Panoramas
Panoramas taken in March.
Category: Exterior
Saving the Stables
A new roof for the stables, built from railroad ties, telephone poles and old warehouse beams, buys us time to decide its future.
Outside
A movie of the flora and fauna images taken here in August, now on stega.org.
How do you change a light bulb?
The courtyard’s lights came from a road in Pasadena, and changing their bulbs takes a rented cherry picker.
New Garden, Step 1: Remove the Concrete
Agent Smith and Dino pull out the old concrete piers outside my office, so a new garden can go in.
Things that don’t make logical sense
Uncharted pipes and taps all over the property, and the leaky tap the birds now love.
Septic Day Remembered
A year ago today, the septic tank was replaced. Here are some unseen videos from day one.
Another random product of happiness
A waterproof iPad case means I can safely have an iPad out by the pool, for the pool speakers and for jotting down thoughts between laps.
Flying Over Purgatory
Agent Smith’s new drone takes its first flight over Purgatory.
Sounds of Purgatory
Sound carries in the hills, and neighbors’ parties can be pleasant or annoying.
Coming and Going and Going and Coming
What it’s like driving our private road, filmed from the back of the new race car.
More Blooms @ Purgatory
A selection of flowers from the last few weeks.
Mowing Season, Part 1
Before and after mowing, the first of the season.
Another Expansive View
The view from Purgatory, now that summer has turned everything brown.
Valley Fires
With views like ours, sometimes we see the smoke of fires down in the valley.
I saw the sign
New signs from Amazon replace the little fire extinguisher plaque on the hydrant door that bugged me every day.
One day in the barn
A ride past the stables turns into an amusing encounter with a cat and a deer in the barn.
Fun With Math and Water
A summer project: how much rainwater could we catch from our roofs? About 60,000 gallons.
Spiders and earwigs and termites, oh my!
A termite funnel above the washer and dryer leads to an inspection, and treatment, under the entire house.
Water, Water Everywhere, Part 4: Pooling Resources
Everything we’ve learned about our big pool, from its oversized hole to solar, lights and the pump controller.
A tale of four kitties
Momma cat settles in, and catching more of the ferals for TNR makes for some amusing moments.
More pretty flowers
More of the flowers blooming at Purgatory.
Always something in bloom
Thanks to the previous owners and the Doc, there’s always something in bloom.
Pool Tile It!
Tiles across the pool balcony were coming loose, so new tile goes in.
New Project: Utility Closet
The rotting utility closet door outside gets replaced with one that’s actually meant for outdoors.
So we have a problem…
We caught four feral kittens, and now we need their mother.
Water, Water Everywhere, Part 1: The Well
How our well works, and the saga of replacing the rusting well tank with a new poly one.
Revisiting First Impressions, Part 2: Back Exterior
Then and now: the back exterior, from the sports court to the hot tub.
Revisiting First Impressions, Part 1: Front Exterior
Then and now: matching the original listing photos of the front exterior.
So Many Birds
Wild birds we’ve seen at Purgatory, from turkey vultures to barn owls, plus a new website for nature shots.
Survey SAYS…
Soil studies and new survey maps for the great wall project show only about half an inch of movement in 50 years.
The State of Our Borders, Part 3: Fences
A drive down to the bottom of the property to document the state of our fences and gates.