Reynolds are happy at home in Madison
Photos by Joshua Berry
During the past couple of decades, Jim and Dianne Reynolds have found the Edgewater community is a wonderful place to live. “There are activities at the clubhouse for the entire family and space to come together as a community to prepare bags for Christmas luminaries, a book club or special interest group,” Dianne said. “The neighbors are friendly and always have time to stop and talk about the weather, the ducks at the lake, the benefits of exercise or to share the best places to buy plants and shrubs – or a good pizza.”
Into the woods
The quiet, woodsy setting of the Edgewater development lured the Reynolds to move to the neighborhood more than 20 years ago.
“As we traveled Zierdt Road, we would often see deer standing on the side of the road or peeking from the woods,” Dianne said. “We learned to drive slowly as they would sometimes run out in front of the car to get to the other side. The lake that could be seen from Zierdt Road was cool and inviting.”
The Reynolds’ home features traditional brick construction with a flat front. The house has 3,400 square feet: Four bedrooms and baths are upstairs, while the downstairs living space includes a den, living and dining rooms and powder room, along with the kitchen and breakfast area. Gleaming hardwood floors reflect sunlight that streams through banks of windows.
Attuned to nature
Large mature trees shade the house’s back deck. Jim and Dianne devote time to sitting at their patio tables and watching the birds at the feeders or drinking water from the birdbaths. Mounds of azaleas yield bountiful flowers along the west fence line.
“In season, a vegetable garden – if we are lucky – yields delicious tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers,” Dianne said. “I thoroughly enjoy gardening and spend many hours planting and weeding. We planted a Japanese Maple in the front of the house last year to replace a crape myrtle that died, and it is growing beautifully.”
Casual elegance
The kitchen is Dianne’s favorite room in their house. “Because the kitchen is on the back of the house, I can watch the birds at the feeders,” she said. “I can see the antics of the squirrels and chipmunks as they chase each other around the backyard and up and down the trees. I can watch the deer as they move through the woods.”
Dianne’s decorating style combines formal and informal motifs. Their den blends both of these themes.
“The dining room is traditionally formal in furnishings, but the china cabinet is used to house some of the many cookbooks I collect and occasionally cook from, small figurines, paintings and plates,” she said.
When prepared for a festive meal with friends, the dining table’s impeccable setting starts with starched white linen tablecloth and napkins. Golden chargers hold fine china, flanked by crystal stemware and polished silverware. Bright, fresh flowers anchored with fern and euonymus complete the stunning decor.
As time goes by
“We have lived here in Madison for 23 years and have watched it grow into a bustling city with its own successful school system, hospital, movie theatre and state-of-the-art library,” Dianne said. “Jim and I are both retired – he from the Army Corp of Engineers and I from the Huntsville City School System. We both enjoy being community volunteers, and I enjoy best of all being a ‘cuddler’ in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Huntsville Hospital.
“Jim was born right down the road in Florence, and I am from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,” Dianne added. “We moved to Alabama in 1970 when Jim, after military service, returned to his previous job at Redstone Arsenal.”
