Neighboring properties on tour

Two of the properties on this year’s Quilts in the Garden Tour are located in Sage Meadow, next door to each other.

Both have beautiful unobstructed views from house and backyard, of cattle grazing in the bucolic Indian Ford Meadow, with Mount Jefferson standing in the distance.

When Marti Ayers and Al Scheidigger bought their home on 1.6 acres nine years ago, there was a fence between their yard and the neighbors, so they created an opening in the fence to be more neighborly. Guests on the tour will be able to use that gateway to move between the two properties.

The Ayers/Scheidigger home is a lovely two-story furnished with a fun Western flair, with lots of interesting angles and plenty of large windows, Al’s two favorite features of the house.

“I enjoy the way the windows let the outside in,” said Al.

Marti loves the beautiful wood-burning fireplace, which they installed after purchasing the house.

“My favorite thing is to have the fireplace going and enjoying a hot cup of tea in front of it,” Marti said.

Visitors on the tour will have the opportunity to appreciate all the wonderful features in this home as the entire house will be open to tour.

After Al purchased the home for them, Marti left the sunny beaches of Florida in January, having never seen the house, arriving to a Central Oregon winter. That may explain her fondness for the fireplace.

Prior to purchase of the home, it had been a rental for a while and the yard had been neglected. Al, who does his own yard work, rescued an overgrown water feature in the backyard, built new decks upstairs and down, and removed plants in the front yard to make room for a new deck. He also built log benches that provide seating in an outdoor fire pit in the back yard. In addition to the double waterfall feature and a hot tub, the backyard has a lovely wooden deck perfect for entertaining and family gatherings.

Marti told The Nugget, “Al can really grow lawn!” The evidence is visible in the lush green turf surrounding the house.

When deciding on new plants, their philosophy is, “Let’s see if the deer won’t eat it,” as the neighborhood is full of deer.