The Atlantic Monthly/Volume 18/Number 106/Passages from Hawthorne's Note-Books

Read article : The Atlantic Monthly/Volume 18/Number 106/Passages from Hawthorne's Note-Books

PASSAGES FROM HAWTHORNE'S NOTE-BOOKS. VIII. Concord, Saturday, August 13, 1842.—My life, at this time, is more like that of a boy, externally, than it has been since I was really a boy. It is usually supposed that the cares of life come with matrimony; but I seem to have cast off all care, and live on with as much easy trust in Providence as Adam could possibly have felt before he had learned that there was a world beyond Paradise. My chief anxiety consists in watching the prosperity of my vegetables, in observing how they are affected by the rain or sunshine, in lamenting the blight of one squash and rejoicing at the luxurious growth of another. It is as if the original relation between man and Nature were restored in my case, and that I were to look exclusively to her for the support of my Eve and myself,—to trust to her for food and clothing, and all things needful, with the full assurance that she would not fail me. The fight with the world,—the struggle of a man among men,—the agony of the universal effort to wrench the means of living from a host of greedy competitors,—all this seems like a dream to me. My business is merely to live and to enjoy; and whatever is essential to life and enjoyment will come as naturally as the dew from heaven. This is, practically at least, my faith. And so I awake in the morning with a boyish thoughtlessness as to how the outgoings of the day are to be provided for, and its incomings rendered certain. After breakfast, I go forth into my garden, and gather whatever the bountiful Mother has made fit for our present sustenance; and of late days she generally gives me two squashes and a cucumber, and promises me green corn and shell-beans very soon. Then I pass down through our orchard to the river-side, and ramble along its margin in search of flowers. Usually I discern a fragrant white lily, here and there along the shore, growing, with sweet prudishness, beyond the grasp of mortal arm. But it does not escape me so. I know what is its fitting destiny better than the silly flower knows for itself; so I wade in, heedless of wet trousers, and seize the shy lily by its slender stem. Thus I make prize of five or six, which are as many as usually blossom within my reach in a single morning;—some of them partially worm-eaten or blighted, like virgins with an eating sorrow at the heart; others as fair and perfect as Nature's own idea was, when she first imagined this lovely flower. A perfect pond-lily is the most satisfactory of flowers. Besides these, I gather whatever else of beautiful chances to be growing in the moist soil by the river-side,—an amphibious tribe, yet with more richness and grace than the wild-flowers of the deep and dry woodlands and hedge-rows,—sometimes the white arrow-head, always the blue spires and broad green leaves of the pickerel-flower, which contrast and harmonize so well with the white lilies. For the last two or three days, I have found scattered stalks of the cardinal-flower, the gorgeous scarlet of which it is a joy even to remember. The world is made brighter and sunnier by flowers of such a hue. Even perfume, which otherwise is the soul and spirit of a flower, may be spared when it arrays itself in this scarlet glory. It is a flower of thought and feeling, too; it seems to have its roots deep down in the hearts of those who gaze at it. Other bright flowers sometimes impress me as wanting sentiment; but it is not so with this. Well, having made up my bunch of flowers, I return home with them. . . . . Then I ascend to my study, and generally read, or perchance scribble in this journal, and otherwise suffer Time to loiter onward at his own pleasure, till the dinner-hour. In pleasant days, the chief event of the afternoon, and the happiest one of the day, is our walk. . . . So comes the night; and I look back upon a day spent in what the world would call idleness, and for which I myself can suggest no more appropriate epithet, but which, nevertheless, I cannot feel to have been spent amiss. True, it might be a sin and shame, in such a world as ours, to spend a lifetime in this manner; but for a few summer weeks it is good to live as if this world were heaven. And so it is, and so it shall be, although, in a little while, a flitting shadow of earthly care and toil will mingle itself with our realities. Monday, August 15th.—George Hillard and his wife arrived from Boston in the dusk of Saturday evening, to spend Sunday with us. It was a pleasant sensation, when the coach rumbled up our avenue, and wheeled round at the door; for I felt that I was regarded as a man with a household,—a man having a tangible existence and locality in the world,—when friends came to avail themselves of our hospitality. It was a sort of acknowledgment and reception of us into the corps of married people,—a sanction by no means essential to our peace and well-being, but yet agreeable enough to receive. So we welcomed them cordially at the door, and ushered them into our parlor, and soon into the supper-room. . . . . The night flitted over us all, and passed away, and up rose a gray and sullen morning, . . . . and we had a splendid breakfast of flapjacks, or slapjacks, and whortleberries, which I gathered on a neighboring hill, and perch, bream, and pout, which I hooked out of the river the evening before. About nine o'clock, Hillard and I set out for a walk to Walden Pond, calling by the way at Mr. Emerson's, to obtain his guidance or directions, and he accompanied us in his own illustrious person. We turned aside a little from our way, to visit Mr. ———, a yeoman, of whose homely and self-acquired wisdom Mr. Emerson has a very high opinion. We found him walking in his fields, a short and stalwart and sturdy personage of middle age, with a face of shrewd and kind expression, and manners of natural courtesy. He had a very free flow of talk, and not much diffidence about his own opinions; for, with a little induction from Mr. Emerson, he began to discourse about the state of the nation, agriculture, and business in general, uttering thoughts that had come to him at the plough, and which had a sort of flavor of the fresh earth about them. I was not impressed with any remarkable originality in his views; but they were sensible and characteristic, and had grown in the soil where we found them; . . . . and he is certainly a man of intellectual and moral substance, a sturdy fact, a reality, something to be felt and touched, whose ideas seem to be dug out of his mind as he digs potatoes, beets, carrots, and turnips out of the ground. After leaving Mr. ———, we proceeded through wood paths to Walden Pond, picking blackberries of enormous size along the way. The pond itself was beautiful and refreshing to my soul, after such long and exclusive familiarity with our tawny and sluggish river. It lies embosomed among wooded hills,—it is not very extensive, but large enough for waves to dance upon its surface, and to look like a piece of blue firmament, earth-encircled. The shore has a narrow, pebbly strand, which it was worth a day's journey to look at, for the sake of the contrast between it and the weedy, oozy margin of the river. Farther within its depths, you perceive a bottom of pure white sand, sparkling through the transparent water, which, methought, was the very purest liquid in the world. After Mr. Emerson left us, Hillard and I bathed in the pond, and it does really seem as if my spirit, as well as corporeal person, were refreshed by that bath. A good deal of mud and river slime had accumulated on my soul; but these bright waters washed it all away. We returned home in due season for dinner. . . . . To my misfortune, however, a box of Mediterranean wine proved to have undergone the acetous fermentation; so that the splendor of the festival suffered some diminution. Nevertheless, we ate our dinner with a good appetite, and afterwards went universally to take our several siestas. Meantime there came a shower, which so besprinkled the grass and shrubbery as to make it rather wet for our after-tea ramble. The chief result of the walk was the bringing home of an immense burden of the trailing clematis-vine, now just in blossom, and with which all our flower-stands and vases are this morning decorated. On our return we found Mr. and Mrs. S———, and E. H———, who shortly took their leave, and we sat up late, telling ghost-stories. This morning, at seven, our friends left us. We were both pleased with the visit, and so I think were our guests. Monday, August 22nd.—I took a walk through the woods yesterday afternoon, to Mr. Emerson's, with a book which Margaret Fuller had left, after a call on Saturday eve. I missed the nearest way, and wandered into a very secluded portion of the forest; for forest it might justly be called, so dense and sombre was the shade of oaks and pines. Once I wandered into a tract so overgrown with bushes and underbrush that I could scarcely force a passage through. Nothing is more annoying than a walk of this kind, where one is tormented by an innumerable host of petty impediments. It incenses and depresses me at the same time. Always when I flounder into the midst of bushes, which cross and intertwine themselves about my legs, and brush my face, and seize hold of my clothes, with their multitudinous grip,—always, in such a difficulty, I feel as if it were almost as well to lie down and die in rage and despair as to go one step farther. It is laughable, after I have got out of the moil, to think how miserably it affected me for the moment; but I had better learn patience betimes, for there are many such bushy tracts in this vicinity, on the margins of meadows, and my walks will often lead me into them. Escaping from the bushes, I soon came to an open space among the woods,—a very lovely spot, with the tall old trees standing around as quietly as if no one had intruded there throughout the whole summer. A company of crows were holding their Sabbath on their summits. Apparently they felt themselves injured or insulted by my presence; for, with one consent, they began to Caw! caw! caw! and, launching themselves sullenly on the air, took flight to some securer solitude. Mine, probably, was the first human shape that they had seen all day long,—at least, if they had been stationary in that spot; but perhaps they had winged their way over miles and miles of country, had breakfasted on the summit of Greylock, and dined at the base of Wachusett, and were merely come to sup and sleep among the quiet woods of Concord. But it was my impression at the time, that they had sat still and silent on the tops of the trees all through the Sabbath day, and I felt like one who should unawares disturb an assembly of worshippers. A crow, however, has no real pretensions to religion, in spite of his gravity of mien and black attire. Crows are certainly thieves, and probably infidels. Nevertheless, their voices yesterday were in admirable accordance with the influences of the quiet, sunny, warm, yet autumnal afternoon. They were so far above my head that their loud clamor added to the quiet of the scene, instead of disturbing it. There was no other sound, except the song of the cricket, which is but an audible stillness; for, though it be very loud and heard afar, yet the mind does not take note of it as a sound, so entirely does it mingle and lose its individuality among the other characteristics of coming autumn. Alas for the summer! The grass is still verdant on the hills and in the valleys; the foliage of the trees is as dense as ever, and as green; the flowers are abundant along the margin of the river, and in the hedge-rows, and deep among the woods; the days, too, are as fervid as they were a month ago; and yet in every breath of wind and in every beam of sunshine there is an autumnal influence. I know not how to describe it. Methinks there is a sort of coolness amid all the heat, and a mildness in the brightest of the sunshine. A breeze cannot stir, without thrilling me with the breath of autumn, and I behold its pensive glory in the far, golden gleams among the long shadows of the trees. The flowers, even the brightest of them,—the golden-rod and the gorgeous cardinals,—the most glorious flowers of the year,—have this gentle sadness amid their pomp. Pensive autumn is expressed in the glow of every one of them. I have felt this influence earlier in some years than in others. Sometimes autumn may be perceived even in the early days of July. There is no other feeling like that caused by this faint, doubtful, yet real perception, or rather prophecy, of the year's decay, so deliciously sweet and sad at the same time. After leaving the book at Mr. Emerson's I returned through the woods, and, entering Sleepy Hollow, I perceived a lady reclining near the path which bends along its verge. It was Margaret herself. She had been there the whole afternoon, meditating or reading; for she had a book in her hand, with some strange title, which I did not understand, and have forgotten. She said that nobody had broken her solitude, and was just giving utterance to a theory that no inhabitant of Concord ever visited Sleepy Hollow, when we saw a group of people entering the sacred precincts. Most of them followed a path which led them away from us; but an old man passed near us, and smiled to see Margaret reclining on the ground, and me sitting by her side. He made some remark about the beauty of the afternoon, and withdrew himself into the shadow of the wood. Then we talked about autumn, and about the pleasures of being lost in the woods, and about the crows, whose voices Margaret had heard; and about the experiences of early childhood, whose influence remains upon the character after the recollection of them has passed away; and about the sight of mountains from a distance, and the view from their summits; and about other matters of high and low philosophy. In the midst of our talk, we heard footsteps above us, on the high bank; and while the person was still hidden among the trees, he called to Margaret, of whom he had gotten a glimpse. Then he emerged from the green shade, and, behold! it was Mr. Emerson. He appeared to have had a pleasant time; for he said that there were Muses in the woods to-day, and whispers to be heard in the breezes. It being now nearly six o'clock, we separated,—Margaret and Mr. Emerson towards his home, and I towards mine. . . . . Last evening there was the most beautiful moonlight that ever hallowed this earthly world; and when I went to bathe in the river, which was as calm as death, it seemed like plunging down into the sky. But I had rather be on earth than even in the seventh heaven, just now. Wednesday, August 24th.—I left home at five o'clock this morning to catch some fish for breakfast. I shook our summer apple-tree, and ate the golden apple which fell from it. Methinks these early apples, which come as a golden promise before the treasures of autumnal fruit, are almost more delicious than anything that comes afterwards. We have but one such tree in our orchard; but it supplies us with a daily abundance, and probably will do so for at least a week to come. Meantime other trees begin to cast their ripening windfalls upon the grass; and when I taste them, and perceive their mellowed flavor and blackening seeds, I feel somewhat overwhelmed with the impending bounties of Providence. I suppose Adam, in Paradise, did not like to see his fruits decaying on the ground, after he had watched them through the sunny days of the world's first summer. However, insects, at the worst, will hold a festival upon them, so that they will not be thrown away, in the great scheme of Nature. Moreover, I have one advantage over the primeval Adam, inasmuch as there is a chance of disposing of my superfluous fruits among people who inhabit no Paradise of their own. Passing a little way down along the river-side, I threw in my line, and soon drew out one of the smallest possible of fishes. It seemed to be a pretty good morning for the angler,—an autumnal coolness in the air, a clear sky, but with a fog across the lowlands and on the surface of the river, which a gentle breeze sometimes condensed into wreaths. At first I could barely discern the opposite shore of the river; but, as the sun arose, the vapors gradually dispersed, till only a warm, smoky tint was left along the water's surface. The farm-houses across the river made their appearance out of the dusky cloud; the voices of boys were heard, shouting to the cattle as they drove them to the pastures; a man whetted his scythe, and set to work in a neighboring meadow. Meantime, I continued to stand on the oozy margin of the stream, beguiling the little fish; and though the scaly inhabitants of our river partake somewhat of the character of their native element, and are but sluggish biters, still I contrived to pull out not far from two dozen. They were all bream, a broad, flat, almost circular fish, shaped a good deal like a flounder, but swimming on their edges, instead of on their sides. As far as mere pleasure is concerned, it is hardly worth while to fish in our river, it is so much like angling in a mud-puddle; and one does not attach the idea of freshness and purity to the fishes, as we do to those which inhabit swift, transparent streams, or haunt the shores of the great briny deep. Standing on the weedy margin, and throwing the line over the elder-bushes that dip into the water, it seems as if we could catch nothing but frogs and mud-turtles, or reptiles akin to them. And even when a fish of reputable aspect is drawn out, one feels a shyness about touching him. As to our river, its character was admirably expressed last night by some one who said "it was too lazy to keep itself clean." I might write pages and pages, and only obscure the impression which this brief sentence conveys. Nevertheless, we made bold to eat some of my fish for breakfast, and found them very savory; and the rest shall meet with due entertainment at dinner, together with some shell-beans, green corn, and cucumbers from our garden; so this day's food comes directly and entirely from beneficent Nature, without the intervention of any third person between her and us. Saturday, August 27th.—A peach-tree, which grows beside our house and brushes against the window, is so burdened with fruit that I have had to prop it up. I never saw more splendid peaches in appearance,—great, round, crimson-cheeked beauties, clustering all over the tree. A pear-tree, likewise, is maturing a generous burden of small, sweet fruit, which will require to be eaten at about the same time as the peaches. There is something pleasantly annoying in this superfluous abundance; it is like standing under a tree of ripe apples, and giving it a shake, with the intention of bringing down a single one, when, behold, a dozen come thumping about our ears. But the idea of the infinite generosity and exhaustless bounty of our Mother Nature is well worth attaining; and I never had it so vividly as now, when I find myself, with the few mouths which I am to feed, the sole inheritor of the old clergyman's wealth of fruits. His children, his friends in the village, and the clerical guests who came to preach in his pulpit, were all wont to eat and be filled from these trees. Now, all these hearty old people have passed away, and in their stead is a solitary pair, whose appetites are more than satisfied with the windfalls which the trees throw down at their feet. Howbeit, we shall have now and then a guest to keep our peaches and pears from decaying. G——— B———, my old fellow-laborer at the community at Brook Farm, called on me last evening, and dined here to-day. He has been cultivating vegetables at Plymouth this summer, and selling them in the market. What a singular mode of life for a man of education and refinement,—to spend his days in hard and earnest bodily toil, and then to convey the products of his labor, in a wheelbarrow, to the public market, and there retail them out,—a peck of peas or beans, a bunch of turnips, a squash, a dozen ears of green corn! Few men, without some eccentricity of character, would have the moral strength to do this; and it is very striking to find such strength combined with the utmost gentleness, and an uncommon regularity of nature. Occasionally he returns for a day or two to resume his place among scholars and idle people, as, for instance, the present week, when he has thrown aside his spade and hoe to attend the Commencement at Cambridge. He is a rare man,—a perfect original, yet without any one salient point; a character to be felt and understood, but almost impossible to describe: for, should you seize upon any characteristic, it would inevitably be altered and distorted in the process of writing it down. Our few remaining days of summer have been latterly grievously darkened with clouds. To-day there has been an hour or two of hot sunshine; but the sun rose amid cloud and mist, and before he could dry up the moisture of last night's shower upon the trees and grass, the clouds have gathered between him and us again. This afternoon the thunder rumbles in the distance, and I believe a few drops of rain have fallen; but the weight of the shower has burst elsewhere, leaving us nothing but its sullen gloom. There is a muggy warmth in the atmosphere, which takes all the spring and vivacity out of the mind and body. Sunday, August 28th.—Still another rainy day,—the heaviest rain, I believe, that has fallen since we came to Concord (not two months ago). There never was a more sombre aspect of all external nature. I gaze from the open window of my study, somewhat disconsolately, and observe the great willow-tree which shades the house, and which has caught and retained a whole cataract of rain among its leaves and boughs; and all the fruit-trees, too, are dripping continually, even in the brief intervals when the clouds give us a respite. If shaken to bring down the fruit, they will discharge a shower upon the head of him who stands beneath. The rain is warm, coming from some southern region; but the willow attests that it is an autumnal spell of weather, by scattering down no infrequent multitude of yellow leaves, which rest upon the sloping roof of the house, and strew the gravel-path and the grass. The other trees do not yet shed their leaves, though in some of them a lighter tint of verdure, tending towards yellow, is perceptible. All day long we hear the water drip, drip, dripping, splash, splash, splashing, from the eaves, and babbling and foaming into the tubs which have been set out to receive it. The old unpainted shingles and boards of the mansion and out-houses are black with the moisture which they have imbibed. Looking at the river, we perceive that its usually smooth and mirrored surface is blurred by the infinity of rain-drops; the whole landscape—grass, trees, and houses—has a completely water-soaked aspect, as if the earth were wet through. The wooded hill, about a mile distant, whither we went to gather whortleberries, has a mist upon its summit, as if the demon of the rain were enthroned there; and if we look to the sky, it seems as if all the water that had been poured down upon us were as nothing to what is to come. Once in a while, indeed, there is a gleam of sky along the horizon, or a half-cheerful, half-sullen lighting up of the atmosphere; the rain-drops cease to patter down, except when the trees shake off a gentle shower; but soon we hear the broad, quiet, slow, and sure recommencement of the rain. The river, if I mistake not, has risen considerably during the day, and its current will acquire some degree of energy. In this sombre weather, when some mortals almost forget that there ever was any golden sunshine, or ever will be any hereafter, others seem absolutely to radiate it from their own hearts and minds. The gloom cannot pervade them; they conquer it, and drive it quite out of their sphere, and create a moral rainbow of hope upon the blackest cloud. As for myself, I am little other than a cloud at such seasons, but such persons contrive to make me a sunny one, shining all through me. And thus, even without the support of a stated occupation, I survive these sullen days and am happy. This morning we read the Sermon on the Mount. In the course of the forenoon, the rain abated for a season, and I went out and gathered some corn and summer-squashes, and picked up the windfalls of apples and pears and peaches. Wet, wet, wet,—everything was wet; the blades of the corn-stalks moistened me; the wet grass soaked my boots quite through; the trees threw their reserved showers upon my head; and soon the remorseless rain began anew, and drove me into the house. When shall we be able to walk again to the far hills, and plunge into the deep woods, and gather more cardinals along the river's margin? The track along which we trod is probably under water now. How inhospitable Nature is during a rain! In the fervid heat of sunny days, she still retains some degree of mercy for us; she has shady spots, whither the sun cannot come; but she provides no shelter against her storms. It makes one shiver to think how dripping with wet are those deep, umbrageous nooks, those overshadowed banks, where we find such enjoyment during sultry afternoons. And what becomes of the birds in such a soaking rain as this? Is hope and an instinctive faith so mixed up with their nature, that they can be cheered by the thought that the sunshine will return? or do they think, as I almost do, that there is to be no sunshine any more? Very disconsolate must they be among the dripping leaves; and when a single summer makes so important a portion of their lives, it seems hard that so much of it should be dissolved in rain. I, likewise, am greedy of the summer-days for my own sake: the life of man does not contain so many of them that one can be spared without regret. Tuesday, August 30th.—I was promised, in the midst of Sunday's rain, that Monday should be fair, and, behold! the sun came back to us, and brought one of the most perfect days ever made since Adam was driven out of Paradise. By the by, was there ever any rain in Paradise? If so, how comfortless must Eve's bower have been! It makes me shiver to think of it. Well, it seemed as if the world was newly created yesterday morning, and I beheld its birth; for I had risen before the sun was over the hill, and had gone forth to fish. How instantaneously did all dreariness and heaviness of the earth's spirit flit away before one smile of the beneficent sun! This proves that all gloom is but a dream and a shadow, and that cheerfulness is the real truth. It requires many clouds, long brooding over us, to make us sad, but one gleam of sunshine always suffices to cheer up the landscape. The banks of the river actually laughed when the sunshine fell upon them; and the river itself was alive and cheerful, and, by way of fun and amusement, it had swept away many wreaths of meadow-hay, and old, rotten branches of trees, and all such trumpery. These matters came floating downwards, whirling round and round in the eddies, or hastening onward in the main current; and many of them, before this time, have probably been carried into the Merrimack, and will be borne onward to the sea. The spots where I stood to fish, on my preceding excursion, were now under water; and the tops of many of the bushes, along the river's margin, barely emerged from the stream. Large spaces of meadow are overflowed. There was a northwest wind throughout the day; and as many clouds, the remnants of departed gloom, were scattered about the sky, the breeze was continually blowing them across the sun. For the most part, they were gone again in a moment; but sometimes the shadow remained long enough to make me dread a return of sulky weather. Then would come the burst of sunshine, making me feel as if a rainy day were henceforth an impossibility. . . . . In the afternoon Mr. Emerson called, bringing Mr. ———. He is a good sort of humdrum parson enough, and well fitted to increase the stock of manuscript sermons, of which there must be a fearful quantity already in the world. Mr. ———, however, is probably one of the best and most useful of his class, because no suspicion of the necessity of his profession, constituted as it now is, to mankind, and of his own usefulness and success in it, has hitherto disturbed him; and therefore he labors with faith and confidence, as ministers did a hundred years ago. After the visitors were gone, I sat at the gallery window, looking down the avenue, and soon there appeared an elderly woman,—a homely, decent old matron, dressed in a dark gown, and with what seemed a manuscript book under her arm. The wind sported with her gown, and blew her veil across her face, and seemed to make game of her, though on a nearer view she looked like a sad old creature, with a pale, thin countenance, and somewhat of a wild and wandering expression. She had a singular gait, reeling, as it were, and yet not quite reeling, from one side of the path to the other; going onward as if it were not much matter whether she went straight or crooked. Such were my observations as she approached through the scattered sunshine and shade of our long avenue, until, reaching the door, she gave a knock, and inquired for the lady of the house. Her manuscript contained a certificate, stating that the old woman was a widow from a foreign land, who had recently lost her son, and was now utterly destitute of friends and kindred, and without means of support. Appended to the certificate there was a list of names of people who had bestowed charity on her, with the amounts of their several donations,—none, as I recollect, higher than twenty-five cents. Here is a strange life, and a character fit for romance and poetry. All the early part of her life, I suppose, and much of her widowhood were spent in the quiet of a home, with kinsfolk around her, and children, and the life-long gossiping acquaintances that some women always create about them. But in her decline she has wandered away from all these, and from her native country itself, and is a vagrant, yet with something of the homeliness and decency of aspect belonging to one who has been a wife and mother, and has had a roof of her own above her head,—and, with all this, a wildness proper to her present life. I have a liking for vagrants of all sorts, and never, that I know of, refused my mite to a wandering beggar, when I had anything in my own pocket. There is so much wretchedness in the world, that we may safely take the word of any mortal professing to need our assistance; and even should we be deceived, still the good to ourselves resulting from a kind act is worth more than the trifle by which we purchase it. It is desirable, I think, that such persons should be permitted to roam through our land of plenty, scattering the seeds of tenderness and charity, as birds of passage bear the seeds of precious plants from land to land, without even dreaming of the office which they perform.

Home Tour: Remodeled Anderson Township barn becomes gorgeous modern dream home

Read article : Home Tour: Remodeled Anderson Township barn becomes gorgeous modern dream home

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Jerry Whitney wasn’t looking to move, but he was looking for a clear route from his Anderson Township home to the airport on a day when interstate traffic was heavy. So he cut down Five Mile Road toward Kellogg Avenue.

“I didn’t want to miss my flight,” he said. “And then I saw this place and said, ‘Oh, my god, look at that barn.’ And then I saw a ‘for sale’ sign and Five Mile Creek behind it.”

He fell in love. When his wife of 14 years, Karen, saw it, she fell in love, too.

On Dec. 31, 2012, seven days after that first sighting, the Whitneys bought the 30-year-old horse barn and its seven acres at a 30 percent discount from a motivated seller. It cost them $300,000.

Fast forward 18 months and the Whitneys – who had no previous home construction experience – moved out of a 300-square-foot trailer on the property into a home like no other, a dream house they played a big role in designing and decorating.

The shock of the unexpected experience has worn off, but not the excitement and contentment they feel for their fully modern, energy-efficient barn house. Also still strong is their appreciation for their project partners – among them architect Marc McConnell, builder Paul Kapitula, Keidel Supply, A&S Lighting, Tate Builders Supply, Cooknee Cabinets, KBR Countertop Specialists, Home Depot, IKEA, The Container Store and Peoples First Savings Bank.

All these forces came together to produce a four-bedroom, three-bathroom showcase of modern architecture and engineering that surprisingly fits inside a big, old, round-top home originally built for horses.

Not only does the place run on a geothermal energy system that held down last summer’s utility bills to $90 per month, it is designed to be the Whitneys’ "forever home." The couple asked for and got what architects call “living in place” features that will allow the Whitneys, who are in their 60s, to stay in their home permanently.

The house’s hallways and doors are extra-wide. There’s a 4-foot-wide shaft just behind a door off the entry hall where an elevator to the second floor and its master bedroom can be installed if and when it is needed. Next to the shaft is a laundry room with a chute from the second floor. The master bathroom’s shower door is wide and wheelchair-accessible. Even the landscaping is designed to require minimal maintenance and no chemicals.

There are picture windows in every main room through which the Whitneys, for the rest of their lives, can watch the water rush down Five Mile Creek, lots of wildlife – deer, cardinals, doves, woodpeckers, nut hatches, tufted titmice and blue jays – and the moon and stars.

Take the Tour

The Whitneys – she’s from Bridgetown and is a University of Cincinnati graduate, he is from Lima, Ohio, and is a Xavier University graduate – wanted to retain the bones of the barn. And there’s no mistaking what it used to be when you turn off Five Mile Road onto their curved driveway. The house’s Quonset hut shape is enhanced by two second-floor dormers, a glassy grand entrance and the original cupola poking out at the roof’s center.

The barn’s industrial-strength foundation passed inspection with flying colors and was retained, but most of the interior – the stables, tack room and hayloft – was gutted to the arched laminated beams that support the rounded roof. To keep it water-tight during a 100-year flood, the entire house had to be raised 14½ inches.

Architect McConnell was so inspired by the place, Jerry Whitney said, that he sketched the floor plan in eight hours and then started marking off the layout with blue tape.

What strikes visitors upon entering the Whitneys’ home is its whiteness, its angular walls and windows, and its uncluttered, modern décor. Yet hints of the barn are there in the entry in the form of a frosted two-paneled sliding door that leads into the living room and a long, floating ledge made of chocolate walnut Jerry Whitney picked up on a one-day drive to Kansas City, Missouri, and back.

The Whitneys had hoped to repurpose two sliding wood doors in the old stable, but their condition was too poor.

“So we were in IKEA one day, and we saw those panels on some cabinets and said, ‘There’s our barn doors,’” said Jerry Whitney, a sales executive with a logistics software company.

The doors might leak a little heat, but the gas fireplace and heated, polished concrete floors keep the living room warm.

“My parents came here for two weeks in October, and they were so warm. My mother learned how to work the thermostat and kept it at 70 degrees. We practically had to kick them out,” joked Karen Whitney, a longtime physician’s assistant.

To the left of the entry hall and beyond the elevator shaft, laundry room and mechanicals closet are two bedrooms that share what the Whitneys call their “spa room.” The bathroom features sparkly, speckled gray quartz countertops, a dual-sink vanity with matching mirrors, a standalone soaking tub and a glassed-in shower with grass-like textured tile. Chrome is the metal of choice for the hardware and fixtures.

To be added to the “spa” features later this year is a fenced-in outdoor shower.

While family photographs in the bedroom at the front of the house stir memories, the bedroom in the back is filled with a mix of family-made art and heirlooms and images from vacations the couple and their four adult daughters have taken.

A glass door from the back bedroom leads to a covered concrete deck that stretches almost the entire length of the house. The deck faces Five Mile Creek and the woods of Withrow Nature Preserve and is accessible from the living and great rooms as well as the 2½-car garage.

Walking back to the entry hall, visitors pass a colorful Campari liqueur poster and a large portrait of an 11-year-old Jerry painted by the late College of Mount St. Joseph art instructor John Nartker.

Across the hall is a stairwell that reaches to the roof. It features a light oak staircase with stainless steel chords and rail and leads up to two more bedrooms, the kitchen and a beamed great room. The vaulted room includes a sectional couch and two stuffed chairs, a glassed-in wine closet, recessed lighting and one floor lamp, a 9-by-6 picture window, a gas fireplace, a big-screen television and a separate dining area with chandelier that faces the front yard.

The great room is where they wind down on weekends with wine and the Wall Street Journal or watch birds – on sunny or gray days.

“Even if it’s raining, we don’t care. With all these windows, it doesn’t matter,” Karen Whitney said.

Three bird feeders hang off the fully plumbed, second-story deck where the couple grills out with friends and watches the ever-running creek and forest.

The 30-foot-long deck is party central when the weather is nice, but the kitchen fills the bill in the winter. Stainless steel appliances, a long, two-tiered white quartz cooking and eating island and glossy white and textured gray European-style cabinets give the kitchen the modern feel Karen Whitney prefers.

“It’s a fun, fun, fun kitchen to cook in,” she said. “We hosted Thanksgiving last year, and I couldn’t believe how easy it was to cook the meal. There’s so much space and convenience.”

To the side of the kitchen and overlooking the stairwell’s cathedral-shaped window is a quartz-topped desk that the couple uses as command central, to pay bills and handle other household business. 

Two bedrooms are situated down a hall behind the kitchen, but before them is an inviting, steel-railed spiral staircase. Karen Whitney uses the slanted-wall and naturally lighted bonus room – which has two large cubbyholes behind doors for storage –for yoga, Pilates and TRX workouts. The third floor’s balcony hovers over the kitchen and great room and provides an up-close view of a special light fixture suspended inside the windowed cupola.

“My parents gave us that,” she said of the brass and crystal chandelier. “It came out of the old Shubert Theatre in Cincinnati.” It lights up the great room like a stationary disco ball, her husband said.

A guest room with full bath and the master with bath and massive walk-in closet are back down the spiral staircase and below the bonus room. The couple outfitted their closet with a system purchased at the Container Store that holds all their clothes and accessories. There is no dresser or wardrobe in their room, just open space and a clear view from the bed of the backyard and the rising moon.

“It’s the most wonderful bed to sleep in, until you have to get up,” Karen Whitney said.

'We Took a Gamble on it'

The Whitneys had just remodeled their contemporary house on Little Dry Run Road, which sat on a half-acre and was what they thought they always wanted. Leaving it was far from their minds – until they spotted the old horse barn on Five Mile.

“We took a gamble on it,” said Jerry Whitney, whose experience rebuilding vintage cars equipped him with mechanical skills and gave him confidence they could build their own home.

“Our financial adviser said, ‘You guys are crazy if you don’t do it,’” he said. So they did, but not without sacrifice. Living in a trailer during the treacherous winter of 2013-14 and storing their belongings in a nearby 20-by-30-foot shipping container for 18 months weren’t the only challenges they faced.

“We’d never built a house before or made all the decisions we had to make, sometimes instantaneous ones like when your builder asks, ‘What do I do now?’ and you’ve got to have a decision right then,” he said.

“We turned it into an adventure that we could write a book about,” Jerry Whitney said. “Karen’s quote is, ‘We never thought we would live in a dream house, and now we own one.’ To go from a normal house to this is just amazing. I swear we were meant to be here.”

Chance to See the Whitneys’ House

The 2016 green living tours by the Cincinnati chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council includes the Whitney house on Sept. 17 ($15 for non-members). To join the Green Living Member Circle, click here. The group will tour a modern house in Northside on Jan. 16.

Testing out the new Salina 48 Evolution

Read article : Testing out the new Salina 48 Evolution

Caroline Strainig checks out the new Salina 48 Evolution, a slightly tweaked version of the Salina 48.

Charles Darwin’s famous theory of natural selection and evolution was based on the premise that a species either adapts to the demands of the environment or dies out. Mother Nature makes this possible by ensuring different traits crop up from time to time. Those traits - such as skin colour - can increase a particular animal’s chance of survival so it has a higher chance of living to breeding age and passing those traits on.

French manufacturer Fountaine Pajot is applying that theory to its boats in a slightly more business-like way, tweaking models in response to feedback and releasing a new version a couple of years down the track. The new versions have the same name but with the addition of the word “Evolution”.

The Salina 48 Evolution is the tweaked version of the 48 Roger Priest reviewed in CH in October 28. There are only a few changes, and these are largely aesthetic rather than major structural ones. However, they do improve the boat.

Mark Elkington of Australian distributor Multihull Solutions said they include a new interior design by an Italian company called Costa renowned for making the most of small spaces (they also did the Airbuses), an improved helm station, upgraded galley and roomier hulls.

Sail-plan-wise, the Evolution has a new square-topped mainsail — designed to give more sail area in lighter winds but spill air in strong
winds — and a soft-topped dodger-cum bimini with clears to give the helmsman protection from the elements.

Other tweaks include:
• Additional storage in saloon and galley.
• Huge owner’s bathroom for’ard in owner’s hull, which is to starboard. (The original was central and a lot smaller.)
• Larger portholes to afford even more natural light and even better views.
• New cherrywood interior with more timber fit-out.
• New vynilester resin-infused hull.
• Leather bedheads,
• 240L additional storage in starboard hull.
• Even higher-quality fittings and fixtures throughout.
• New galley benchtops.
• Saloon table also converts to a coffee table.
• LED lighting.
• View panel in cockpit hardtop bimini to see the sails when lazing around the cockpit.

Okay, enough of that. Let’s take a look at what you get for your $955,000 plus.

The general look

Any boat is a balancing act between a number of factors, the main ones being space, seaworthiness and speed. It is important that you get the right balance for you, and it is something Mark and his sales team are all too aware of. “It’s no good sacrificing space for speed if you plan to spend 80 percent of your cruising time at anchor,” Mark said.

“The same obviously goes the other way around. I have seen far too many people make that mistake.”

To me, the Evolution looked a cross between the Lagoon catamarans built by a French competitor and some of the more streamlined cats we have in Australia like the Lightwaves built on the Gold Coast. That should mean it should have reasonable space but still perform well under sail.

I won’t go into too much detail because we have already run a full-length story on the earlier version, but the Evolution has fairly plumb bows, huge trampolines with twin single pulpit seats for’ard in both hulls, wide side decks with shrouds well outboard (no running into things in the dark!) and a flat cabin top with good access to the boombag and boom. Access to the cabin top is via a fold-down step on the base of the mast and easy even for someone vertically challenged like me. The huge anchor locker is just for’ard of the mast, with the anchor (45lb plough standard) stored well aft, as are the water and fuel tanks, helping keep weight central, and thus reduce pitching and hobby-horsing. The only exception to this are the engines, which are just aft of the aft berths instead of under them, but the trade-off is no smell and less noise below.

A large hardtop shelters the cockpit aft, which is a great place to entertain with a good-sized table, plenty of seating and lots of stowage. One locker near the door to the saloon is ideal to be converted to a fridge.

A few steps on the side of the cockpit to starboard lead to the large helm station, which easily seats three, and is protected from the elements by a soft-top dodger-cum-bimini. Sail controls come back to a Harken electric winch and two manual Harken winches on the cabin top near the helm. As Roger noted in the previous story, unlike many cats, the traveller in the Salina 48 is atop the cockpit hard cover, so its control lines go to the helm – where you can use power if feeling lazy.

The halyards can be led back here too, but on the test boat they were still adjusted on the mast. The owners of the test boat were a novice couple and Mark Elkington suggests learning reefing at the mast before moving it aft.

Apart from depth, speed and wind and a compass, instruments are owner’s choice so I won’t go into them here.

As are many distributors, Multihull Solutions encourages buyers to tick the box just for basics at initial purchase stage and then add as they work through what they really need at their leisure. Sails are a dacron composite and a screecher and bowsprit are available as optional extras. A Facnor headsail furler and a 1200W Lofrans anchor windlass are included in the standard package price.

Engines are in each hull (40hp standard, 55 optional, choice of Yanmar or Volvo), with lots of space to access those sometimes-hard-to-get-at spots although the owner of the test boat had added a generator in the port hull, which did make that a little squeezier.

Davits aft have been disguised under a large platform that doubles as a sunbed. Within reason the latter can be customised — you can even axe the platform altogether in favour of heavy-duty davits with an electric winch. A swimming ladder and hot-and-cold shower complete the list of features here.

Inside/below

Sliding doors lead into a spacious saloon with an L-shaped settee and adjustable dining-cum-coffee table to port and U-shaped galley to starboard.

Features include twin opening ports for’ard to enable plenty of through breeze. The galley has a high-set gas oven with separate bench-top burner range, front-opening fridge and a second lift-top fridge/freezer.

I agree with Roger that the views are fantastic and the Salina 48 has one of the biggest saloons I have seen on a catamaran.

Below

The Evolution is available in two versions; the accommodation-maximising Quatuor version and the owner’s Maestro version. The port hull is the same in both, with twin berths with head and shower for’ard and aft and a single berth central (in many boats the owners turn this single berth into stowage). However in the Maestro version the starboard hull is given over to a luxurious owner’s hull with a large semi-island berth aft, office and more stowage midships and a large head for’ard.

Escape hatches in both hulls double as wonderful places to watch the fish go by in normal circumstances. Ventilation is excellent courtesy of a myriad of opening ports and ducted air-circulation system. Lighting is LED, so no need to worry about draining the batteries if you cannot sleep and want to read late at night.

Construction

French builder Fountaine-Pajot is one of the world’s most forward-thinking companies, and I wasn’t surprised to learn the Salina 48 Evolution is manufactured with modern technology, which includes an infused sandwich composite hull plus a deckhouse moulded with new RTM eco-technology.

How she sailed

On the day of our outing we had hardly any wind, so it is probably fairer to refer to Roger Priest’s outing in stronger winds back in 2008, although I will note that even in the light winds, she was responsive and I had no issues tacking. In fact, I had to be reminded by Mark Elkington that the other parties on board had things to do later in the day because I was enjoying myself so much I had forgotten time constraints and was heading down SE Queensland’s Moreton Bay as if I didn’t have a care in the world!

On Roger’s outing in 13-16 knots true he recorded 6.1 knots at 40 degrees apparent and 7.3 knots at 45 degrees. Then a broad reach at 100-110 degrees apparent produced speeds of 9-11 knots.

On our outing under motor with the optional 55hp Volvos we achieved 6.5 knots at a mere 1700 rpm and 8.4 knots at 2400 rpm.

Because the motors are just aft of each interior cabin instead of under the berths as they are in some catamarans – plus have water- and smell-tight bulkheads between them and the accommodation, this means that motoring does not create noise or smell issues, which is a plus, although in many instances you will use just one motor anyway to conserve fuel. I went and lay on a bunk aft while we were motoring and the sound was such a low hum I could easily have fallen asleep. The downside is that the engines are a little further aft weight-wise, but  Mark assured me they were still central enough not to exacerbate pitching and the 48 was extremely comfortable offshore.

Summary

Roger Priest liked the original version in 2008, and from what I saw, the Mark II has only improved on an already-winning recipe. Oh, and if you’d like something a little cheaper or different, Multihull Solutions also sells the Mahé 36 Evolution ($395,000), Lipari 41 ($525,000) and Orana 44 ($725,000). Those with spare cash to burn can go for the Sanya 57 ($1,650,000) or Galathea 65 (POA).

SPECIFICATIONS
Length 14.3m
Beam 7.7m
Draught 1.10m
Displacement unloaded 10.5T
Mainsail area 80sqm
Genoa area 56sqm
Motors two x 40 CV diesel or 2 x 50hp optional (choice of Yanmars or Volvo)
Bridgedeck clearance 0.8m lightship
Fuel 480L
Water 750L
Standard version four double cabins
Owner’s version three double cabins with workshop/single bed fwd
Quatuor version four doubles
Distributor:
Multihull Solutions Australia, 33-45 Parkyn Parade, PO Box 15, Mooloolaba, Queensland 4557,ph 1300 855 338, (07) 5452 5164 mobile 427 88 99 10 www.multihullsolutions.com.au

What about those Mark 1 queries?
Roger Priest had a few suggestions for minor tweaks in his October 2008 story, which I put to Mark Elkington.
Roger:“No standard shelter from sun, rain or spray at the helm. Others (especially Australian cats) do this better. The dealer is working on an Australian-designed add-on because the factory option is only a sun shelter.”
Mark: “No, an option and fitted to almost every order; we do customisation as well for specific clients.”
Roger: “Stern berthing cleats need re-locating. You have to stand on one to enter the boat from an alongside berth. EC Marine is shifting this cleat, pending a factory change.”
Mark:“Option for relocation, but most of our clients like this position.”
Roger: “Lack of a dedicated start battery for the starboard engine, allowing current and voltage surges through electronics.”
Mark: “Separate start batteries now standard.”
Roger: “Two of the three heads in the standard boat are manual, thus having no maceration for legal discharge in some Australian waters.”
Mark: “Again, most our orders are bluewater sailors who like a few manual heads. Electric are options and fitting to most owner versions.”
Roger: “Small standard sewage-holding tanks. With three couples on board, the standard boat will only last between 1 and 1.5 days before needing to discharge or pumpout the three 45L tanks.”
Mark: “150L now standard.”
Roger:“Lifelines are not standard across the bow (they are an option).”
Mark: “Most production cats and one-off’s have no lifelines across the bows. Yes, they are an option, but only ever requested for charter.”

Why Zimbabwe should be your next holiday destination

Read article : Why Zimbabwe should be your next holiday destination

Source: Why Zimbabwe should be your next holiday destination – telegraph.co.uk  13 December 2016

Last month, after years of discussion and a £120 million loan from China, Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls International Airport was finally opened by President Robert Mugabe.

There are no direct flights from the UK as yet, but with a runway capable of handling the world’s largest planes, plus 28 aircraft docking bays which could triple the capacity of the old airport to 1.5 million passengers a year, it looks set to usher in a new era of tourism for Zimbabwe.

When I landed there from Johannesburg a few weeks before the official opening, there was already a buzz in the air – particularly at the Victoria Falls Hotel, where the patio restaurant was full of diners in celebratory mood.

One official told me that between 3,000 and 5,000 visitors are arriving by foot each day on the Zimbabwe side of the falls (which straddle the border with Zambia), a clear sign that the country is back on the tourism map. The number of arrivals should increase dramatically now that the airport is complete.

What can visitors expect? On the one hand, “Zim” is spectacular, a place the BBC’s former Africa correspondent Michael Buerk called “the most beautiful country on the continent”. It has impressive natural features: mighty rivers (the Zambezi and Limpopo), game-filled plains (at Mana Pools), a lake half the size of Belgium (Kariba), a national park the size of Wales (Hwange) and boulder-strewn hills adorned with ancient San art (Matobo).

But it is also a country that has seen horrific genocide, its people brutally suppressed by politicians who have tried to quash democracy, destroying a once-thriving agricultural economy and creating hunger, homelessness and 80 per cent unemployment.

Despite all this, Zimbabweans are positive people, their motto being “We’ll make a plan”. Now that Robert Mugabe is 93, their plan – of a country without him – is gaining momentum. Tourism will be a big part of that.

I have been back to Zimbabwe every year for the past three decades, to visit the country of my birth. On my latest trip, I was amazed by the number of old friends returning to tourism as a way of making a living.

Over two weeks, every camp I stayed in was full of international guests, enjoying an experience every bit as enriching as in any other southern African country – and substantially cheaper than neighbouring Botswana or Zambia.

For those who want to see more of the country, new internal flights on the low-cost FastJet airline, together with private aviation companies, make this possible. I combined flying and driving around the country’s three biggest tourist destinations – Victoria Falls, Hwange and Lake Kariba. Here is my guide to the highlights.

The Explorations Company (01367 850566; explorations company.com) is offering a 12-night trip to Zimbabwe, with three nights at Zambezi Sands, four at Little Makalolo and The Hide, and three at Changa Safari Camp, from £4,790 per person, including flight, transfers, full board and most activities.

Victoria Falls

Why go?

One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, this is the world’s greatest mass of falling water. Some 5,633ft wide and 343ft tall, the falls are as impressive today as when David Livingstone wrote that “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”.

On the Zimbabwean side there are far more viewpoints (16) than in Zambia, including one above the thundering Devil’s Cataract and four facing Main Falls, where at peak season more than 27 million cubic feet of water fall per minute, drenching onlookers.

Because Victoria Falls has been a hub of tourism for decades, there are lots of activities on offer, from bungee jumping, abseiling and white-water rafting to diving with crocodiles. For the less adventurous, there are craft-shopping trips and sunset cruises.

While first-timers might prefer to stay in the town – at the relaxed Ilala Lodge (ilalalodge.com), the glamorous colonial Victoria Falls Hotel (victoriafallshotel.co) or the family-friendly Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (africaalbidatourism.com), new camps have been built just a 45-minute drive out of town – a welcome option for those who prefer to get away from it all after they have seen the falls.

The place to stay

Zambezi Sands, a bush camp on a remote stretch of the Zambezi river, was created by conservationist Mark Butcher. He has been protecting Zimbabwe’s wilderness for decades, both as a national parks ranger and through his community-based Imvelo Safaris group (imvelosafarilodges.com), to which Zambezi Sands belongs.

Butcher knows the falls area intimately and can arrange almost any activity, from fly-fishing for tigerfish to photographing lunar rainbows over the falls at night.

On this tranquil bend in the river, hippos snort and luminous blue kingfishers swoop. In the surrounding Zambezi National Park, plentiful wildlife roams. Days can be spent on game drives (mainly for elephant), walking through forests of Jackalberry and palm, fishing or canoeing with naturalists or affable camp managers.

This elegant, contemporary camp operates like a friendly boutique hotel. Its eight enormous Bedouin tents are on timber decks, with a plunge pool, outdoor shower, living area and bathroom with roll-top bath.

The big communal living room has colonial-style furnishings, the wide deck outside features a firepit (a cosy spot for stargazing) and the outdoor dining tables are in the daytime shaded by big cream umbrellas. The food is fresh, inventive and presented with pride by 27-year-old chef Frankie Banda.

Best of the rest

For real luxury, Matetsi River Lodge (andbeyond.com) offers the best of all worlds: big elegant rooms, a wine cellar and spa, as well as water activities and game viewing.

The 13 new tents at the Victoria Falls River Lodge (victoriafallsriverlodge.com) are airy and contemporary, with private plunge pools – but views are of the outskirts of Livingstone in Zambia, so the camp doesn’t feel remote.

The Elephant Camp (theelephantcamp.com) is highly recommended, but it is in the bush rather than on the river.

Hwange National Park

Why go?

This game park is not just huge – 5,625 square miles, about nine times the size of Greater London – but also boasts a wider variety of wildlife than anywhere else in Africa. As well as an estimated 50,000 elephants, in herds as large as 400, it is home to more than 100 species of mammal and 400 types of bird – a biodiversity to match that of the Kruger National Park in South Africa or South Luangwa in Zambia, but with fewer people, camps and cars.

What game you see depends on the area. In the hillier north-west (near Sinamatela, Nahimba and Camp Hwange), wild dogs are common. In the centre, near Main Camp, lions are frequently spotted, including prides that have perfected the art of elephant hunting. In the south-east, grassy vleis attract a staggering range of game.

Over four days in the central area, staying at three camps, I saw elephants, lions, a cheetah with three cubs, big herds of buffalo and giraffe, as well as relatively rare sable, eland and roan, and birds ranging from a giant verrose owl, with its distinctive pink eyelids, to the tiniest golden shaft-tailed whydah, trailing long glossy feathers to attract a mate.

The place to stay

Of three camps recently refurbished by Wilderness Safaris (wilderness-safaris.com), the smallest – Little Makalolo – has the most charm. (The others are Davidson’s, with a stylish new thatched lounge and pool, and the totally rebuilt Linkwasha, which has swanky new tents with sliding glass doors.)

Sleeping just 12, Little Makalolo is contemporary in style, with six mesh-walled tents containing shabby-chic furnishing. It feels more like a friendly little bush home than a luxury camp, and is set beside a watering hole where so many wild animals congregate that at night you are accompanied to your tent by an armed ranger.

Tents feature deep copper basins, outdoor showers open to the stars, comfortable beds with crisp white linen, and strong reading lights (a rare but much-appreciated extra).

Best of the rest

The Hide (thehide.com), a homely thatched camp built by the Preston family in 1992, is set on a private two-square-mile concession on the park’s edge. Its 10 thatched A-frame rooms are well laid out, with shaded verandas, practical shelving and, in the honeymoon suites, outdoor baths and double showers.

Head guide Nicholas Gaunje has worked for the family for 13 years, and imparts knowledge with sensitivity and dry humour, whether on a walking safari, a sleep-out in the Dove’s Nest treehouse, or a night drive (allowed on the concession).

He remembers the days when rhinos were frequently spotted in the area. “We haven’t seen any for about three years,” he says. “If it continues like this, the Earth won’t have any left.”

Lake Kariba

Why go?

This is one of the biggest man-made lakes in the world, like an inland sea covering an area roughly the size of Wales. When it was created in 1958 to generate hydroelectricity, more than 1,700 animals were rescued by conservationists from the rising waters and relocated to the adjacent Matusadona National Park.

Today the 540-square-mile park teems with wildlife and has just three places to stay within it: Rhino Safari Camp (rhinosafaricamp.com) in the north, a haunt of fishermen; Spurwing Island (spurwingisland.com), a favourite with families; and Changa Safari Camp, a smart new camp on a peninsula in the east.

Lake Kariba is a place where there is little to do but take in the big skies, the spectacular escarpment that stretches all the way to the Rift Valley, large expanses of water and the rich diversity of wildlife on its shores.

Activities revolve around water: watching birds, elephants, buffaloes and sometimes lions from a small speedboat; taking an atmospheric sunset cruise; kayaking (while looking out for hippos and 14ft-long crocodiles more than a century old) and fishing for bass, catfish and prized tigerfish.

The place to stay

Changa Safari Camp (changasafaricamp.com) is located  on the shores of Matusadona National Park. Owners Kevin Higgins and Angus Preston are keen conservationists intent on eradicating poaching, which is prevalent here. This they hope to achieve through their new NGO, the Matusadona Anti-Poaching Project (MAPP), and by attracting tourists back to enjoy Zimbabwean wildlife.

The camp – 23 miles from the main Kariba harbour – can be reached in 40 minutes by Avoca Transfers’ 16-seater speedboat, or in 20 minutes by plane to Fothergill Island. Whichever option you take, the journey there is an adventure in itself; we saw elephants before we had even reached the camp.

Like the Hide, Changa has been designed by people who understand what makes a safari pleasurable. The eight tents – two of which can accommodate a family of four – are large and well spaced out, with shaded verandas, comfy living spaces and bedrooms enclosed by big mesh windows which keep out bugs without cutting off the views.

There are several places in which to socialise, too: a bar shaped like a boat for sundowner G&Ts; a plunge pool surrounded by shaded bandas; a living area with a library and squashy sofas; and a dining space where the chef creates delicious buffets, from Cape pickled fish and Neapolitan meatballs to inventive salads and fresh fruit platters, all served with South African wines.

Most guests spend their time either out on the water, G&T in hand, or walking on the shores with an armed guide, seeing elephants, buffaloes and occasionally lions.

Best of the rest

Hire a houseboat. Arguably the most glamorous is the Matusadona (mv-matusadona.com), sleeping up to six.

4 bed detached house for sale in Llantrisant Road, Capel Llanilltern, Cardiff CF5 - 43271927

Read article : 4 bed detached house for sale in Llantrisant Road, Capel Llanilltern, Cardiff CF5 - 43271927

Summary
A charming detached four bedroom family residence, approached by a gated private drive with extensive private parking, and set within a private garden plot of appromimate 1.95 acres. With a stunning range of outdoor leisure features including a swimming pool and hot tub.

Description
Ty Newydd Farm is a distinctive house of character, built 1998 by the current owners on the site of an original period farm cottage which was reputed to date back to 1700 and occupied a an overall plot of 1.95 acres. This unique four bedroom family home enjoys the special benefits of ensuite shower rooms serving each of the double sized bedrooms plus a large period family bathroom equipped with a free standing roll top suite. Recently a stunning bespoke kitchen has been installed providing a wonderful social space (30'1 x 14'9), centred around a large island unit with Quartz granite work tops, stylish integrated appliances and inset with a charming stone Inglenook fireplace with contemporary log burner and a solid wood mantle. There are two utility rooms and two ground floor cloak rooms. The living space is truly impressive including five principle reception rooms plus a grand entrance reception hall inset with a wide staircase returning to the east and west first floors. All windows are double glazed with white PVC units, and there are two feature windows, both hexagon in design with coloured leaded glass. Central heating is oil fired with panel radiators and a modern tank installed also in 1998. Charming character features include exposed beamed ceilings and natural stone walls providing a Farm House theme, whilst the living space provide a contemporary style with both a large formal dining room for social meals, and a relaxing lounge with a stone Minster fireplace!

The Property
With a family in mind the capacious cinema room (18'10 x 17'8) offers a wonderful entertainment centre, whilst both the sitting room (19'11 x 13'6) and the sun lounge (16'3 x 15'0) offer flexible living space with french doors that open onto the gardens. Each of the double bedrooms also include individual walk-in wardrobes, and the unique advantage with the living space on the first floor is the undoubtable fact that each bedroom is well proportioned with pleasing outlooks across the surrounding gardens and grounds. A truly impressive family house situated within only a short drive to Cardiff, and within easy access to an exit onto the M4, allowing fast travel to Newport, Swansea and Bristol.

Outside Leisure Features
Whilst the property is approached by a long gated private entrance drive which leads to both a large double garage (20'10 x 22'1) and a double car-port (20'11 x 20'5), the outside space includes many separate areas for activity including a large L shaped lawn which is screened by high conifer trees, a fully heated outdoor swimming pool, a large decked sun terrace, an undercover patio and a matching covered hot tub. There is also a further summer house and a separate self contained home office. There are three further outdoor rooms buildings which could be converted into stables, whilst one of these buildings is already converted into a fully sound proof studio!

School Catchment
The property lies within the school catchment of Radyr High School, whilst local primary schools include Craig-y-Parc off Heol-y-Parc in Pentyrch Village, and Creigiau Primary School in Creigiau.

Ground Floor

Entrance Reception Hall 16' 8" x 14' 9" ( 5.08m x 4.50m )
A most imposing and charming large entrance reception hall, inset with a 6 ft wide spindle balustrade staircase with newel posts, exposed beamed ceiling, double radiator, approached from an open fronted porch via two part panelled white PVC coloured leaded glass double entrance doors with side screen windows. Built in understair cloaks hanging cupboard.

Downstairs Cloakroom 8' 5" x 2' 9" ( 2.57m x 0.84m )
Fitted stylish modern and contemporary cloakroom suite with tiled walls and floor, comprising a large shaped pedestal wash hand basin with stylish chrome mixer taps and pop-up waste, slimline W.C., PVC Georgian style window to rear.

Understairs Cloaks Cupboard

Lounge 20' x 15' 5" ( 6.10m x 4.70m )
Gracious room inset with a Minster fireplace with granite surround and hearth, exposed beamed ceiling, PVC double glazed Georgian style window with outlooks across a front sun terrace, further PVC Georgian double glazed french doors opening on to the rear gardens, double radiator.

Cinema Room 18' 10" x 17' 8" ( 5.74m x 5.38m )
A fantastic cinema/games room, equipped with ceiling with spotlights, wide PVC double glazed Georgian style windows overlooking the courtyard front gardens, projector screen, exposed stone walls, feature Living Flame electric contemporary fire, surround sound.

Formal Dining Room 20' 2" x 16' 2" ( 6.15m x 4.93m )
An elegant room with an exposed beamed ceiling, PVC Georgian style double glazed window with views across the pretty front courtyard, PVC Georgian style window to rear, double radiator.

Kitchen And Breakfast Room 30' 1" x 14' 9" ( 9.17m x 4.50m )
Well fitted along two sides with an extensive range of stylish and contemporary bespoke floor and eye level units with high gloss doors, panel fronts and chrome handles, Quartz granite work surfaces with island unit and large breakfast bar, integrated Bosch Schott Ceran electric induction hob with a stainless steel canopy style extractor hood with glass surround and lights, two integrated stainless steel sinks with a powerful power jet chrome mixer tap, integrated aeg dishwasher, integrated Hoover wine cooler. Two tall storage larder units, two integrated Bosch fan assisted electric ovens, ceramic tiled floor throughout, space for the housing of two American style fridge freezers, exposed stone inglenook fireplace inset with a log and multifuel cast iron burner with stone hearth, two double radiators, PVC window with side garden aspect, PVC window with front garden aspect, PVC double glazed outer door to front courtyard. LED plinth lights.

Utility Room One 12' 6" x 7' 11" ( 3.81m x 2.41m )
With access to an outer hall with radiator and PVC Georgian style door with access to rear gardens. Well fitted along one side with high gloss contemporary floor and eye level units with chrome handles and solid work surfaces with a ceramic tiled surround, exposed beamed ceiling, radiator, PVC Georgian style window to rear.

Second Downstairs Cloakroom 6' 11" x 3' 7" ( 2.11m x 1.09m )
Suite comprising wall mounted wash hand basin with chrome mixer taps and pop-up waste, W.C., ceramic tiled floor and walls, PVC window to side, radiator.

Utility Room Two 8' 6" x 4' 5" ( 2.59m x 1.35m )
Approached from the kitchen, fitted along two sides with high gloss contemporary and stylish floor and eye level units with laminate work surfaces and chrome handles, incorporating a modern sink with mixer taps, vegetable cleaner, space with plumbing for an automatic washing machine, space for the housing of a tumble drier, space for the housing of a low level fridge, ceramic tiled floor and walls, ceiling with spotlights.

Sitting Room 19' 11" x 13' 6" ( 6.07m x 4.11m )
A stunning room with solid oak floor and exposed beamed ceilings, PVC double glazed Georgian style french doors opening on to the rear gardens, further double glazed Georgian style window overlooking the front courtyard gardens, square opening leading to...........

Sun Lounge 16' 3" x 15' maximum ( 4.95m x 4.57m maximum )
A large and versatile sun lounge conservatory, inset with a solid wood floor, cavity brick outer plinth walls surmounted by PVC double glazed Georgian style windows, inset with PVC french doors opening onto a block paved courtyard front garden, double radiator, standard ceiling with spotlights.

First Floor Landing
Three PVC double glazed Georgian style windows with rear aspect, spindle balustrade landing, exposed beamed ceiling.

Master Bedroom One 19' 10" x 15' 5" ( 6.05m x 4.70m )
Gracious room with an exposed beamed ceiling, elegant coloured leaded glass hexagon shaped window with side aspect, two further PVC Georgian style double glazed windows with front and rear aspect, double radiator.

Ensuite Shower Room 7' 2" x 4' 3" ( 2.18m x 1.30m )
White suite with walls largely ceramic tiled, ceramic tiled floor, shaped pedestal wash hand basin, W.C., separate ceramic tiled shower cubicle with Mira shower unit and glass shower door. Radiator, PVC double glazed Georgian window to front, beamed ceiling with spotlights.

Walk-In Wardrobe 7' 2" x 5' 5" ( 2.18m x 1.65m )
An extensive hanging and storage space, electric light.

Bedroom Two 16' 7" x 16' 3" ( 5.05m x 4.95m )
A large impressive bedroom with an exposed beamed ceiling, double radiator, PVC Georgian style double glazed window with pleasing front aspect across the courtyard gardens and towards adjacent fields.

Ensuite Shower Room 7' 1" x 4' 3" ( 2.16m x 1.30m )
Modern white Ideal standard suite with ceramic tiled floor and ceramic tiled walls, comprising shaped pedestal wash hand basin, corner shaped corner ceramic tiled cubicle with Mira shower unit and shaped clear glass sliding doors and screen, radiator, PVC Georgian style double glazed window to front, beamed ceiling with spotlights.

Ensuite Dressing Room/wardrobe 7' 2" x 5' 6" ( 2.18m x 1.68m )
With extensive hanging space and shelving, together with a small access leading to the roof space, electric ceiling light.

Bedroom Three 15' 9" x 12' 6" ( 4.80m x 3.81m )
A charming room, equipped with three Velux double glazed windows, three further PVC Georgian style side windows overlooking a side garden with pergola, ceiling with spotlights, double radiator.

First Floor Landing Continued
Built-in linen cupboard and a further built-in full height airing cupboard with copper hot water factory insulated tank. Two further PVC Georgian style windows overlooking front courtyard, radiator, part beamed ceiling with spotlights.

Ensuite Shower Room 10' 11" x 6' 2" ( 3.33m x 1.88m )
Stylish modern recently installed suite with limestone style ceramic tiled floor and walls, comprising double size shower with contemporary Mira shower unit and clear glass sliding doors, chrome fittings, shaped wash hand basin with a contemporary built out vanity unit, mixer taps and pop-up waste, W.C. With concealed cistern, double radiator, PVC Georgian style window to side, ceiling with spotlights, built-in bathroom full height cabinet, hardwood panelled outer door leading to second staircase providing direct access to the kitchen and breakfast room.

Built-In Wardobe 12' 6" x 3' 10" ( 3.81m x 1.17m )
Approached via double doors with leaded lights and brass handles, extensive hanging space and shelving.

Bedroom Four 18' 5" x 10' 6" ( 5.61m x 3.20m )
With an elegant hexagon shaped PVC double glazed leaded coloured glass front window, further PVC Georgian style double glazed window with front garden and courtyard aspect, double radiator.

Ensuite Shower Room 7' 8" x 6' 9" ( 2.34m x 2.06m )
Modern white suite with ceramic tiled walls, comprising shaped pedestal wash hand basin, low level W.C., separate ceramic tiled shower cubicle with New Team 3000 shower unit and glass shower door, PVC Georgian style window to side, radiator.

Walk-In Wardrobe/dressing Room 7' 8" x 6' 7" ( 2.34m x 2.01m )
A good size, fitted with extensive shelving and hanging space, electric light.

Family Bathroom 16' 8" x 7' 10" ( 5.08m x 2.39m )
A most impressive white Period style suite with ceramic tiled walls and exposed beamed high atrium style ceiling with spotlights, comprising a free standing roll top bath with gold effect mixer taps and mixer shower fitment, W.C. With hardwood toilet seat and china handle, large shaped pedestal wash hand basin, double radiator, PVC Georgian style window to rear, PVC Georgian style window to side.

Private Entrance Drive
Approached via private gates with side pillars and leading to a long sweeping entrance drive that leads into the front garden and continues to a large block paved turning area with parking for several vehicles and equipped with outside lights and water tap.

Double Carport 20' 11" x 20' 5" ( 6.38m x 6.22m )
Electric power and light.

Double Garage 22' 1" x 20' 10" ( 6.73m x 6.35m )
Approached via electronically controlled fob operated roller double width door. Electric power and light.

Home Office 14' 5" x 14' ( 4.39m x 4.27m )
Fully equipped private detached from the main house home office, independently approached from the courtyard via a PVC double glazed door with side screen window, extensive power points and light fitments, outer hall leading to downstairs cloakroom with W.C. And wash hand basin, plus additional PVC outer door.

Store Room

Hot Tub
Fully operational hot tub with a timber trellis surround with timber pitched roof.

Outdoor Swimming Pool
Large fully heated electrically powered outdoor swimming pool with cover and decked side sun terrace, bordered with timber garden seats and outside lighting. Approximate depth 1.8 meters continuos.

Breeze House
Open fronted breeze house with space for patio table and chairs beneath a rosemary tiled roof with timber outer pillars

Decked Sun Terrace
Large decked sun terrace inset with a summer house/storeroom, detached and fully equipped with electric power and light, edged with outside lights and trellising for full privacy.

Outside Lawn
Large main lawn, edged with high grown conifer trees and garden trees to afford maximum privacy and security.

Enclosed Garden
There is a further enclosed garden which could be turned into a menage or small paddock, currently with hard concrete flooring but bordered with outside walls to afford privacy and security.