THE VIEW FROM HERE | Essex, Connecticut
A sunset on the Connecticut River in Essex, Connecticut, connecting with seasonal St. Petersburg residents, and reflecting on the ties that bridge New England and Tampa Bay.
THE VIEW FROM HERE — WEEKEND SERIES
This week from Essex, Connecticut.
Last night was unexpected, and it didn't make it into Saturday's post.
It deserved a post of its own on Sunday.
While renting a house in nearby Old Lyme, I was invited to the home of a couple from St. Petersburg — met though the house search never turned into a sale. We met at an open house on Snell Isle; they looked a couple more times before deciding it wasn't right, but the rapport was there from the start. They also kept a downtown condo near mine, so over the following months I'd check in occasionally, the way a good buyer's broker does, and mentioned once that I'd be nearby in August.
Several months later, they remembered that, and invited my husband and me to their home.
Their home was at the end of a dirt road — actually a compound, with a main house, a work cottage, and a boathouse. No room for boats there, just a lovely studio with a fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river, where a few swans glided past.
We started with drinks, then food, champagne, and the kind of easy conversation that wanders wherever it wants to. We barely spoke about St. Pete — real estate wasn't on the agenda at all. Later, they took us out on their new boat, down the river toward the harbor at Essex, to watch the sunset.
There's something so nice about visiting with people from home while you're this far from it. They're seasonal residents of St. Pete, and Essex is where they spend the rest of the year. Coincidentally, my husband and I grew up ninety minutes from where we sat. He got to meet them for the first time too, and it felt easy in the way only a good evening does.
This is the view from their boat at sunset. The sky and the colors shimmering off the water were everything.
Jon Kelly | The Tenpenny Collection | St. Petersburg, FL Real Estate Sales Associate | Exclusive Buyer Representation Guiding Clients to #BecomeStPete
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