Uber Busy

So, no we didn't decide blogging was beneath us or that life had become simply too rich in irony to continue. The dumb fact for my silence is being so busy as to make one's (smiley faced) head spin and explode. To whit:
I have been producing like crazy for several studio projects. The "Blue America" (upside down black and blue and backwards...) has continued and is about to erupt into a full blown World Atlas. Yes! What a great idea... Also, my "Better Guns and Gardens" (produced in cahoots with and underwriting by Artspace's CT Bound/Unbound project) is underway and pretty entertaining. (So far, basic outline of articles and themes, several collages, including the cover. This is a good one!)
Also, I spent a day photographing for Artspace's annual fundraiser (more on that later). I probably bit off more than I should have been chewing on recently. Chomp, chomp, chomp.
We are also (gasp) house hunting... not for us, thankfully! But for our dear friends Sheldon and Louise, up from the great SouthWest. (They are here, staying with us, because of unfortunate family circumstances. But Bob and I are more than happy to provide for them as they have so graciously provided for us in the past).

Now, I'll be the first to admit that if you house hunt for others, it's kinda fun. And Bob and I felt right at home in the A frame just up the road from the BauHaus Chicken Coop. Look at those exposed wires dangling from the lower level ceiling! Makes me feel right at home. (Actually, we keep telling Sheldon and Louise that we saw way worse abodes when we were looking. As Bob has pointed out, all the mechanicals look pretty updated.)

Oh! See? We also saw plenty of this sort of action in our pursuit of the perfect home. Needs some cosmetics, (as well as work) but it's a suitable house for an artist, and in a great location. (Like I said, right up the road and around the bend from us. Doesn't get better than that.)

But here's one of the better shots. The living room has a very high, dramatic cathedral ceiling and there is a loft and a interesting confluence of spaces. We also took Sheldon and Louise to look at an empty very old church building that was possibly beyond salvage. Gaping holes in the foundation, collapsing cupola and in a generally disintegrating state. But like I say, Bob and I saw some awful places, so we took that in stride. (Sheldon and Louise deigned to alight from the car...)
Lastly, Bob got another one of my studio windows inn place. Hot dog! Now that the weather has decided to become somewhat springlike (despite the threat of snow tonight), we can resume construction. Bye bye plastic!

A Drive Down Memory Lane

I recently had occasion to drive past several "houses" that Bob and I looked at prior to landing in real estate nirvana (in the location of our present address at the BauHaus Chicken Coop). Above is all that remains from a truly decrepit barn- and a smaller, not too bad barn. This is sad to see! When we toured this property, yes, it was bad (Our real estate agent ran back to his car) but there were cows living there. And the property itself is nice: still rural and rolling and in a very pretty area. I guess no one else was crazy enough to even look. We actually dragged a carpenter friend along with us; he was polite enough to tell us we were out of our minds! We'd never have gotten a mortgage on this place.
And then there was this place:

This house has really come up in the world! When we toured this location, they wouldn't even let us in the house. I believe there was a small issue involving the structural state of the floors and the staircase.It was pretty old, possibly spook-ridden and there was definitely a grave stone in the back yard. There was also a huge boat (!?) that someone had been constructing and several barns. One barn- a rambling, lop- sided affair is gone but the smaller barn was also nicely redone.

I think quite a few trees were removed, too, as I remember a row of evergreens that don't seem to be there anymore. I'm glad to see that this place got the attention it deserved. It was interesting to happen on a couple of these "Coulda been Ours" (or more like: My God! What were we thinking!) I'm still eternally grateful that Bob and I wound up where we are: it really is home.