On Saturday we attended a brunch at friends who live in a small town outside of Portland. Afterward we went for a drive through Yamhill County and dreamed about the possibilities of country life…
I can picture our ideal home. It sits in the middle of a vibrant small town full of young families. A big old craftsman style house with an enormous front porch where we’ll sit in Adirondack chairs sipping our morning coffee as we watch the sun rise over Mt. Hood. There’s an old barn on the property that we plan to restore and convert to house my studio. On the second floor we’ll have a guest room {since we live in the heart of wine country we’ll receive a lot of visitors}. And even though it’s located in a quiet neighborhood with tree lined streets it sits on a bit of land. Just shy of an acre. The back yard has a huge oak tree for a tire swing but also receives plenty of sun for our garden. A big garden with rows and rows of salad greens, herbs, artichokes and heirloom tomatoes. And beyond the garden there’s an apple and pear orchard. Jason’s hoping to try his hand at cider come fall.
We’ll live within walking distance of the local library and coffeehouse {where they make the most delicious peach scones}, a handful of boutiques and critically acclaimed restaurants regularly featured in Sunset magazine. On weekends we’ll ride our bikes out to the farms to pick up beef and produce from our CSA. Did I mention the park right down the street? Carson will love the water feature they turn on during summer months and swimming at the community pool. About a quarter mile away there’s a nature preserve with a vast network of running trails. We’re less than an hour drive from the city but traffic doesn’t really matter. Because they’ll have just extended the MAX line and put in a stop right downtown. It’s practically perfect. Oh, and they have top notch schools. And our next door neighbors will have two high school girls who love to babysit.
I'll definitely join you as one of the young families! Let us know when your real estate search brings up a couple places like this – then you'd have the added bonus of friends for Carson + Hadley right down the gravel street! I love the way you describe this – so many things I want too!
that BARN!!!! love it.
I too am still looking for that perfect place that is “out”….but with a few of my favorite conveniences too:)
For a long time, Chad and I wanted to move out to Silverton for most of those same reasons. But we've really fallen in love with Portland, and Chad can't figure out where he would work out there. We've just fallen in love with the convenience and amenities of a city — we're both from small towns, and I can't say we'll ever go back (except to visit you, of course!)
Well said Amy and I love your descriptions… sounds just about where we'd like to end up in one of our many places… 😉