Desert Air

What can you say about Palm Springs that hasn't been said before? Driving from Los Angeles on I -10 the desert air hits you full force as you drive through the San Gorgonio Pass that divides the San Bernadino and San Jacinto Mountains, the temperature climbs 10, 15 degrees in a matter of minutes and the wind almost knocks the steering while right out of your hands.


The scenery changes from coastal scrub and urban scrawl to barren mountains, home only to battalions of windmills. This is the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, located in one of the windiest places in California, it powers Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley.


Half an hour further on and you enter the outskirts of the city. You've passed the turbines, steel megaliths have been replaced by Desert Fan Palms; stony outcrops by resort developments - manicured lawns interspersed with native Barrel cactus and yuccas.


You spot your first iconic mid-century building, The Tramway Gas Station. This is where you pull over, lower the top on the bright red convertible hire car and the vacation begins...

Those carefree summer days are over

The Guy installs the hardtop on Beach Car whilst unbeknown to him the Triffid plans its attack....

Timeframes and plans

We're about to embark on the biggest (in terms of finances) part of the ongoing gentle update of The Cool House, the master bath That is biggest so far, we still have the kitchen to sympathetically update, but we've been here for five years now and we decided to celebrate by tackling the monster bathroom and by reminding ourselves just how much we have accomplished in sixty-three months.
In 2006 I made a list of projects done and a rather optimistic timeframe for the complete rehab. Since then the to-do list has demonstrated a certain flexibility in terms of projects to be tackled and the time it will take us to complete them.

2004 Replaced refrigerator.
2004 Taken down 70s vinyl vertical blinds in den, dining room, living room and kitchen
2004 Taken out the faux 70s paneling in three rooms.
2004 Removed the mirrored closets in the master bedroom
2004 Replaced skirting board in master
2004 Shortened the pantry in the mud room
2004 Rewired lights on drives, dining room, kitchen and master closet.
2004 Replaced light fittings in master closet, bath, landing, bedrooms, foyer, dining room.
2004 Removed 70s shag carpets from six bedrooms.
2004 Installed hardwood floors on landing and balcony.
2004 Installed bamboo floors in bedroom.
2004 Removed carpets from front and back stairs and back hall.
2004 Capped the chimney.
2004 Replaced guttering.
2004 Removed dead and dangerous trees from yard, pruned back other shrubs.
2004/5/6 Replanted, planted, weeded ad nauseum.
2004/5 Refinished stairs, installed bamboo on back hall floor.
2004/5 Stripped wallpaper from foyer, front stairs and back hall, bedroom
2004/5/6 Painted master, office, bedrooms, dining room, kitchen, back hall, closets
2005 Primed foyer and front hall.
2005 Re-roofed house.
2005 Stained siding and painted original windows and doors.
2005 Replaced corroded faucets in bathroom. Rebuilt one toilet, fixed two more.
2005 Replaced 15 windows.
2005 Stained 15 windows.
2006 New window treatments den, office, dining room, master, bedrooms.
2006 Replaced dishwasher.
2006 Replaced 5" replacement guttering with 6" guttering
2006 Replaced garden gate
2007 New washer/dryer
2007 Replaced BBQ
2007 Boys' Bath renovated
2007 Girls' Bath updated
2007 Downstairs Bath updated
2007 Replaced one window
2008 Repaired siding
2008 Installed upper laundry cabinets
2008 Renovated powder room
2008 Replaced hot water tank
2009 Repaired bridge
2009 Remortared steps, replaced cracked bluestone
2009 Rehabilitated and planted north side of yard

Still to do, with new timeframe:
2009 Renovate master bath
2009 Finish master bedroom
2009 Finish laundry room
2009 Replace fencing
2009 Repair sliding doors
2009 Replace 3 0f the 6 remaining original windows (master and den)
2010 Renovate kitchen
2010 Decorate foyer and hall stairs
2010 Sealcoat drives and tear up concrete in front of garages, replace with cobblestones
2011 Replace carpet in den and dining room
2012 Marble dust pool and replace pool heater. Renovate outdoor bar
2013 Finish basement
2014 Whatever else we've forgotten/overlooked.

Our original plan was to have the house totally updated by the end of 2012. We knew two years ago that we weren't going to make that deadline and earlier this year I despaired of ever finishing the renovations but looking over this list I feel much better - so the original 8 year plan became a 10 year testament to our love for the house, it doesn't matter as long as we don't intend to sell the house. We can take our time, do what we have to and tackle the maintenance as it arises.

A couple of visitors

The heat of the last few days has finally broken and although it's still sunny, it's much cooler. Outside the kitchen door I found this blue butterfly slowly opening and closing its wings in the warmth of the morning sun - very beautiful but so fragile; inside was a rare, and not exactly welcome, phenomenon - a furry toad sitting on the tiles. I guess he had either been brought in by a cat or dog who then released him or he'd hopped in when the door was open. Either way, his hind legs were covered in animal hair which leads me to conclude that although he may have been a rare hybrid species it's more likely that I am not the best housekeeper in the world...

Evergreen Inspiration

I have a plan in my head of how the final section of the yard should look but I'm having a hard time explaining it. So here (courtesy of the comprehensive Better Homes and Garden website) are some truly inspirational shots.


This is perhaps a little too close to how it used to look - except behind the-not so-lush junipers was 30 years of dumped debris and you couldn't walk down the path without getting scratched; I'm positive that is not the case here. Anyway, I love the boxwood edging under the rhododendron and the ground cover plants between the stones. If only money were no object...


This is probably the nearest to my ideal - a mix of evergreen and perennial, hard and soft textures, colour and structure


I love the autumn colors against the blues and greens of the conifers but I don't want to be raking any more leaves - and it kind of looks like the back yard at The Cool House right now


And finally... not evergreens but perennials. I couldn't resist this one full of perfect lush hostas. So far I've put in a whole lot of big, bi-coloured Frances Williams; I managed to score a few of the 6' wide Sum and Substance in my favourite shade of green - chartreuse; three cute, compact June hostas went in front of one hydrangea; another trio of medium-sized, speckled Revolution are under the black spruce and I bought as many Elegans as I could find. Now all I need them to do is spread out in well-formed clumps just like the photo...

Some shady characters

and some that prefer bright sunlight in the newly rescued part of the yard. This section goes from deep shade to full sun so it gives me lots of possibilities and I've taken full advantage of them at the 50% sale at the nursery.


Three The Dark Lady roses (I was drawn by the fragrance as much as the crimson colour), a couple of Razzle Dazzle Crepe Myrtles, six Glowing Embers hydrangeas, and a sprinkling of Autumn Fire sedums will guarantee waves of pink toned flowers from Spring to Fall, while a baker's dozen blue fescues, lavenders and hostas by the boatload provide contrasting shades from grey-blue to bright yellow. For structure and something green to look at in the long New York winter, The Guy planted a boxwood to add to the existing yews and I plan to put at least one blue spruce in there in the Spring and a few Japanese hollies - I really like the slender Sky Pencil variety.

We just have to hope everything that has gone in so far survives the six months of ice, wind and snow we get annually. But I'm not going to think about that on an early fall day when the thermometer hit 80F and the lawn got its first gentle trim. I'm just going to look on the bright side... and go and smell the roses.

In mourning

As if my trip to Brussels wasn't frustrating enough I learnt on my return that my beloved handyman had sold his house, packed his bags and was moving South - retiring for the second time.
He wasn't our first "contractor", we tried several - each worse than the last - before we found The Handyman. He came via our neighbor (who was very reluctant to let us have his number, so sought after was he) when two of us had unsuccessfully tried to sister in a Dutchman. His work was remarkable, clean and perfect in every detail. Over the years he has been responsible for all the great renovations at The Cool House: the bathrooms, the powder room, the laundry and the repairs and maintenance: the gate, saving the siding and fixing the bridge. I had just emailed him a list of things (big and small) that needed his attention this fall when he called to give me his news. I cried. I'm happy for him but devastated at the same time. Where in this world will I find another person who can do such great work, who will cooperate with me to solve problems and design dilemmas, who is willing to go the extra step... and who likes the nosey animals?

My House Smells like a French (or Belgian) Restaurant

Since I got back from our challenging European vacation I have been (unsurprisingly) obsessed with comfort food. The very first night, despite jet lag, I made Fusilli with ground Buffalo and Three Cheese Sauce. Okay, I cheated by using a jar of Trader Joe's sauce but I added a parmesan rind I had left over in the fridge to the sauce that I mixed with the browned buffalo - unctuous, soothing and exactly what was needed after a plane ride of almost eight hours.
The next evening I was restored enough after 10 hours sleep to cook Pork Tenderloin with a Mustard Sauce and serve it with Stoemp, the Belgian speciality of mashed potatoes with vegetables. The standards are carrots or spinach but I finely chopped green onions to add the perfect bite to an otherwise typically Franco-Belgian dish.
A disappointing but not bad bottle of Pinot Noir became the basis for Boeuf Bourguignon, the classic French stew and an embarrassment of onions prompted me to make Soupe à l'Oignon in the proper fashion with cognac and real bouquet garni.
The only dish I haven't tackled is Lapin Chasseur although the cats did present me with a laid out bunny on the doorstep - a welcome home present.

Home

I'm home. I saw England and Belgium. I didn't get to go to Paris. I did get sick. That's all you need to know for now. More later.

Book review: House and Home

You love your home, you've made eighteen years of memories there and now you are forced to sell it. How would you react? That's the scenario explored in House and Home, the first novel by writer and HGTV columnist Kathleen McCleary.
Although she seems to have been living the perfect life (she runs her own business, has two adorable children and is surrounded by loving and supportive friends), Ellen Flanagan suffers a crisis in her relationship with her husband Sam that, combined with an earlier tragedy, results in an obsession over the family home... a home that has already been sold.
Anyone who loves their home will relate to this novel, and we empathize with the frustration and resentment felt by Ellen when her husband's unsuccessful business venture leads the family into financial hardship resulting in the sale of Ellen's beloved cottage to the preppy Jordan Boyce and her husband Jeffrey. Not only does she have to leave her cottage but she is forced to listen to Jordan's plans to remodel all the things she loves about it - the colors, the moldings and even the picket fence.
By turns comic and poignant, the novel is a page-turner; we sense a crisis is coming but we're unsure what form it will take. How far will Ellen go to keep her home? Can she renege on the sale, will she ruin someone else's marriage or even burn down her cottage to ensure Jordan doesn't take possession of the house? Eventually priorities become clear, and Ellen realizes that she must hang on to the important things in life. The author leaves the reader to answer the ultimate question: What makes a house a home?

This book review is a stop on the House and Home TLC Book Tour.

Dizzy

I am totally in love with this Sergio Rodrigues Diz chair from Vintage and Modern Brazilian dealer Mercado Modern. Designed in 2002, it pays homage to many 20th century styles and would fit perfectly into the unique architecture of The Cool House, perhaps near the Michel Arnoult game table. The asking price is actually something of a bargain - they retail for almost double. Dreaming....

Maybe it's time to wash the windows again

Is it me being more slovenly than usual or are the spiders more dedicated in their web building endeavors this year? It seems that every time I remove one web (usually by walking through it) another two or three spring up in its place. On the one hand I am itching to get the Windex out, on the other I'm enchanted by the size of the web... and Halloween is nearly upon us...

Market Sunday

Huntington Farmers' Market on Sunday morning - a gathering place for good food, chatty neighbors and friendly dogs


Lots of samples and a few unexpected items


Cheesecake Souffles - a sweet treat for breakfast


and red wine starter bread - yeast-free but without the sourness of sourdough.

Last Night

A cocktail followed by:


the setting sun over the bay


an inside joke


sparklers after dark


music and dancing at a local bar - expanding the evening and the summer fun...

When angels come to the rescue... ::UPDATE::

UPDATE: the Angel drove me in his truck to get the Crepe Myrtle I had seen earlier this week. That's above and beyond!

We have a host of house angels who go the extra mile for us. This week's star is definitely the landscaper and his crew... Meanwhile, did you doubt that I wouldn't be able to control my plant procuring self until Spring? There were bargains to be had:


I scored three huge - well they will be eventually - red toned hydrangeas and three prolific mopheads, "Nikkon Blue", at the 50% off section of the nursery


but the biggest deal was this yew that cost $7! Fingers crossed they survive the winter.


Super Landscaper to the rescue while I was at the Goombas event, planted everything, fixed the break in the sprinkler line, put on a new head and changed the direction of the others so the whole area gets watered. I told you he reads the blog...

Keeping it old school in a digital world

Young Rebel Goombas (l to r) Richie Saccente, Cosmo Mallardi, Uncle B Johnson and Richie Cannata keeping it real at a special event @ CW Post, Long Island University.


The live sound is being videotaped by Jake Gorst for their youtube channel. Awesome jamming - that's one way music is made in 2009.

Framed Up

Recycled picture frame ceiling - an exercise in colorful creativity, and thinking outside the box - from a house built using other peoples' trash. Recycle, repurpose, reuse taken to a whole new level. From the New York Times.

Almost a Home Run

A week or so after we decided to clear decades of debris over on the north side of the property. it's all done. The good news is we have a weed-free, level piece of property that is graded away from the house, seeded and ready to sprout green shoots of grass. The bad news, as I discovered when I put the sprinklers on, is that the whole side needs an improved watering system. We have a break in the main line that's probably been split all summer; we just didn't see it because it was hidden under all the holly, juniper, weed mess that was there before and the one sprinkler on that zone is knackered - more water pores out of the bottom than the head. That goes for the next head down too. Thanks to the extra-long hose we purchased earlier in the season I can water the entire area from the other side of the gate, but that's just temporary until super-sprinkler guys can run me a new line with some cute pop-up heads. Superb landscaper tells me to wait until spring and have them do it when we do the turn-on but that was before I realised we were watering big holes in his newly created lawn. (As he reads this blog, he's probably learning about it, just. about. now!). Anyway, let's recap:


Monday August 31st - at the start of the day: a stumpy, McGrumpy, mess of tangled roots


mid-day: tons of topsoil, a bobcat, a roller and a lot of manpower


5 PM: looking over the fence after the prep-work is done.
It's amazing how much better this is. Firstly you can appreciate the house even more - it's not closed in by the shrubby border. Secondly, the property looks so much bigger, which in a sense it is - we've increased the space by about an eighth of an acre. Lastly, I can skip down the path with the dogs and not be attacked by prickly, allergy-producing bushes, and that's a huge bonus. Also, the fence guys will be able to get in to repair/re-fence the area, the borders have been laid out and the landscaper is lobbying for a pergola to go in the north-east corner...
Now I can either wait for Spring to begin planting or go see what is available in the half-price section of the nursery. Which do you think I'll do?

Indoor Art (Cleveland)

Modernist art glass


Flying Phish Rock 'n' Roll Hot Dog from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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Inspiration comes in the oddest places

I'm thinking this landscape, snapped at JFK, may be the way I want the final section of the yard to look, with a few tweaks of course. Thoughts? Comments?

::Musical Update::

The Goombas Special Show at Long Island University's C.W. Post Campus on Thursday September 3rd (1:00 - 2:30 pm) just keeps getting bigger: Richie Saccente, Cosmo Mallardi and Richie Cannata will now be joined by Uncle B Johnson. They'll be performing songs old and new as well as explaining the process of making an indie record. Here's a musical taste:



Get your tickets now! To register download this form. Registrations can also be taken over the phone using a credit card. Phone number is 516-299-2580.

Peter Piper Picked...

a peck of pickled peppers


and a pint of Maine blueberries


and made spicy peppers, ice cream.... and picalilli

The part of Peter Piper was played by modernemama

The final yard

We were so impressed with the repaired stone step that we got totally carried away with plans for the neglected north side of the yard. The landscaper agreed that we should take all the junipers out and seed the entire area. This morning an area of some 3000 sq' was cleared of debris; desperate shrubs were pulled up; trees were trimmed. The whole area has been opened up, allowing us to get up the other stepping stone path (the one I made The Guy move 4" to the right last year) without being molested by the holly or juniper.
Just an aside but tell me, what kind of sadist plants prickly shrubs and bushes along a path?
Anyway, we have (almost) decided on a fence style, so by late September (hopefully) we should have the start of a lawn that will balance the whole front yard and some privacy for the pool, too.

Shooting for the Moon

I missed the sunset tonight, but I'm considering myself compensated.

Step It Up

It started with just one step- this step, the one we had fixed already four times this year; the one The Guy had finally cemented into submission. The landscaper pointed out that a large chunk had fallen away, smashing into slate shards on the path below. Being an angel, as well as a semi-pro at masonry he offered to take care of it andon the hottest, most humid day of the summer, that's exactly what he did.
Of course, being a professional, he insisted on doing a proper job and re-setting all the loose stones. By the end he had re-mortared or replaced the entire first step and after deciding the front riser was unfinished, he re-faced that, too. The porch looks so looks so much better, the stepping stone paths are more integrated with the steps and visitors to the house no longer have to dance around the step, which is a big bonus.
A wise man once wrote on this blog that sometimes you have to Pay The Two Dollars. This is one of those cases where we should have asked a professional to do the masonry work. But we didn't know who to ask, and anyway it seemed like a simple job. If we had had the proper tools in the first place and opted to replace the stone rather than reuse it I'm certain we would have successfully completed the job ourselves at the first, or certainly, second attempt. As it was it took five... that's a lot of sweat and frustration. Now we have a pretty path, a couple of design flaws have been solved in this area but at least we now know who to ask if we have any more stonework issues. Live and learn!

Reflections

Because I haven't posted anything specifically about the house in a long while, even though there are lots of plans in the works, I bring you dappled sunlight reflecting the trees on the siding - eastern elevation of The Cool House. Pretty and peaceful. Enjoy!

O!

Huge circular spider webs suspended high in the fir trees

and low down in the shady grove.