Thursday, October 30, 2008

It is a Colorful world: The house hunt is reaching a conclusion

The Sweet Gum (aka Liquid Amber) trees flanking the library have turned color now.

How this tree manages to have such variation in color is a mystery to me.

These are all the same kind of tree...all within a few yards of one another, and yet they are turning as if they want to show off their own unique colorful personalities.

I loved this tree while I grew up in San Diego. It was the only consistent color changing tree in the area. Here in SLC, it is just one of many color changing trees.

But it is still the only tree that I have seen that has color variation from tree to tree. Some turn red, others yellow, some orange, some are yellow and brown, others are red and yellow...some are red, yellow, orange and green all at the same time. That just amazes me.

Right now I long to walk about enjoying the autumn colors and the beautiful blue skies overhead. But I have other tasks ahead of me; searching for the house to buy is how my day will be spent instead.

Of course there are plenty of colorful things to see while house hunting too:

Blue sinks...
Blue toilets, tubs and wall, with a festive pink accent line added just for a bit of flair.

Colorful valley views.

Views all the way to the down town skylines.

Colorful people...
Making for colorful walls...

And more views across seemingly endless autumn tree tops.

Reds and gold, greens and browns...

A beautiful valley that soon will shift between seasons, and in a day (soon) will become a pallet of white and gray.

There are lively shapes too...both square and round...

And fireplace stones that draw out shadowy memories, and thoughts of another place, a place somewhere that I just can't quite recall.

Red are the leaves...and red are the kitchens.

I look and look, and yet autumn beckons me still, calling to me to sit and relax and enjoy the autumn day's gift of sunny warmth.

Perhaps I could walk in this garden....

Or come inside and find a place for reflection instead.

I will find time to walk and reflect and to ponder too, and by the end of this weekend finally decide which of these houses we should make an attempt to buy.

(We are down to two houses now. The above pictures were taken at five different houses; two of those houses are the ones now under serious consideration. I've visited 27 properties, and viewed at least a hundred more on line. It isn't easy...but feel free to vote for the pictures that you think would be part of the home that I would love. I will say this: the long valley views are from two different houses. And one of those two houses is actually out of the running!)

10 comments:

Julie said...

Jill...I love your fall photos..I am enjoying this fall more than any I can remember in a long time. We have had such a gorgeous end of summer -into fall- that our leaves are just so beautifully colored !

Ohh.. I get to vote ?? Well, I really hope the inviting deck and the pretty garden belong to the same house... I would vote for that one!
I think you are having way too much fun looking for the odd and old and 'eye-catching' .... anything that will add flavor to your posts !! smile

Unknown said...

How about the one you would come inside for reflection...that one really draws me in. So does the one with the patio furniture. I like the garden, too.

I'm so glad you are down to two. Have a great weekend, Jill.

Anonymous said...

Oh, making that big decision is so hard! Even if we did have a viable contract on our house, I'm not sure I'm ready to make that decision at this point. (Actually, job-related changes are in the air - yes, again! - so it's best to not make that decision for now.)

Sweet gum trees are my favorite autumn tree. The one in my front yard in Kentucky contained every color, including an iridescent purple!

Dawn said...

I am loving the view of the autumn treetops and the cozy deck.
But that's just me.
I am not certain I could handle that much "reflection" every day in the mirror house.
The fireplace brings back many memories from the 60s. We lived parsonages growing up and they tended to be the vintage flavor, but my friends had fireplaces like that in the newer "shoebox" houses...as my mother called them.
:)
I was enthralled with the shoebox houses! I thought that living on a street called ________ Drive was so cool.
You know....drive sounded so much more elegant than street.
Go figure!

Marie said...

Red kitchen and fireplace in same house?? I'll take that one..

Anonymous said...

From the viewpoint that we can see in the picture, that deck looks like a place you could really spend some time in.

And from the pictures of your Houston house, I know what amazing things you can do with a garden, so the house picture with the garden looks like a winner too. Like Julie said, if they both belonged to the same house.........

I always figure if a house has gawdy paint colors - that's only cosmetic and can easily be changed. It's the things that cost more to renovate and change that need to be considered.

I pray that your decision will come clearly and easily for you this weekend.

Lori T

Lovella ♥ said...

okey dokey .. .I figured I would let others give some feedback first, since I think I have a little extra inside scoop.
I would really like to stay in the room with the view of the city. . ( it amazes me how far away the city center is. . .is that where you would have to comute to work?) . . and I'd like to sit on that deck, and well, I'd be looking at Bob Marley with only one eye closed. . .but no matter, that red kitchen is calling my name as well.

Caroline said...

Re: the red kitchen... I'd probably paint those cabinets cream, but that window is amazing!

L&D said...

I'm on the look out for a new house too, since we just put our place on the market as of this morning. Yup, we're in the same boat here. Cheers!

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Go for the view! If we ever move, a view is going to be my top priority. When we are old and creaky and can't get around much anymore, we will still have a lovely view to ponder from our living room.