“It has been said that, at its best, preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future.” — William J. Murtagh,

I often talk about the fact that, for Rebekah and for me, our sense of gratitude for the move to North Carolina never goes away. We especially appreciate the four seasons as compared to Florida’s eleven months or so of hot and humid, and we are eternally grateful to be here.

And it’s not just the variations in temperature, the entire neighborhood dresses up in completely different outfits depending on the time of year, and I enjoy them all.

So over the weekend, walking Mr. Max at his “I’m too hot so let’s please slow down” relaxed summer tempo, I found myself noting how cool some of the historic homes look when framed by all the trees and the leafy branches.

NOTE: this is a good moment for my standard reminder that… if you see a photo of your house that you really love, all you have to do is shoot me a message and I will email you the original, full-sized, jpeg file.

And, also, I have not taken many pictures much more than a block or two from our home, so if you have a house that you would like me to photograph just let me know.

There is this hard to define distinction between cultivating foliage that’s a little wild but still complements the house (love it, love it)… and then those homes that seem to have this “Sleeping Beauty castle hidden behind one hundred years of thorny forest” vibe (don’t love it so much – none included in this post).

I’m not sure exactly where that line is but I think I know it when I see it!

Encouraging:

The encouraging news is that it looks like there is a lot going on this summer in the way of restoration and landscaping, and I aim to not only note the progress in this space but to amplify it too. I may not be the garden club but I do appreciate your best efforts.

Because in the final analysis we are all stewards of our history here along with its engaging architecture, custodians of this generous gift we have received. A gift that is – I believe – our responsibility to pass on to the next generation in the best possible condition.

It’s like I said one day when I was describing what has been going on here at Maul-Hall – even on the insides: “It’s not so much that Rebekah and I are decorating our home as curating it.”

We have a whole town here that is a gift. Restoring, maintaining, curating, celebrating.

Here is to a beautiful June. Peace and more – DEREK