Summer Fun

Some years ago I used this image as a blog banner for the summer.  How these boys have grown in 5 years!

Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn: William Butman's Searsport House

Yesterday I had a "day away" from my typical work and responsibilities.  I rode down Route 1 to enjoy some coastal views with a friend.  We had lunch on the water in Camden.  

On the way back I stopped to take photos of my great great great grandfather's house in Searsport, Maine. It was built in 1830, owned by William Butman.  

Early New England houses commonly have a "big house, little house, back house, barn" design to them.  Sometimes the big house was built after the "little house" section.  Connected houses of New England were necessary and convenient, allowing the owner to get to the barn to feed the animals in cold winters without having to clear snow.  If you enjoy antique house stories, you will want to visit Prudence Fish's blog, Antique Houses of Gloucester and Beyond:

http://prudencefish.blogspot.com

Also, I just purchased the book Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn to learn more:  

Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn: The Connected Farm Buildings of New England https://www.amazon.com/dp/1584653728/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_uERGvb65N691E

My ancestor's house started off that way, but was remodeled greatly in the latter quarter of the 20th century to become a bed and breakfast.  Here is an early photo of the house, undated.  

It is said by another branch of the family this is the same house.  Perhaps this is the "little house" built before the larger 1830 structure on the end? 

It was converted to a bed and breakfast at some point, being most recently named The Inn Britannia. 

Here is an image from the 1990's after William Butman's Searsport house was renovated to be a bed and breakfast.  Other Butman family branches say previous owners rolled the barn further away from the house to make room for the dark blue 1990 addition.  

And here it is today.  

From the barn end:

Beautiful. 

Light A Candle

This past couple of weeks I watched Ken Burns "The Roosevelts".   What a great series!  My history lessons had a big whole in it, namely the 20th century.  Growing up in the south, history always seemed to end with the Reconstruction era following the Civil War.  The word carpetbagger came up a lot, I remember.  When I was in college, I took a lot of history classes. But again, 20th century history wasn't part of it.  "The Roosevelts" gave me an insight into the world that my grandparents came of age in, and the world that my parents were born into.  

Seeing the footage of World War I, the Depression and World War II gave me a greater appreciation for the challenges that my family members lived through.  It gave me a greater appreciation for the opportunities which came out of adversity, and the character that resulted.  And the work!  The hard, hard work that people did then to make ends meet.  The hard hard work that our people did to meet the evils of the time face on.  There are so many lessons there. 

In these past couple of months I have been making some changes in my house, and have also been thinking a lot while I wield a paint roller.  Deep thoughts about what the direction of our world is, and what it will hold for both my children, but particularly my autistic son.  The Roosevelts were an action oriented family!  Eleanor Roosevelt is an interesting character to read about, a woman who worked hard to make a difference in her world, which was very dark at times. She did this in a time when it was not natural for women to think and speak so boldly. 

I am still thinking, and still painting.  After I finish painting my cabinets I will return to art making.  But also I will be focusing on how to make a practical difference in this present world.