A Pleasant Porch

Seen at the Adsmore House in Princeton, KY

I've always wanted to live in a house with a big porch -- not a big deck or a big patio, but a big, old-fashioned porch. I want pillars and steps and gingerbread trim.

When we came to Christian County (KY) in the early 1990s and searched for a house to buy, we bid on a little white house near Lafayette. I really liked its big front porch. We were a bit too late, though; someone else put in a bid a few hours ahead of us and bought that little house.

So, we bought another house instead. It has been our home for 20 years. It is the shelter that keeps rain and snow off our heads and the haven that welcomes us at the end of each day. It doesn't have a porch, though, and it's not even a style of house that would wear my porch well.

Thus, I enjoy a good porch when I see one. One of the best porches that I've discovered recently is at the Adsmore House, a museum at Princeton, KY. It's a back porch -- a pleasant, comfortable space that overlooks the garden, lawns, and carriage house.

I took this photo last fall on my second visit to the Adsmore. The tour guide saw me stop with my camera as we left the house. She asked if I would like her to take my picture on the porch. "No, I just want a picture of the porch!" I told her.

It was a gray, rainy afternoon, and my porch photo turned out dark and a bit unfocused. I was disappointed in it. I downloaded it to my computer and forgot about it.

A few days ago, I happened to look at the photo again, and I decided to work with it. After I straightened it, lightened a few areas, and added some "glow",  I installed it as my desktop background. It may not be a perfect photo, but it's my private window onto a very nice porch, and I've been enjoying it.