Thursday, July 19, 2007

No Right Angles

When I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom here in our house in Chautauqua, I am reminded not only of how old I am but also that the house predates me by a century. There is not an even floor to be found.

The wacky angles and tilts everywhere remind me of a crazy house at the carnival. But what else would you expect from buildings constructed “circa 1879” as they all say on similar plaques. The door on our bedroom has to be locked with a hook so as not to constantly swing open.

When I am half asleep it is definitely a challenge to wend my way across the hall to the bathroom and keep my balance. This is where my PT balance exercises and all those tree poses in yoga come in handy. I’m much better than I used to be. But it is interesting how much more obvious the unevenness is when it is dark.

Today the rain looks like it is here to stay. My biggest decision is whether I put on my poncho and ride my bike over to cabin #61 or if I just walk with an umbrella. I always prefer biking when it’s an option.

Here are some shots from our front and side porches. The lovely yellow house is the house across the street where the stranger lived.




7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

ohhhh i hate this feeling of being behind on my reading ..... i am having to quickly skim through your camp diary to catch up ......

will return later ....... ahh......i am envious !! and what time is dinner again ????

8:56 AM  
Blogger Kristin said...

It really seems like a great place to get away, rain, wonky angles and all.

11:38 AM  
Blogger media concepts said...

Your house is all tilted. Hmm, how many drinks did you have that night? J/k.

2:56 PM  
Blogger Mother of Invention said...

That lady's house was similar to our old house, a triple gable, 1 1/2 - 2 storey with a "mother-in-law" door and built in 1865. Our present railings are the same.

5:41 PM  
Blogger Barbara said...

RDG -- Relax! The beauty of Blogs is they don't go away. Come back as time permits.

Dinner is at 7:00 tonight? Want to join us?

Kristin -- You actually get used to the ups and downs -- sort of like life in general.

Matt -- Only one glass of wine. We use a bottle a night for 6 people, so no drunks here!

MOI -- Cool that your house is of the same era. Do you have tilting floors?

6:45 PM  
Blogger Ulysses said...

Wow, those houses look great. I think I'd love to just poke around them to see all the craftmanship that went into them.

8:01 PM  
Blogger Barbara said...

Ulysses -- Yeah, I understand from our mutual friend DC that you know a lot about building houses. You might find some relics of the past in these houses!

10:22 PM  

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