Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Where I Live


Jayna, a long-time Facebook friend, asked for a map of our farm so she could get a better idea of the layout. I sketched out the thing above -- very badly done but I had chicken to fry and potatoes to mash for the fellas coming over to watch Carolina in The Big Game last night. (Alas -- a great game but...) 

So here's a series of pictures that may explain it better...



Coming along the hard road, about three miles from the bridge over the French Broad, the mailboxes for the houses in our holler on on the left and our driveway is on the right. . .


The house across the street is rented out now -- it's where I imagined Dessie, in the opening scene of Signs in the Blood, living and in Art's Blood, the same house was rented to Kyra, and Boz and Aidan (was it Aidan? I don't actually remember for sure.)


Turning up our road, there's a small pasture on the right . . .


On the left is a road up to the Freeman Cemetery -- I've taken many a picture up there -- 


and on the right is another pasture.


Around the curve Justin and Claui's house and more pasture comes into view


Along with the pond and across from the pond a small pasture. That's the cemetery atop the hill to the left.


The pond again . . .


About a quarter mile from the mailboxes is Justin and Claui's house plus the big barn (site of the Easter Party and, fictionally, Elizabeth's workshop. Also a smaller barn and several sheds for storing hay and farm equipment.


In the field below Justin and Claui's house is a little two-stall barn where the milking is done. Also a small chicken house for the birds we raise for the freezer.


J and C's house below . . .


Across the branch from their house is the big barn  and on the right, the old corn crib (it showed up in Art's Blood too.)

That's our go-to-town car on the left -- it won't make it up the road to our house -- the Jeep does that.


Continuing up the road in the Jeep,  the old barn on the right
was used by our predecessors for their milk cows and their mule. The top was used to hang tobacco.

The house in the distance was built for my mother-in law. We call it the Gran House and it's rented out till such time as my older son and his wife are able to move back to NC.

Continuing up the road (that's the Gran House driveway on the left, the house in the distance and the field below it belong to our neighbors, who have another house up to the right.



Our property on the left, our neighbor's on the right.


The arrow point the way up.


What's left of our orchard on the left . . .


The barn above has stalls underneath where we once kept our milk cow and our mules. The upper part was for hanging tobacco -- except for the time in which we lived in it -- just like Elizabeth's family in Old Wounds.


Those are hop vines growing up the side . . .


Just above the barn is the chicken house for the egg layers and above it are the garden tiers and that's our house's roof beyond that.


Garden . . . house . . .


Almost there . . .


Looking back down at the barn and the chicken house . . .


Yet another old barn for hanging tobacco -- to the left of the big barn.


Across the road from the garden is the little log house where we keep garden tools. This is where the mushroom logs are.


And at the top of the road, before the sharp right turn that leads to the house, is the blue Lutyens bench . . . (Elizabeth and Phillip sat there a time or two.)



And this is where we park, a half a steep mile from the mailboxes. That's a solar panel that preheats our hot water and that's a funky little greenhouse on the end of our house


Up the steps to our front porch . . .



And to the view that explains why we put up with the road.


10 comments:

Ms. A said...

Fantastic! You know you could have used Google and gotten a bird's eye view, right?

Vicki Lane said...

I went to Google but the trees obscure a lot of it and they have drawn in a road that isnt there and mislabeled several houses.

Barbara Rogers said...

Love the photographic tour...it now connects the dots in my mind of how your beautiful photos are related. Bet everyone has good muscles in their legs!

Frances said...

Vicki, thank you so much for this guided tour up that winding road. Yes, now I have a much better notion of the country views along the way to your home, and how you've included those settings in your books.

How wonderful to see all this through the seasons...but perhaps quite tricky during snow season. Wow.

xo

katy gilmore said...

Loved getting this feel for your immediate geography! - and reminder of how intricately your life and setting are entwined with your work.

GPearson said...

Thanks for the memories of how it was to visit my Aunt Viola in Beech Creek. We would park at the chuch and Uncle Captain would meet us there with his farm truck and take us up the mountain to their house. Most of all it remibds me of my Grammaw's funeral in Valley Cruces. The pallbearers had to carry the casket all the way up the mountain. She has a beautiful view of the valley. I would love to come back to live there.

Jime said...

Thanks so much for the map and pictures. It puts everything in perspective and makes me marvel at the work you have done. Whew I'm tired just thinking about it all. Lordy me.

Carol Crump Bryner said...

What a treat this is - to trace the route to your house this way. I can see why you put up with that long steep road for the view you have. Your place is fantastic, and how wonderful to think that some day you may have both your sons and families living nearby.

jennyfreckles said...

Great to see how it all fits together. I always liked children's books that had maps in and it reminds me of those. Living up a hill has both its good points and its problems - my daughter and family are finding that out now!

Anonymous said...

Whew! There's so much to take care of! How do you do it, Vicki? I suppose it helps that you were younger when you moved there. I so enjoyed my photographic visit. Thank you,
Deana the Queena