“The best location on the Eastern Shore” is how John Anderson describes the home he and his wife, Sharon, own in Easton, Md.
On protected Leeds Creek, their property is across the Miles River from St. Michaels, which is less than 4 miles by boat.
“We often cruise over, tie up at the [Chesapeake Bay] Maritime Museum and eat at The Crab Claw,” says Anderson, who is 72 and retired from the marketing and advertising industry.
After 17 years of enjoying life in Easton, the Andersons want to downsize and move closer to their children and grandchildren. They have their ranch-style four-bedroom, three-bath home, attached two-car garage and swimming pool on 2.35 acres for sale for $895,000. Their 228-foot waterfront has a dock, ramp and float with 4-foot depths at mean low water, two 8,000-pound boat lifts and a personal watercraft lift.
A stone patio connects the garage with the main entrance and foyer, which opens into the open-plan living-dining area. A wall of glass overlooking the creek dominates the room and opens to the screened porch. Built-in shelving and cabinets provide decorative storage and buffer the bedroom wing. The mirrored wall above the fireplace reflects the water views.
Only a granite-topped island separates the dining room from the kitchen, which is lined with pickled wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances. Both Andersons enjoy the kitchen’s spaciousness, convenient layout and access to the garage.
The adjacent breakfast nook’s brick wall features a wood stove, which creates “a very homey atmosphere in winter,” Anderson says.
In the summer they spend much time on the screened porch, which has a vaulted wood ceiling and stone floor. “It’s so quiet here. We love to watch the many birds — from herons and ospreys to songbirds and wild turkeys,” he says.
In the winter they watch the birds through the wall of glass sliders in the enclosed slate-floored sun porch off the dining room.
Beyond the other end of the living room is the bedroom wing — a waterfront master bedroom with a private tiled full bath, a second tiled full bath and two bedrooms, one of which the Andersons use for an office.
A two-bedroom, handicapped-accessible one-bath apartment with private front and rear entrances adjoins the bedroom wing. Interior access is through the sitting/game room, which has a beamed ceiling and a waterfront window wall.
Outdoors, a path leads from the house to the arbor gate to the in-ground swimming pool. The encircling thorny shrubs and picket fence sections provide privacy and protection. The pool’s concrete patio amply holds picnic benches and lounge chairs. The family also enjoys gathering around the nearby fire pit.
The dock, which has power and water, is only steps across the landscaped lawn. Anderson, a fisherman, keeps his 20-foot center console on one lift. “It’s only 25 to 30 minutes to the open bay,” he says, and he frequently seeks rockfish there.
The house has central air conditioning, an electric heat pump, a private well and a septic system. Annual taxes are about $6,000.
Coard Benson (cellphone, 410-310-4909) of Benson and Mangold Real Estate in Easton (410-822-1415, www.bensonandmangold.com) lists the property.
November 2014 issue
