A Joyful Cottage: summer

Front Gate photo by Katybeck:http://www.flickr.com/photos/katy/26588395/in/set-603714/
Some Rights Reserved

"Deep summer is when laziness find respectability." -- Sam Keen

Have you traveled anywhere this summer? Maybe stayed in a cottage somewhere along the ocean (like the whimsical cottage above), near a lake or in the mountains. Perhaps you even have a vacation cottage of your own. One of my favorite movie scenes takes place in "On Golden Pond" when Ethel (Katherine Hepburn) and Norman (Henry Fonda) open up their summer cottage. It reminds me of the times I helped my mother and aunt open my grandfather's summer cottage in Illinois. We pulled sheets off time-worn sofas and easy chairs, polished the big oak dining set, washed mismatched glassware and dishes, and hosed down the lawn furniture.
The cottage overlooked a small lake on Grandpa's property, where I learned to fish. After breakfast Grandpa rowed the boat out on the lake, took out his rod and reel, and handed me a bamboo pole tied with fishing string and a cheerful red & white bobber. Sport, Grandpa's rough collie, napped in the bow of the boat until one of us caught a fish. That was the large dog's cue to snap to attention and bark his approval. I can still hear Grandpa's deep chuckle as he removed the fish from the hook and tossed it back into the lake. "Too little. We'll let it grow up," he would say.
As the sun faded we ate fat burgers from the grill and played gin rummy until even toothpicks couldn't keep our eyes open. Then Grandpa would head for his bedroom with Sport, and I'd snuggle up on the daybed on the screened porch, counting the silver stars in the black velvet sky and wishing those lazy days could last forever.

With that last memory dancing in my head, I found cottage porches to share with you. Porches like these extend living space and call us to kick back a bit. Is there any place where laziness is more respectable?

Photo Gothic Oak Bluffs Porches by Professor Bop:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/professorbop/1184679803/in/set-72157600979229182/

Some Rights Reserved

Wonderful gingerbread and Fleur-de-Lis trim this pink and blue porch. I've always wanted a wicker planter like the one here.

Mount Gretna Porch photo by Elizabeth Thomsen:http://www.flickr.com/photos/ethomsen/3852708486/

Some Rights Reserved

White porch, white wicker, a hanging fern and ceiling fan all say "summertime". Lovely rose print on the cushions. Fresh flowers in a cut glass vase. Charming.

Martha's Vineyard photo by Janet Lindenmuth:http://www.flickr.com/photos/j3net/244914366/
Some Rights Reserved

Here white wicker plays against bold colors on this Martha's Vineyard porch. The impatiens in front of the porch are a perfect compliment, in my humble opinion. Paler flowers would be lost against those trim colors.

The Porch photo by MollyAli:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mollyali/1033409728/
Some Rights Reserved

This is a lovely classic screened porch. I'm kind of coveting that big wicker chair by the door. Imagine this porch with flower-filled pots and maybe a colorful rug on the floor.

Screen Porch. Day 240 photo by Kevin K:http://www.flickr.com/photos/tworubies/5674398604/

Some Rights Reserved

This screened porch is sweetly simple. That centerpiece on the table is intriguing. It looks like birds' nests. I like the vintage pictures hung on the porch trim, the chandelier and the pretty rug. All this makes it more like a cozy outdoor room.

The Old Wicker Chair 1 Photo by Craig: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lincolnblues/2718016408/in/photostream

Some Rights Reserved

The print on the cushion is a great choice for this old white wicker chair. I've always liked blue and white together. I may have to do another room with blue and white. It's so fresh.

Sit A Spell photo by Andy Chase: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usonian/563934428/

Some Rights Reserved

This is a great rocker. It really does evoke a desire to "sit a spell". I see adding a colorful quilt to this scene. That birds' nest centerpiece would be right at home here, too. And big natural baskets of sunflowers or black-eyed susans.