Our Iconic Home Story

Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photos by Matthew Renfro

Every issue of PK Magazine features an iconic home that’s worthy of a mention to family and friends when they visit Possum Kingdom Lake, and this time around it also features an iconic family that is somewhat of a unicorn at PK.

Michael and Claire Avidon are part of a small group of younger families who are working, raising their children and building their lives at Possum Kingdom Lake.

Many young families come to the lake on the weekends, or during the summer season, but the Avidons have chosen to live at PK full time because they can’t think of a better place to raise their children.

The Avidons met at Texas A&M in 2011, where they both majored in economics. Michael Avidon graduated from A&M in 2012, a year before his wife, and the couple married in 2015. They have three children: 8-year-old Asher, and 6-year-old twins Liam and Harper.

Michael Avidon grew up in Keller, Texas, but Possum Kingdom has almost always been part of his life. As a child he visited the lake many times, and during college he had friends whose families owned a home in The Harbor community. That connection eventually led him to an internship with the developer at The Harbor, and it was that opportunity that quietly planted the seed within him for a much bigger decision.

At the same time, his wife had never even visited Possum Kingdom.

Michael Avidon initially moved to Houston for work after college, but corporate life didn’t hold his attention for long. After about a year selling coordinate measuring machines, he got a call to return to The Harbor as a full-time sales associate, and he made a sudden decision to quit his job the next day.

The couple rented a U-Haul and headed to PK, and it was Valentine’s Day 2014 when Michael Avidon drove north to Possum Kingdom with a simple plan: spend a couple of years working at The Harbor development, then eventually return to corporate America in sales or economics.

“That two-year plan obviously changed,” he said.

The couple’s children live a different lifestyle than youngsters who grow up in the city and attend traditional public schools. Claire Avidon said she always wanted to be a mom, and PK lets her raise their children faith-based, healthy, and with a nature-based lifestyle that includes homeschooling.

The game room and home school classroom is where Claire and the kids spend may hours.

She said homeschooling wasn’t originally on her radar, but over time she found mentors in Graham and other homeschool families who introduced her to the idea. She said she eventually she discovered the Charlotte Mason philosophy, an education style that emphasizes literature, nature and experiential learning. That approach resonated with her immediately, she said, and the family’s school days now begin with hymns, poetry and Scripture, followed by readings and discussions. The children’s lessons often move outdoors, she said, including sometimes to the porch, sometimes into the yard and sometimes into the garden.

“We want them learning from living books, from nature, and from people who came before us,” she said.

The classroom for the kids takes them out in the dirt and nature. Photo contributed by Claire Avidon.

Each of the couple’s children gravitates toward different strengths, she said, noting that Asher excels in math, Harper loves reading, and Liam thrives outdoors and proudly helped grow one of their garden’s best onion crops last year.

Many afternoons Claire and the kids enjoy learning in the backyard space. Photo contributed by Claire Avidon

Afternoon lessons can include piano practice, speech therapy appointments in Graham, Spanish lessons, or time with a homeschool group inspired by the works of Charles Dickens. Sometimes, she also noted, school ends with the youngsters covered in mud.

The Avidons visit their neighbors’ chickens next to the Harbor, grow seasonal crops in their gardens, and involve their children in planning what gets planted each year, including peppers, tomatoes, herbs and whatever else catches their imagination. Claire Avidon said she became interested in healthy cooking during high school and college, and added that she tries to keep the family’s kitchen stocked with whole foods.

Her husband provides a little balance by “bringing home Chipotle,” she said, smiling.

She added that one of the greatest blessings is the freedom the lake provides for their children.

“They can run around outside, explore, get dirty and just be kids,” she said.

The Avidons plan to continue homeschooling their children through high school if possible, focusing on curiosity, independence and hands-on learning rather than the pressures of competitive sports schedules.

“It’s important to us not to feel like our whole life revolves around a sports calendar,” Claire Avidon said.

Instead, she said, their calendar is filled with lake days, garden seasons, and time with family and friends.

These days the Avidons live in their fifth home in The Harbor, and it’s the culmination of their other ones. The family has added an expanded outdoor living space to their current residence, which measures 3,500 square feet and includes four bedrooms, five bathrooms and two living areas.

The main living space is located on the second level to take advantage of the incredible views of The Harbor and the lake below, and spectacular sunsets can be seen from the upper patio every night. The home is modern, as are the furnishings, and almost every room has a wall of family art or pictures on display. The open living space upstairs features a large area with big, comfortable pieces of furniture for this busy family of five – and three dogs and two cats, too.

The kitchen is the heart of the home and is outfitted with high-end appliances. Claire Avidon said she enjoys cooking, and she includes the children as she prepares the family’s meals. The adjacent dining room features a large table that seats 10 and offers 180-degree views of the lake and Johnson Peak.

The large master bedroom is tastefully furnished with modern lighting and furnishings and serves as the Avidons’ ultimate retreat, and the en suite bathroom has a spa tub with spectacular views of Johnson Peak.

The children’s bedrooms all have custom-built beds that create a fun play space. The boys share a large bunkroom, with custom built in bunks on the first level. The combination playroom-homeschool room features a large round table for projects and learning, and even this room has stylish modern iron and glass doors to create a quiet space.

Outdoors is where the couple’s children love to spend time, and the artificial turf backyard and outdoor living space creates the ultimate entertainment and outdoor learning space. On many days the classroom lessons begin outdoors but finish either in the woods, gardening or visiting the chickens.

What began as a two-year experiment at Possum Kingdom for the Avidons has blossomed into a home, a business and a classroom without walls, and as he stood on his patio looking across the water, Michael Avidon said there’s one thing he knows for certain.

“We never want to leave PK,” he said.