Here are some pictures of Ampersand House, a tiny shelter our son, Willy Schlein, designed for us as a writers’ retreat. It’s constructed on a bridge spanning a stream in our back yard. While not a house in the usual sense of the word, it is roofed to protect against the rain, and screened in to protect against mosquitos.
We can use it nine months of the year as a sanctuary, and the built-in benches are large enough so that two people can use it as a sleep-out shelter with sleeping bags.
There is nothing better than an afternoon in Ampersand House with a good book; the noise of the stream below and the birds all around me are delightful. And the nicest touch of all is the metal roof, so that we can listen to the patter on the roof in rainy weather.
Alice Schlein