Monday Memories ~Visiting our Family Farmstead ~~A Peak Inside the House ~~~Plus, Using my New GoPro for the First Time

Last week, you saw photos of our family farmstead.

If you missed it, click here.

Because of the water, we hadn't been there for 2 1/2 years.

And like the last time, we discovered that someone had broken another window in the door and must have gone inside.  

I know...creepy, right?!

I want to share many favorite features in our family's home.

The bay window in the dining room.

At one time, the home was heated by hot water heat

and there was a radiator in this window cove.

In the winter, whenever I came home from anywhere,

I would sit on the radiator.  Nothing today compares to that warmth.

And now, those pretty shears are still on the windows.

Every summer, my mother would take them down, hand wash them,

hang them on the clothes line, and then press them.

Labor intensive...but so worth it.

By the way, the kitchen looks like the day we moved out!

A bedroom on the first floor was converted to this "modern" kitchen sometime in the 60's.

(Marcia...do you remember the exact year?)

Again, we washed and ironed these curtains every summer, as well.

Back to my favorites.

There are two parlors, separated by these beautiful sliding doors.

We always kept the doors open, however, I understand that, "in the olden days" children were never allowed in the 2nd parlor...the "formal" parlor.

There are two large picture windows in this parlor.

The etched top pane is so pretty.

This is the open staircase.

My grandpa, Gustav always talked about their wedding day. 

He stood in the far corner of that second parlor and watched my Grandma Rhuda walk down that open staircase, as his beautiful bride.

I bet I listened to that story at least once a week!

You can see that under that 70's carpet, the stairway is hardwood.

And the window there, where the stairway curves, has stained glass panels.

(I parted the curtain to look out this window, 

every single time I came down the stairway)

Oh, how I love the clawfoot bathtub.

Our girls could play in that tub for hours 

when we went to visit Gramps and Grammy.

It certainly was a dream home, in her day.

There are five bedrooms upstairs.

But the reality is, our home had to be abandoned when the 

water of the lake was rising around her foundation. 

I fear that, like so many of the other family homes in this community, she will need to be burned because the basement is filled with black mold.

My hope is that we can preserve some of the precious pieces of our family's history.

Take care,

~Natalie