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July 18, 2012


Thanks for stopping by.  Whenever I'm on vacation or away
from the laptop for a few days and not posting, I worry that my
dear followers might forget about fleaChic.  


"Where have you been?" you ask.  Without seeing the pictures,
you wouldn't believe me if I told you . . . . . . . .



To protect the privacy of the current owners I won't reveal the address
but, in one of my past lives (1983-1989), this was my home.  The
unusual tower over the front door originally featured a 'widow's walk'
on top but it was removed many years ago when the roof was replaced.  


This is a view of the back entrance.  The peaked roof portion on the
right is the original part of the house which was built in 1816.  The
front door faced this side street but during the Civil War the entrance was
moved to the other side of the house and the 'widow's walk' was added. 

About the only thing that's different from when I owned the house is
that the little door leading down into the basement (on the right) was
white wrought-iron.  You can't see it but to the left is a detached carriage
house/garage.

Thomas Wolfe wrote, "You can't go home, again."    
Physically, he's right.  But spiritually, I visit it every day.

As sad as it was to sell this home, it was heartening
to know that the new owners would appreciate it.
They still live there.  That's a happy thing, isn't it?

"Where else did you go?"  Well, as weird as this sounds,
I visited some of my ancestors.



This past year I've devoted a lot of time studying my family's genealogy.
One of the main purposes of my trek to north Alabama was to visit the
graves of my great-grandparents.  My investigation led me to a nearly
abandoned cemetery on Guntersville Lake.  It was sad to see the condition
of the cemetery and, especially, the graves of my relatives.




After walking around, reading all of the tombstones, and looking at
the beautiful lake, it began to feel peaceful and uplifting.  And, still
a little sad, too.  My brother has promised to return with me this Fall
and help clean up the cemetery.  My great grandparents will like that.

14 comments:

  1. This is something I too spend my time doing, in the search of ancestors. I actually enjoy visiting graveyards in general. You get a 'feel' for the area, seeing the commonly occurring names.
    Your former house is very pretty. I always find it odd seeing a place where I once lived that is now nothing to do with me.

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  2. One of my favorite things to do is visit old cemetaries and photograph them. Is it just me or do older cemetaries seem more peaceful and reverent than the new ones?

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  3. What a beautiful house. I too have moved on and had to sell a place I really adored, so know something of what you feel. But it is wonderful to know that somewhere you cherished and enjoyed is in good hands. And, what a great idea to help clean up the cemetary. I've been doing just that with a little churchyard in back of our cottages. It is good for the soul. x

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  4. I think there are many, many of us who actually enjoy visiting cemeteries. And I, too, think older historic cemeteries are more interesting than the newer ones. For many years I've asked my husband for a VERY unusual Christmas gift - to buy our burial plots. A couple of years ago he reluctantly agreed and we're now the proud owners of our 'eternal real estate' in a beautiful historic cemetery!

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  5. That's a really sweet idea, to clean up the cemetery. And it'll probably give you even more peace about it! The house you grew up in is AMAZING. I want that house someday!

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  6. What a beautiful house!!!
    And what a nice idea to clean up your ancestors cemetery!

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  7. Great pictures! The house looks amazing.

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  8. What a fabulous house....and how kind to plan a trip to clean up the cemetery.
    Glad you found my blog so I could find yours!
    Kari

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  9. Hi, I noticed you are one of my new followers Thank you! I love that house! Yes I suppose you can't ever go home. Traci

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  10. The house is truly amazing and I felt so honored to own it, if only for a few years. From the back view of the house you can see 3 chimneys which translate into 6 interior fireplaces and the mantels are all beautiful. The house has 12 & 14 ft ceilings throughout except for the 'newer' back addition (from the 1920's) which only has 9 ft ceilings. Honestly, I would love to buy the house back but now that the children are 'grown and gone' it's just too big for Grumpy Ole Man and me.

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  11. Your former home is beautiful! I love historic homes, they have so much character! Thank you for the sweet comment on my blog by the way! My husband's name is Nick too! haha

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  12. What a lovely blog you have :). I see your my latest follower, thank you for visiting and adding yourself, I have reciprocated as I am an "Elanor Dashwood" too and absolutely love everything I have seen so far on your blog.

    What an amazing home you had, in NZ a home such as this would cost well over 2 million so as you can imagine I live in a humble cottage. However, because I love interior design I have managed to turn it into something special which I hope to share with my readers once I have my DSLR camera and can take lovely images like yours.

    I will definitely be visiting again.

    Lee ☺

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  13. What a gorgeous home! I love to visit my former homes. Like you, they are always in my head. I love your blog. It's very interesting visually and in content.

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  14. Hi Sarajan! I loved seeing your photos of your former home...it is just lovely. We are empty nesters too and have moved to a smaller house too. I live in Alabama and there are so many beautiful places (like Lake Guntersville) that I have not been to see. I appreciate you sharing the photos of the cemetary too..it has it's own beauty.

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