Sylvia's Journal

The day after I returned from South Africa, the work at home picked up to a frantic pace. We had 5 days left to get our house ready for 5 total strangers to move in for a week. We started preparing for that earlier this year by tackling the big projects, such as rehabbing the bathroom upstairs, cleaning kitchen cabinets, decluttering. Now, with only a few days left the to-do list had ballooned to 50 tasks – mostly small, but all consuming.

On Thursday, by the time we closed the doors behind us, just hours before the family would arrive, I was exhausted, but pleased. The house looked like a dream. I would have killed to come from the Colorado mountains and (having arrived in the dark), and wake up to Lobster Cove at its best on a 10+ day. 

The home exchanges this summer (there are 3), are a pilot for something more serious – a paid for summer rental while we retreat to a (much cheaper) summer rental further north or west. This we see in our not too far future. While our house and surroundings are being enjoyed by others, we are moving in with our daughters, three days in Easthampton and four days in New Hampshire, where, for the first time ever, we will celebrate Tessa’s birthday (July 2) in her home.