The forgotten story about the new neighbors
New neighbors to the east brought new livestock and fence problems.
Category: Update
Evolutions…the North Office
How my office has evolved over the years, from the listing photos to today.
The Blue Eagle and Friends
Bronze birds, a Curtis Jeré and other small sculptures found at auction.
Sculpture Highlights
Proper power at the main gate, and lights on the condor and Agatha at night.
Just add steel sculptures
Giant steel condor and eagle sculptures from an auction, and how we installed them.
Fallen Fig
Our beloved old fig tree, killed by the previous owners’ concrete and toppled in a storm, and the saplings that remain.
“New” Bathtub
Hauling one last rusty old bathtub up from the south pasture to the north garden.
The Deal with the Devil: Addendum
Before, during and after photos of the dirt and the pit.
The Deal with the Devil, Part 3–Now What?
The Deal with the Devil: where things stand after years of jumping through the county’s hoops.
The Deal with the Devil, Part 2–The Stop Order
The Deal with the Devil: the county red-tagged us, and the timeline of everything since.
The Deal with the Devil, Part 1–The Dirt
The Deal with the Devil: we took in clean fill to stabilize the old pit, without knowing what it would cost us.
The Lesser Wall of Purgatory: Part 1
The Lesser Wall of Purgatory: quotes were too high, so we built the small wall by the pool ourselves, starting with the forms.
Old Windows
Cleaning out decades of grime so the old bathroom windows stop rattling.
Midge Was Stolen
Midge, our Earthroamer, was stolen from our mechanic’s yard in Livermore.
Best of 2021
Our annual year-in-review video, set to epic music this time.
A few new trees
A handful of new trees, starting with two from a seller who named his trees after Flintstones characters.
Predators, Prey and the Occasional Electrification
Gopher snakes, rattlesnakes, lizards, vultures and more of the predators and prey that live here.
Feral “Fun”
Our efforts to TNR the feral cats, and a perfect record of releasing skunks without getting sprayed.
Divesting
Getting rid of the things the previous owners left behind that didn’t end up in one of our 20-plus dumpsters.
Rain Machines
Smart irrigation controllers synced to our weather station.
Neighbors, Drainage, AirBnB and Guns, Part 2
Living up here, part 2: a neighboring house turned into an AirBnB party venue, and what happened the night of February 21, 2021.
Neighbors, Drainage, AirBnB and Guns, Part 1
Living up here, part 1: a map of the neighbors, and a drainage problem that’s carving a canyon in the hillside.
Birds and Windows
With over 100 windows, keeping birds from hitting them has been an ongoing effort, and now the deer have started.
“New” Desk
My father’s childhood desk gets some TLC from Agent Smith’s dad.
Related to the Great Room: Kitchen Touch-ups
Kitchen touch-ups, done while the painters were here for the great room.
Making the Great Room Great–Footnotes on Molding
Making the great room great: new molding that finally matches.
Making the Great Room Great, Step Nine: Ambient Lighting
Making the great room great: color-changing ambient lighting, controlled from the wall switches.
ChaCha Mucha
A used MTD zero-turn mower replaces the old riding mower that came with the house.
Making the Great Room Great, Step Five: Finding Furniture
Making the great room great: finding mid-century furniture, mostly at auction.
A bit of sad news.
Sad news: the Doc who built our house passed away almost two years ago.
Last Stop: Zurich
Last stop: Zurich, for a friends’ wedding and a trip up Mount Pilatus.
On to Paris
On to Paris by Eurostar, during Pride week.