that I will return many times over to study the museum and its grounds in much more detail. Below are just a few photos I took while there and I can't wait to return. To learn more visit their website or find them on Facebook.

Visiting Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Baltimore's Inner Harbor is one of America's oldest harbors. This is a great location to visit, especially if you love the architecture of wooden-hulled ships such as the USS Constellation or the steel construction of a submarine. The Inner Harbor is located in a beautiful setting downtown, less then 15 minutes from the airport, within walking distance of a dozen great hotels and with enough to do that you will want at least two days to explore just the harbor's offerings. So next time you are there make sure you visit the beautiful National Aquarium or the Baltimore Zoo, Take in an Orioles Game at Camden Yards, visit Mount Vernon, stroll the wide walking paths starting atop Federal Hill, take a ride to the Top of the World, immerse yourself in the rich local arts, visit one of many historic sites surrounding the city or just go shopping (great antiques).

Ah...Chicago

I just returned from a business trip to Chicago. While there I made sure I found a few hours to explore the immediate area. I stayed at the Sheridan Chicago Hotel and Towers which was a lovely hotel in a fabulous location. The best part of this hotel was the gym and pool on the seventh floor where you could work out or swim with a spectacular view over the Chicago River and the Columbus Drive drawbridge. After working out inside there was a terrace where stationary bikes let you cool off outside. While on the terrace bike I was able to watch the Columbus Drive drawbridge rise to let six sailboats through and I guess this doesn't happen every day.

I took a few hours to take an Architectural River Tour of the Chicago River. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the city in any weather above 50 degrees. It is fantastic and our tour guide was fabulous. Chicago urban architecture is among the best in American in my humble opinion. The last time I was in Chicago I also spent some time at Navy Pier and shopping on Michigan Avenue. My next trip I think I will concentrate on some of the incredible public sculptures and visit Millennium Park where there is much that is acclaimed including the Cloud Gate sculpture.

If you would like to see a few of the views from my trip please view the video below! Chicago is fabulous, friendly, has great food, drink, sports, shopping and culture. I recommend a yearly trip for all!

More on New Orleans Rebuilding

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on a home being completed in New Orleans, a home that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Since then the house has been completed and the owners, the Adams have a new home. This project was completed with participation from the Homebuilders Association of Louisiana and the National Building Systems Council. Many people donated time, money and materials to make this happen. I will be posting other such endeavors in this vein as New Orleans will take many more years to rebuild. But for now thought you would enjoy this video of the process. I have met the Adams and hope to meet them again and I will continue to share this story and others as I learn more. 

House for Sale in beautiful setting

It is funny how quickly things can change in life and I find myself at one of those fast changing moments. It is time to sell the house that my husband and I have put so much into and I hope we can find the right couple or family to enjoy it and take care of it from here. And so with mixed feelings we are listing our darling home for sale.

The house is a cute three bedroom, two bath cape house in Weybridge, Vermont on 12.93 beautiful acres, much of it open field with bordering woods and complete privacy on our side of the road. The home is on a wonderful secondary road and less then ten minutes to Middlebury College and downtown Middlebury, 45 minutes from Burlington and Rutland and located in the highly desirable Weybridge school district. The grounds include a large back deck with trellis and seating area as well as beautiful low-maintenance in-ground custom pool with concrete deck & bluestone patio. There are rock walls and many beautiful mature perennial gardens, flowering trees and shrubs with beautiful and private views. There is a small creek on the property as well as walking trails. The mound septic system and deep well are both in excellent condition and the land could possibly be subdivided.

The 1,330 efficiently laid out home also has a partially finished and very dry basement, a two-car garage with pull-down stairs to a storage loft above and a brand new 30-year roof that we just had installed. The house is sturdy 2x6 construction and was built in 1982.

The home is heated by a wood / oil heat combo furnace and gets lots of passive solar heat, especially in the winter. It has a gas stove and gas water heater. There is a central vacuum system, water softener, many new light fixtures throughout and recently purchased GE washer and dryer. There is beautiful painted custom wood trim throughout the entire first floor and second floor bath and hallway. You will find pegged maple wood floors throughout the first floor, open balustrade stairs to the second floor, cathedral ceiling in family room (we use it as a dining room) and ceiling fans in 3 rooms. The kitchen features painted high quality cabinets with many amenities such as roll-out drawers, spice racks, etc, dishwasher, newer refrigerator and gas stove. There is tile in the kitchen and baths.

To see photos of the house view the video below, visit the listing on Craig's List or email me at hkkelton@gmail.com for a printable .PDF of house, gardens and pool.

Remembering 9/11

I don't know anyone first hand who died in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center Towers. Nor anyone who died in the Pentagon crash or on the lone plane that went down in a Pennsylvania farm field. I only know people who knew people who died. I remember exactly what I was doing that day. I had taken the day off from work to attend a riding clinic in Woodstock, Vermont. And after the morning lesson I returned to the truck and did something I don't normally do. I turned on the radio. What I first heard on VPR was so foreign and so jarring; I couldn't put the pieces together. Words like attack, planes, fire, rubble, thousands dead, buildings destroyed, terrorists, New York City all roared from the radio. Who could fathom the World Trade Towers falling; I did not think such a thing was possible on American soil.

The real horror of the day hit me when I finally arrived home and dove for the TV where moment by moment over the next few months every photo, film and tragedy was played from every angle. Each year on the anniversary of 9/11 I glue myself in front of the TV and radio and relive that day. If only just to remember the people whose lives were taken on that day, and the heroes that emerged; for there were many. My favorite link for 9/11 is on the History Channel in their film called 102 Minutes that Changed the World. If you missed it on TV you can watch the different clips directly on their website. Just click the link above to remember that day, for both the worst and best of humanity. The video below is a Memorial video of that day.

A Walk through Old Sturbridge Village

If you haven't visited Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, then it is time. And it is not only for the historical buffs or antiques enthusiasts. The tour of New England's largest Outdoor museum is one you can enjoy at whatever pace and intensity you prefer, whether alone or with the whole family.

Historical New England Architecture and wooden fences define the landscape of this museum, but tucked behind every corner is a new surprise from our past. Furniture, informative and friendly costumed hosts, wonderfully entertaining animals, walking trails, antique tools, great interior architectural examples and our ancestors stories all are on display in a natural and relaxing setting. And if you think your children may get bored by history, think again. The hands-on activities for children make adults want to join in.

This video slide show is a collection of photos I took on a visit in April of 2008. I can't wait to go back.

Labor Day Memorializing

After a rather cold and rainy summer in Vermont we could not have received a better ending with three days of glorious temperatures and sunshine over this Labor Day weekend. Since the holiday boldly lists Labor as its feature I thought I would share some of the fruits of my gardening labor to end the weekend with this slide show.

Rebuilding New Orleans - One house at a time - SERIOUSLY

August 29th was the fourth anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Katrina, one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the United States and the most costly hurricane to date. Approximately 275,000 homes were lost as estimated by the American Red Cross. It has been four years and still thousands of residents in Mississippi and Louisiana are without a home or are living in trailers. The task of rebuilding was and still is daunting. But, rebuilding is occurring.

The Homebuilders Association of Louisiana and the National Building Systems Council built a new home for one lucky family in about six weeks utilizing a system built housing method called panelization. And this is not low quality manufactured housing. This is a real house built on the site by real people. On August 29, the owners were given the key to their new house in New Orleans. For more info check out this link: http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=97247