The kids remember the pink house

Sometimes it’s kind of hard to think of a topic for my Leader blog, but sooner or later, something comes to mind. I’m writing about places I’ve lived and this week the subject is ‘The Pink House.’  We lived there from 1975 to 1986 and my kids all consider it “the home of their childhood.” Since you can only post one picture on the Leader blog, I thought I’d link that blog with this one today so I can share some photos I took during our time on 20^th & San Juan Avenue in Port Townsend.

When I asked the kids for a memory they have of the house, some things were listed by all of them.  Like having to stack wood, caring for the goats, and making a fort in the attic loft of the shop off the back porch.  Below are pictures I took during our years at that address. (you can click on photos to enlarge)

 I made the kids pose in front of the house. This was probably early 80's.

 the goat barn and chicken house as seen from the upstairs window in the 1970's. My aunt and uncle's house can be seen up the road on the right. (19th & Haines)

 the pink house as viewed from the hill on the golf course

 We had a large garden. That old garage was used for hay storage until it got to the point where we needed to have it torn down. The kids liked to play in there and Jenni remembers making bird nests with the hay using mud. She also remembers that if she had to collect eggs and 'Banana Splits' was coming on TV, she'd break the eggs so she didn't have to stop and clean them.  Her TV was very important, I guess.

 Tonka trucks were played with near the burn barrel. Apparently we weren't worried about the danger.

 the goat corral during a snowy period one winter

 I think our hose must have had a leak in it.

 The kids all remembered making a fort in the loft of this old shop building.  Jenni recalled watching her older sisters and cousins climb onto the roof blindfolded.  I wonder where I was.

 I decided to paint the shop shortly after John and I split up.

 One of Joe's memories was when Lindsey installed a new septic tank in the yard.  I remember it too. The kitchen sink stunk for weeks before we could afford to hire the backhoe.

 The backyard never had beautiful grass.  Just animals and kids and toys and stuff...

 Jenni remembered having a hard time getting kids to agree to come over for a sleepover because the house was cold and you couldn't crawl out of the sleeping bags until the wood stoves were made up. We eventually bought a big barrel wood stove with a glass window in the front so you could see the fire burning.  I don't miss the mess and smoke of heating with wood.

 This area was transformed into a work of art once John got his garden planted here.

 My brother and sister-in-law arrived on their bicycles in the 70's having pedaled clear across the U.S.

 That's the little wood burner we had in the kitchen. The bathroom door is behind Lill. I have to laugh when I see the way I decorated. (my tastes haven't changed much either)  Jenni recalls the linoleum floor was in terrible shape and the dog used to take bites out of it. She said I repaired the holes with green contact paper that I'd cut in shapes like hearts and circles.  Ha!  Sounds like something I'd do.

Mary recalled that the key to the back door was kept on a nail behind the shop door.  More than once, the shop door was locked when they'd get home from school so they'd have to crawl through the bathroom window to get in the house.  Gees, but I was a lousy mother!

 Always interesting to look at the background of kitchens you had in years past. Joe remembers that we were always canning. Actually, it was probably John canning and me helping a little. He was a Kansas farmboy and always more enthused about putting up preserves than I was. I still have that red bowl in the foreground and those measuring cups hanging by the sink. The flowers on the right were probably an anniversary gift as we were married Jan. 4th and Jenni's birthday is Jan. 20. Unfortunately, we separated less than two months after this picture was taken.

This garden next to the golf course had a name but I can't remember what it was. Maybe Victory? We always referred to it as the Hippie Garden. There was always activity going on over there. One day they were cutting the grass with a power mower and they hit a rock which shot over and hit my door like a bullet. A couple of inches higher and it would have broke the window. Could have been a nasty accident if kids had been playing in the frontyard.

We sold the house in 1986 for $21,900. I've heard the whole place is remodeled now and we'd never recognize it.  I remember when Haugens came in to see the kitchen when we lived there. They didn't recognize it either.  I guess most places change sooner or later.