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| Peace... |
I love my home. We've been here almost 12 years and I have no intention of going anywhere else until they take me to where I will spend eternity. I've flirted with the idea of selling and moving somewhere cheaper to take advantage of the ridiculous value increase we have seen in our neighbourhood but at the end of the day I couldn't imagine spending my precious time off anywhere but here. I have my spaces set up so perfectly to suit my needs and it is with great joy each season as I move from place to place and find comfort in the familiar and planned surroundings I have created. Two such places in particular are featured prominently in my social and real life and are where I go to recharge and reboot everyday and I take you with me as I look at them with a smile and a wink.
The Crease (formerly Merle's - Getting Haggard)
For most of my life, the basement of my family homes were the designated kid hang outs. We watched TV, played games and generally had the run of the place where we wouldn't wreck all of Mom's knick knacks and could enjoy a perceived freedom. As I got older, it was where we snuck a drink or a kiss and the dark environs seemed to suit my teenage angst oh so well. Moving on in life and living in apartments left me without that kind if subterranean hideout I loved so much and even when we were living in 2 bedroom apartments, that extra room never felt the same. I needed my space and that is a big part of why we bought The Manor a dozen years ago.
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| The very first beer wall |
It was a throwback to the early 80's in terms of decoration and for the first few years sat unused as I spent most of my time outside, even in winter, smoking in garage as I drank myself silly. We didn't use it much until a good pal needed a place to crash after a marital breakdown and we cleaned it up, redecorated and made it a home for him while he recovered.
Fast forward a few months and he was ready to move on with his new girl and that left me with an empty but much improved space to hang out in. Slowly but surely I added furniture and electronics with a nod to my love of beer and hockey for decorations. I built some custom shelving and began to add touches to make it feel like a very personal place for me. Pictures and bottles that caught my eye joined and it was soon after that I added the pool table and dart board for those long winter nights.
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| Pool Time! |
It has indeed become a refuge from the world with a separate office for writing and making beer videos, a games area and of course the lounging area for drinking, socializing and watching TV. Many nights are spent down here either with Kat or by myself and I can feel the world slip away as I walk down the stairs. I dislike the term "Man Cave", it is not an apt description of what I have tried to create for myself. It has nothing to do with being a guy or needing to hide from my family, it has everything to do with giving me a place to feel like I belong and am comfortable with myself. I built it and maintain it to have at least a few hours each day where the worries I carry can be put down, even momentarily, and my mind can focus on the happy things in my day. I allow no work to come into this sacred space, it is for relaxing and enjoying. It's not lavish or extravagant but I feel like it reflects who I am and what makes me happy and at the end of the day, isn't that what we all want out of our homes?
The Grotto (Also known as Merle's Grotto - Getting Haggard Outside)
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| Early season pints |
While I love my basement hideaway, little in this world can match my unabashed love for The Grotto, my cottage country getaway in my backyard.
We live in Hamilton, a city off 500,000 people and growing. It's a busy place and our location in the suburb of Stoney Creek is close enough to all the amenities without being part of the noise. Our home is on a quiet street and backs onto a ravine with little in the way of neighbours or traffic. Trees ring us in on 3 sides and the garage combined with our first deck brings us closer to nature by shielding us from any commotion out on the street. Step down from the elevated dining area and you are in The Grotto proper, affectionately called Merle's - Getting Haggard outside after one of my favourite old time country stars...also his last name was how we felt most mornings after a few too many the night before.
I put up the canopy as early in May as possible and we fill it with our patio furniture and sometimes a propane heater so we can sit outside soon after. The pool goes up and then the summer begins.
I spend every free moment out here as the weather warms and it is so quiet and serene that you hear every branch sway, every chitter of nature and not a word of the city teeming just outside our walls of trees. It is like being at a cottage in the middle of the city and for a few months, it gives me a spark to believe in anything. Days spent floating around the pool, nights on the deck with a drink in hand and good music in the background always mean every moment I can find out here is special and treasured. Another place that I refuse to allow the stress or worries of the day to come, The Grotto is a happy place where I look for the joy in the everyday and my glass is always full.  |
| The party of 2018 |
When I have to say good bye each fall, it is with a bit of sadness at seeing it go but also with a fond memory of the season that we had. I joke about moving to Phoenix so it will be outside weather all the time but the truth is I do love the seasons and changing my hangout place to suit it. The Grotto awaits me every spring and that gives me something to look forward to during the often seemingly endless winter. The sun shines down warmly in my mind as I prepare for another year poolside with my love.
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| drinks together |
I'm attached to these two places because of the memories they have been part of and because they are where I can most be myself. I head downstairs or outside each time with a smile because I know the time I am about to use is my own and I will be able to use it solely for the purpose of bringing happiness into my life. I allot the time for work and social obligations accordingly but my hours spent in The Crease and The Grotto is sacrosanct and untouchable by almost anyone. I gather my thoughts, sing loudly and drink with gusto as I enjoy my life, my way. I hope you have a place or places like this in your life, it is important to find somewhere just for you. It's made all the difference in the world to me.
Cheers!
Polk
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