Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family
history through old photographs.
This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt depicts the perfect way
to spend an afternoon: lounging on a screened-in porch. As a child, I did not
do much lounging, but I spent MANY hours playing on my grandparents’ porch.
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| My grandparents' house and porch at the corner of Gillis and Frailey, Portsmouth, VA early 1960s |
Their porch extended the width of the house and was
distinguished by a solid half wall and screens along three sides. The floor was
concrete and freshly painted almost every year. Green. Always green.
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| My grandparents Lucille and Orvin Davis My sister and me 1959 |
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| Orvin and Lucille Davis Grandma in her trademark moo-moo |
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| Me and Mary Jollette on Easter Sunday |
Furnishings varied over the years but the one staple was
a mint green metal glider, similar to this one.
The thing about metal is it
rusts, and even though the walls of the porch offered SOME protection against
the elements, the gliders still rusted. Nevertheless, the glider was the seat
of choice, and everyone ran to be sure to secure a spot on the glider. At least
2 people were needed spaced equally apart to lubricate the glider by forcibly
rocking themselves forward and back, feet either firmly planted or kicking out
for an extra boost to break through the rust to get a few good glides in before
having to repeat the process once more. It was great!
During the day, the porch was a playhouse, a school, or
home base in a game my friends made up called “Eagles.” When my cousins visited
in the summer, Grandma outfitted the porch furniture with cushions, pillows and
blankets, and we could sleep there with the most delicious breeze and a street
lamp for a night light.
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| My cousins Glenn and Bobbie Davis with our grandaunt Violetta Ryan holding Mary Jollette, and me |
Our family was surprised and disappointed when the new
owners of my grandparents’ house closed in the porch. Why would anyone want to
give that up?
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| Compare to the first picture! Image clipped from Google Maps |
I finally understood when in 2018 pictures of the house appeared
on Zillow allowing me to see inside the house my grandfather built and what
happened to the porch. It became a laundry room / utility room / possibly
storage room. The hot water heater, washer and dryer which used to be located in the
garage now reside on the porch. Yeah, lugging laundry from the house to the garage was never any fun.
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| What used to be a screened-in porch |
But the porch itself always was. Maybe that’s why having
a screened-in porch has been my goal since the day I became a home owner some
years ago. That dream finally came to fruition in 2017 (whew - took long
enough!). We do not have a glider, but our porch makes a lovely place for a
party or to take a nap.
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| Our porch Christmas 2017 |
Curl up with a good blog on the Sepia Saturday porch!
Wendy
© 2019, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
lovely photos...
ReplyDeletehave a great day
We should really screen-in our deck. The bugs are to annoying to sit out there much. Your porch is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it crazy when we find photos of the houses which were so special to us? I have no idea why I took photos but I'm sure glad I did. Glad you finally got your porch - it is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice porch you have! I remember the house I grew up in for a bit in Pennsylvania had a front porch. Loved hanging out there in summer. They just don't have those types of porches here or pretty much anywhere else I have lived since.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading about your grandparents' porch. Green was obviously someone's favorite color.
betty
I loved the story of the screened porch. I never lived in a home with one, but sure loved to visit others' porches, especially before air conditioning. Must say you looked dapper in your yellow Easter outfit!
ReplyDeleteJust reading your nostalgic description reminded me of my grandparent's screened porch at their Maryland home outside Washington DC. It was a brick house with a porch above a lower garage, and its concrete floor was also green. There was also a near identical metal glider which I can still hear it's rhythmic squeak. In the age before air conditioning the porch was the favorite room of the house in spring, summer, and even fall.
ReplyDeleteI only meant one set of grand parents and I would be describe there home as a cottage. Two bed room, one bath.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
Almost every house I've lived in over the years has had either a porch, a deck, or a patio or some such area. Have never had a screened-in area, however which would be nice when summer bugs are around. And bats at night (ugh). I know, I know, bats are out to eat the bugs and etc., but I always imagine them getting caught in my hair! But I understand your feelings on discovering the current owners of your grandparents' house have closed in the porch to use as a laundry room. A place we were renting one time had a beautiful big 22'x 22' deck overlooking the woods that I loved to sit out on. When the place was sold, the new owner closed in that lovely deck to create a room for their pool table. To each their own, I guess.
ReplyDeleteNice match to the prompt. We also had a screened porch growing up...and the current homeowners have left it open to the backyard breezes. I loved to go out there when it was dark and windy -- the prefect atmosphere for reading Edgar Allen Poe stories!
ReplyDeleteYou have a really nice screened porch. My mom has my grandmother's metal glider and it is still going strong.
ReplyDelete