Travels with Grandma

My brief and quick trip to North Carolina during New Year's week gave me another opportunity to observe my grandchildren up close and without the filters they might apply when their parents are around.

It's always interesting to see the world through their eyes. I wanted to share an incident with you.

To set the stage, you have to understand that Boston and Ridley live in a fabulous house. Fabulous - in the truest sense of the word! Their home was built around 1927-1929. I think it contains about 3600 square feet in five bedrooms and three full and two half baths (depending on how the rooms are defined). It is adorned with Brazilian mahogony paneling and crown moldings that are individually cast. It is, simply, a work of art. A treasure.

Against that backdrop—that old grandeur, that way of life—we walked into my brother's vacation house on the mountaintop. Jerry has exquisite taste, and always uses interior designers for his spaces. His house was built, as I recall, in the late 80s or early 90s. It's rustic chic: natural twigs are used in many of the design elements; earthy colors adorn the walls; two large leather sofas call you to collapse into them. The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms in a split configuration divided by a great room—open kitchen, dining area, and living area. I think it probably contains about 2600 square feet.

We walked in and said hello to everyone, with hugs all around. Then Boston walked around the living area, taking it all in. He looked at me and said, "Wow. Uncle Jerry must be rich to afford a house like this."

The statement struck me. I don't think he's ever looked around his house and said, "Wow, we must be rich to afford this house." His house with its understated elegance is his norm. But Uncle Jerry's house, with its highly-decorated perfection, was out of the norm. It was so magazine-perfect that the owner must be rich.

I love peeking inside my grandchildren's brains!

Photo credit: Jaci Clark Photography