A Backyard Cottage

In 1956 Meredith’s father Richard built a playhouse for his children in the backyard of their Palo Alto home from a set of Sunset Magazine blueprints. It was painted in primary colors, had a ladder that led to the roof, and a chalk board wall to the left of the front door.

In 1988 Richard (otherwise known as Opa to his grandchildren) built the identical playhouse for his granddaughter Drew in her childhood backyard in Seattle.

Drew and Meredith in front of the playhouse Opa built for Drew in 1988.

We mention this because Opa passed away peacefully on June 27th at the age of 90 in the midst of our backyard cottage project. It seems he was always a trend setter, always loved an adventure, and always loved a project. Building and transformation are in the gene pool. We carry on. We miss him.