Archives
February, 2009
Where is This Home’s Owner?
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
This home is simply spectacular, and requires a very special owner. A designer, architect, a writer, who is it? Winner of the Sunset Western Home Award 1967-68, it’s an architect designed home, incredibly similar to another on Burton that was one of the most popular homes on the Street of Eames two years ago. Set [...]
An Interesting Conversation
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
Anyone who has an interest in living more “green” has probably come across the term “greening up” which is to say, a corporate attempt to add value to a product by misrepresenting it’s green qualities.
Christopher Leonard, President of the local Tualatin company Oak Grove Custom Cabinets, and I recently had an interesting exchange about whether he [...]
Back to Dining Basics
Thursday, February 19th, 2009
Could I just be a little relieved that the seemingly endless stream of restaurant openings in Portland has slowed? We are so lucky that we have such a high standard of local food served here, and there are plenty of wonderful dining spots that one can visit time and time again having had a perfectly [...]
Energy IQ Part 3
Thursday, February 19th, 2009
We continued looking for ways to seal a house properly BEFORE insulating. If I can summarize a few ideas that stood out for me. “Put a lid on it” says it all. By stopping the airflow escaping through the top of the house, by proper sealing and insulation, one can control the amount of unconditioned [...]
Sharing the “Thanks”
Thursday, February 19th, 2009
I recently received the most lovely thank you letter from Barbara Hoven Hafdahl, the volunteer coordinator at the Parry Center. It’s not just a thank you for me, but for everybody that was able to donate towards the childrens holiday party. It’s such a wonderful program to support- in fact I just finished buying lots of [...]
The “Wall of Shame”
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
Years ago I went bowling with my children and three sisters in Nashville, where my sister Norma Jeanne was living at the time. NJ and her partner had a fun way of dealing with gutter balls and other horribly and embarassingly bowled frames- you were pointed towards the “wall of shame”- a nearby wall in [...]
Our Weekend Mural Project
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
After spending the holidays in the Bay Area, with J’s very creative family (see Wertzateria), we come back to Portland determined to have a little more fun with our home’s decor. Buying a Wallpaper magazine at the airport, I’m drawn to a picture of a mural in an asian restaurant. We’ve left a dining room [...]