Front Door, Back Door

Kate at Our Red House tagged me to share the views from the front door and back door of Rosehaven Cottage. She mentioned that when she was tagged she felt a bit embarrassed to show her "ordinary" views in comparison to the person who tagged her. Well, I have to say that I was feeling the same way (which is why I didn't post these earlier).

But I'm being brave and posting the two views anyway.

Front Door View

The shade in this photo (sorry about that) is because the front our house faces east-southeast and unless I photograph on a cloudy day the light shining right in the lenses or the house is casting a shadow across half of the front garden.

Anyway, the gently curving path is lined by assorted rocks that I found in a pile that was buried under composed fallen leaves in our back garden when we first moved here. The previous owner had been a rock collector, and I found his rock pile! It was a wonderful find.

The path is pea gravel so it's nice and crunchy when we walk on it to go and get the mail from the mailbox that sits under the pergola tucked in the vines of the Red Japanese Honeysuckle on the right. Our Princess Diana Bower Vine grows up the left side.

Incidentally, both vines came with us from our apartment patio in pots when we moved here. The pergola and picket fence were already here with just bare dirt for a front garden. I knew the vines would be perfect next to the pergola. It was like the house was just sitting here waiting for us and our transplants.

Back Door View

The back of our house faces slightly west-northwest. The only door to the back garden is on the southern end of the house so the view from the back door is only of the flagstone leading up to the fish pond. We will be doing more construction of a deck over the next year or so which is why there is an expanse of sand and dirt before the flagstones. The deck will help connect the house visually with the back garden. We are really looking forward to the day when our contractor tells us its our turn in his queue. You see, good contractors are hard to find and good ones have long waiting lists. After almost 8 years of hard lessons in renovation and remodeling, we're perfectly willing to patiently wait for a good one.

Seven Random Things About Me

Holly over at 2 Kids and Tired tagged me last week to post 7 random things about me. I had to finish the "Road Trip" series of posts first before I responded to the tag. So here it goes:

I love Disneyland! My Hubby and I consider it one of our favorite places on earth. Our first year of marriage, we splurged and bought annual passports so we could go as many times as we wanted even though we live 6-7 hours away. That's when this photo was taken. Our thing that year was trying on the different hats and taking photos of each other in them.






Although I don't like cooking as a general rule, I do love to make food over an open fire. The key word in that statement is "fire". I love to build fires in firepits and fireplaces. It's so fun. This photo is of the firepit I made in our back garden for spring break last year. My seminary students came over and I cooked them breakfast burritos over an open fire as we talked about God's creations as the sun rose. It was a choice experience.

I "rebuilt" a carbuerator when I was about 4 years old. My dad told me it was a puzzle. He set it up on a T.V. tray in the living room. I took it apart with the tools he gave me. And then he told me to put it back to together. So I did. I think it was one he didn't care about from one of his motorcycles. I still remember doing it too. Interestingly, I haven't "rebuilt" one since, although I do love a good jigsaw puzzle.




My first semester of college was spent at BYU-Hawaii on the northern shore of the island of Oahu. Aside from a two week trip to my grandparents home the previous summer, it was the first time I had ever been away from home. It was also the first time I'd ever been to Hawaii. It was an adventure for my young (and quite naive) little self. I was overwhelmingly homesick, but I had such impactful experiences there that I consider it to be "home" in a way. My heart aches for Hawaii if I haven't been there for a few years. I tell people, "When you go to Hawaii be prepared to bring back a little piece of Hawaii in your heart and to leave a piece of your heart in Hawaii." For me, those two pieces often call to one another.

I LOVE the ocean and can't comfortably live in a place that is "land locked". Even when I'm visiting somewhere in the United States that is in the center of the country that is a significant distance from an ocean, I "feel" it, and it makes me uncomfortable in my core. I sleep to artificial sounds of the ocean every night (even when I travel). And when I'm staying on the coast, I sleep to the real sounds of the ocean (and it's wonderful!).





I am the most artistically creative after the sun goes down. That's when I get my most inspiration and feel the most "alive" with my artwork. It's always been that way. Nine o'clock at night seems to be a really good time for me. I must be a night owl.







Although I love to grow them in my garden, I do not like the taste of fresh tomatoes. I do, however, love all tomato products or cooked tomatoes. So Hubby gets to enjoy the bounty.

All photographs featured here can be made available as unframed or framed prints, high-quality posters,
bound journals, tile coasters, keepsake boxes, greeting cards or a variety of other products.

Please email Cindy at rosehaven_cottage@yahoo.com for customization information.

Don't hesitate to ask about a special request.

Check out our online store to see the variety of products available and pricing.

Interesting Facts About Me (aka I've Been Tagged)

I've been tagged by the blogging artist Thea Burger at Shades of Life. I absolutely love her work. You have to go check out her site.

So now I get to share something interesting, weird, random, or fun about me...

First Fun Fact
I am a 4th generation San Francisco Bay Area Native with my great-grandfather, my grandmother, my mother, and I all being born in Alameda County. This is more unusual than one would expect because a great many Bay Area residents are transplants or their parents were. Along with this distinctive honor, I can also say that my Bay Area relatives lived through the 1906 earthquake. I am fortunate to have literally thousands of photos from old family albums that are candids just like the one at left [that's my great-great grandmother third from the left--she and her husband immigrated from Scotland and eventually set up residence in the Bay Area]. It is fun to still live the same area that my ancestors did because I feel a connection to them by knowing and loving the same places that they frequented and enjoyed. Pretty cool.

Next Fun Fact
I have played the piano for over 35 years now and was taught to play by my mother. My mother was taught to play by her mother. It is a musical legacy that has been passed down. I am very pleased and honored to be a part of this wonderful legacy. Music holds an important place in my life and in my home. It always has, and it always will. When I was little and learning to play, I yearned for the day that I could play with both hands. I would try to be patient and I went through the exercises in my piano book, but I would pester my mom asking her when I could play with both hands. I was tickled beyond words when I finally advanced to the point in my tutorials when I could play with both hands at the same time. It was a very big deal to me.

Final Fun Fact
I am a closet "motor head". I love engines that rumble, chrome that shines, and I love going fast in anything that moves. I am, therefore, one of those people that gawks and stares at any hot rod on the road. If my husband would let me, I'd ride a motorcycle (preferably a Harley). And I love the ride California Screamin' at Disney's California Adventure because of the speed of acceleration at the beginning and the feeling like I'm flying. In my secret dreams, I'm a jetfighter pilot. So when I'm on that wonderful roller coaster I pretend like I'm "driving" it as if I were a jet fighter pilot. The other favorite attraction I have at Disney's California Adventure is Soarin' Over California. Again, it's because I can get the sensation of flying.

Now for those that I'm tagging next:

Dirty Fingernails at Green Thumb Chronicles
Mark at The Green Fingered Photographer
Kelly Cat at It's All Good
Miss Peach (and Karla) at Miss Peach's Meowz
Allison at My Cozy Home
Kylee at Our Little Acre
Zoey at Perennial Passion

The guidelines for this tag:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules
2. Write some facts about yourself: some random, some weird, some just plain fun.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them)
4. Let those 7 people know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.