Ourhouse

Ourhouse, a cottage sur le mer

Here are a number of photos of our home and gardens in Manasquan. We have lived here for almost 20 years and as you can see the borders are in need of taming. The Rosa Rugosa beds near the road have turned into a thicket, filing in now with primrose and Montauk daisies. Occasional photos on the site as the seasons pile on.

House and upper garden
A view of our front yard. The screened porch was added in 1990.

View down the center
A view from our porch. Stockton Lake in visible in the distance. To the right and over the dunes is the Atlantic.

Herb and vegtable beds
Our herb and salad green raised beds. The edges are 1″ slate, set in trenches.

Muriel
Our rather large cat, Muriel, several years ago. She’s now gone on to her reward. Named after L. Francis Herreshoff’s special friend. The foliage to the left belongs to frost bit Hostas.

Salt Marsh
This is taken on our very own salt marsh. The wood on the bottom is a bench on which we sit and count our blessings.

June 2005
Early Summer this year.

Poppies and Iris
Poppies and Iris. The white flowers are Beach Roses.

Winter Chairs
Our back patio last winter. In the foreground is a Henry Lauders Walking Stick; or contourted hazlenut.

Library and bow window
This is a view through the bow window in our library/dining room. A great place to watch snow fall.

Jeff and Dave
Here are my sons, Jeffrey and David, sailing on Claire last summer.

14 thoughts on “Ourhouse”

  1. Great pictures! My friend Joe sent me the link to this website…Joe sails an O’Day 22…I used to sail a McGregor 19…miss it dearly!

  2. Great stuff, I’m a big fan of clinkers. Your cat named Muriel . . and large. We visited Muriel at the castle in 1981 when we were out that way. L. Francis was gone of course, but all the cats were still around as well as all of his trinkets, carvings, and other little projects. One highlight of the trip were the three large blueprint cabinets that held the most amazing collection of designs – some never constructed. We spent hours just looking and looking. We recognized molds for big Ti’s cleats, chocks and dolphins. Big loud Muriel – I hope your cat lives up to her name . . took us over to the Barnacle for chowder and beer one afternoon, which of course had it’s own entertainment value. We later stayed at the Rockaway House that was spposed to be closed for removations, but after a few hours enjoying the company of locals in the basement bar, we were invited to stay on the top floor gratis – had the whole floor to ourselves!. Of course we had to drive over to Mistic a few days later, to see the just-restored Charles W. Morgan on the hard – awesome. We were fortunate to have had the time there, great charcters all, and what great memories. Give Muriel a scratch for me will you? And tell her I still laugh about the ‘real’ reason for a cutaway keel according to L. Francis.

    PS RE: “Special friend” . . . and she never did finish the model. :-))

    Phil

  3. Phil G,

    What a nice Comment. I’ll add your L. Francis story to my collection. I’ve met a few peolpe that knew him. One of my WoodenBoat Forum friends lived next store to the Pharmacy where Muriel worked. Speaking of Muriel, she passed away last year leaving us without a cat for the first time in a while. She was predeceased by her mother, L. Francies and her siblings Bolger and Sidney. See a pattern here?

    Thanks again,

    Russ

  4. Russ: Do/Did you know Dean Vervoort? I remember him living on the corner where Stockton Lake Rd? bends, then goes toward Main Street. He was a football coach of mine at Wall High in the mid-seventies and also our favorite bartender at the Ship Wheel. Good guy

  5. Hi Dave,

    I did know Dean. We’d run into each other gardening and such. Nice guy. They moved away about ten years ago. To the Carolinas?

    Russ

  6. Russ & Julia,

    Thanks for the tour of Stockton Lake and sharing the nice red. Debbie is in for the next visit. She will have a ball touring the gardens and sharing gardening tips with the grounds keeper.

    Between the gardens, steady flow of vintage red and white and easy jazz on the Bose I see why your chi is well in line.

    Very best wishes for your new business.

    Peace for now.

    Scott & Debbie

  7. Love the website. My brother Gordon and I have known Beatons since we were kids. We just picked up a Herreshoff designed sloop, a “Golden Eye 18”, which we are in the process of restoring. We love older boats, working on them and sailing. How does that saying go? “there’s nothing, absolutely nothing more fun, than simply messing about in boats”.

  8. Thanks Doug. Your quote is close enough; sure works for me.

    Here’s the actual passage:

    `Is it so nice as all that?’ asked the Mole shyly, though he was quite prepared to believe it as he leant back in his seat and surveyed the cushions, the oars, the rowlocks, and all the fascinating fittings, and felt the boat sway lightly under him.
    `Nice? It’s the only thing,’ said the Water Rat solemnly, as he leant forward for his stroke. `Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolute nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing,’ he went on dreamily: `messing — about — in — boats; messing — — ‘

  9. Just found your website, and will have to check it out further. Love to you and Julia.
    Rosie

  10. Over the time I had seen this lovely boat in WoodenBoat. In last issue, you came up with the mysterious origin of Sjogin. My own thoughts in that direction is danish because of her stern. She is more danish than swedish. If swedish, it had to be the part of Sweden next to Denmark. The name is not so strange. After a short time, the word sjøgang came up. This means the way an how, but altso in danish and swedish the sea walks in the wind. Sjø is danish for sea. Sjö is swedish for the same. Ø and ö is also the same letter. Gang is the same as going. In norwegian we use the word gange for the way you walk. I think that from scandinavian to english, the word sjøgang turned over to sjogin, that for me is closer to danish way of speaking. The letter ø is the same as the u in the english word turn. The sj is a way of wisling, as chalk without the first t when spoken. The a in gang is spoken like the a i part or barn. In scandinavian we put words together to a new one. Sjø and gang is two different words put together to a new one. The danish stern in Sjogin may be a relative to the wiking ships stern. I wish you a happy new sailing year with Sjogin. Me myself is sailing in the Oslofjord in Norway with short trips to near by Sweden and eventually longer to Denmark and the Norwegian south coast with my Maxi Fenix named Tootikki after Tove Jansons Moomin troll figure.

  11. I’ve been reading your blog with interest for some time now. I would agree with Jppe’s comments about the origins of your fine boat. Here in northern Scotland we share the same boat origins. We have developed over time our own version of Sjogin. We call them ‘yoles’ or ‘yawls’ and they have been tailored to suit the seas around us. I would refer you to the website of the ‘Orkney Yole Association’. I’m sure you will spot the similarities.
    Sail on,
    Peter Sw.

  12. I have been reading about you in WoodenBoat. I own an Orkney Yole named Bee from the island of Stroma. She is almost identical to Sjogin. 25ftLOA 10ft beam.
    The original boat was built in 1904 at Mey in Caithness in Scotland. I will send you pictures if you give me an email address.
    This is a Viking design!
    Colin

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