A Trip to Grandma's House

One of the things I wanted to do before we moved away for the year was to visit my Grandma's house. She has been in the house for nearly fifty years and most of them completely independent and self-sufficient. Did I mention she is 89 years old? I only wish I have half the stamina she does when I'm her age.

My Grandma may be moving to a semi-assisted living facility in the next few months and I wanted to visit her in the home that we've spent many Christmases and Easters and dance competition weekends in. We packed our bags, turned on the radio and went on our little weekend road trip.

As soon as we walked in the door it felt like home; almost a time capsule of sorts but with a few little modifications here and there. As always, she put the kettle on when we arrived and had a few nibblies for us that she had baked the night before.

I wanted to take a few photos of things that I identified as inherently 'Grandma'. I wanted to pause and appreciate the little touches made over the decades, intentional or not, that made her house the home we will always love and remember. I'm sure that everyone has their own set of stories or memories about the family home. These were a few things that I captured that day.

Lined atop the windowsill in my Grandma's kitchen are a treasure trove of trinkets and ornaments. I always thought this guy was a cute companion while up the washing the dishes or looking out at the bird bath.

'H' or 'Hot'? Which faucet to turn on? 

I'll always remember the sound of the latch in the bathroom door. Also, how fun are the turquoise tiles?

My Grandma is an avid reader. She claims she can go through an entire novel in one sitting. Of course, her definition of reading is more what we might call 'skimming'. Haha. Above the bookshelf is a shadow box my dad made to display some of my Great Grandma's mementos. I never had the privilege to meet her in person but I've only ever heard positive things.

A family piano from the 1930's, also belonged to my Great Grandma. I loved playing on it as a kid but remember getting heck if I banged the keys too hard. Wonder if I can still remember which key was out of tune?

More books from her personal collection.

I love the seashell necklaces wrapped around the coffee pot. I couldn't imagine using something so fancy to serve coffee in, unless important guests were over I suppose.

The amazing 'octopus' furnace that keeps on chugging nearly 100 years on. I can picture the dog curling up in front of these registers at night. I also love the wide baseboards and floorboards. 

One of many chest of drawers that were always fun to explore. You could find anything from a 1950's bathing suit to a 1970's baseball tee.

So after snapping away photos we spent the rest of the day sipping tea, playing the piano and discussing our excitement for the future. There is always something grounding about visiting the family home and I'm very grateful that we had the opportunity to do so.

Love you Grandma! Can't wait to see you again some time soon!