The Little Orchard house

Mona and Lee are good friends of mine who own a wonderful home in Silvermine called The Little Orchard. They have lovingly restored it over the last few years and the home was featured on the recent Silvermine Historic House Tour. As with most Silvermine homes, it has a very interesting past. Its most notable former owner was John Vassos. He was a colorful character with a past of full of vocations—industrial and graphic designer, inventor, and even spy. He was also quite a ladies man by all accounts. His life was what I would call a classic piece of Silvermine history—a rich and interesting story, complete with "juicy bits" to make it even better. 

The Little Orchard has always been one of my favorites houses in Silvermine. It sits on a lovely parcel of property, complete with gardens, waterfall and pond, and a long driveway that guides you past the orchard to the house. Lee is an architect who specializes in high quality designs and historic preservation, so it's no surprise that the restoration of this house under his watch is magnificent. They have also created a very welcoming and comfortable home, and visiting with them is always a pleasure. 

For the last two summers, Lee and Mona have asked me to water their garden while they are away on vacation. The first year, they had just planted a new area of garden and wanted to make sure it didn't whither away in the summer heat. (although I almost did while watering at times) This past year, they added a lovely pond and waterfall with all sorts of water plants and fish. Each time I was there, I felt an immense sense of peace around me. It's a place where you can take a deep breath, relax, soak up the sun and wander around the lovely gardens, lost in the color, smells and textures. The only sounds heard were those of nature. It was a welcome respite to my own hectic days.

As I watered the garden over the weeks the house was in my care, I began to see—aside from the obvious beauty of the house—the details, colors, light and shadow that the house created. I grabbed my camera and took it along over a few days each time. What emerged was a series of photos that created a new viewpoint on The Little Orchard.