Lazy Sunday Pictures

Here's where the chickens are going to go. I'm clearing that compost heap there today and tomorrow. The I dig the trench for the fence, as it has to go under ground at least a foot. Then I build the hen house and the fence. I'm hoping to get most of it done this week. I usually think I can get a lot more done than realistically I can. But if I set my goals high...

Chris is away this week so I hope to post a bunch of pictures of what he's missing. Have a good trip, Chris and see you in 7 days.

Color Me Orange! And Blue! And Green!

The walls on the outside of the house are so beautiful. They are orange, as you can see. But what you may not be able to see is the beautiful finish on them. I like to walk along side the house and run my hand along the smooth surface. It's warm and inviting. It's a happy little house, methinks.

Let's see, new things this week: The heat is on! The outside is complete (well, with one small exception that will be repaired next week). The floors are sealed and polished!

To happen next week: The kitchen appliances and cabinets will be delivered and hopefully installed. The tile guy will do the bathroom and put in the thresh-holds in all the doorways (granite). The floor in the loft will be installed. Trim to begin, maybe?

In the near future: The decks will be built, odds and ends will be tweaked out. Lights will be installed.

Then we get to move in!

The Wax Museum @ Main Street Elementary!

Ms Joy's 2nd grade class put on a performance for parents and friends Friday, February 26th, in the Main Street Library. Each child chose an historical figure to do a biography report on. The children read their biographies on the person they chose while dressed as that individual. They were wax statues and parents would come round and tap a statue on the shoulder and the statue would come to life and read a report on him/herself. Coleman chose (with a little help from Ms Joy) Albert Einstein. He loved that he was a rebellious boy and super smart. Here are some shots of Coleman and some of the other characters from the wax museum.


Albert Einstein

Christopher Columbus


The rest of the crew!

Max's Fieldtrip to the Aquarium - Photos

In January Max and his K/1 class took a field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I spent the day with him and his class exploring the sea creatures and all this great aquarium has to offer. A great time was had by all. Here are some shots of our day:

Baby Chicks!

Baby chicks. We've got six of them. They are all very sweet & small. Very little work, actually. But they do need tending to. I had to soak everyone's butt this evening to get their poop off of them. I realize that is way too much information for most of you. I had to say it though. Each one of them is a different type of chicken, though which type each is is a mystery. We've guessed some of them, but the others I just don't can't figure out. It will be fun to find out as they get older what they are, they will change over the next few months to look more like their adult selves. My boys are enjoying checking them out daily. They really like to hold them when they can catch them. Max especially likes the "hold them to his heart".

Progress & Rain

Progress. A word I love to say these days. A word I love to contemplate, roll around my mouth and bounce around my brain. It feels good. Progress. Yet, I find myself and my family still living in a trailer in our front yard. While the rain falls heavily on the earth and our trailer roof and rests in pools in our clay filled back yard. We need the rain, I welcome it for this reason. And I resent it for being so damn relentless.

But let's take a look at the progress, because it is much more interesting than me complaining about the much needed rain...

The insulation in, wall board being hung.


High window in the boy's room.


Loft in the boy's room.


Bathroom.


Living room looking towards the bedrooms and bath.


Master bedroom being taped and "mudded".


Boy's loft.


High window in the boy's room.


Living room, south wall. With the cement floor stain, it will be slightly less dark than this, they have to remove the residue tomorrow.


Kitchen.


Living room taken from the dining room.


Detail of floor in the process of drying.

Adventures in Downsizing

Many of you have asked for pictures of the house project. Here they are. We're still in the trailer, will be for another 6 to 8 weeks. But there is light at the end of our tunnel. We feel so ahead of our time, downsizing just on time to be the new Poster Family for Green Living. That's what our contractor told us we could be. Yes, we've got a much smaller carbon footprint than we had in Boston. Even though our family has grown to 5, if you include Kitty. And we're getting a special delivery of 6 more little lives in just a week and a half. Chicks.

So, here's the house we bought one and a half years ago. A face only a mother could love. We saw potential. Our friends said we must have vision...which is a nice of saying "what the hell were you thinking?".

Chris spent many a weekend shoveling lava rock and pulling out junipers. Those are the weekends we met and got to know our neighbors. They were as happy as we were to see the rocks and evergreens go.

Here's a shot of the back of the house(s). On the left the studio/garage, center house, right cottage/office. It is the buildings on the left and right that make living in a 925sf house seem do-able. Chris has an office, I have a studio. You've seen pictures already of the kid's tree house.

In the foreground is the livingroom (former dining room). Through the 2x4s is the new kitchen (former kitchen and laundry room).

In this image you are looking at a bathroom, two bedrooms and a loft! We squeezed it all in.

Bare faced wee house.

Some new detail. She's a happy alligator, we haven't named her yet. She's part of the roof support on the front porch roof.

Looking a little less scary than a few weeks before - but still, the end doesn't seem near.

Taken standing against the south wall of the living room (former dining), looking at bath (right), master bedroom, front hall closet, laundry closet.

More exterior progress. You can see a bit of the trailer we're living in on the left. The Prowler. Nice.

Check those floors out. Radiant Heat, Baby! You're looking at the front door and front window from the new dining room (former living room).


Kitchen on left, I'm standing in the dining room, worker-dude (I think it's Luke) in the living room.

The cement goes onto the radiant tubes. Yes, we're keeping the floors cement. We'll put a rust colored stain on them and give them a slightly glossy finish and it will be like an urban loft. Only in Santa Cruz.

Back of the house. A deck will go off the back, set of french doors on left are from the dining room. The set of french doors on the right are from the master bedroom and will also have a deck and you will walk down into the meditation garden.

Rain chain on the front right corner of the house, right under our happy (yet unnamed) alligator. The rest of the rain spouts will have rain catchment barrels attached. We don't get enough rain to waste.

Front of house, blue door, green windows, green roof, the stucco will be orange! Color me happy.


Master bedroom, half barrel ceiling.

The boys upper window. They have a sleeping loft in their room. It will mean they can have a playroom downstairs, or someday have separate spaces if they need them.

The wall-board is already up, though no pictures yet. Next week they tape and give it the "old world finish". And, if the sun shines we will surely get mud on the outside. So many things left, but so much has been done. Can't wait to move in!