Stranded...

Stranded in PDX. Hopefully the roads will clear tomorrow. Meanwhile, wine tasting at 5 in the lobby. Basketball at the hotel bar at 6. Could get used to this...

snow!

sliding doors...

It took enough time, but the sliding doors are finally up on the bedrooms. Sometime this winter we hope to get the book shelves and the built in bench at the end of the hallway completed.

the piano test...

It was tight, but we managed to maneuver a stand up piano down the hall, around the corner, and through the opening to the spare bedroom - which will probably henceforth be known as the piano graveyard.

trees...

More progress planting trees. Limber pines and Mexican Redbud on the mound in front of the house. On the back corner off the living room, Aspens and a larger Scotch Pine. The green coming up is a low growing clover we seeded earlier in the month.

sunlight...

During the summer months, it's almost too dark in this space. Now, well into Autumn, the lower sun angle sends sunlight deep into the living room.

Fun with Esme...

Having fun with Esme. Her new bouncer harness hangs off the beams so that we can move her around from living room to dining room to kitchen. Her 'high chair' simply clamps onto the edge of a table or, in this case, our kitchen island. The great thing is how portable it is. Great for dining out.

wood stove...

Photo showing a trial run of the wood burning stove.

Unfortunately, that beam is right where the stove pipe needed to go - necessitating the use of various stove pipe elbows and double wall insulated stove pipes, to thread things up between the beam and the wall.

Porch decking

After some deliberation we opted for the simplicity of a western red cedar deck. Nothing fancy here, just 2x6s running across the joists. The deck rim joists were clad in the same metal we used on the roof, facia and the gutters, before we backfilled.

japanese pagoda trees

All the excavated dirt has finally been backfilled around the house. New trees include a crepe myrtle, a Chinese Pistache, and two larger Japanese pagoda trees. Eventually they should provide a nice dappled shade around the entry.

The addition of Esmé has shifted priorities from house construction. However, lately some small progress has been made. Modest ceiling fans have been purchased and installed. And, thanks go to Bob and Grandpa for pitching in and installing pantry shelving. It is difficult to overstate how much this helped has us out.

messy courtyard

Grading work commences in the courtyard. Decomposed granite dug from our pond fills the arcade. We'll tamp the hell out of it before adding sand and laying down bricks.

All these poor plants get moved from A to B to C...Currently we're staging them inside the courtyard until grading around the perimeter of the house.

clerestory windows

Clerestory windows open and close, letting warm air escape at the end of the day and pulling in cool air through windows lower to the ground.

outside / inside

No A.C. here...just lots of insulation and wide, shading roof overhangs.

sunrise

Sunrise filtered through smoke makes for nice art on our entry hallway wall.

Other photos show our hallway book shelves (minus the ultimate built-in book shelves, but providing space for cd shelves at the moment).

The tree is one of many sitting in pots around the courtyard (and around the entire house) waiting to be put into the ground.

smoke

Smoke from Northern California wildfires. At first glance, I thought this sunset was actually not the sun, but the moon.

Esmé

The newly born Esmé Haysel Ann Mackison...

- yellow

Photographs showing the 'finish' stucco coat. The color is a mix of yellow with some added sienna pigment worked into the surface. It should become a little less intense as it drys over the summer.

getting ready...

The three bedrooms, the kitchen, plus one bathroom are more-or-less done at this point. The plasterers are set to apply the color coat on the exterior this week as well.

Outside, temperatures soared to 100 degrees over the weekend. The much ballyhooed strawbale walls lived up to their reputation as the temperatures inside nudged only a few degrees higher to around 74 degrees.

misc. photos.

Photos from two recent outings. First, Christie and myself at the Oregon coast. I don't think the picture does justice to exactly how windy is was that afternoon. Second, visiting our Friends Becky and John in Bend, Oregon. Photos show Christie and Beckey, and Christie with sisters Ame and Stacey.




Below, photographs showing the pendant lights hanging off a beam above our (yet to be assembled) dining room table. Also, a large crepe myrtle we transplanted into the courtyard.

No furniture? -- no problem...

After nearly 3 years inhabiting a rickety fifth-wheel Fleetwood trailer, a lack of appropriate house-scale furniture is not really a problem for us. (Note the old pear crate used as a night stand.) After all, when the wind blows our house no longer lists and shakes.

new stove...

The new RAIS stove was delivered yesterday. It will ultimately reside in this corner, though probably a little further out from the walls. We'll wait until the weather has dried out before we cut the hole through the roof where the chimney goes...

kitchen island and lights

Getting the pendant fixtures installed has proven to be quite a chore. There are two more still to go up above the island. The light at the top of the beam is a spot light that shines up onto the T&G ceiling - there's one over each beam. The kitchen is done except for toe-kicks and sliding in the dishwasher.

more kitchen...

Two more photographs. The Paperstone countertops were amazingly heavy, but otherwise installation was uneventful. The IKEA farm sink looks great nestled in beneath the kitchen window. The island is approx. 5 ' x 6', with lots of room for newspapers, coffee cups, miscellaneous paperwork, and food prep.

kitchen sneak peak...

Photographs showing the half completed kitchen cabinetry. The Paper Stone counter top is scheduled for delivery next week. Also shown are the powder room door - glass to be frosted eventually - and the baby's dresser and assorted goodies.

ceiling fans...

Trying to find a ceiling fan that is 1) modern, 2) simple, 3) warm (ie, not too modern), and 4) doesn't look like a prop from Gone With the Wind. If we can actually find this animal (seen in photos) locally and get a better look at it, it might do the trick. There are 2 ceiling fans in the vaulted living / dining / kitchen wing. Having the up and down lights (each operates individually) would be a bonus.