I WILL get around to posting some Christmas photos and stories aplenty but do indulge me for a moment...pretty please? Uh huh, I KNEW you would. You see, I have fallen in love. No, NOT with my husband although I am still IN love with him after 32 years in spite of his terribly messy tendencies. And no, not with Brian Dennehy either although I...well...I...YOU know...I, well...okay...ahem.
No, this love story is not about a man, a dog, a tree or a car. It is not about jewels or cats or, well...it COULD be about the spiffy new camera that Bill surprised me with on Christmas morning. (See why I am STILL in love with the man?) Oh baby am I in LOVE with it! I have had such fun playing with it and gosh but it is going to be amazing and yes I adore my husband for doing this. The man saved a little here and a little there for a year and totally shocked me which is not an easy thing to do. I thought the days of such delicious surprises like this were over! Nope. He got me good with it, the tears fell and happiness reigned supreme. As much as I LOVE this new camera (It's name is Dennis by the way...), this story is not about dear Dennis.
Nope, it is about a house. And not even about Rabbit Run Cottage although I DO love it here.
But I have fallen head over heels in love with another house. Now you must understand that
I have seen plenty of houses that I liked a lot, some I even loved, some I was rather glib about. But this is the first time I have actually *fallen in total LOVE* with a brick and mortar structure.
It is terrible really. Shameful even. I know the housing market is in the dumper and we would probably never be able to sell our cottage and even if we could, it would be a hardship on Grace to move. Dan works close by Rabbit Run and Bill's bus stop is just down the street. We absolutely could never find more lovely neighbors than we have now, the schools here are top notch, shopping is close by, Mom and my brother's family is near and, well, d'uh. This broad knows it ain't gonna happen. But I also know how much my blog friends love houses and decorating and are gonna fully understand how I am feeling. Right?
The story begins Saturday night. We took Grace and her BFF, the glorious Miss K, for a drive and to see Clifton Mill's Christmas light display. It was unusually warm for December 27th and
it was a perfect night to go.
We walked around, took lots of pictures (I had Dennis well in tow!)
and just enjoyed the heck out of ourselves. The girls oohed and awed at the lights, ate a soft pretzel and twirled and giggled themselves silly. We even met the sweetest young couple who, after having just been married, came to the mill to have their wedding photos taken. Of course,
I took one as well...aren't they adorable?
Clifton Mill is located in the tiny town of Clifton, Ohio. Clifton is the birthplace of one Mr. Woody Hayes, legendary football coach at Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) and that alone is pretty swell. It sits just a few miles from John Bryant State Park, Clifton Gorge, Young's Dairy and the small, arty town of Yellow Springs: home of blogger and artist extraordinaire,
Jafabrit, Ms. Corrine herself, the deliciously fabulous
Ha Ha Pizza and
the best food server in the world (according to my daughter and her BFF) one wild, very cool guy named Bill.
No, not MY Bill, another Bill! Like Grace would ever think HER Dad was cool...not likely dear hearts but I digress...
But when I say *tiny town* I MEAN tiny. I don't think that Clifton HAS a traffic light or it could be referred to as a "one stop light burg". Nope and no grocery, no Starbucks, not much of anything except a few lovely old buildings, the mill, a few *in dire need of rehab* houses and new the love of my life. *sigh*
After basking in the glow of millions of tiny holiday lights we decided to pop into Yellow Springs for a pizza and hopped in the old mini van. Just as we headed out of town I spotted him. There he was in all in red. No, NOT Santa Claus you sillies! My house. Him. The love of my life.
It was hard to see clearly in the dark but from what I saw I was a goner. The little candles twinkling in the windows seemed to beckon to me...*sigh*..."Susie Q...here I am, the house which, until now, has lived only in your dreams..."
Oh we got pizza, and yes it was soooo good. I loved listening to the girl's sweet chatter and talking to my husband. Still, where was my head? Miles back with my house. *sigh*
When Bill and the kids had gone to bed, when the house was still, Susie Q jumped onto the computer and looked up the MLS. My ardor only grew stronger. It was affordable, completely rehab-ed from top to bottom and it screamed to me in such a loud voice that my ears almost bled. Ouch. We are talking Pete Townsend on guitar, in concert mega watt loud folks.
And if all of this was not sweet enough, it seems my house has some historical significance to it.
The Shot Tower....or otherwise known in some circles as Susie Q's one true love...This is the oldest building in Clifton, built between 1805 and 1810 by William Bradfute and his uncle, John Knox. These photos were taken in 2006 during a complete renovation of the building by its new owner. While these days it doesn't look much like a tower, it once had a wooden structure attached to the side to extend its height enough to manufacture shot. Molten lead was dropped through a sieve down what is now the chimney and into a vat of cold water. The cold water caused the drops of hot lead to form into spheres. It was owned by the Freeman family for nearly 100 years during which time it had several rooms added on. The photo on the right shows elements of the original structure. Once the additions were peeled away it became obvious that at one time there was no inner staircase, the only way to get to the second floor was from outside.
Photo taken during rehab by Pam Adams
Photo taken during rehab by Pam Adams
So today, after running a few errands, Grace and I decided to take a little drive. The sun was beaming and it felt so good to be outside. Somehow, imagine that, we found ourselves in Clifton again. The house was calling you know who...
There he was, at the corner of Clay Street and the honorary avenue, Hayes Way (for good old Coach Woody himself)...
...MY house.
The perfect spot for my little bookshop/photo gallery. No overhead, open when I am home...oooh. Can you see the goosebumps?
Oh but he was pretty. Charming would not be an incorrect adjective to use here. He absolutely reeks of charm! Right Woody? And Woody knows all about reeking charm. After all those years working with cute, young, sweaty football players don'tcha know.
Across the street to the right you see THIS sight.
Yes that WOULD be an Antique Mall.
Directly to the right you will see...
The old Clifton Opera House which still features local musicians of various genre.
From the living room and master bedroom front windows you will see this sight...
The gazebo and side view of this historic building.
Look on down the road and you will see Clifton Mill.
As we made one final round of the little town Grace noticed a car pulling up to MY house.
*Gasp* Curses! A realtor and 2 clients! How dare they! That is MY house! Mine I tell you!
I grumbled, "Tell them to get away from my house Grace!" So my daughter, who is still trying to figure out American nuance, sarcasm and wit, leans out of the window and shouts,
"You go away from my Mom's own house!" The last thing I saw was my dust and 3 people with gapping mouths looking at me from my rear view mirror.
*sigh* Heck. My stomach is in a knot and I actually have a twinge of pain. Oh how I want to call a realtor and go see the inside for myself but I don't want to bother anyone with that. I find myself actually green with jealousy, not envy, no envy is sweeter, but hard core, rampant, evil jealousy over the folks who were going inside today. Could they seriously be considering it? Dang. *sigh* It is a dream, a pipe dream at best. Living there would be inconvenient for 3 family members, our house would probably never sell in this market and I doubt that the other 3 humans who live with me share the same crazy affection for the house that I have. Oh but I do love it. I adore it. And I can still dream right?
Love and Hugs,
Susie Q
