The Family Farmhouse, Chatham, Cape Cod

It's Sunday night and a bit moist and chilly, here on Cape Cod. In a previous post, I wrote that Wayne and I live in our "home space" in the back of and above Wayne's Antiques, Brewster during the winter. Well, thank goodness it is no longer cold, so we have moved to the family farm house in Chatham. Since it is a "three season" house, we shall be staying here until the cold weather graces us with it's presence, once again. (I don't even want to think of that, right now!)

Our shops are open, and as Wayne would say, it's "full tilt rock 'n roll" for business on Cape Cod. Our days are long and exhausting as we treasure hunt for inventory, work on one project after another, and engage with our much appreciated customers. All is well and as it should be.

This time of year also brings on an overload of home improvement projects. The family farm house is like a dear old friend that has a rather persnickety side to it's personality. As much as it is very much appreciated and adored, in all honesty, I would have to classify it as one of our "needy" friends. Don't get me wrong, I really love tackling things around here, especially if I get to tap into something that brings out some sort of creativity. But, as with any old house, not every thing we take on can be called "a fun project". And, more often than not, there are unforeseen surprises in store and we end up opening a whole new can of worms. Our challenges can drag on and on, with the two of us muttering, "It will be nice when it's done!" (Trust me, repeating that over and over, seems to work better than cursing all over the place!)

Below are some pictures taken in early spring, last year. The house, at that time, was used to accommodate both renters and family, for their vacationing stay. But, now that it is no longer being rented, Wayne and I stay here so that we can share quality time with our visiting loved ones, after they spend the day beaching it, and we run our shops. The good news is that when we are here alone, we can decorate and equip the house with a bit more personality, making it more comfortable and efficient to our needs! So, I guess you could say, these are our "before" pictures, (keeping in mind that some of the "after" pictures are years away from being taken)....I wonder what kind of photo technology will be in use then?

Pieces of Dreams

Our family's wonderful Greek Revival. "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like HOME!"

We love cooking together in this kitchen.

The living room.

The dining room, with a little glimpse (thru the doorway) of the sun porch/family room.

Front entrance foyer.

Front bedroom with the crazy wallpaper...It has to go!

Upstairs nook.

One of the upstairs bedrooms. There is another room next to this and a bath, not pictured. There is also a downstairs bath and an outdoor shower.

The bedroom where Wayne and I stay. (Our little hide-a-way, when the rest of the house is noisy and we have to sleep to get up for work the next day.)

Outside view of the back of the house and sun porch.

This is an actual "scallop house", taken from one of the Chatham beaches. Wayne's Mom named it "Tiffy's". They still have scallop houses at some of the harbors. The fisherman would come in with their catch and some would go to the fish stores and restaurants and some would be sold directly out of these little houses. Talk about FRESH!