What grand magic transforms an empty house into a cherished home? What makes it come alive? …makes it breathe? …creates relationship and encourages stewardship?

vibrant connections

Like Michelangelo standing before a great block of stone, if we listen with our hearts the newly acquired dwelling reveals itself to us— encouraging these connections and persuading inner creativity to emerge. The property at 4322 Tyler Way made itself known in many ways over the past nine years, so much so that she acquired a name: Serenity. It is both a privilege and a rite of passage to revisit and share a few of the stories that made this house a home.

 

Initially, the home’s setting was what drew me in:

· Dead-end street – quiet, safe for children and pets, privacy

· Land – over 1/3rd acre cocooned by wetlands that will never be built on in the back and to the left of the property, adjacent to miles of trails in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands (ACFL), seasonal creek, majestic cedars and plenty of space for gardens or even a few chickens. Beach access and parks less than a mile away.

· Neighbors – retired Grand Canyon forest ranger across street with the most wonderful stories, classical pianist and innovative boat designer to right with high school daughter training for swimming scholarship have been such a blessing: friendly, concerned, connected – much like extended family for this single mom, a teacher, and her two high school sons.

· Skyline Beach Club Membership – use of their two cabanas for parties and family reunions (one is on the beach, overlooks the water with huge windows on three sides and backs up to the ACFL – gorgeous setting at night!), beach and boat launch access, security patrols, tennis courts, and social events.

 

The interior wood detail and the inviting energy throughout solidified my choice in this particular house. I viewed her late one autumn evening with firelight from the free-standing wood stove casting warm golden shadows over the walls. My passion for nature and the richness of wood was further accentuated by the new hardwood floors. The wood accents brought the outdoors into the living space, which further added to the tranquil feeling of the home.

 

My carpentry skills grew while transforming this house into a home. I added wood wainscot in kitchen and bath, tiled the kitchen backsplash and bathtub surround, helped drywall and shore-in the unfinished garage – making it a rental with a private entrance for college students, Americorps volunteers, and Shell Refinery workers to reside. All additions made in this bonus room can easily be adjusted to convert it back to a single car garage. I, however, saw the laundry room becoming a bath and closing that addition to create a totally self-contained living space to use as a rental when retired.

 

Most memorable was the opportunity this home offered to allow the inner artist to surface. Looking out over a wild backyard of salmonberries and grass, with sloping yard, tree branches blocking passage and deer nesting in the tall weeds, a picture began to emerge. And with much unraveling, untangling, and much listening, like the Secret Garden, the neglected land began to speak. Without any plan, like the statue emerging from the great stone slab, one by one we removed the veils hiding the beauty and contours of the land.

 

Leveling the front and backyard slopes and piling the dirt in areas meant for flower and garden rockeries left me looking at a landscape of bare ground for months. Wanting the gaze to be drawn to the back of the property, overtime a sweeping landscape formed before me. Enveloped by the rich earth, “Serenity” emerged (there’s something to be said for hours spent in deep connection to the soil that will one day grow both lovely flowers and healthy produce – my neighbor asks how I get everything to grow so easily, I tell him the land knows of my love for it – with so many hours put into her unveiling, we are vibrantly connected).

 

In her deepest dimple, my two sons, a cousin and I dug a pond. We brought electricity to the back portion of the land for a trickling waterfall and spotlight into the delicate birch tree. Cutting the sweeping branches of the sentinel evergreen at the back of the property gave way to trails into the wetlands and to a yurt we put up in the corner of the property. Hauling rocks from the nearby quarry, the rock walls became defining lines. I kept seeing figure eights (the pond) and subsequently the layout of bricks divided the sweep of the grass and the garden space where three raised beds were created. A compost area and a stone patio and fire pit came next. Camp-outs in the yurt, picnics on the patio and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows were joined by laughter and spooky campfire stories. Connections were made. The house became a home.

 

This story is not complete without making mention of the gifts the land is now giving back. A most delicious plum tree stands near the mailbox – folks from far and wide have asked its name in order to procure their own tasty fruit and no nursery of yet has been able to identify it. A double-grafted cherry in the middle of the yard (pie and sweet) is joined by a double-grafted pear (Bartlett and Asian) which is adjacent to a triple-grafted apple – both espaliered. The rich antioxidant blueberries bloom over the spectrum of the season – given me by my migrant farm worker ESL students at the college. A gooseberry tree, currants, salmonberries, blue-mountain huckleberries, raspberries, Tai berries, and Cascade berries speckle the backyard. For years our breakfasts of yogurt or cereal have been garnished by various colorful fruits –bounty provided us from Serenity herself.

 

The giving and receiving, the listening and attention, the laughter and tears – all are contained within this house, become home. “Serenity” contains every one of these stories…and more – all the while open to the next creative eye ready to give birth to new forms revealing even more of her beauty beneath the remaining veils.

 

She is beckoning those who understand the importance of vibrant connection – transforming an empty house into a cherished home.
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