My day was spent the Waldo Way, and it was fantastic—from beginning to end! Upon my arrival, I entered through the private gate on a path to a splendid old-world setting; taking in a beautiful view of horses grazing in a lush meadow, moving past the charming gatehouse, a pond, and onto the elegant big house to begin a journey through a tapestry of beautiful surroundings!
The big house has a classic, bold look with a cool, inspiring, and inviting ambiance; beckoning me to leave the frantic world behind! My cherished friend, Ris, the designer of this amazing establishment, instinctively blended architectural harmony through intuitive creations to achieve a distinctive and an innovative functional geometric and organic design. She elevated her design method through a collection of creative and eloquent traditional and vintage grandmother pieces, laced with Kate’s beautiful art (a ‘must see’), folk art, and much more. In its entirety, Ris generated balance that supports her mission to develop an atmosphere that contributes to emotional healing and wellness.
During my stay, multiple, impressive entrances remained open throughout the big house—removing boundaries and allowing wispy, refreshing breezes to flow. The open entrances also served as a living canvas adorning life at its fullest; an impressive view of nature, of animals, a herb garden, and embellished with alternating shadows and sunshine! This experience left me feeling peaceful, comfortable and content.
As our visit progressed, our voices and laughter gently echoed throughout the big house. At this time, I was introduced to Thomas the turkey from afar, who dwells in the nearby hen house, as he joined us with his own vocals, from the hen house to the big house, to balance our conversation! Ris shared how Thomas not only communicates when spoken to, but how he is sage beyond his breed—understanding when to engage in silent, therapeutic, uninterrupted listening while making eye contact! An amazing family friend!
As for the second kitchen…it is a colossal food station and includes a fantastic baker’s nook! This nook displays a splendid backboard splash of mosaic art created from special broken china and ceramic pieces that originated from both of Ris’s grandmothers, including a few other meaningful pieces that were just too precious to toss away. I am impressed by Ris’s ability to find beauty in altered, broken forms and then how she lovingly creates and beautifully weaves together patterns of eclecticscapes (similar to ‘landscapes’) that demonstrate her restorative nature: restoration that is not only material, but also emotional! Adjacent to the baker’s nook is Ris’s sewing room, where she creates beautiful hand-made pieces for display and wear!
As the day unfolded, delicious aromas and unique flavors permeated my senses as Ris displayed her artisan talent as both a chef and a connoisseur of exceptional dining; we shared and enjoyed a savory feast of polk salet, asparagus quiche, curried eggplant, lentils, and a smorgasborg of wonderful appetizers in the enchanting dinning chamber. I really loved the lime spritzed, salt and peppered, fresh cucumber slices: I consumed almost all of these yummy emerald jewels! We dined in the dinning chamber which is the center hub of the big house and is adorned by 2 arched and 2 squared open entries that create a 360 degree view of the first-level living quarters. In this place, the echoes linger longer and added an old-world appeal to this heart-warming setting. To complete this amazing dining experience, Ris served a slice of scrumptious, moist rum cake garnished with vanilla liquor sprinkled yogurt and topped with fresh raspberries which adorned her grandmothers beautiful pink glass cake platter! A truly satisfying meal to share with my gifted, sister-friend!
The big house has many other unique features. For example, the bathrooms are equipped with fountain faucets that allow water to gently cascade into beautifully designed bowls, an antique tub with eagle-claw footing, and large, open showers with several strategically positioned shower heads that create a gentle rain shower effect for bathing or just simply cooling off!
An elegant, master bed-room and a healing yoga room are found on opposite ends of the home on a split, second-story level. The yoga room accommodates a garden spa tub, comfy bed, Ris’s therapeutic treatment modalities to perform therapeutic touch therapy, yoga and meditation, and numerous windows allowing healing rays of sunshine to flood the healing space. The focal interest of this room is a beautiful fireplace adorned with beautiful tile pieces and streaming paths of honey-colored wax flowing from a collection of large base candles situated on the mantel.
Throughout the years, I have found Ris to have an innate connection with living a joyful life in each and every moment; demonstrated through today’s visit as she effortlessly harnessed activities of discussion, eating, relaxing, and taking in the surroundings of her dwelling place to promote health and well-being. Ris’s personal positive-energy radiates to inspire a sense of self-awareness and wholeness for me, her guest, as she never built upon preconceived expectations but, instead, simply allowed me to independently discover and interpret the personal value of what holistic well-being means. Refreshing!
Ris truly enjoys the fruits of her labor and has a deep appreciation for the loving support shown by her husband, Bruce, and her family. As for myself—I do declare—I spent the day where the grass grows greener on the other side of the fence!
Personal Review: A day spent at the Waldo Way
ReplyDeleteJune 6, 2011
My day was spent the Waldo Way, and it was fantastic—from beginning to end! Upon my arrival, I entered through the private gate on a path to a splendid old-world setting; taking in a beautiful view of horses grazing in a lush meadow, moving past the charming gatehouse, a pond, and onto the elegant big house to begin a journey through a tapestry of beautiful surroundings!
The big house has a classic, bold look with a cool, inspiring, and inviting ambiance; beckoning me to leave the frantic world behind! My cherished friend, Ris, the designer of this amazing establishment, instinctively blended architectural harmony through intuitive creations to achieve a distinctive and an innovative functional geometric and organic design. She elevated her design method through a collection of creative and eloquent traditional and vintage grandmother pieces, laced with Kate’s beautiful art (a ‘must see’), folk art, and much more. In its entirety, Ris generated balance that supports her mission to develop an atmosphere that contributes to emotional healing and wellness.
continued on section 2
Section 2
ReplyDeleteDuring my stay, multiple, impressive entrances remained open throughout the big house—removing boundaries and allowing wispy, refreshing breezes to flow. The open entrances also served as a living canvas adorning life at its fullest; an impressive view of nature, of animals, a herb garden, and embellished with alternating shadows and sunshine! This experience left me feeling peaceful, comfortable and content.
I found the big house to have many spaces, beginning with 2 kitchens—one is a well equipped kitchenette station which includes a handsome wood-fired pizza oven and is cooled by Ris’s grandmother’s enormous, antique standing fan! Working in the kitchenette, Ris sautéed fresh garlic and onions for her fresh-from-the-garden Polk salet while reminiscing about childhood time spent cooling off in front of the large, humming fan. The fan is definitely a conversation piece with its soothing, cooling, spellbinding qualities that captivates its audience! Ris remembered how she and her aunt Marg just recently discussed the simple logic they practiced as children; promoting self-control and accepting personal responsibility by avoiding injury presented by the enormous fan blades housed under a wide, gapping wire carriage! After a short period of time, I, too, became transfixed upon the massive fan’s soothing, cooling, and rhythmic humming performance.
As our visit progressed, our voices and laughter gently echoed throughout the big house. At this time, I was introduced to Thomas the turkey from afar, who dwells in the nearby hen house, as he joined us with his own vocals, from the hen house to the big house, to balance our conversation! Ris shared how Thomas not only communicates when spoken to, but how he is sage beyond his breed—understanding when to engage in silent, therapeutic, uninterrupted listening while making eye contact! An amazing family friend!
As for the second kitchen…it is a colossal food station and includes a fantastic baker’s nook! This nook displays a splendid backboard splash of mosaic art created from special broken china and ceramic pieces that originated from both of Ris’s grandmothers, including a few other meaningful pieces that were just too precious to toss away. I am impressed by Ris’s ability to find beauty in altered, broken forms and then how she lovingly creates and beautifully weaves together patterns of eclecticscapes (similar to ‘landscapes’) that demonstrate her restorative nature: restoration that is not only material, but also emotional! Adjacent to the baker’s nook is Ris’s sewing room, where she creates beautiful hand-made pieces for display and wear!
continued on section 3
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletesection 3
ReplyDeleteAs the day unfolded, delicious aromas and unique flavors permeated my senses as Ris displayed her artisan talent as both a chef and a connoisseur of exceptional dining; we shared and enjoyed a savory feast of polk salet, asparagus quiche, curried eggplant, lentils, and a smorgasborg of wonderful appetizers in the enchanting dinning chamber. I really loved the lime spritzed, salt and peppered, fresh cucumber slices: I consumed almost all of these yummy emerald jewels! We dined in the dinning chamber which is the center hub of the big house and is adorned by 2 arched and 2 squared open entries that create a 360 degree view of the first-level living quarters. In this place, the echoes linger longer and added an old-world appeal to this heart-warming setting. To complete this amazing dining experience, Ris served a slice of scrumptious, moist rum cake garnished with vanilla liquor sprinkled yogurt and topped with fresh raspberries which adorned her grandmothers beautiful pink glass cake platter! A truly satisfying meal to share with my gifted, sister-friend!
The big house has many other unique features. For example, the bathrooms are equipped with fountain faucets that allow water to gently cascade into beautifully designed bowls, an antique tub with eagle-claw footing, and large, open showers with several strategically positioned shower heads that create a gentle rain shower effect for bathing or just simply cooling off!
An elegant, master bed-room and a healing yoga room are found on opposite ends of the home on a split, second-story level. The yoga room accommodates a garden spa tub, comfy bed, Ris’s therapeutic treatment modalities to perform therapeutic touch therapy, yoga and meditation, and numerous windows allowing healing rays of sunshine to flood the healing space. The focal interest of this room is a beautiful fireplace adorned with beautiful tile pieces and streaming paths of honey-colored wax flowing from a collection of large base candles situated on the mantel.
Throughout the years, I have found Ris to have an innate connection with living a joyful life in each and every moment; demonstrated through today’s visit as she effortlessly harnessed activities of discussion, eating, relaxing, and taking in the surroundings of her dwelling place to promote health and well-being. Ris’s personal positive-energy radiates to inspire a sense of self-awareness and wholeness for me, her guest, as she never built upon preconceived expectations but, instead, simply allowed me to independently discover and interpret the personal value of what holistic well-being means. Refreshing!
Ris truly enjoys the fruits of her labor and has a deep appreciation for the loving support shown by her husband, Bruce, and her family. As for myself—I do declare—I spent the day where the grass grows greener on the other side of the fence!
Irene Richardson