This morning, Friday, Rebekah and wandered outside to enjoy an extended “coffee on the deck together after breakfast.” It may get hot here after lunchtime, but the mornings have been just about perfect. We talked, there in the shade of the tall pines, about our first two weeks here (we arrived just 17 days ago) and concluded we’re making good progress in terms of settling in.

Consequently – while Rebekah is downstairs painting the dining room – I’m going to share a few pictures of the house. We’re not by any means finished: there’s painting needed in every room; there are pictures to be hung; there are window treatments to decide on… and so much more; but I can at least give you an idea of how the new Maul Hall is shaping up.

So I’m going to paste in some representative photographs, then include a full selection in the slide show at the bottom of this page.

THE GIANT LABRADOODLE: Approach the front door, having made your way through all the pine trees alongside the long drive, and you’ll likely receive a loud “I’m going to bark like crazy because that’s what I do!” from Scout, who spends most of the day posing as a welcome mat just inside the front door.

Be careful when you turn left, because there’s a step down into the living room. Rebekah cleverly found this (quite by accident) when she first toured the home as a prospective buyer.

But it is a lovely room, and well worth falling into! The living room runs the depth of the house and there are tall windows both ends, low enough for Scout to look out without climbing.

KITCHEN: I may miss the state of the art kitchen we designed and built in Brandon, but this is our kitchen now, and I’ve already prepared some wonderful meals here. We especially enjoy eating in the big bay window; it’s such a serene setting and (due to clever placement of the houses) we can’t see any of our neighbors from either the house or the deck.

Developing plans for our new kitchen involve painting cabinets, new lighting, maybe putting in a tile floor, and extending the island. In fact, the theme for all our decorating and remodeling, pretty much in every room, is going to be “lighter is better.”

But it’s going to be one room at a time, starting with the (previously bright red!) dining room.

UPSTAIRS: If you head up the stairs – and stairs are not something we’ve had for well over thirty years – you will come to a delightful landing area that’s home to a tall bookcase full with children’s books and literary classics. I can already imagine the grandchildren pulling out pillows and reading at the top of the stairs.

This is Scout’s other favorite place, especially if one of us is up and one of us is down. She can keep an eye on everything that goes on… and look out the bathroom window when necessary to bark at the occasional neighbor.

My study looks over the front walk, and the master bedroom comes with beautiful views to the woods behind the house. All in all, we’re growing into the new space. It might be smaller than our sprawling Florida ranch, but our quite house on a quiet cul-de-sac in a quiet part of a quiet town is well on the way to becoming home.

We understand that home is where the heart is, and Rebekah and I are definitely at home with each other. But it’s certainly nice to have somewhere we can love together, and it looks like the new Maul Hall is well on the way.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour. Blessings – DEREK

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