Welcome to my second home, The Back Porch, situated in Harrison Hot Springs, BC.
Guys, I totally forgot about this amazing photo shoot! This is Part 2 of our recent getaway to Harrison during our Easter weekend. You are in for SUCH a treat!
Part 1 – Junkin’ at Rusty’s is HERE
(click for larger pictures)
The Back Porch is a family owned multi business that offers pottery, basket weaving, roasted coffee, junk, and so much more! It’s situated in one of the most mountain surrounded beautiful areas in BC, Harrison Hot Springs, a nearby lake resort.
I call it my second home because I’ve never felt so at home in a place other than my own as I do right here. I tell ya… this is the perfect setup for creative types that love wide open spaces.
Wait.. grab a coffee or something first, because this is one of those tours where you need to take your time!
The property hosts quite a few cool buildings, one being the pottery studio. LOVE this building and it’s always my first stop.
The studio is used for basket weaving / pottery / roasting coffee beans. The coffee’s always fresh, hot and ready to jump into your hand right before you start browsing.
I’m crazy in love with this unique building. And I’ll admit, the owners Dan and Lynda feel like my family at this point!
We had a super cool treat waiting for us inside this round though. Hand made basket weaving was in full throttle. I’d never seen it done before and you can bet my camera had to start clickin’.
First, this round spiderweb looking base is created…
… then longer twigs are added, pinched, then bent upwards, to create the sides of the baskets.
Oh my gosh… seriously… every bit is hand done. Did you know baskets can’t be woven by machines? So when you see a basket, someone did that by hand. I hadn’t realized that.
Now, the law of the land here is you can’t leave the property without a couple bags of their dark chocolate covered coffee beans. Talk about a jolt of awesome!
I’ve taken photos of the inside of the studio before which you can see HERE. But I just had to capture that branch basket hanger, attached to the ceiling. I want one! The basket too! Ok, the pottery as well!
Touring the outside of the building is every bit as fun as the indoors. Junk details beg for a good long photoshoot.
Oh please… this physically hurts! Isn’t that bucket planter magnificent?! I want to paint one like that!
These pots and galvanized something or others (feed buckets?) are also waiting for strawberries again, perhaps? (how they looked last year HERE)
I have to laugh. When Dan saw me with my camera, he knew what was goin’ on again. And always replies, “You always make our place look better than it really is!”
I beg to differ, my friend.
Growing season had just begun, so for now, this tuba had faux flowers inside. Isn’t that the coolest idea for a garden feature though?
We’re now approaching Junk Alley… I made that up, but you’ll see why soon. This is across the lane from the studio.
“Honey, I’m home!” Oh I wish… this is the antiques building that was built for types just like me.
This building has anything and everything in it. Loving the antique oil cans. Why did I leave them behind?! Don’t you hate when you take pictures but don’t really see what you’re shooting because you’re too busy taking pictures?! Must go back!
My guess would be blue handled rolling pins must be rare because this is the first one I’ve seen.
Ahh… nothing like a lettered up antique wooden clothes hanger.
That’s one sweet crackle finish on that cabinet! Isn’t it a beauty?
I so wanted to lug this day bed home for the garden! How fun would that be to plant in?
Antique metal headboards make wonderful fences and gates. I already have 5 so I left these behind. But it wasn’t easy!
Meet John. He may be a little blue but he’s a delight all the same. Yup, it’s a real working outhouse with a rusty chandelier inside too!
Pretty sweet view.
Eye spy… do you see what I see?
Who wouldn’t want a greenhouse completely made from gorgeous old windows like this?! And you know I had to snoop inside for closer inspection.
See that one big side window that makes up an entire wall?
Prime snooping for certain! There’s one on the other side too! Coolest. Building. EVER.
Dan, thank-you for building all my little buildings for me for when I move in one day. Just wonderful!
Hey goats! How’s things? You sure have a nice yard and creek there! Do you know how lucky you are?!
(cranking the shutter up right NOW)….
“Heeee hee hee yeah, we know! Heeey, you should moooove here!”
Yeah, I know.
These guys crack me up. As soon as they see you, they bolt towards you. 99% of the pictures I took had them hopping in mid air or just catching crazy horn or ear shots. Spin and Cycle. I like it.
I’ve just decided you guys can stay when we move in too!
Oh please, please move into my home, rusty water trough! I want to fill you right up with either a pond or soil for one crazy cool raised garden.
Here we go, let’s just throw you in the wagon and pull you home with the tractor. Shall we book your move in now or later?
Ah… Dan and Lynda, just leave it where it is. Then we don’t have to move it again for when I move in and all…
This place is totally Funky Junk Approved! I need to make a stamp… and then go across North America (world is fine too) finding all the best places to check out. Yeah.. that would be quite a tour… don’t go daring me now or I might have to! (chuckle…)
FANTASTIC!!!! I sub’d you on FB and HAD to come see junkin’ !! I gotta go check out the first par tho…some how missed that! thanks for sharing and awesome place!!! Dream come true!!!
What a place! I wish I could be there, I’m too too far away though!
Donna that place is just amazing! And those baskets really are beautiful. Talented people! I agree, it’s in move-in condition! Really a spectacular junkers paradise, thanks so much for all those photos since the chance of ever getting there is pretty remote! I can see why you visit there regularly!!
Awesome photo shoot~makes me want to jump in the car and drive from FL~forget the beach~junking with Donna is amazing!Sign me up for all junk tours..(Glad I didn’t have to pay for gas on today’s journey~we are on a budget!)Oh the magic of blogs!
Fantastic. How I wish I lived closer. Anyone know of places like that in Arkansas?
So much fun! What a treasure of a place. You don’t find places like that very often 🙂
So extremely jealous. I live in the piney woods of east Texas and you would think I would be able to find a place like this. Nope!!!
What a wonderful adventure! My budget is really glad I wasn’t with you that day! 🙂
Oh man!! I didn’t even take photos of what I brought home… what was I thinking?!
What a treat this must have been…goats and all! Does your son travel along and enjoy these stops as much as you? My kids would give me about 5 minutes, way back when. Beautiful spot, with the snow capped mountains in the background. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers!,
Barbara
Hey Barbara! He came along this one but does resist at first. Until he gets some chocolate or coffee or feed for the chickens and goats. It’s all part of the process with a teen I suppose. 🙂
He doesn’t adore my junk world so I make it worth his while… part 3 will be heading for the beach where there’s FOOD.
Moms of teens know what to do about this situation… 🙂
HA! At first read I thought you had made a typo:
“Old metal head boards make great fences or gates”
because, you know, the EXACT OPPOSITE IS ALSO TRUE!
“Old metal gates or fences make excellent HEADBOARDS!”
hahah!
🙂
-breida
It’s such a mixed up world us junkers live in! Everything I have has 5 titles to it… “The old crate licence plate shelf toilet paper holder thing that could also be a….”
Google must love me. 🙂
Love the place and your pics! Every picture quickly turned into my favorite thing! Thanks for sharing.
It was your first post on this wonderful place that introduced me to your blog back in 2011.
I have been there often and have a bed, a child’s wagon, a huge wagon wheel, a 6ft long 2 man saw and many smaller saws, bags and bags of hot, spicy garlic and many more things through years at my home.
This is a really great stop on a trip to the Harrison area which of course must include an ice cream cone at the nearby dairy.
Absolutely beautiful! Wish I could make a trip to Canada and to The Back Porch – a love affair at first site! 🙂 Would love to meet you too someday! Really love following your website and reading all of your wonderful junk posts!
I would stand the water trough on end, cut custome shelving out and put them in and put it in the house. Look at these pictures is like taking a walk in heaven.
Judy
What a blast, Donna! Thanks for the awesome tour!
Jeanette @ Creating a Life
Oh… my junkers heaven for sure!
didn’t you just hate to leave?!
Pat
Wish I lived close enough to drive over to visit. Looks like a great place to shop. I love the green house.
The boyfriend and I always stop and visit when we go out to Harrison sometimes I pick up some items I do like to explore all the buildings.
Denise
Amazing place!
D.
What a great day you had! Love all the photos you shared of this amazing place. Can’t wait to see what you brought home with you and what you create.
Have a very Happy Mothers Day!
Susan@RusticReDiscovered
I forgot to mention what I brought home… oops!! A ton of burlap coffee bean sacks for one, that I used on my pallet chair. 🙂
I sooooooo dare you to take a funky junk tour of the states. Primarily Colorado and Florida. CO has great junk! I LOVE the old wagon and daybed!!
I witnessed a phenomenon in Southern US and wondered whether it’s made it’s way north to Canada or anywhere else in the US. Bottle Trees! You must see some awesome bottles on your junk junkets. I wrote a very tongue in cheek post about it Embrace Prohibition – A New Englander’s View of Bottle Trees. http://wp.me/p13Md6-sY
Bottle trees are growing on me and I find myself eye recycling bins for colorful glass…but I haven’t made my move yet.
What a cool place!! I can see why you love it!! I dream of traveling the world pickin’ treasures all the time. Wouldn’t that be fun?
YES! That’s my dream too, Shelly! To load up the travel trailer and hit the road, visiting all the cool little hidden towns and their junk haunts. Totally!
How Fun!!! I wish I lived nearby. Thanks for the tour.
Just found your blog Donna and have been checking out old posts! As I live in chilliwack and am a fellow junker! I’m hooked! Definitely have to take another trip to Harrison and check this out! Aren’t we blessed to live in this gorgeous area???!
Awesome blog entry! This entry inspired us to check out The Back Porch while at Harrison Hot Springs and we loved it!
Here’s our short entry of it:
http://passportplease.ph/2015/03/25/the-back-porch-harrison-hot-springs-hole-in-the-wall-flame-roasted-coffee-pottery-and-more/
Looking forward to more of your interesting posts!
This is going to sound crazy, but that looks like my truck in the parking lot! I think we were there the same time when you went. 🙂 Glad you got to take it in! Wasn’t it a cool place?!