March 2011 was a cold, cloudy day and I rushed to finish painting before I froze, even though I wore a heavy jacket and gloves that had cut off fingertips.

The two stone cottages sat next to a slick new million dollar a unit condo on one side, an older apartment building on the other side, and a parking lot in front. I imagined what it must have been like before all the new buildup, put the cottages on a grassy hill, added stone steps, and popped the violet of the hill against the gold of last year's leaves.