BEAVER POND HOUSE

My clients had recently bought a wooded lot with a view of a beaver  pond to the south. The building site was at the end of a long wooded driveway with complete privacy.       Bob was a writer and his wife was an accomplished artist.

They lived near a college town and loved having dinner parties. So the dining room was an important feature of the house.

Bob first called me and asked “Do you do houses away from where you live?”  My standard answer had always been “I go anywhere once for a cup of coffee.” Well, the project was in Maryland, not Kansas where he was calling from. So a week later I drove there and arrived in time for cocktails and a dinner party.

We waited until the next day to visit the site and discuss their program. All went well and I drove home the next day feeling I’d  been visiting old friends. It was a very happy project and was the beginning of a long friendship.

Sadly Bob died much too young.

Bob said at the very beginning that he wanted to   name the house “Buck Snort.” His wife said “No way!”

But now that Bob is no longer with us and his widow has moved away, I want to honor his wish and, at least in this context, remember his twinkly smile and call the house by his preferred “Buck Snort.”

Note: My wife and I attended a family wedding in Colorado a few years ago and in the middle of nowhere spotted the Buck Snort Saloon.