SO here is the big question?? How many of you would move back to your home town if you left when you where 18 and where now 52?? Cal and I are thinking of doing just that?! My Mom has a beautiful home in a small town called Allegan in Michigan . It was the last house my father built 30 years ago. This is the reason she will never sell the place. It has 2 bedrooms 2 baths . The home features tongue and grove wood ceilings and pegged wood floors ,pine kitchen cabinets with custom stained glass window inserts that I designed . It heats with a wood stove and back up furnace and has a well with wonderful water . It sits on a wooded lot high on a bluff overlooking a river and a wooden bridge . The town is small about 4500 and is 30 minutes from lake michigan . A large river meanders back and forth through the town with many bridges . The home has a huge 3 car garage as well as a large pole barn featuring a bath room , all with a large paved driveway and parking . Cal and I would open a pretty antique store and also sell cool hand made goods . HINT HINT I would love to feature many of my blog land friends work in the shop !!! Such as wearable art,( Deb Hodge this mean You!) jewelry,( Sharon???) hand made beads( Denise ??) and art work So many of you are so talented I have not the room in this post to list you !!!But you come to mind. I would also teach art classes and bring guest instructors in for weekend retreats . All could stay in town at the Fabulous Delano Band B !! .We would have a small organic garden and chickens( black and white ones of course, Cal said no to pigmy goats ) . Cal is going to take upholstery lessons so he can help restore our finds . I hope he likes working with Belgium linen , natural duck cloth, and my beloved black and ivory check . Oh how I love Ballard design and the new Restoration hardware line!!!I have always wanted to do hand painted furniture in the Tracy Porter and Mackenzie Child style !!! We would open for spring, summer and fall on weekends only and could also have a cute tea/ coffee house on the site . Many people come up from Chicago( 2 hours drive or ride amtrak) to Allegan for antiquing as it has one of the best
antiquing markets held once a month at the county fair grounds and the town is sweet as can be in a northern small town way , close to many beautiful lakes as well as lake Michigan and wonderful Saugatuck Mich. a super tiny resort town.. The only thing is THE COLD SNOWY WINTERS and my past growing up issues.... I could not wait to leave!!! And would my Mom give her OK to this idea, she is thinking on it now . She has not lived there in 15 years but has had a caretakers / tenants living in the place for the last few years they would have to move out and I feel bad about that as thay are family friends . I would love the feedback and yes I know this is a very bad time to do this in a recession and in MICHIGAN one of the hardest hit areas economic wise in the country!!!!!! But on the other hand the building and home site set up for this is already in place, perfect and just ready to stage and it is a very inexpensive place to live .Please tell me your thoughts, are we CRAZY??? Nothing ventured nothing gained ?!
A baby painted turtle from an Allegan Lake . My mom tells a story about me as a little girl. After I had found a turtle ,I was told to give it to my friend .I said no to this with the response that " you can always have a friend but not a turtle" . How do you spell Brat ??? J-U- L-I-E
