Papa got a grand old office to retire in

Our home office has always been in the basement, because the rest of the house, whether St Paul or Lakeville was dedicated to bedrooms and bathrooms for our family of six.

Now that the kids are in their own houses, Nana proposed that we move the office out of the cold basement and two floors up to Heather's old bedroom.

So we disassembled the 1940's govt-surplus wooden desk that was my dad's until his death, in 1950, and then my mom's until hers in 1968, hauled the components upstairs, and reassembled it in the wonderful former bedroom which looks out over the heavily wooded back yard.

Armoire from Kady's St. Joe Mich cottage, Williston chair from my seven years there, 1956-62

Magnetic white board to help with my organizational challenge

Happy memories of my six years at Paragon

Favorite toys and family memories

Amazing privacy because of the trees, and a great view of the landscaping that Nana has largely single-handedly planned, coordinated, or executed, with important foundational help from Luke (berm) Jason & Brian M (brick walk) Brian M (retaining wall), Brian Dawson (vacated Heather's room)

Comments

Hilary said…

After this many years, I'd say you deserve to have a nice office! I hope you're enjoying it.

May 22, 2010 at 4:27 PM

Vivi said…

I LOVE your new header picture - wow. Very cool. Fun to see the pics of your new office. Even though you were perfectly content down in the dungeon, I'm glad you're up in a comfy, pretty office space now.

May 25, 2010 at 4:00 PM

scott said…

The new header picture belongs on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens! The new office over looks one of your favorite places..the back yard...My only problem is that now when I come to visit...looks like I might be in the basement...maybe that is your next project ???

May 29, 2010 at 10:06 PM

The Gentle Smith Matriarch

We met in 1966 when she was 18 and I was 22. We began dating soon afterward, and as I recall never disagreed on much. Our childhood homes were 3000 miles apart and we loved Minnesota and each other, so we got engaged in July 67, married in December and moved into a house with a teenage foster daughter. This was followed by , Daughter 1 the following September, Daughter 2 three years later, Daughter 3, a year and a half later, ..and eventually Son, 3 years later. There were also about 15 different short-term teen-foster boys in those years. The gentle matriarch has worked her whole life, hard. I went to college nights for a few years, she worked outside the home part-time while the kids were growing. She spent frugally, loved lavishly, and has always cared first and foremost about her family. She is a gentle giant who has brought love, fun, discipline, imagination, good food, and artistic, creative homemaking to our big family....and as I write this she's preparing for Easter Dinner...

Red fiche- table with impatiens

It's an odd practice, in a way, but one I've come to like: you set a piece of old indoor furniture outside, and just let it weather, ......forever. I grew up in New England,where there were a lot of roadside antique (or junk) stores, which converted to fruit and vegetable stands in the growing season, or Christmasy craft stores and maple syrup places in winter. At any rate, I'm accustomed to indoor furniture outdoors, and since Nana likes it, everybody's on board at our house. She's selective, however, and requires that the pieces have some interesting, enduring quality. In the case of this red table, it served it's first 30 years as a sturdy table for fiche at Bethel College. When BC became BU, the fiche lost out to digital media, and the sturdy table hitched a ride 45 miles south to our Lakeville back yard, where it is now learning to give itself to a new audience of human admirers, plus a few daddy long-leg spiders, and a specimen or two of summer-sno...

I was invited back to Paragon for a day of fun

On a gorgeous August 13 morning, Sandie picked me up at home so that I could tour the new Paragon office and hang out with lots of great work friends for lunch on a river cruise aboard the Mississippi Queen. Jesper and Bill Lunch was a banquet of fine food, drinks, and desserts, which we enjoyed while leisurely cruising the vital Mississippi, including a couple of the locks, and a great view of the Stone Arch Bridge near downtown Minneapolis. Martin met me with a huge cucumber, which made it seem just like the old days for me. Paragon occupies a bright new suite with terrific views in all directions. Mid- morning I got called into Martin's office. When I stepped in, there were already people there, and they presented me with a handsomely-framed collage capturing many of my fondest days with this extraordinary collection of work-friends. I am a blessed and lucky man!

PTCPapa

Search This Blog