Dirt Road Adventures – The Ponds Before & After
Today I’m taking a look back at the Ponds before and sharing some photo’s you may have not seen.
If you are new to my blog, here’s a quick back story. My dad created The Ponds in 1953, well before I was born. As a little girl, I loved spending time at The Ponds, having cook outs and swimming. It was beautiful and my dad allowed visitors to fish in the ponds for a dollar a day.
Then during my teen age years, the property was leased to someone outside the family. This lease lasted for approx. 25 years until we acquired the property.
I never dreamed that one day The Ponds would belong to me and my husband. I also never dreamed we would one day live here.
We started work on the property in 2006 and it was a wilderness.
This is a view of what is now our patio area and bar in front of the outdoor kitchen.
The previous boat dock is the only thing identifiable.
the Ponds Outdoor Kitchen
This view of the old cabin was taken as we surveyed our new property for the first time, after so many year. It was suggested that it be bulldozed down. However, we had other plans.
After
The cabin was transformed into an outdoor kitchen and here’s a view from the front today. You can see more of how this area has developed over the years on DIY Outdoor Kitchen Before & After.
We moved a mobile home to this location in April of 2007. Our plan was to work on the property during weekends spent here in the country. We wanted to bring it back to it’s former glory.
The Pier Before & After
The center pond had a pier that had fallen into the pond by the time we started our work.
Here is my mom and dad on the original pier in 1957. If you read Memories of Mom, you’ll see that this was before I was born also.
We rebuilt the pier and added a gazebo in 2009. This is taken just after the farmhouse was built in 2016. After working on the property for several years, we decided that we wanted to downsize and make The Ponds our home.
Poolside
This was what the pond and yard looked like after the property was cleared of overgrown trees and brush.
We added a pool just above the middle pond and pier in 2017. After moving here full time, we wanted another area to entertain our family and friends.
We have been working on the property for approx. 19 years and we have been living here full time for just over 6 years. We lived in the guest cottage, aka mobile home, while the house was under construction.
Although we had spent most of our married life living in town, we don’t have any regrets about down sizing and moving to the end of the dirt road. This is our happy place.
Thanks for following along on my walk down memory lane.
This is a look back at all my adventures this past week.
I began getting my plans and ideas ready for Fall. I’m not ready to give up on summer yet, however I know that new fall decor will disappear off the shelves quickly. So I wanted to share some Budget Friendly Front Porch Ideas with you from the Christmas Tree Shop and That.
In addition, I took a look back at last year and shared Easy Hydrangea Basket Tutorial and Cheap & Easy Wild Flower Arrangement using Queen Anne’s Lace and Wild Fern.
The pool area is perfect for an impromptu picnic!
Adventures off the Dirt Road
Why Didn’t I Think of That?
Each week, there are so many wonderful blog posts, and I’m sharing some of my favorites with you today.
There are so many creative ideas, and I’m always asking myself, “Why didn’t I think of that”? LOL
I love old homes. The character and attention to detail is what is missing in most new construction homes these days. Take a mini tour of this beautiful home from Mary at Life at Bella Terra.
I love a cute potting bench and you can see how Jennifer at Cottage on Bunkerhill, up-cycled this potting bench here.
More Bits and Pieces
How to Shop the World’s Longest Yard Sale – I’d love to go. See Robyn at Robyn’s French Nest tips here.
See how my friend Ann from Dabbling & Decorating had the best luck finding FREE Thrifted items.
If you love repurposed decor, check out Cindy at Reinvented Delaware for these great Repurposed and Creative Home Decor ideas.
My two favorite gardening experts both shared some great information this week. Stacy Ling shared 7 Lessons She Learned About Growing Cut Flowers and Kim at Shiplap and Shells shared Transitioning The Garden from Summer to Fall. Both of these posts were very helpful.
I hope you enjoyed today’s adventures. I look forward to sharing more with you soon.
You’ve done so many cool projects at your home Rachel! Thanks for sharing the lessons I learned growing a cut flower garden! Have the best weekend! xoxo
Stacy,
Thanks so much.
Your before and after pictures are incredible. Your Mom and Dad would be so proud!❤️
Jan,
Thank you so much for your kind words. My mom got to see most of it, but my Dad didn’t. I hope he’s happy with what we did.
You’ve done an amazing job with your property! I know that it has been a lot of hard work for your family, but just look at it now!!! Thank you for sharing it with us. I enjoy those “Dirt Road Adventures” tremendously. Blessings
Tammy,
I really appreciate this so much. Your support means a lot to me.
Thank you for sharing….so much work; but now you have such a wonderful place to
enjoy with family and friends.
I really enjoy your posts and you have given me so many ideas to try.
You are such a creative soul and are kind enough to share how items were found
and how you transformed them as well as how you use them.
Keep up the great posts.
Blessings,
Oh what sweet compliments. You are so kind. I appreciate you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Wow, you all have come a long way. You have turned it into an amazing homestead. I love your pool area, and those fish pillows are adorable (and your puppy too). Thanks for sharing with us, Rachel.
Miche,
I appreciate your support so much. Thanks for stopping by today.
I cannot get over how amazing the after photos are compared to the before pics. Everything is so beautiful. I love how you chose to take care of things instead of tearing things down like so many of us would have done. Thanks for sharing!
Cindy,
I really appreciate your encouragement. It’s a labor of love.
I LOVED reading about your property and seeing the before and after pictures. I’m so glad you shared this with us Rachel! You’ve done such an amazing job. Thank you for sharing my garden post. Have a great week!
Kim,
Thanks for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure to share your photos
Rachel, I love when you share the history of your place and your family. It makes it all that more special ❤️❤️❤️
Ann,
We are both sentimental and love our family histories.
I enjoyed your story about your property! It’s so cool that you have that history and that you are continuing the story of your property! Thanks for including our post showing some creatively repurposed home decor pieces! I really appreciated it!
Cindy,
Thanks for your sweet compliments and for allowing me to share your talents.
Rachel, I LOVE the before and after pictures of your renovation. I didn’t realize the property had been in your family for so long. What wonderful memories. And I nearly cried when I saw the picture of your parents on the dock~I’m sure they were filled with hopes and dreams for their future. What you and your husband have done to the property is nothing short of amazing. And my sweet friend, thank you for sharing my historic home. I’m with you on fall decor….especially since it’s a million degrees here, but if I don’t start thinking about it all the stuff will be gone! Love your Sunday posts.
Mary,
I’ve always wanted a home to renovate and that dream has never worked out. I have to settle for this slice of heaven that we are so fortunate to own. I loved your home and look forward to more tours.
This was such a wonderful post! I so enjoyed the before & after photos. What an incredible transformation.
Erin,
Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m so glad you enjoyed this.