going coastal

this past weekend we had the pleasure of mixing business with pleasure and headed to the coast.
matt had a sculpture show (his first!) in summerville, sc. a town that appeared to be full of beautiful, restored, hundred + year old homes. the night before the set up we drove a little ways past summerville and stopped in charleston to visit with one of matt's old college buddies, jon. we actually lived with jon way back in 1995 when we moved to savannah and had no place to live yet. we had jobs, but no place to rent, so we drove back and forth over the state lines for a couple of weeks.
anyway, jon lives on a great piece of property right on a river that heads into the deep water. his house was a little ramshackle when he first moved in. i didn't see it then, but from what matt was telling me before we got there i was a bit nervous.

and then we get there. late. really late. midnight, maybe. and it is dark. very dark. the house sits at the end of a dirt road, no street lights, nothing. we know we are in the right place because jon told matt he bought an old city bus to revamp into an rv and it is the first thing we see. next we see the sweetest little greenhouse (made from found windows) all lit up. then jon comes strolling up. we tour the green house first. full of lemon tree seedlings, herbs, and tomatoes. it smelled so good in there!


we move on to the house and enter in through the kitchen. the first thing that greets us is the plants. they are everywhere. that and the orange walls.  

then you meet the most amazing found-in-the-woods sink (almost everything in jon's house was found/thrifted/salvaged). i actually miss the sink. it was a beauty.

   

up a few steps and you are in the living room. perfectly worn walls, more plants, found artifacts, a beautiful old piano, guitar after guitar, and just the most cozy room i've been in in a long time.

 

this room was the original room to the house. everything else was added on later. (not by jon, except for the 2 decks). in all there are 4 rooms, not counting the bathroom. this house exuded charm, coziness, and calm. mixed with the rest of the property, which included the greenhouse, a chicken coop, garden, outdoor sleeping tent, exercise area, hammock, and a fire pit, i felt like i was on vacation, it was so relaxing and peaceful. i was not surprised when jon's girlfriend amy said they rarely left their home. i don't think i would either.




come back later, and i'll give you more details about the trip and matt's show.