Kim Williams - Bio
I am a swf married to 2 horses ... 3 cats ... 3 dogs ... mother of one gorgeous daughter Lynne Drake (45) who I had at a very young age. She in turn has 2 boys ... Elija (18) and Ryan (25) which made me a g ... ma ... at a very young age. Needless to say ... we don't use that word but instead my little darlings call me "MOM"! Now Ryan has 2 little ones, Sinaj and Amir, so let's not talk about what that makes me now...
I was born from 2 very hard working Aries parents. My mom, Irene Williams, was a tremendously successful Interior Designer and my dad Byron S. Williams was a true music man. His talent for music ran through every vein in his body. They were both late night basement dwellers ... my mom matching fabrics with carpets and paint and wall paper and ... and my dad in his basement repairing instruments with these iddy biddy screws that amazed me as he shook so bad with tremors I had no idea how he did it.
Thanks to them I have always pursued a love of houses and music ... You might still find me blasting some pretty heavy rock music in the late hours of the night... of course after quite a few wines.
My love of houses has never stopped even through 9 yrs of renting before acquiring Windjammer's. My craving is so strong I think that is why I have worked so hard everywhere I have rented in the yard ... my need to make things beautiful is not controllable.
From the time I can remember myself ... I started out very shy and timid. All that changed when I was 11 and my drop dead gorgeous tall handsome step brother with long hair in a pony tail started introducing me to some COOL MUSIC ... Ahh yes ... the little girl crush ... the album that I remember most was FREE "Fire & Water" ... my love of tall men with pony tails has never stopped.
It was also then I got my first horse "Jake". I only had him a short time. Then there was "Tuskin".
Left to right: Eli, Me, Ryan, Lynne
So along comes my daughter ... she and I had quite a rough spot as I was still trying to figure things out...I grew up an only child and hated it ... the loneliness ... going to private schools ... no neighborhood friends ... so when Lynne came along, my fear of her suffering the same thing and my new found self being miss personality drove me to a life with roommates ... and not just a few of them. My daughter didn't share the same sentiment and sadly it had made her feel less loved somehow.
She was only 22 months old when my beautiful blue eyed blond sister Dee had died at the age of 38 from a massive heart attack. She left behind a son Michael who was only 14 months old. I had just left my husband and moved home when this happened. Michael and his dad came to live with us on and off for about 5 years. I was happy the kids had each other for quite a few years and happy I had them.
It was then I worked at Ox Ridge Hunt Club in Darien. I couldn't work the show aisle as I wanted my weekends home, so ... they gave me the funny Dressage people, who usually come during the week. I then worked with Karl Mikolka at William Steinkraus' Estate. I met Karl at a horse show in Long Island and with his strong German accent he said "would you please come to feed my horses". When I found out who he was, I was totally in aw. Karl was from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, his stature on a horse was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. This is where I really started to love this "Fancy Flat Work".
I then worked at barn in Greenwich..got thrown from a cookoo horse, fractured a vertebrae in my back and finished that with a quit/fired situation. That then led me to working at Food Emporium...that was actually the longest stint I did with a JOB ... 3 years later ... I had HAD IT ... punching a time clock and working inside ... NOPE not for me.
In 1980 my dear friend Walter and I had opened 2 dress stores in Norwalk, which of course my mom financed. It was in this time when I got my beloved "Royal". Due to the previous situation with my mom I had not even told her about him ... my friends blew my cover because they kept calling the store ... oh is she riding?! She finally asked me "Do you have a horse?" That is where my public life with him began.
In 1983, I started the "Cleaning Squad" and became one of the most respected cleaning services in Fairfield County. I cleaned most of the first built houses ... well mansions, in Conyers Farm including the residences of Michael Moye, Ron Howard, Vince McMahon, Henry de Kwiatkowski ... and many more.
In 1999 I was tired of driving to Greenwich in my sleep ... so quit that and started KBW Designs website design, which I am still presently doing.
In 1996 my mom had passed away after her battle with Alzheimer's. She had left me some money which helped me to buy my 3rd house on my own. The 2 previous homes she had bought, we worked together and sometimes not, on renovating both of them. My last Norwalk house I had to tear myself out of as it was a showplace when I got done. It was full of love and friends almost 24/7, but the $3500 month mortgage was quick to do me in. Sadly, I left my friends behind which still tears at my heart strings.
So, I wound up in Guilford ... and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT UP HERE on the shoreline! In 2004 my boyfriend Mike at the time wanted to buy the house so we could lower payments and do some needed things on the house. It was then I decided I wanted to publish "Excursionz Magazine". He helped me tremendously to make it a reality. 15,000 copies and 3 weeks later ... they were gone! Everyone loved them! Due to the downfall of the economy I was never able to publish again ... but ... you never know.
The economy took its toll on Mike's job and he went back to Alabama abandoning the house to just try to save himself. It was very very sad. All my attempts to save the house failed and that is where my next 9 years begins.
It began with a move to a motel for a year and 1/2, then to my office for 6 months, then to a property in Killingworth, where we did massive massive amounts of property clean up. We left there and went to Clinton which was an old historic home circa 1740. I was so terrified there were "OTHERS" there I slept downstairs on the couch for over a week until I finally braved the trip upstairs. Little did I know we would fall in love with this property and hence the Farm Idea was born. We also did massive clean up to the property as it had been horribly neglected. The parents passed and the 3 sons were all spread over the world, so it was just waiting for a new owner. While we were there we studied the history of the home and learned about the gardens that the mother who lived there so beautifully created, trying to bring back what was once there, but sadly after 2 years and a second too late offer we made, the owners had already taken another offer on the property. We were terribly terribly broken hearted, especially after I lost my famed "Royal", shortly thereafter my rottie "Tyson" and also one of my kitties, "Ellie."
We wound up for a short time in Killingworth again, then Clinton and then Guilford, never losing sight of doing the Windjammer's Farm Project, which I am so grateful I did. We are finally here!
So I think that covers it ... plus some!
Thank you very very much... Kim, Tito, Rob, Diamond, Chloe, Ariel, Stretch, Rocky, Mitch & Marty!
In Memory of Royal Windjammer, Regal, Tyson and Ellie
