Vineyard
A childhood of summers spent in the Napa Valley playing hide and seek with her six sisters flavored this womans taste for vining plants. Bruised knees and fruit stained shorts and skirts were the bane of her dads futile attempts to launder out the hours of playful activity. The odors of ripening fruit continue to trigger floods of pleasant memories of these escapes from the usual routines and hangouts of Washtenaw Counties relatively pancake like landscape. A favorite game was “Sardines in the closet” where the silent glee of discovery and joining the one in hiding in their chosen space, is the main object of the seek.
On the edge of the meadow with North wind protection this homes site is ideally situated to monitor the plantings of the adjacent open space on the gently sloping hill. Planted with fruit trees tolerant of Michigan's traditional weather patterns the space is beautifully arrayed with various plantings of apples, plums and an optimistic cultivation of Cherries! Having good success with the initial harvests, the StarHill community encouraged the woman to dig in the grapes of her distant memories passion.
The home lives close to the soil as well with a roof line of low profile, hugging the contours of the land with playful “Hobbit”dormers accentuating the second floor. Like the accompanying vines of the nearby vineyard the roof playfully undulates with roofing and siding materials merging to form a continuous skin to the contents within. The ”Petosky roof“ works wonders for the soul as guests arrive in stimulated anticipation of meeting those that live within this homes intriguing presentation. Light filled and with thick walls the cozy the homes hearth greets the visitor with a knowing release as the heart finds a new friend!