The Machum's in Murray River

My cousin Tom, wife Jennifer, and girls Emily and Bridget took Tom's Mom, Alva (my Mom's sister) to the Island for the weekend to celebrate her birthday, and they visited Mom and Dad at the house on Saturday. Tom and Jennifer took some pictures for me, see below. 

Jennifer sent me this photo of the back stairs from her I Phone while they were there.  Mom painted the stairs the week before so this is the first time I've seen them done. The treads are a charcoal black, and the risers are white. Looks great!

 

Below is Emily in the Living Room, which is being used as a guest room at the moment. The mantle will eventually be put back in it's original spot  where the head of the bed is, below the two sconces.

This is the Dining Room, which was the old Parlour. Many of the old window sills have been reinstalled, and Dad put plastic over the windows for the winter. 

Alva and Mom in the Butler's Pantry

Models in the Kitchen!

 Emily and the Kitchen sink

...and the fridge

Bridget trying out the tub

The Back Hall. I haven't ordered the sconces for the Hall yet, and it still needs the trim, but is pretty much finished.

Bridget under the Moravian Star over the stairs to the Basement

The Basement, where Mom and Dad hang out. Mom did a great job painting these stairs too.

The old Parlour chairs and Bridget

Dad built storage shelves in the Mechanical Room

Dad in the Basement Room. Mom painted this floor a few weeks ago.

Tom and Dad

Mom and Alva in the Kitchen

Bridget and Emily

Tom

The tiles of the house at the bathroom sink. Eventually they will be mudded to the wall with a white marble border.

Dad

This rocking chair belonged to Mom's and Alva's Mom, Tom's and my Granny. Granny made the runner in the foreground with an ax after the original broke, many decades ago. Dad's father Grampy refinished it. A real family treasure.

All of the exterior sconces are now in place

The grading is done around the house for now. You can see that Dad and Mom painted the trim on the main floor, white and green. Next spring we will hire somebody to finish the trim paint in the peak to cover over the red.

The west yard has been graded as well. This is where Mom and Dad will park over the winter. The earth will settle over the winter, and next year I'll have a layer of topsoil added to bring it up just a little higher against the house. A sandstone retaining wall will be built at the back corner to bring that end of the yard up almost level to the rest. Many of the trees along the property line will be cut down. They are crowding each other out, starting to die off, and hanging over the house, which isn't good for the roof. I'd like to have a hedge, maybe Peonies along the property line, and plant some new trees, possibly 3 or 4 Red Maples around the edge of the yard.

Dad put in a little stone retaining wall to hold the earth by the corner. Next year a larger stone retaining wall will be placed there,and the dirt will be built up so there is only 2 steps to get into the house. I'll have a concrete stained and stamped deck placed along the front of the kitchen with steps down the hill, as it was until the late 1970's.

View from the field

Many thanks to Tom and Jennifer for the pictures. It's good to see the house and Mom and Dad, and the amazing job they are doing.