W H E N W E H IT
T H E BRIDGE
O VER LA ZA R ETTO
CREEK, W E ROLL
D O W N TH E
W IN D O W S ,
IN H A LE TH E
SALT AIR, A N D
a l l o w O u r s e l v e s
A M O M E N T OF
BLISS. IT ’S TYBEE
T IM E A G A IN , AT
LEAST FOR A FEW
IDYLLIC DAYS.
It became clear pretty quickly that our budget would demand a
fixer-upper. W e had made offers on four houses before, and each
time the sellers laughed. Finally, the real estate agent suggested I
look at a house that had just come on the market. Painted a hideous
egg-yolk yellow w ith circus-blue trim, it was a concrete block box,
circa
1943
, sitting in a weed-filled yard. The inside was no b ette r-
crumbling linoleum tile floors, block walls covered w ith Con-Tac
paper or cheap paneling. The bathrooms w ere health hazards, the
kitchen deplorable. The screen porch was lined w ith discarded
Opposite:
A heart pine dining
table and mismatched chairs
seat the crowd that gathers
for beach weekends. Mary
Kay’s husband, Tom,
inset,
is
the family seafood chef.
Top:
A mint-green paint job, picket
fence, and hot-pink door take
the 1940s cottage back to its
glory.
Above:
Daughter Katie
Abel whisks in snacks from
the kitchen.
Right.
Years of
collecting cast-off furniture
and vintage accessories gave
Mary Kay the “funky junky
retro coastal vibe” she wanted.
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
JUNE 2010
39
'
L
i l l u l i
