It cooled down at night and fans/AC kept the inside cool during the day. We had been worried the river would be low, but the two deep swimming holes on the property were filled – each of large pool size. Between these, lots of less deep water for playing. Bring swim shoes. A bigger swimming hole, with rope swing, is up by the main road. There also is beautiful Bucks lake, 20 miles away, and much higher up, so cooler. We never managed to walk to the Keddie Wye overlook, but the trains whistled perhaps once an hour, less at night -- a background sound that did not disturb anyone’s sleep.
The house was nicely decorated and came with everything one might have forgotten to buy for the kitchen (spices, oil, s’more set, tomatoes from Ember's greenhouse). There is a good barbecue on the shady porch facing the river, where one can easily laze away the hot summer days (the porch is not clearly visible on the photos, but a great feature in the heat). There are sunny terraces, down by the river, including one with table, twinkly lights and wood-fired oven for s’mores, where we had our dinners. The owners live next door, 10 feet away. They were not intrusive, very friendly and helpful whenever approached. River, the dog, is large and calm, a good addition to life on the porch. There is a house on the other side of the river, half-hidden in trees, but we only saw a guy on the weekend, with guitar and campfire, adding to the ambience.
We came on a three-generation holiday and the one thing that did not work were the sleeping arrangements. We wanted bedrooms/living space on the same floor, to make life easier with a senior. In the event, the only bedroom that worked for the 90-year-old was the beautiful, spacious master bedroom, with dressing room and en-suite. Bedroom 2 has no windows and a bed so tall, only our teenagers could access it. Bedroom 3 has small bunkbeds, in which an adult cannot sit up. My husband and I ended up in there... For parents with kids or a single couple the space works fine, but for us, or two couples, it is difficult. I believe Ember is planning to work on the beds to make the space more versatile.
The water: It does smell funky fresh from the faucet but is fine after a sec (gas from the well?) so let it sit a bit. There is a red residue (iron?), so don't do a white wash... We used it for cooking, toothbrushing, coffee, ice cubes etc, and bought bottled water at Safeway to drink. Really not a problem!
