Farewell Summer...

Fall has come and gone leaving us with memories of beautiful, vibrant color as we await the cold chill of winter. So I decided to share our back porch for Metamorphosis Monday as we are saying "goodbye" to lazy, summer suppers listening to the creek and the sounds of the children exploring in the woods.

One of our many summer projects was this porch. We wanted to add something simple that would give us a little more space in the shade. It does get hot here occasionally! Here it is...

Let's start with the before so you can get a really good idea what we were working with:-)

Yes, that's a big trash can sitting on the deck...a big trash can that was carried off by a 350 pound bear. And the big, blue tarp is covering what became a storage building and playhouse.

And this is what we got...

We used this buffet table for serving all summer. We frequently eat outside when the weather is nice and enjoyed many family meals with my parents here.

My husband built benches for the table so we could seat more people. As soon as we finished this project, we had the privilege of hosting a writer/producer friend of my mom's who was in town from L.A.   They enjoyed the porch!

At this point the porch connects to the next one...

I searched forever to find these light fixtures to match the antique "Southern Railroad" lanterns hanging here. There are matching wall-mounted fixtures on the other doors. I love the seeded glass.

Then this porch connects to the side here overlooking the creek...

...the creek...

I hope you enjoyed our porch tour! We have enjoyed every minute spent here because we made so many special memories with our family:-)

Farewell summer...see you next year!

Did I forget to mention that my husband built the porch?? He did-- and the little storage/playhouse you can see here to the right. I'll show you that later. We did all the work ourselves with some help from my dad. I stained the decks and together we painted the railings on the back side.  We have done all the outside landscaping and clearing ourselves trying to keep it as natural as possible.

Please go visit the incredible craft room at "Between Naps on the Porch."  And don't forget, Tablescape Thursday is coming!