Cedar Hill Farmhouse

updated COUNTRY FRENCH

Picnic on the Deck

By 39 Comments

The deck is finished and I wanted to share our picnic with you.

Since everything has to be carried down to the deck, I decided that regular dishes and glasses would not be a good long-term solution to outdoor dining at the deck.  So yes, I did it.  I bought more dishes.  These are camping dishes that are not going to break if they clink together on the trip down to the deck.  There’s no electricity or indoor plumbing out here, and whatever we haul down, needs to be hauled back, even the trash.

I brought this little table down here so we would have a place to serve the food and drinks.  Do I need to mention that I got it from Peggy?

And yes, these are not photos from the spring,  it really is this green by the creek now.  No sign of a drought down here by the creek.

You can hear the babbling sounds of the creek, although it is at least 20 feet down from here.

I am hoping to paint these chairs and table soon, but haven’t gotten to it yet.  And the color certainly didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying our little picnic. This vase below is from Ikea.

I used some simple Baby’s Breath since we didn’t have anything blooming at the ranch right now.  Normally we still have flowers blooming even in the fall (not Bluebonnets but other flowers.)  I have seen some brave souls peeking through the parched hay, but they weren’t large enough for an arrangement, so I bought these at the store.

We have the table set for the soup.

Yes, glasses would have been more elegant, but here we are “roughing it” so we are using cups for water and coffee.  Baskets are great for loading up food and dishes to carry to the deck.  Even my fifteen-year-old doesn’t mind helping to carry a pretty basket filled with yummies.  The deck is about 1/4 a mile from the house.

I bought the pots and pans and coffee pot when we first bought our ranch.  There was a 100-year old house on the property, but it had no electricity or running water.  Green Acres seemed like a luxury hotel to us, since on Green Acres Lisa and Oliver actually had water and electricity.  (I’ll show you pictures of our old farmhouse in a later post.)  So we bought a cook stove and used these pots and pans to cook at the old farm house, before we splurged and got electricity to the pole near the house.  We still needed a 100-ft electrical cord to get the electricity from the pole to the house.

Let me just say this that my idea of camping is using a modern kitchen to prepare the meal, and simplying transporting the food down to the creek.  But since there aren’t any facilities by the creek, if anyone needs to “go”, it is a long trek back to the house, so hmmm, maybe I can get my potty chair down here.  Oh don’t worry, I was just kidding.

We will probably put a grill down here at some point, but for right now, we aren’t allowed to use it any way because of the wildfire risk.

This drink dispenser works well for tea or water.

I used some simple rustic napkins tied together with a little bit of raffia.

I hope you can get the perspective of the photos, that the deck is really essentially a treehouse.

And tha concludes our tour of the deck “dining room,”  I’ll show you the “living room” later!!

To see previous posts on the deck, click here and here.

Shared here
Wow us Wednesdays
Get Wired Wednesday
Open House Party Thursday and No Minimalist Here

{Primp}

Comments

  6. Amy Kinser says

    This is a wonderful place to dine! Love your red and white tablecloth and the red camp dishes. Very practical and great looking.

    I would love to come dine with you in those trees and listen to that creek. It is all just wonderful.

    Reply

  7. Betsy (BB) says

    Anita, It looks like a magazine photo shoot! I love everything! It reminds me of being in a fantastic tree house! Your red dishes are perfect and I love the Baby’s Breath in the enamel pitcher!

    Reply

  8. Ginger Zuck says

    If you get two comments from me, forgive me, but my first did not show up. Any who — By the end of your photos, it looks like a tree house! Love your deck, love the red & white tablecloth and the dishes are way cool.

    Reply

  11. THE FARMHOUSE PORCH says

    Thank you so much for adding me to your blog role, that’s awesome! I wanted to tell you…I framed a painting this morning, the same size as your pear, with an antique frame I had laying around. It fit perfectly. Should you choose to frame your pear I think you’ll be able to find a ready made frame…maybe even an antique frame.

    Thank you for everything, and for the new friendship! If you ever need another painting let me know. I do well painting from pictures too, so if you find a landscape or a pet picture or a still life you want done let me know. Even a sketch . And if you have any friends that are looking don’t hesitate to send them my way. I just got a new assignment painting an english equestrian painting for a teenage girl’s room. But the colors have to be primary colors with teal. Hmmm…this will be a challange. Haha

    I have exciting news…A gallery wants to hang some of my paintings! It’s a really nice gallery too…so I’m excited. In the art world, this brings up the value of your paintings. Not that they’ll make you millions, but hey. My biggest issue right now is production. I just don’t seem to have enough hours in the day.:) I’m working on a huge painting right now of 3 crushed soda cans. Sounds odd, but trust me…very cool!

    I’ll post the details on my blog when it is installed at the gallery.

    ♥Linsey

    Reply

  12. Mary says

    Wow … I LOVED the tour! You really live in the middle of paradise. And for the record … there are never enough reasons to buy new dishes.

    You have a new follower and I’ll add you to my blog roll.
    Mary

    Reply

  14. Aimee says

    I love your deck and totally want a white metal pitcher for flowers!!! Thanks for your sweet note on my fireplace makeover post!!!

    Aimee @ ItsOverflowing

    Reply

  15. Tracey says

    I love this spot!! How beautiful, like a tree house… the dishes, coffee pot, and serving dishes are absolutely perfect! You have created such a welcoming space for friends and family to gather. I love the choice of color and the patterns you used. I wish I could join you for a meal!

    Reply

  18. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    I love those red camping dishes. Perfect for your wonderful deck in the woods. So you don’t have any fall color yet. We are past peek here except for a few trees that are just starting to change. What a pretty setting you have there.

    Reply

  26. Veronica says

    This is pure magic! Well worth lugging everything back and forth for! What an amazing retreat you have created!

    Veronica
    Tassels Twigs and Tatebuds

    Reply

  27. The White Farmhouse says

    I have always loved enamel ware dishes but you got my heart racing having them in red! How pretty are those! I am on the hunt for some now. Your treehouse deck looks so lovely. I like the chairs the color they are!

    Reply

  30. Cozy Home Scenes says

    I’ve always loved those camp dishes. Maybe because they seem Little House On The Prairie-ish to me. I bet enjoying a meal out by the creek is wonderful in this weather.

    Just wanted you to know that I gave you the versatile blogger award today. More details are on my blog if you’d like to accept it.

    Thank you for sharing Holly’s picture on facebook yesterday too!

    Reply

  34. Michele Smith says

    What a beautiful picnic, I love the red dishes.
    I must ask, did y’all tear down the 100 year old farmhouse? If so did you salvage any of it or incorporate it into the ranch?
    I adore your land, it reminds me of my Nanny’s in Caldwell. We actually drove out there our last trip, brought back so many memories.
    Michele

    Reply

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