I'm back in the saddle after the great Floridian vacation, where I hear it's crazy cold now. I mean, I didn't mind the mid to high sixties, but 40's? That would have sucked.
I didn't get any pictures, but there were a few days by the hotel were it was definitely too cold to be out by the pool, but nevertheless, every lounge chair was taken or reserved and many people were out sunning themselves as the cool wind whipped, goose pimples obvious to anyone who looked too closely. After traveling the whole way to Florida, I guess some people just weren't going to be denied their day in the sun - literally.
"that's all right, that's all right momma, any way you do"
Construction continued while I was away and the 3 houses up on Lake Ridge road outside of Narrowsburg are coming along just fine. It's been cold, real cold, since mid-december with the ground hardening up and complicating our plans, but onward we build, construct, raise and complete. We actually got 4 new homes started in December, with nothing more than sheer determination - or as Lisa's special forces trained Dad would say - 'mind over matter, - if you don't mind, it don't matter.' Or one of my favorites, in a testament to the lethalness of the special forces in general - 'you can run, but you'll just die tired.'
Here's Cottage 24, from the front, with a lot of the details starting to be wrapped up. Like I mentioned this house went under contract just before Christmas, which was a nice Christmas gift. It's a great house, fully defined and designed and detailed by me, unobstructed by that crazy collaboration that produces some fine examples of good taste. It was fun. Back in the old days when no one knew us and no one bought our houses, I would design them, build them, decorate them, furnish them and then wait day after day, week after week, month after month until I got them sold. This is a great house.
Elvis is currently picking out random woman from the first row to kiss.
"Love me tender, love me true, you have made my dreams fullfill, oh my darling I love you and I always will."
The show, "Elvis on Tour" is now showing his multiple movie parts with hot perky breasted women of the 60's.
A lot of reclaimed barn siding, v-joint, barn beams and heft stair treads. Hats off to Courtney and Bronson who pioneered this open basement staircase idea. It really works, and like many inspirations, it's genius is it's simplicity.In the pic below you got the siding, the chalkboard door, the sliding barn door and a bunch of perfect barn lighting made of dull galvanized aluminum.
Big momma black radiator heats the place up.
And as part of the deal we are fixing up the basement. I love the basement build out spaces, they are just super comfortable and versatile.
Cottage 20 is moving right along as well. This 960 sq ft 2 bedroom house is comfortable, well-designed, and just weeks (ok, maybe a month) away from being complete.
That's the floor sanding machine separating the fireplace from the media center.
This is bad picture quality of a kitchen that as it comes together piece by piece is going to be fantastic, unique, elegant to the extreme, and functional.
The new 50's Ranch profile shoot looks good to me. Big overhangs, tony fireplace stone, and a neat bluish green stain.
This house is just entering the painting phase, and the ceilings are stained and the walls painted.
This is now our only house that we have under construction that is not spoken for. Cottage 25 is 1300 sq ft and hotter than Elvis in Hawaii.
"Look away, look away, look away, Dixie Land"
We heat our homes over the winter with these propane fueled gas heaters.
Here's my new red 5-bay garage for my insulation truck, my tractor, my ford, my other ford and my dump/plow truck. It will have heat, electric, cable, an office a basketball net and a few other bells and whistles. Sounds like the perfect man-cave.
It wasn't that long ago I was working out of my home, with deliveries of lights, toilets, and hundreds of other house furnishings filling up our porches, kitchens and basements.
I mean, in retrospect it's plenty romantic getting a business off the ground, with all the sacrifices, mistakes, miscues, glories and defeats - but it's actually a lot nicer having a little consistency of cash flow and lifestyle.
We're caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby
Why can't you see
What you're doing to me
When you don't believe a word I say?
We can't go on together
With suspicious minds
And we can't build our dreams
On suspicious minds
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