This was our second home in El Dorado County. We first moved from Davis to Cameron Park, and then when Matt was 7 we moved to Shingle Springs – a much bigger house with such tremendous views. The CP house was actually a good starter home- it had a great room, large kitchen with a pantry and a very large flat back yard. It was close to the quiet street and Dave jackhammered 20 rose bushes into the front lawn as a sort of barrier. They were beautiful. It had champagne grapes and crab apples, and we planted a strawberry patch, almond tree and an apple tree in the back. It also had enormous weeping willow trees in the back (another barrier to seeing the neighbors) and an EID ditch where we would occasionally get ducks and wild turkeys. Other than the house was small when I was a lecturer at several schools (no office!), it was a good home. We looked for almost a year for a place I could have an office with no luck. We decided that we could make this house work and then…
Then we saw the SS house and for me, it was love at first sight. Forget being coy and cool about wanting it- I WANTED THAT HOUSE! It had such tall ceilings and so many windows. It’s only later you realize that many windows means fewer storage places!
We were unable to sell the CP home so ended up renting it out for a year. Definitely not for us and we were able to sell it barely at cost a year later. In the meantime, the new house was just so amazing. We did have some things to change- for example, the lofts were open to a 9-10 foot drop to the hallway below. Cherie could not go up the fire ladders until she was five or so and that required help. But Matt could play up there with his Legos and other building toys with no little sister messing things up! And she made the most amazing reading nook and doll play areas up in her loft. We also had to put netting along the second story bannisters and the stairway since she was little enough to fall through! Interesting decor for sure!
But it was the land and the views that made it so special. An acre that was mostly wild and fairly steep with a cool clearing for playing explorers. A pool where we lived most summers. It was perfectly situated to get afternoon shade. We often ate dinner out there. And the deck- so spacious and covered. We played out there in all but the worst of storms. The deck looked out onto two valleys that converged to us. So magnificent and simply gorgeous as only nature can be. We frequently had deer and turkeys coming by. We had neighbors but we didn’t see them from the house. The only reason we had any window coverings was to protect us from the sun! No one could look in on us.
The kitchen was very small and we called it the “one butt” kitchen for years. It did have a peninsula that someone could assist from the far side; but if you opened the dishwasher, you could not open the fridge! I had to store many kitchen items in the bathroom cupboards. Then in 2011 we finally remodeled it. Because of the extra long slider to the deck, we could only widen it 16” but that made a world of difference! And we put cabinets on the far side and dramatically increased the storage. So it became a “two butt” kitchen. Many good meals came out of there! And it was perfect for family tamale making on Christmas Eve, sometimes Christmas Eve eve!
So although it was an almost perfect house, it had one major drawback- 18 steps to the front door. And until Cherie came home and I had to teach during the COVID 19 pandemic, Dave and I rarely used the upstairs. We realized we utilized very little of the house ourselves. Again, nice when Matt and Jenny came to visit etc but once they bought the property in Wilton, it became quickly apparent that we needed to move. Especially since they bought the property so we could build an ADU and help with the kids! And we love it here. One small step onto the porch and about 150 yards from the grandkids. Well..2 of the grandkids! Works for us.
As I spent a whole 20 minutes cleaning the entire house today, I was reminded of what is truly important to me. Time to do what I want. I played with both grandkids babies today, harvested berries and the first summer squash this morning from my bins, and I can still get to Folsom or any of my friends for what I want to do. I have an amazing craft room that is almost where I want it to be (organizational wise) where I can make cards to my hearts content. I am meeting nice people here and enjoying a much simpler life. I can look out my window and see Gabe’s bedroom window. I can go play with the chickens and watch so many birds. Works for me. As much as I loved that Shingle Springs house, this is where I should be. And where I want to be.
