Splendidness

I took this picture from the deck of a little old cottage on the side of a hill. The cottage is old. It was placed on the side of a crumbling hill and has stood there for near on 80 years. The hill is slowly falling onto the beach below. Already the concrete steps that used to go down to the beach have disappeared.



The floors in the cottage are no longer level - evidence of a hill that is slumping. The cottage is little. Not much room here. The plumbing is old. The floors are old. The windows and the roof are old. The atmosphere is old, full of character and the walls are full of the stories of the people who have sought shelter under her roof.
But this splendid little cottage holds a little secret. If you take your eyes away from the decay and turn around, you'll find a lovely view that rich people might pay millions for. I have no doubt that they would swoop in and knock the little cottage down and build a mansion not worthy of the history of this place.

Turn around and the view is worth millions. It remains the same year after year, with the encroaching growth of the trees and vines, but the picture stays unchanged. And that is what makes the little old cottage worth millions.