A WEE SUMMER COTTAGE

For sale: Katharine Hepburn's luxury former home on the market for a cool $28 million

It is a rare chance to own a piece of movie history.
But there won't be too many buyers able to come up with the whopping $28 million dollars it will cost to buy the Connecticut mansion and estate which once belonged to legendary movie star Katharine Hepburn.
The African Queen actress lived in the mansion until she died in 2003 at the age of 96.

Spectacular: Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn's former estate in Connecticut is on the market for $28 million

The estate, which sits on the waterfront, had been in the Hepburn family since 1913.
It was bought by Barbara and Frank Sciame in 2004 for $6million with the intention of renovating it and selling it on, according to the Wall Street Journal. 
However Mr Sciame 'fell in love' with the 8,300 square foot home and ended up spending summers there.
For the sale, he has divided the estate into three sections, available to buy together or separately.

Luxury: The home boasts six bedrooms and eight bathrooms and was in the Hepburn family from 1913 until the actress's death

Dramatic: One inside interior photograph shows a stunning sweeping white staircase

Family home: The estate belonged to Katharine Hepburn's family from 1913 until she died

The largest section features the house and private dock on Long Island Sound, which runs  along 680 feet of waterfront, for $18 million.
The colonial style home, which is listed on William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty, features six bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
The listing also says the house boasts 'stunning views from this crown jewel.'

 

The property also has a large pond at its rear, 'securing privacy', and private beaches.
Other features include seven fireplaces and a 'crushed stone' driveway.
One photograph shows the dramatic hallway with a grand sweeping staircase, while a shot of a bedroom reveals a spectacular view of the waterfront.

Room with a spectacular view: One of the mansion's six bedrooms looks out across the waterfront

Private jetty: The house, in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, looks out onto Long Island Sound

Miss Hepburn holds the record for winning the most Best Actress Oscars, triumphing for Morning Glory in 1933, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner in 1967, The Lion in Winter in 1968, and On Golden Pond in 1981.
She had a long and celebrated love affair with Spencer Tracey, although she also had relationships with Howard Hughes and director John Ford.

She had no children and only married once, briefly, to college sweetheart Ludlow Ogden Smith.
Miss Hepburn died at her beloved home in June 2003.

Stunning: The home has been completely renovated since the actress's death

Height of luxury: The home, which boasts high ceilings and 8,300 square feet of floor space, has been renovated with white fixtures and fittings

Just the coolest property, but what else would it be, being Katherine Hepburn's home?

PONDERINGS.....

So,  I have been lost in my normal mulling and pondering the meaning of life over the last 6 weeks or so.  "What's it all about Alfie?"  A question that has haunted me over the years, much like  "The Hound of Heaven." Usually, I come up with a few more insights during my mulling periods, and find little comfort in them. This is especially true the older my search for meaning becomes.  However, comfort is not the issue anymore, understanding, acceptance, and peace have become the watershed of my "quiet times"

What I never abandon in the end, is that fact that life is such a gift.  And a lesson I am presented with, whenever I take the time to ponder, is mindfulness and the practice of  being in the present moment is the ultimate goal  to be sought. My illusion of control, is just that, an illusion. Powerlessness cannot be denied, or avoided no matter how hard I try.

May I remember each day that life is fragile, time is short, and this journey is so, so sweet.  Furthermore may I accept that powerlessness is not weakness, in embracing it one finds a bottomless source of strength. 


It is time to leave the desert once again, taking  what it offered with gratitude.







 

NEVER, EVER, GIVE UP......

Somedays, I feel like this pup. 

But, sooner or later we all get on our feet! 

All it takes is time and effort............

THESE ARE THE TIMES......

These are the times that try one's soul. The longing to pick up the phone and call the newly departed. The sense of loss, moments of desolation, it never gets any easier.  The family circle shrinks, one moves on, one step closer to the front line. 

That being said, each day I awaken is a gift,  each day in the garden is more joyous,  family more dear (warts and all!)  Grief causes one to pause, and consider the absolute reality that life really is fleeting. Kindness and gratitude have become even more important in my daily life, and that in itself is something to be grateful for.

Contemplating the fragility of existence is not for the feint hearted. Death is a thief of the worst ilk. Yet face it we must,  and over time trust that the pain will diminish. The emptiness of loss will never heal completely, but the scar left behind will become another battle wound of life's journey.  


Eventually, the joyful memories will feel less bitter, the tears will lessen, and I will embrace the blessings of my journey today.  Onward....... 

Amen.