"Mom, do you know the way?"

Hello friends. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

It was a quiet one here at home.  Just the four of us attempting to slow down, relax & reconnect.

Lisa Porter

The holiday season began with the guys doing...well, guy stuff.  Watching games, stacking the woodpile, cleaning and storing away the Weber and lawn equipment for the winter, you know.

The Steward

I held off on jumping into the Christmas decorations, besides, Taylor and I were in the mood for a little excursion.  We headed down south through the Daniel Boone Forest to a homestead that sits along the banks of the Rockcastle River.

 She had the trip mapped out just in case I didn't know the way. 

Taylor Porter

Not to worry honey, I know the way. 

Taylor Porter

A very special & unique family has called this place home for more than fifty years and I could hardly wait to introduce Taylor. Good thing she brought her camera. I love the way she captured the day!

Taylor Porter

At the very heart of the family is Lucille Carloftis, who happens to have an elegant carriage house!  Lucille is a beautiful, strong, elegant woman who warmly welcomes guests to "Come in and stay awhile." She is also quite the storyteller and has recently published her book titled, A Beautiful Journey.

Taylor Porter

The Carloftis homestead is a rolling plot of 50 acres.

It is also home to one of Kentucky's best-kept secrets, The Rockcastle River Trading Company.

Taylor Porter

Remarkable handmade pottery lines the walkway leading up to the barn-red store owned by Lucille and her famed garden designer son, Jon Carloftis.

This place is just as beautiful in late autumn as it was when
 I first visited last spring.

Taylor Porter

To the left of the store, an early American vegetable and herb garden are centered on a restored blacksmith shop.

                           

Taylor Porter

To the right a potting shed, once the centerpiece of the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta, Georgia. This day it was where Granddaughter Carly was serving up her homemade soup!

 Fountains and urns, sundials and ironware are creatively incorporated among the gardens for shoppers to browse and purchase.

Garden tools, statuary, pottery, casual and outdoor furniture, and garden supplies, to satisfy the most discriminating gardener.

A small allee of trees and one of many sweet animals were inviting Taylor up the front steps.

Taylor Porter

At the very heart of the store is Lucille Carloftis. She pays close attention to every detail and Jon personally handpicks the finest goods for both home & garden.

Enter here and you will find Peacock Alley (sheets and bedding), Match (fine Italian pewter tableware, frames, and bathroom accessories), and Vietri (Italian tableware and cookware). While we visited, (see us in the reflection) Lucille wrang me up on her fabulous antique cash register.

You'll also find the best of Palecek and Jamie Young (table and floor lamps), Pre de Provence (French-milled soaps and lotions), Elizabeth W (perfumes from San Francisco), Trapp candles, glass bell jars, and many one of a kind antiques and artisan wares.

As much as she loves to have you look around the shop, she also urges you to roam the grounds and explore the beautiful gardens that Jon has designed to showcase the property. Lucky for us, they were having their annual Holiday Open House.

Before the sun went down, Taylor meandered across the wooden footbridge back through the carriage house from the store, to the back porch of the Carloftis family home.

Taylor Porter

 The house is based on actual historic plans for a Massachusetts saltbox design. Scattered here and there were a few of the outdoor toys & games that all six of the Carloftis children and eight grandchildren have loved on for several generations.

Taylor Porter

Taylor Porter

Taylor Porter

Before heading home, we spent another hour saying our goodbyes to several generations of this warm & friendly, entrepreneurial & adventurous family.

Taylor & I thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Being around them for the day reminded us that the greatest adventure of our lives should always be finding our way back home.

We did.

Lisa Porter

We arrived home to a roaring fire and a hungry bunch at the Porter house.

Lisa Porter

Some hungrier than others.

Lisa Porter

It was just the four of us so dinner preparations were all pulled together the day before.

The turkey was in the oven, the pies were cooling on the rack. The conversations about the day filled the rooms of our beloved home.

Lisa Porter

As Taylor and I were setting the table, my heart was grateful for so much & I was grateful that she gladly wanted to help.

Lisa Porter

Remembering the legacy of love and traditions passed down through generations.

Lisa Porter

Offering grace for the bounty we were about to sit down to.

Lisa Porter

We have so much to be thankful for.  So much about which to smile, so much to share.  So much, that in this season of plenty, all we pray for is that we will not forget what He has done.

Lisa Porter

I hope this Thanksgiving finds you exactly where you want to be & I appreciate that you have taken the time to stop by for a visit.

xo Lisa

Join me at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday to see some of the prettiest tables set by incredible hostesses around the world!

A Beautiful Journey

We had an amazingly beautiful weekend here in the Kentucky Bluegrass.  It's days like this that remind me of why we choose to make this our home.

My good friend Paula and I knew that Saturday was going to be perfect for an afternoon drive down to Livingston, Kentucky. Our destination, the

 Rockcastle River Trading Company. 

We could not have picked a more perfect day for a visit with the gracious proprietress Lucille Carloftis and her incredible family.

Rockcastle River Trading Company is the center of the Carloftis family homestead and a charming place where Lucille and other members of her fine family welcome visitors along US 25 to explore their well-edited selection of gift items, home & garden decor.

 

The beautiful setting encourages you to wander, relax and stay for a while. When we arrived, we were greeted on the patio by Lucille's son, garden designer, Jon Carloftis, and by her darling granddaughter, Carly.

 

Carly & Paula

Paula, who is also a dear friend of the Carloftis family, and I stayed long into the afternoon enjoying pimento sandwiches, homemade cookies, walks throughout the homestead and wonderful family stories with good people who are the epitome of southern hospitality.

 

Lucille's gorgeous cherry tree was in full bloom and served as a lace canopy over the walk from the residence back to the store.

Photo Helen Norman

Lucille will be the first to tell you that she is not a gardener, however, her son Jon Carloftis is an honest-to-goodness gardening celebrity. To quote from her book, A Beautiful Journey, "Momma," he said, "these ladies here in Lexington are real gardeners. Please don't call everything 'bushes.'"

Most days, he is outside like any gardener, getting his hands dirty, whether it's on his own property or on a client’s New York rooftop.

While Carloftis splits his time between Livingston and his home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, he admits he’s made a name for himself designing gardens for “some of the wealthiest people in New York,” but he doesn’t consider that the hallmark of his career.

There is one special place that’s his touchstone. “It’s called the Rockcastle River,” he says. “I can go there, and really get inspired real quick.”

Jon Carloftis is every bit the down-to-earth Kentucky boy he attests to being. He is amazingly humble and told me that he would love to come by and see my garden and stonework next time he is in Lexington!

Despite his hectic schedule, he makes time to speak regularly at Kentucky garden club events, and he has also donated his talents to gardens at the University of Kentucky Arboretum and to Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate.

 Giving back to Kentucky is a way to pay tribute to his family and the source of his lifelong love of nature. For someone to be so committed to giving back to his home state is really inspiring. He has also devoted his many talents towards three incredible books.

Jon's latest book, Beautiful Gardens of Kentucky, which I purchased while there, is one I look forward to sharing with you all.

Paula and I had a delightful afternoon with the Carloftis family. It was such a pleasure to spend time with each and every one of them. Before we said goodbye, Lucille read to me an excerpt from her book, A Beautiful Journey. As I listened, I was reminded of the power of storytelling and that this incredibly gracious woman has a deeply moving story to tell. I look forward to reading and traveling along.

Thank you, Lucille and your kind family for a beautiful afternoon and A Beautiful Journey.
 Lisa

Rockcastle River Trading Company.

Located off I-75 at exit 49 on US 25, or a leisurely drive down US 25 south past Livingston on the left just before the Laurel County bridge.

606-843-0854

Jon Carloftis