An interesting visit
Yesterday afternoon, as we were sitting on our porch enjoying the unusual late-summer warmth, a man and a woman in their 60s approached from the back of the lot; the man hailed us, introduced himself, and said that his grandfather had built the house. He asked if they could take some pictures to show his 96-year-old mother, who had spent most of her childhood summers there (and the family had continued to visit there frequently during his own childhood). In particular, he thought there was a foundation post in which she had carved her initials when she was about ten years old.
We were happy to let them look around, and invited them in to look at the interior, which he said was not much changed for his day. We learned that the photograph next the fireplace which we had assumed was of the original owner was not, in fact, his grandfather, but rather a cousin of his mother's who apparently was not particularly popular with the rest of the family.
He expressed surprise that the garage was still standing. We pointed out the extra reinforcing beams that we had had a contractor add when we replaced the roof 10-15 years ago.
We couldn't find his mother's initials in the basement, but we did find a post with his grandfather's initials and the date "1925", which is slightly earlier than I thought the house had been built. (Since his mother was born in 1923, she presumably did not have occasion to carve her initials into any wet cement in that house.)
By the way, we bought the house in 1978 from a couple who had only owned it for about four years; they had presumably bought it from his mother after his grandfather's death.
It was a delightful diversion all around.
We were happy to let them look around, and invited them in to look at the interior, which he said was not much changed for his day. We learned that the photograph next the fireplace which we had assumed was of the original owner was not, in fact, his grandfather, but rather a cousin of his mother's who apparently was not particularly popular with the rest of the family.
He expressed surprise that the garage was still standing. We pointed out the extra reinforcing beams that we had had a contractor add when we replaced the roof 10-15 years ago.
We couldn't find his mother's initials in the basement, but we did find a post with his grandfather's initials and the date "1925", which is slightly earlier than I thought the house had been built. (Since his mother was born in 1923, she presumably did not have occasion to carve her initials into any wet cement in that house.)
By the way, we bought the house in 1978 from a couple who had only owned it for about four years; they had presumably bought it from his mother after his grandfather's death.
It was a delightful diversion all around.