Our New Digs

Almost all of the cardboard boxes have disappeared, and we're pretty settled into our new place.

I don't really have any pictures to show yet except for the handful below. Some of these I took. Others were provided by our realtor. If there are leaves on the trees, then I didn't take it.












Here's the back of the house taken from across a small pond that runs along our driveway. The driveway is almost a mile long. Thankfully there hasn't been much in the way of snow since we've arrived, since shoveling it is out of the question, and I haven't hired a plowing company.

I kept thinking this place will be awesome to decorate for Halloween, but I don't foresee many trick-or-treaters bothering to make the hike even if we take down all the "no trespassing" signs with the images of ferocious guard dogs on them.













This is my poor attempt to photograph the ceiling of the "foyer." It's a little gaudier than I'd like, but the statues and decor remind me a bit of the Lon Chaney version of "Phantom of the Opera."















The reason that photographing the foyer ceiling is so hard is that this guy gets in the way. I've had this guy in storage for years, and finally have a space big enough to accommodate him. It really gets a reaction out of people when they first walk in the front doors and come face to face with him.










For me, the biggest selling point of this house was that it came with a built in library with enough room for all of the books my family owns and even with plenty of room for new acquisitions. This room took us the longest to unpack, and the organization of our books is still haphazard at best.








This was described as a "sitting room." Compared to some of the other rooms, including my wife's dressing room, it is pretty small, but it's central to rooms that we do use more, so it does get its own use. One of the drawbacks to moving into a larger house is discovering that you don't have nearly enough furniture to fill it. I'm sure by the time humans settle Mars we'll finally feel suitably furnished.











When I was a kid the idea of having an indoor swimming pool was an exciting dream of mine. As an adult, I doubt I'll use it much. It doesn't get a lot of light for most of the day, and I grew up swimming in the ocean, so ponds and pools don't hold much attraction for me. My kids are thrilled though.










The gardens are supposed to be amazing when they come in. There's even a hedge maze (which needs some serious attention), a treehouse, a bunch of animal topiaries, and a bunch of "Alice in Wonderland" inspired statues and settings. I haven't really ventured out to see, or photograph them all yet, but I imagine it will be pretty amazing in a few months when everything is blooming.


No photos of my office yet either. It's still a work in progress, but it's in a turret and it has a secret entrance!