Do you ever marvel at those people who live way out, I mean so far out that it takes 45 minutes to get to the grocery store? I often tease my friends who live way out on Reisterstown Road, or way out on Falls Road or out in Howard County, about living in another state and spending so much time in their cars. That is until I get there, of course. The lush serenity, the stillness, the communing with nature — there is something stunningly beautiful about the Maryland countryside.
The couple who live on this 110-acre Baltimore County farm raised three children, four dogs and five cats here. The house is lovely and old, built in 1808.
The rooms are small and cozy, as was the custom at the time. No great rooms back then!
The original library is still used as such and filled to the brim with books.
The house has been added onto over the years, as recently as the 1950s. The music room below was one of the additions.
The house has seven fireplaces. I only shot a few. (It got repetitive after awhile.) The one below is in the music room.
This one is in the master bedroom.
Another in the front room. They are crazy about their dogs.
Yet another in the family room.
When the owners moved into the house about 15 years ago, they converted a laundry room, an avocado green kitchen and a bedroom into a classic kitchen with an ample family room attached. They brought in old barn beams in keeping with the rest of the farmhouse.
One of my favorite details in the house is the painting above the master bathtub. The owner says she never tires of it and could look at it for hours.
The back of the house is great for parties because, among other reasons, it is perfectly flat. The previous owner had a grass tennis court, which was removed before the current owners bought the property. The couple held their son’s 2009 wedding here on the most glorious day of year. It was unforgettable.
The grounds also have a barn and other traditional outbuildings like stables and a spring house.
They lease some of the land out to a farmer who plants feed corn and white sweet corn.
The Maryland countryside never fails to make me feel momentarily inspired.
This is terrific!