The house that is the larger of the two stone structures outside the main residence was constructed with drying racks for the walnuts that grow plentifully on the property. The basement was originally a pigpen.

The smaller house, a single room, was originally another pigpen. For a glimpse inside the smaller house, click here.

The present owner has outfitted them both as guest cottages, furnished in a manner suited to their 19th-century origins but modified with those key modern amenities, electricity, gas, plumbing, and refrigeration.

What makes these structures unique, apart from the personal taste reflected in the decor and furnishings, is the fact that the owner has decorated them inside and out with her own mosaics. Constructed piece by piece of colored tile, these images are expressions of the artist’s vision and reflections of her long career in art and design.

In my week as a guest, I experienced the extraordinary sensation of living inside a work of art.

.A feral cat took up residence in the larger guest cottage eight years ago and passes freely through the little door provided for her convenience. A round stone allows guests to cover the cat door if they don’t care for feline comings and goings. We left it open.

The cat’s young kitten, just a few months old, is nearly tame and will probably become a housecat. Her cozy presence and playful nocturnal romps added much to the hominess of the cottage.

This mosaic states a water theme that is carried through both in the color scheme of the cottage and in the mosaic work seen in the basement.

The loft has a full double bed and a small single cot, on which I slept. There is a stuffed fox, and there are other stuffed animals in the smaller house and in the main residence.

To reach the shower in the basement, you have to cross the River Styx.

Other themes from Greek mythology cover a wall in a small enclosure outside the basement..

A retaining wall in a side yard depicts a not-yet-completed history of cosmogonies beginning with the Big Bang.

[Above] Relaxing in the cottage yard.
[Right and below] The large cottage: three views, one with Janet.
And below those, the main residence.

.

Rock wall. Click the picture to see a larger image.

Valley view. Click the picture to see a larger image.

Meredy and resident donkey Josephine.