Old Houses by the Gulf of Mexico

The first three weeks of January we took a trip through the deep, deep south, including the north Gulf Coast of Florida.  If you ever yearn for a simpler, quieter way of life...one without stoplights, sirens, buses, or even regular sidewalks, this forgotten coast is a treasure. Since I grew up here, it is in my DNA to love old southern homes with deep porches and darkened interiors. The crunch of walking on oyster shell pathways and the sound of the waves lapping the shore is with me always. Come with me and take a peek at these coastal lovelies. 

Miss Margaret's house is a stunning Queen Anne style dating from
1890 and sits high on a bluff above the Gulf...I used to visit this
house when I was a little girl

Chris is checking out the spectacular wraparound porch.. note how foggy the
day was... the roofline is in the fog line!

the radiused painted porch with Victorian trim

looking the other way on the porch

the blue tiled fireplace and black cypress paneling of the living room

the gorgeous black cypress and heart pine staircase to the second floor

the pretty fireplace in the dining room

the outdoor shower... on the back porch... is provided with privacy by the trellising

one of the wonderful upstairs bedrooms with fireplace.. here the paneling
has been painted a cheery yellow

the upstairs hallway with arched doorway and mint green painted walls

another view from the porch... I couldn't get enough of the porch!

and that is the screened porch to the rear, outside the kitchen... lovely!

the nearest neighbor's house is rather lovely as well...

and the smaller Craftsman cottages are adorable...

the palm trees in the front of another Craftsman cottage

the 300 yard pier next to Miss Margaret's house over the marshland... the pavilion is
in the water...

a little further inland the pathway leads through incredible southern gardens

this amazing southern Oak tree draped with moss is a stunning work of nature

this 1870's home is now a small museum showing winter retreats favored by the Yankees who came down
to Florida to escape the snow and ice...

Chinoiserie decor was popular with the wintering over owners of
this lovely home... and the color was the homeowners custom blend of
turquoise... gorgeous even after all these years!

wintering over means lots of leisure time for reading....

Chinese imports adorn the bookshelves in the library

striking color combination in the great room 

another view of the great room with the beautiful carpet and turquoise and black

this coral is also a custom blend and covers the
outside of the home...

this is one of the vistas created in the immense gardens... my younger brother
got married here many years ago...

a striking combination of mondo grass border and a succulent in the middle of the fountain... I love this look

the front of another winter home near the Gulf Coast

a view of the trellised swimming pool built many years ago...

wrought iron, shutters, lace curtains and the fiddle leaf fig tree on the front porch

the small service cottages for the winter home with the majestic moss covered oaks

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Happy Birthday Claire McCluskey!

Since I have only (4) brothers, my cousin Claire is all the more precious to me. Today is her birthday, so I thought I'd post images that will mean a lot to her... really, only she will actually "get" them, but they are kind of cool, so I hope you like them too. These harken back to our childhood frolicking on the Gulf Coast and in Savannah.

Happy Birthday Claire!

Amie's wicker couch... now happily in Claire's

adorable home in Savannah

Amie and Bompoon, so very long ago, on

Coffee Bluff in Savannah

great aunt Kate's chapel in St. John's

Cathedral in Savannah

carved detail from the fireplace in the dining

room of the house in Apalach

chandelier in the dining room of

the house in Apalach... we used to watch

as the bugs got trapped in the points of

the glass and the housekeeper had to

empty them out every week!

the fort named for our grandfather in Apalach

a peek inside the fort shows this old,

crazed mirror where girls used to check

their appearance before going into the

WWII era dances

I know Claire would love a bed like this!

and living by the sea, she would adore a

table made from seashells

Claire loves blue and white

Claire, you know who this is, you and I will end up striding

by the sea just like her when we are 93 too!

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Love you lots on this

very special birthday

of yours!!

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beautiful beach house decor by Anne Selke

found here

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Do you have someone special to you

whose birthday is coming up?

How would you celebrate that person?

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thanks for visiting...! Kit

A Visit to the (Very) Deep South

You haven't been here.

I can say almost with total confidence that you haven't. That's one of the reasons I love it so, and why it is my touchstone to return to Apalachicola every chance I get. I feel rooted and grounded there. I remember every single street, house, palm tree, building. I exhale in the sea air and the endless vistas of the Gulf of Mexico disappearing at the horizon into a thin strip of shelter islands' land and trees silhouetted far out to sea.

So I make a journey of 8 hours air travel from San Francisco; two hours to my brother's house by car; then drive two more hours to Apalachicola. They call it The Forgotten Coast, and I like that.

a house around the corner from where I lived as a child

Commercial Building, circa 1830

the Oven House, now for sale

a neighbor's house

St. Patrick's Catholic Church, our family church

Cousin Alma's House, directly across the street 

from her sister's house, Cousin Alice's

Cousin Alice's House

the old family home 

I visit the house where I lived in as a little one, built by my great- great- grandfather, and the cemetary where all my relatives dating back to the Civil War are buried. I love to see the Armory with its ballroom and mezzanine, where my mother danced until dawn as a beautiful young woman. I roam the neighborhood houses, all built between 1830 and 1905, that make up this magical, old place called Apalachicola. 

Usually I stop by the Catholic church where my parents were married, my grandmother and brother were buried. I love to visit the old French consulate (of course!), where they still fly the tricolore. I go out to the island and marvel once again that any beach could be more beautiful, or more desolately quiet than this one. 

On this trip I find the new Community Gardens. Raised beds tended by townfolk who like to grow their own organic vegetables and fruit. If you had a garden here, and a crab trap or two, you could eat like a king without spending a dime.

If you do want to spend a dime, spend it on seafood. The local restaurants that have stood the test of time serve the most delectable seafood from right here where the river meets the sea. And have a drink at the old bar where Papa Hemingway would have been right at home.

If you ask me for directions to Apalach, I might hesitate. You really don't need to go there. 

But I do. 

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Chic Provence Tour in

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March 1, 2012

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