Neo-Victorian Life 2.0

To Be or Not To Be (In the Moment)

2014-10-01T22:20:00.001-07:00

The old cliche, "one picture tells a thousands words" is so very true in this picture.
Here is the last picture of us standing in front of our old Victorian home. The next day, it will belong to a new owner as we sold it after nearly 5 years of our experiment in utilitarian living. We will have most of our possessions inside the Chevy Spark and hitting the road to parts unknown

Does it surprise you that we sold our home after putting in so much work, effort and beauty into it?

No, nobody is dying, or getting separated or getting foreclosed on. We sold because of several reasons unrelated to the house or the neighborhood or Oakland in general. In fact, our area has seen real change and improvement on several fronts, as this blog has chronicled. So much change has happened that we just felt now was the right time to get Andrea out of her terrible, dead-end career job and for me to look for new, fertile ground to experiment and grow as an artist and storyteller.

We loved our Victorian and it gave us years of safety, comfort and pleasure. Being inside it felt like an oasis away from all the technifying culture, heavy traffic and general population craziness. We learned a wide range of skills including gardening and general carpentry. We learned how to make use of a wide variety of recycled materials and discovered that we have the capabilities and taste to make an old, broken down house into a beautiful home.

I do think that if we were 15 years younger, we would have felt we were in the center of the universe and would never have sold. Nearly all the new blood in the neighborhood were refugees from SF or some other state, bringing their own generational energy and vibe and perhaps we felt just a little "out of place" because of this. We will miss our wonderful neighbors who looked out for us and helped teach us what it meant to be 'a good neighbor'. Mostly we will miss the beautiful kids playing next door and the beautiful weather we enjoyed virtually every day of the year.

I could write a lengthy post but I would rather sit with you, gentle reader, to explain all the reasons why we sold, left jobs, uprooted our life to essentially become wandering gypsies for a year or longer. Perhaps you'll reach out to us and we'll come and visit you and just talk about why we felt the need to change our lives in such dramatic fashion? I suppose being truly connected to you, to the world and to our greater humanity is the real driving force behind our decision.

This is our final post on this blog. So we will leave you with the pics we used to market the home. These pics show exactly how we lived in our house and was never "staged". This was the place that comprised our lives for nearly 5 years and we felt we accomplished our goals to bring the house back to its original splendor while updating it for modern times. At the very bottom, is a little surprise for you, gentle reader.

Goodbye our dear, first home and HELLO WORLD!

Our surprise for you, dear reader, is that we have a BRAND NEW TRAVEL BLOG! Want to follow the new adventures of George and Andrea aka GANDA? Then click on this link.

New Driveway

2014-08-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

The old, cracked and broken driveway has finally been replaced! Our neighbor's dad is a professional who was able to all the work of hauling away the old stuff and putting in a new, solid driveway.

We were then inspired to create a little bit of curb appeal to the front.

What do you think?

The old side-by-side comparison always makes me feel good.

What's Old Is New...

2014-07-03T19:52:00.002-07:00

A stereoscope is a device for viewing a stereoscopic pair of separate images, depicting left-eye and right-eye views of the same scene, as a single three-dimensional image.

The earliest type of stereoscope was invented by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1838.^[1]^[2]^[3] It used a pair of mirrors at 45 degree angles to the user's eyes, each reflecting a picture located off to the side.

This Victorian innovation basically allowed people to get a 3D perception of a location by looking at two pictures using a lens. As the current Internet is experimenting with ways to bring virtual reality to people, I thought it would be fun to take a few stereoscopes of the property for your fun and enjoyment. You merely look at these pics through a special lens which could be on your $1,500 Google Eyewear or simply using one of these $5 models.

And voila! You are experiencing "virtual reality" right here on this DIY website! I'm sure real estate companies will be employing this technology which would allow buyers to tour a house in 3D. But you know those chaps tend to be a little behind the times.

Otherwise, Enjoy! Please, don't go blind!

Entry into the Secret Garden

2014-06-23T14:38:00.004-07:00

First of all, HAPPY SUMMER!

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about entry into the Secret Garden.

Oh, you think you can just sashay and walk in an ostentatious yet casual manner into our garden? Oh my you are so so incorrect!

You see the garden entry way is now protected by this 100+ year old wooden, Victorian door with old and new locksets. There is a wrought iron gate, which once protected the front window, beside it with very sharp spears at the top. An old wicker chair with a plant stands as sentry, alerting nature of your approach! Notice the key? Oh yes, you NEED a key to enter this private oasis of calmness and beauty. This just isn't any old key, this is the SECRET GARDEN KEY!!

But you know what? I'm a nice guy so let me give you a bit of sneak preview whence you are ENTITLED to enter the garden. But only for a brief moment.

Bon Appetite!

Master Bedroom Suite: DONE

2014-06-08T20:04:00.001-07:00

There is nothing better than uttering the word "DONE" after completing a major DIY project. Of course, nothing is truly done when it comes to renovations. What "DONE" means to me is achieving a point where you can sit back and view the work completed thus far and truly, truly enjoy it. There are a dozen little things here and there that need to be finalized but that will happen over the next few days but the key thing is that the major work is DONE.

And, Gosh!, does it feel gooooooooooood.

Andrea pointed out that the whole room had a "Cape Cod" feeling to it and after thinking about it, she's right!
And Cape Cod makes sense since the shower is called "The White Whale" etc. Overall the feeling is like being in a nice B&B in Cape Cod with the sound of waves crashing and nice bright light flowing throughout the room. So I think we'll call the new bedroom 'New Bedford', which is the name of a former whaling city in Massachusetts where the real story of Moby Dick first launched.

Anyway, I'm too tired to go into details right now so I'll just post some pics for you and write about the details later.

Thanks for visiting!

The Luck of the DIYer

2014-05-31T16:12:00.003-07:00

I wanted to share a quick, fun post with you today about always having "on" the DIY mentality.

We recently spent 4 days in Los Angeles visiting a nephew who was graduating from high school. We flew back home, jumped on BART to the station nearest our house and decided to take the 10 minute walk instead of the usual $5 cab ride home.

On the way, we see a solid core door with a 'Free' sign on it near the sidewalk. I needed a solid core door for the access way leading from the basement into the garage. The door was in great shape and just needed a little painting. So I scooped it up and carried it the rest of the way home.

Want proof?

We returned home from Los Angeles with a free door I need! Andrea stopped laughing long enough to snap these photos.

So the moral of the story is; keep your eyes open and walk often because you just might find what you need! Saved me about $50 and a trip to HD.

Growing a Ghost Orchid

2014-05-15T14:30:00.002-07:00

"Not only rare but fascinating, the Ghost Orchid is a plant that was presumed to be extinct for almost 20 years and only recently materialized again. The plant is so rare because it is near-impossible to propagate." http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-rarest-flowers-in-the-world.php

You'd think this post would be about actually growing a Ghost Orchid but it is actually a metaphor for the 4 months it took to finally finish the Master Bathroom.

Building a new bathroom in your home can be a daunting task if you are mostly doing it yourself. It's surprisingly expensive and more surprisingly time consuming. There are layers and layers of foundational things that need to be done before you can even add water to the mix. Anyway, if you follow this blog, you know the history.

Btw, thank you to those of you who contributed to over 50,000 pageviews on our blog. We hope that you either learned something, or got a great laugh at the work we are performing on this 1898 Vic.

So it is the middle of May and we are about 97% finished with the Master Bath.

So let's get right down to the pics and the specifics:

First a pic of the demo from January,

And the same angle from today.

We went with a color scheme and tile work that mimics a bygone era of the early 20th century. Apparently the "subway" look was very popular back then because of all the new subways that were operating in the western countries. The archway makes it feel like you are stepping into a subway to take a shower. Why? Why not??

The flooring is a b/w white octangular type of style which is TEN times more brutal to deal with than your 16 x16 tiles. But it's period accurate and seems fun to look at NOW.

les toilettes - les WC is the latest low-flow, water saving type from Delta. It has a pretty strong flush and was fairly inexpensive and easy to install.

Without a doubt, the biggest battle was with the huge subway tiled shower I affectionately call 'The White Whale', after Moby Dick. This shower took a huge amount of time to complete and is bigger then YOUR walk-in closet! (Maybe). lol I added a high shelf, which at the time seemed like a good idea, but contributed to some headaches later on. Now it is a great space to put things that won't get too wet. The irony is that we may only get to use it for 3 mins a day because of the drought. lol! What a world!

I added un petite shower bench and a recessed cove.

So we looked at several vanities and we agreed that this dark stain/ceramic vanity from IKEA was the best choice. Why? Because the depth of it was just right. Most vanities are about 22" in depth and I had the hardest time finding one that was about 19" in depth and IKEA had one which happened to have a nice vintage style and the kind of back splash that evokes an older time. Plus it has some great storage spaces in both drawers. I knock IKEA a lot for its cheap products but this one is a good fit for us at a good price. I really like the built in sink so I don't have to re-caulk around a drop-in sink ever again.

I am most proud of the electrical work I did in this bathroom. Shockingly, I didn't electrocute myself and I've developed a greater appreciation for how devices can illuminate and activate various motors and light fixtures. Someday, I'd love to make a door that swooshes open like the ones on 'Star Trek'.

Cost? Well, I originally budgeted $3k for the whole thing but the city inspections and the plumber alone took all that money. So it took another 3K for the materials we estimate. It's astonishing to find out how the littlest things tend to be the most costly. But in the end we get a private bathroom in the master bedroom and we are already enjoying having that luxury. Would I do it again? Are you effin crazy?

xoxoxoxo

Paradise Syndrome

2014-04-20T18:49:00.001-07:00

What is paradise to you? A question I posed to Andrea (and to myself) after watching the Star Trek episode with the same title.

In the opening sequence of that episode, Kirk, Spock and McCoy discover a planet just like Earth and inhabited by the 1960's stereotypical view of Native Americans. Kirk remarked how peaceful and serene it all looked and, for a brief instant, dreamed of leaving it all for this "paradise". Then, in honor of Passover, we ate Matzo and watched 'The Ten Commandments'. That story is all about seeking a different kind of paradise as well. So what is our "Paradise"?

I thought about the religious, spiritual, natural and man-made references to the concept of "paradise" all weekend and came away very conflicted by the whole notion. Anyway, there is much to discuss about the idea of it but I'm going to just focus on it in relation to our DIY house efforts for now.

First, today I felt compelled to cut the first flowers from the garden and place them in my sister's lovely vase. The roses are from a bush that existed in our yard mixed with a few California Golden Poppies we had planted last year. I think this combination captures the essence of our DIY experience thus far.

Pink roses with Golden Poppies 2014

So what's a paradise without a garden? I am happy to see our backyard efforts are paying off. Everything is growing quite well and we seem to have fewer bug/snail/aphid issues after employing natural repellents like ladybugs, birds, organic snail pellets and blasting the plum leaves with water. We moved the rain barrel to a new location where we could access it more easily and we have been able to reduce our water consumption by 600 gallons for the past 60 days! Does that mean our water bill goes down? Nope, it sure don't. Investigation to commence...

While on the topic of water, we are very happy with the solar water pumps we use to create our water features. This trickling water feature is made up of a vintage light fixture-cover from the house, filled with rocks and and set amongst the Gold Rush era plants we got from an artist two years ago.

Our garden is the most restful, calming and tranquil area of the house. Whatever "Paradise" is, it HAS to include a garden...

Fresh Veggies for dinner!

Paradise can mean many different things to many different people. Although I've been working slavishly on the new bathroom and master bedroom and regularly covered in "stuff" with body aching all the time, I find that hardwork, doing something you feel your loved ones will enjoy, is a kind of paradise. Being able to use your hands and your mind to craft materials together so that water, electrical and hard material coalesce into a unified, functional addition to your home experience can be a kind of paradise-of-the-mind. The end reward of all that hard suffering labor is knowing you are going to reach a kind of 'Promise Land' where beauty exists amid flowing milk and honey. Although, right now, I feel like Capt. Ahab battling a white whale as I try to finish tiling the shower and bathroom after two long weeks.

First demolition of the old closet and then reframing the new, small Master bathroom.

To get to this point, you have to add layers of water proofing materials.

The floor to ceiling Subway tile shower takes over 700 tiles! I affectionately call it the "White Whale".

I did ALL the electrical installation myself and it passed inspection with flying colors.

So as I approach the 'Promised Land' of a nice, new finished master bath, the aches and pains of the past begin to slip away. There is more pain ahead as I start to finish the work but I can see light at the end of the tunnel, signaling a better place (or heaven) is just ahead.

Do I suffer from 'Paradise Syndrome'? You bet your sweet monkey I do! Why? Because I've come to learn that our true paradise is created and earned and can never just be given to us. When we create our own paradise, we know it, understand it and love it better.

Find your Paradise.
"I AM KIR-OK!"

A Mural Grows in the Urban Jungle

2014-03-02T19:25:00.002-08:00

Completed Mural Feb. 2014 Oakland, CA

We are pleased to announce the planting of a brand new, beautiful mural underneath the overpass near our home. ABC News covered this activity. See the video.

The concrete walls beneath the freeway have long been a place where slack-jawed punks would constantly tag nonsense but now a mural adorns the entire space! A group called 'Attitudinal Healing' aims to "combat violence in Oakland by offering creative and educational programs that transform the human spirit and build peaceful, loving communities."

Now I've always questioned the role of Art as a method to fight violence but this extraordinary mural has me thinking that this approach can work. According to their website, the group works with local school children and artists to design and paint the mural. Credit the City of Oakland too for letting this project happen which first started along San Pablo Corridor and will extend to the underpasses on West and MLK.

I've seen many murals all over the world but I am astonished and amazed at the incredible artistry that went into the creation of this mural. It's heavy with symbolic imagery that strikes at our very cord including imagery related to Art, the Environment, Nature and Positive communication.

I've included pics here but this needs to be seen in person to really feel the full effect. In the past, the underpass always seemed drabby and dark but now it is a fully realized art gallery with Art created by some of the finest mural artists around.

We love it and want to share this with you and perhaps you should see if your city offers such a program.

Also, there is a grand public unveiling on March 5th at 1:30pm. I'll be there handing out lemons!

Attitudinal Healing is looking for donations to continue their great work. We are donating, why don't you?

Mural in Progress

Hello Birdie

2014-02-18T15:13:00.000-08:00

The little ceramic-teapot-bird-house that has been hanging in our backyard for a couple of years may possibly have its first resident. This past weekend as we sat on the patio, a cute little bird was carrying little twigs into the bird house! I'm not sure what kind of bird it is yet but it does have a distinct chirp. It doesn't stay long, so now I check each day to see if there is any signs it's around.

Plumbing for Creativity

2014-02-02T14:11:00.001-08:00

First of all, Happy New Year!

How about we get right down to DIY work by building a new bathroom in the Master bedroom?

I had planned a few years ago to make this happen and hoped my skills would get good enough so I could do a substantial amount of the work. I decided that the old closet area would be the ideal location and began the process of demolishing and reframing the outline for a small bathroom with a big shower. Long hours of consultation with Andrea led to a good plan of what we will have in the new bathroom.

Below are pics we are using to help envision our master bathroom layout, colors and tile.

So with the New Year, we begin this major project. However, I still needed to hire an expert plumber to install the DWV pipes that carry water and waste out properly.

I lucked out considerably by finding Bill Tinkey, a highly experienced plumber who also happens to teach others how to be plumbers. Bill is a natural teacher who communicates clearly and concisely and makes the process enjoyable. If you want to build a bathroom, and have a small budget, I recommend hiring someone like Bill who will work with you to get the job done quickly and correctly. I understand the challenge of working with 'newbies' on a project but Bill doesn't make you feel like one and after awhile you begin to feel pretty confident in the work he has you do.

Coincidentally, a new mural is being painted inside the underpass on our street. We drive by every day and see the amazing work by local, community-based artists as they use the concrete wall as a canvas to convey a message of Art, hope and peace.

Experiencing these two events simultaneously, I start to contemplate plumbing and Mural Art.

It's really amazing to think that modern indoor plumbing in the home has only been around for about 100 years or so. Our 1898 Cottage Victorian was, of course, built without indoor plumbing which was added perhaps 10-20 years later. For a fun, informative read, check out the 'History of Plumbing' and be thankful you live in the 21st Century.

Nowadays, nearly all materials that go into making a bathroom are lighter, stronger and healthier for you.
However, a quick trip to your local Home Depot will soon overwhelm you with amount of choices you have in selecting fixtures, tiles, showers and even toilets. There are even toilets with heated seats and covers which open and close when it senses movement. Thomas Crapper would be aghast.

With plumbing and murals swimming in my head, we venture out for a nice Saturday hike to The Albany Bulb. "The Albany Bulb (also simply known as The Bulb) is a former landfill largely owned by the City of Albany, in California. The Bulb is the west end of a landfill peninsula jutting west from the east shore of San Francisco Bay."-wikip

In 1984, Bay preservationist successfully closed down the landfill and, over time, nature began to move in and reclaim the land. Trails had been installed and you can get extraordinary views of the SF skyline and bridges.

Mostly what you see are huge pieces of old concrete jutting out from the soil surrounded by various trees and wildflowers. Where some people see concrete, others see canvases. So as you stroll around the park, you see evidence of the rampant urge to turn something ugly and innocuous into something interest, tasteful and even beautiful.

Although you might find a 'yellow brick road', that doesn't mean you are in a fantasy world. Hidden among the overgrown areas and trees are several homeless encampments. Andrea and I are reminded about the realities of modern life and talk about the various issues surrounding homelessness, a serious problem everywhere.

Somehow, the topic turned to how Native Americans of the Bay once lived here hundreds of years ago, and wondered what their perspective of 'plumbing' would have been. How did they make hot water? What did they use as a toilet? How did they manage to get fresh clean water in an area that doesn't readily have fresh water springs? How did they bathe?

I suppose these very same questions could be asked of the homeless who live on the Bulb today. As we speculated about these important questions, we came upon a series of sculptures along the bay banks presumably made by some of the homeless.

These works are not amateurish and are quite striking and poignant in their innovative use of landfill materials.

As I marvel at the creativity of these unknown artists, I begin to think that the need to express ones creativity is very strong and vital in humanity. Whatever the living conditions are or the time period, people find the time and the resources to make something that is not a part of the natural world but parallels it by adding a layer of beauty and interest. The garbage and castoffs from society eventually become homes to wildlife and to those people who cannot find a place in society. A sense of community grows up around a place and people find a way to live and create despite some serious hardships. As we start the New Year, I am thankful that I can add a bit of "luxury" to our home but also feel confident that I could build a pretty good shelter in a Shanty Town should life's fortune change. I could probably build a nice DWV (drain/waste/vent) too and add a rain barrel to help capture rain water. Perhaps it's our inner creative urges that makes us think about building things in newer and better ways so life doesn't have to be so harsh?

DIYer Gone Mad

2013-12-31T08:47:00.002-08:00

I had a chance to visit the mysterious Winchester mansion in the heart of Silicon Valley with my wife and sister the other day. This Victorian 160-room mansion, designed and built by the Winchester Rifle heiress, was filled with unexplained oddities such as staircases leading to nowhere and 2nd story doors that opened out into a 20 foot drop.

Stairway to Nowhere

Doorway on the 2nd Floor

I had been to the mansion once before as a little boy. Back then, the mansion was in disrepair and felt more haunted and creaky. Today, it's more "Disney-like" with a restored gardens, regular tours, a cafe and of course a very nice gift shop.

It was fun touring the mansion since we have our own little Victorian of approximate age and have a better understanding of what went into the crafting of these homes in the West.

By far the most intriguing part of the tour and mansion was not the architecture but the force behind the development of what was once was an 8 room farm house into a giant monster of a house that has some 10,000 windows today.

Sarah Winchester was a well-educated, intelligent woman who was heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune. This rifle was credited with "taming" the West as claiming hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.

Unfortunately Sarah's husband and only child died leaving her with a 20 million dollar fortune and a whole lot of time on her hands. Sarah, like all Victorian well-to-do ladies of the era, was bred to be a good wife, a good party hostess and a good mother. When all of that was removed from her life, what was left for this intelligent woman to do? Well, she embarked on becoming one of the earliest DIY Home Improvement mavens of the West. If she had her own TV show, it would probably be called 'Turning a Mansion into a Mega-Mansion With Sarah Winchester and Friends.' Next time, try watching Vicky Payne's 'For Your Home' TV show and you might get a feeling of how Sarah Winchester approached things.

Propelled by what she learned from the various seances (spiritual talks), Sarah was convinced she had to keep adding on to her large home to appease the spirits of all those killed by her husband's deadly product.
So what you see, when you tour the mansion, are a series of large rooms, strange staircases, beautiful wallpaper, stained glass windows, conservatories and evidence of the damage caused by the great 1906 earthquake.

Sarah had men working on the house 24 hours a day, every day until she died in 1922. I partly think the reason was that she was fearful of feeling alone at any point in the day even though she avoided people as much as possible.

Even though she had a huge fortune, it seemed Sarah was very concerned about water usage and recycling. She had her workers build slanted floors in her conservatory so that excess water poured into all the plants would fall into removable floors that hid large metal gutters which carried the extra water into the large garden areas. All of the kitchen counters in the house were slanted so that extra water flowed back into drains that returned water back into the garden.

Sarah also experimented with new ways to keep her house earthquake proof and warm installing elaborate mechanisms that ran an elevator, boiler and pumped water to and from the mansion.

Sarah called ALL the shots in the designing and construction of her mansion until the day she died. Often it seemed like she had men working on several projects at once with some projects inexplicably halted before completion.

I felt I understood Sarah a little bit better after touring the house.
I know I often wake up in the morning thinking, "What if I moved that door over there?", "What if I added a staircase to the basement over here?", "How cool would it be to add a solar panel and to install a grey water system??"

I have the benefit of using a 3D computer design program to help me "see" if a new project could work without creating additional problems later. Sarah, unconcerned about money issues, could just dictate what she wanted done. It probably made complete sense in her mind until she would run into the roadblock of reality. Any DIYer can understand that moment when you realize, midway through a project, that you overlooked one small aspect and now you have to make other costly changes.

I'm sure it made sense to Sarah to put a staircase in a particular place and would order her men to get to work on it immediately. It wasn't until the project was 75% done that everyone would realize that the staircase now covered the beautiful stained glass window and blocked another room. Her solution? Build another room around the new construction to accommodate the window which inevitably led to some other new parts of the house being nearly inaccessible or strange-looking. The mansion is FULL of these kinds of observations.

So I've come to think of Sarah Winchester not so much as a wealthy, crazy recluse....but as an intelligent woman with an active mind who enjoyed the thrill of conjuring up creative ways to add something interesting to her mansion. Maybe she had second thoughts of whether something would work or not and turn her attention to something else without completing past projects. The workmen did not protest lest they be fired from their lucrative jobs. So on and on it went, layering project upon project without end. I mean, what else could she do?

I think the tour is worth if of you are a DIYer working on any home. You can readily see several examples of ideas that weren't thought through and Sarah was notorious for NEVER using blueprints. Why use them when you are intelligent, rich and haunted by Spirits?

http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Real Tweeting and Tea

2013-12-26T21:06:00.001-08:00

As the end of the year approaches, I look back at some of the newer things that have entered our lives and wondered how they hold up to the principles of the 'Neo-Victorian'.

This year, we went bird watching for the first time and have replaced coffee drinking with tea.

Bird watching?! "What has happened to me?", I wondered.

Of course humans have been bird watching since the beginning of time but it was not until the
Victorian era that a systematic and detailed method of birding arrived. Darwin's theories of the
species was one, major reason for the enthusiasm.

As birding grew as a Victorian era hobby, groups like The British Ornithology Union and
The Audubon Society started. Some of their causes included ending wanton hunting of wild birds as well as ending the practice of using rare bird feathers (and birds) to make fashionable ladies' hats.

The Victorians were not as lucky as we are today with modern technology and we enjoyed using small, high-powered binoculars while driving through a few of the newly created wetlands around Northern California.

You wouldn't think bird watching is terrible interesting. But it is terribly interesting!

What makes that so? For me, it was the wide variety of beautiful plummage and the harmonious way
birds fly in mass unison through the sky. There is also something serene and calming in viewing them in the wild. It's a feeling I never get when I'm staring at an electronic screen.

The holidays have been great and we received many fine gifts from friends and family. We received an amazing tea set (and Numi teabags) from our creative, foster daughter after mentioning a few months ago that we were no longer drinking coffee.

According to angelpig.net, "Afternoon tea was created by Anna, the Seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840 as a way to quell the inevitable hunger pangs between lunch and dinner This ritual became so popular among affluent classes that it became one of the mainstays of the British way of life."

"As the tea tradition expanded from the Victorian elite to the working class,
the High Tea was developed. High Tea was a combination of afternoon tea and the evening supper;
the tradition soon became the main meal for many. The name comes from the fact that the tea was taken at
the high time of day, four to five o’clock and it was enjoyed from high stools in the tea shops or standing; at a corner stall, a buffet table or a counter."

"The tradition of drinking tea in the presence of company is one of the oldest sustenance rituals. "

So in true neo-Victorian fashion, we held our first techno-social-teaparty with our wonderful friend, who lives and works in Germany, via Skype. The conversation was wonderful and I enjoyed cradling the artfully made cup while sipping the warm tea while the fireplace flickered behind me. Time slowed down for awhile as we basked in the mixture of old and new rituals. The goals are still the same. Connection....real connection and the promise of mutually inspiring each other to think of new ways of seeing the world.

I can't help wondering if all the art on the walls (courtesy of my sister) and the re-emergence of this old Victorian house has made us look at the world through the eyes of the Victorians. It certainly feels healthier and more meaningful to slow things down, breathe in natural wonders and re-stoke the fires of human connection while the rest of the world seems bent on creating a world where all you need is an Ipad.

Spend a weekend birdwatching and having tea with a friend and your world might change overnight.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Eve

2013-12-24T18:13:00.000-08:00

Since it was such a gorgeous day here, we went for a walk in Lafayette and, due to public outrage, will not be returning.

Ha! Signs are a funny thing. We passed one as we walked that read: 'Due to public outrage, all dogs must be cleaned up after!'--or something like that. I loved the "due to public outrage' and we made up other scenarios involving "public outrage".

But I digress, today we took a nice Christmas Eve walk (and a little bit of hiking) at the Lafayette Reservoir. Near the beginning of the trail, we happened upon this Christmas-tree surprise. Not only are the ornaments a cute idea, but they had shapes of bird food hanging from branches as well. What a cute and festive idea. So we picked up a bell-shape of bird food on the way home to hang on our bare tree branches, along with a few ornaments. A little gift for our neighborhood birdies.

Notice the bird at the feeder

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Haiku Update

2013-12-04T10:36:00.001-08:00

Concrete re-purposed
Planter of lettuce and chard
Urban gardening

Same concrete planter
Succulents patched into rocks
along with art sign

Standing planter with
Rosemary, cosmos, parsley
and morning glories

First birdwatching trip
Grey Lodge Wildlife Refuge
Ducks, birds, geese, hawks fly

New mantel painting
Room entirely improved
Art, heat and comfort

Gift from Sylvia
Nesting tables in corner
Creative display

The Omega and the Alpha

2013-10-20T14:06:00.001-07:00

A new blog entry usually means the "end and the beginning" of a home project. It feels pretty good to sit down and write down what has transpired and what is yet to come.

We have been working hard on the house and yard the past several weeks. The weather is still nice but Fall usually means you better get some things done before the moist,wet air complicates your next project.

Our major project was updating the guest bedroom/office. This once dark, weather-challenged room has now been upgraded to a bright, comfortable space. We did some things we hadn't done before which includes adding some crown moulding. They say crown adds 'height' to the room and I would say that that is true. Also, the room had 0 insulation and we found large gaps in the exterior siding behind the drywall which explains why that room got so cold in the winter. Apparently this room was were the original Victorian kitchen was located. Back then, kitchens were small, utilitarian zones and not a place families gathered together.

Let me amend that statement; HALF of the room was the kitchen and the other half was some kind of porch.
In the middle of the room was what looked like a low hanging beam that ran from one wall to the other. After taking out the gypsum, it turns out the beam ran about 3/4 of the way and had exterior siding attached to it.

I thought about taking out the siding but felt that if I braced the beam to the other wall and kept the siding, the room (and therefore the house) would be structurally stronger for it. When you work on a house in California, you constantly have to weigh design against structural strength. So we added more strength to the beam AND used drywall to give it a bit of an interesting design. (you can see it in the 2nd pic)

For design inspiration, we recalled the time we stayed at a B&B that had beadboard ceilings and Andrea said she wanted to have some of that. So we added some, along with a new fan to give the room a cottage feel.

We opted to just use semi-glossy white paint for all the moulding, ceiling and base moulding. This allows light from the window to help keep the room bright. We re-used the carpet from the parlor which we yanked out a few years ago even though it was brand new. We kept it and were able to use the one whole piece in the room.

I think we probably would add some kind of large daybed, an armoir and floating desk. It will still be a flexible room that can operate either as guest quarters or computer room.

We purchased a nice 5 gallon paint bucket for $20 at the discount section at HD, which I recommend checking out before shelling out $25 for just 1 gallon. The color is nice and we could probably paint the Master bedroom with it too. Total cost was around $700 for materials.

Other Projects

While on the topic of saving money, here are a few other things we did.

We recycled the front window security bars into a garden trellis and used Rustoleum Deck restore to give new life to the weather, aging deck. The restore material is painted onto the wood and gives it a weather-proof, rubbery consistency that adds traction and looks pretty good!

The other big project was pulling up another large section of concrete in the backyard and free some of the soil beneath it. By jackhammering the cement into sections, I was able to create a new veggie garden planter down the middle of the yard. Not only does this save money in having to have it taken to the dump, it's easier on the back because you are really moving the broken pieces a few feet or so. I topped off the top with some smooth, blue stone that will be mortared down and suitable for seating.

We decided the new, open dirt area will consist of soft, green moss. We placed a few patches of the moss and made a 'moss shake' and poured it around the stepping stones Andrea made. Keep it moist for awhile and we expect the moss to take over the newly exposed area. It would be nice to take off the shoes and walk on it someday!

This blog entry means I've had a day or so to recover from these projects and now it's on to some other renovations. Just a few days ago, I found a discounted dual pane window at HD for a great price and plan on finishing replacing the last window in the living room. We are also going to work more on the basement and the garden area while the weather is still good. Thanks for reading.

Paths to Glory

2013-09-03T17:51:00.001-07:00

As we begin September, I've been thinking about the different paths we all take in life. Both Andrea and I are figuring out which new paths we should take in the midst of general uncertainty in the world.

Selecting a "path" also applies to how we approach further rehabilitation of our Old Vic. Should we rehab it so it suits are needs for the long term? Or should we rehab it so that it would appeal to a wide range of potential, future buyers? Should we continue down the path that evokes its age, or "borgify" it by adding new, technological innovations that few houses have?

This weekend we got the opportunity to think deeply about "paths". First we hiked inside Sibley Volcanic Regional Park in the East Bay Hills and pondered how some paths can have steep, difficult inclines, or wide asphalt walkways and smaller paths that seem to invite adventure and maybe a little discomfort. Sometimes you have to backtrack on the same path because the one up ahead looks a little too precarious to continue on. It's always good to remember that a path with a steep incline will eventually get easier as it levels off or declines.

It's also good to remember that the food tastes best after a good, long hike! lol

Well then there are the paths presented to you like in the very top picture. I had the opportunity to walk along the new pedestrian path attached to the new Bay Bridge which just opened this morning. In some ways, the picture above represents our approach to old house rehabbing. On the left is the old bay bridge, built in the early 1930's and opposite is the new Bay Bridge which took much, much longer and cost much, much more to build than the old one.

If they were houses, you could see how the newly built house is a white, gleaming state of the art structure while the old bridge is darker and outdated. However, about half way through my walk towards Treasure Island, I noticed that I spent more time looking at the old bridge than the new one. It just has so much character which the new one sorely lacks.

I couldn't help but wish that they figure out a way to keep a portion of the old one somehow. Maybe turn into a 'Ponte Vecchio' of the Bay? The Ponte Vecchio was a Medieval bridge in Italy that was transformed into an area for shops that tourists visit.

Perhaps part of the problem, here in the Bay Area, is that you have to tear something down completely and build something new in its place. I don't find too many civic examples that incorporate new innovations into the more ancient structures ("ancient" around here means about 100 years old). Europe does that sort of thing very well with structures like the Louvre. Of course our older structures are more susceptible to damaging earthquakes but I'm sure their are clever solutions out there that can help keep the character of our old structures.

The last thing I want to say about "paths" are the ones that are unseen yet clearly viewable. Just like the long, dark silhouette of the bridge on the bay waters, some paths are mental, spiritual, metaphysical yet they are just as important to consider when you decide to take a new "physical" path.

So looking back in August we were able to refinish two old floors in the parlor and dining area. This is a bit of a long process that involves heavy duty sanding and the re-application of polyurethane. The floor is old and covered in history. To our surprise, we found out that the dining room floor is actually maple which adds a more exotic look to the room. It takes a bit longer for things to dry with it but it is supposedly stronger than the red oak in the parlor.

Maple floor meets Oak Floor


After the sanding comes the smelly poly application.

Andrea said it looked like I was painting the floor.


Three coats and several days later, I can walk on it with my socks on.


Try and moonwalk on this floor. I did.

You wonder why I would cover the newly refinished floor? Because I hate the thought of getting scratches or anything else on it! We'll only remove the rugs when feel like dancing. :)

Oh, and there is a big dark spot just in front of the fireplace. My theory is that it is oil lamp oil that spilled there many decades ago. It just won't come out no matter what I try and what comes out has an oily consistency to it. Oh well, it's "history"!

So what's on the docket for September?

-Rehab the garage which will function as a gym and future electric car station.

-More jackhammering of the backyard cement so we can plant more stuff.

-Polish the basement floors. Can I get the basement floors to look the ones at Home Depot?

-Construct new bookshelves and window bench for the parlor.

-Gut and remake the small office/bedroom.

- And a hundred other things....

Wish us luck!

Getting to the Hearth of the Matter

2013-07-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

We progressed quite a bit since returning from our inspiring D.C. trip.

I tackled the 3rd wall which was a mishmash of leaky aluminum windows, different moldings and that rough wall paint style that I hated.

Pic above was taken not too long after we moved in.

By now, restoring the moldings has become a pretty automatic process involving safely removing the old paint, sanding, repairing and finally staining to match the dark wood throughout the house. I was able to pull out some of the wainscot to I could add insulation to the exterior facing wall.

The two windows posed a little bit of a challenge. Brand new, custom ordered dual pane windows would have cost hundreds of dollars. So I took a drive and hit the usual salvage places and would you believe I found one, never-used double hung vinyl window that was EXACTLY the size I needed? It was in great shape and still had the labels on it and I bought it for $65! I installed it in just a few hours and felt that luck was with me. After a few more days of searching, I knuckled under and purchased a brand new small window from HD for $125 but it took over 2 weeks to be delivered! And would you believe it WASN'T EXACTLY the size I asked? Let me see, is it better to check the salvage yards for an exact window you could install that day, for a fraction of the cost, or go retail and pay more and wait longer for something not exactly right? I've always been a big advocate of using salvage materials but this experience pushes me into the salvage camp even more.

So with the new windows in, I carefully pulled molding from another part of the house to build matching trim around the windows. Andrea sponge paints to match the other walls and I once again add the Tung Oil as a sheen.

We've really grown to enjoy the look and ease of wood shutters so I added some to the lower part of the big window to provide privacy yet allow light in.

I had been thinking a lot about fireplaces. For generations, a fireplace was where families huddled together to stay warm and even cook. Fireplace mantels became a major focal point of design since people wanted something else to look at besides the calm, flickering fire. Although modern forced-air allows heat to efficiently enter any room, it did take away the need for people to come together in one room. After giving it some thought, we felt it would be cheaper and just as efficient to put a new gas fireplace in the middle of the old house. We spend most of our time here anyway and I like the idea of a central heated area to eat meals, entertain etc.. Also, the flames on these new gas heaters look astonishingly like the real thing and is much safer and cleaner than wood burning.

So we began to update our bland wall heater, which came with the house, to a more efficient new direct-vent gas fireplace. I found a good company on Ebay after reading the horrible Yelp reviews on all the Bay Area fireplace companies. The company I used is called 'Embers Fireplaces' located in Central California and their products were affordable and great as was the customer service. I highly recommend them.

After a bit of research on fireplaces, I settled on first installing a small brick hearth made of antique bricks found in our yard and other places. I harvested a 'Carnegie' brick from the patio outside and matched it with bricks that had a wide range of colors.

Following framing and installation of the firebox and vent, I did more research on fireplace mantels and found that most of the pictures showed mantels that were usually all one color-white. The Victorian style mantels were audacious and extremely expensive and I wasn't sure if it would work in the small main room. So after some thought, decided to build a custom wrap-around mantel using salvage pieces and some brand new Poplar wood boards. I learned that ordering specialty Victorian tiles would take several days and I was eager to finish so I found about 30 stone tiles, with a lot of character, at salvage for $6.

When I put it all together, we liked the two-tone look of the dark wood against the greenish-poplar and decided to work with it. The corbels and legs came from a custom kitchen cabinet and the artwork from my sister. I guess I had to build a fireplace to fit the art!

I spent an extra $125 for the faux brick look inside the firebox and it was well worth it. It looks great and much better than leaving it all black. Like a rockstar, Andrea is called in to bring music to the wall with her sponge technique.

I put in the shelving and coated the stone and brick with a water-based gloss substance, that is used on tile, to give it that "wet look" and viola!, a new efficient gas fireplace with custom mantel.

Then

And Now

And I final triptych pic the captures the mental-visual process.

Tool Library

2013-07-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

FYI - Just saw this link Peggy shared - the Oakland Temescal Tool Library was mentioned in this Washington Post article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/sets-drums-and-rotary-tools-libraries-across-us-lending-way-more-than-books/2013/07/18/40db7714-efc5-11e2-8c36-0e868255a989_story.html

Ghost Town Farm visit

2013-07-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

We met Novella Carpenter and her daughter Francis at her Ghost Town Farm tour on Saturday. I bought a jar of honey produced from her bee hive. It was cool to meet her especially since we live in the same hood.

Our garden is currently producing lots of zucchini, lemon & green cucumbers, cherry plums, and blackberries. More pictures and notes to follow soon.

Resuming Restoration

2013-07-03T15:17:00.004-07:00

We've started the process of restoring the 3rd wall and floor in what we call the "living room". In the past it served as the main eating room with fireplace or some kind of heating source.

Our task is to remove the carpet and remove all the paint and gunk on the original hardwood floors as well as remove the paint off the original wainscot and window trim. We are replacing the windows with double hung dual panes and will gently pry off the wainscot so we could add insulation behind it.

Of course there will be general repairs along the way. The plaster wall is in good shape and just needs a skim good to smooth it out. Then Andrea applies her sponge painting technique which will make the wall look like a custom wallpaper feature that blends with the other walls.

Our budget is about $1000 to complete all this and hope to use recycled items in good shape when needed. We will do all the restoring but will most likely hire a professional floor sander to come in and do all the rooms at once

So far, we spent about $100 on paint scraping materials and found an used double hung window for $65 that will fit just right in the large window section. I did order a brand new small double pane window from Home Despot but that will take TWO WEEKS to be delivered. Why buy new when I can find a good salvage one at a fraction of the price and within a day or two??

We had paint leftover from the previous work and found a few old floor pieces to replace the plywood section near one of the walls.

Progress....

Even DIYers need a vacation

2013-06-16T09:38:00.001-07:00

After working on the house for 5 straight months since the beginning of the year, we were able to take a little vacation from DIY work which is a very positive thing to do. First, the house was clean from top to bottom for the first time since we've moved in and thus we felt like we were actually enjoying the house without bumping into some construction debris/work. Then we spent time talking about planning the next phases of the house refurbishment which include a couple of major improvements.

Then we took a trip to Washington D.C. where there was so much to do and see. I was just as much focused on the architecture, gardens and art there and took pics of things we saw that may help spur new ideas for our old home and growing garden:

US Botanical Garden

Home and Design Museum or "Honey, I shrunk George??"

Victorian garden and fountain next to Smithsonian Castle

Us Botanical Garden Conservatory

US Botanical Garden

Tin Ceiling at DC Restaurant

Hedge trees next to Korean War Memorial

Flower Garden at Mt. Vernon

George Washington's Pad

Indoor Garden National Art Gallery

Furniture Art at Renwick Gallery

One of my favorite pieces at the Renwick Gallery

Window treatment at Renwick

Wood Floor Renwick Gallery

Stain glass at Renwick

A garden spot along the Great Mall

Alexander Calder artwork

Calder at the National Gallery

Amazing table at Renwick

Beautiful Stain Glass at National Portraiture Museum

Ceiling at Library of Congress

Lights. Camera. Inspiration!

2013-05-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

There is something about this time of the year that sparks us towards inspiration and whimsy. I know I've felt an incredible urge to be extra creative as does my wife. As Spring flowers bloom so does our imaginings and I don't think that is by accident. There is a connection there that is unseen yet so powerful it changes the very way our mind operates.

Today I thought about how making films is not too different from creating a garden. For me, filmmaking had always been about creating something that looks good to your eyes, sounds good to your ears and tells you a story or just challenges your mind to grapple with interesting ideas. I realized that our Victorian garden has those elements too plus the added elements of smell and taste. A garden is somewhat like a film that changes every single nanosecond and is never the same at any one point. And now that Andrea has infused the garden with creative, poetic quotes, it seems to be evolving into a living "cinepoem".

So I was inspired to take a few pictures to share with you to help you get inspired and perhaps think a little bit about some old and new things. Perhaps you'll come visit and watch the "film" in action?

A Comedic Cinepoem (very slow motion)

A documentary cinepoem showing all the things going on, in our minds, this Spring.

Perhaps a political film made on a shoestring budget? Or Democracy Is Half of What it Used to Be?

Dude? Where Are My Car Keys?

In an Antique State-of-Mind

2013-05-02T20:26:00.001-07:00

Antique! What makes an antique exactly? According to the web, it's anything that is 100 years old or more.

I always marvel at the items my sister gives to us. They are almost always gorgeous and have a level of detail that I find mesmerizing. I usually don't get that same feeling when I'm forced to go shopping at Ikea or some other contemporary store. But stepping into an antique is a journey back in time where craftsmanship and art were valued differently than today.

So let's play a quick game. Can you spot the antiques in this picture?

Clock on the left? Nope. Looks antique-ish but it's a Cost Plus item we found for $6 at a thrift Store. What about the beautiful painting? Nope. Not an antique but it is hand painted and a wonderful gift from my sister and her husband. The Rug? Nope. Handwoven but it isn't that old. If you said the walls, wainscot and floor, you would have guessed right. They are 115 years old as is the entire front half of the house. Most likely the house was built around May to take advantage of the warm dry weather. And it was constructed without the benefit of power tools. Imagine that!

This beautiful vase (another gift from my sister) is an antique created around 1890 in Europe. The pink roses from the yard work perfectly together with it. You don't often see fresh flowers in vases inside people's homes too often. But in the old days, it was a very common thing to do. Nature's art merged with human art.

We also recently attended a very big antique show. It's pretty easy to see what generation of people you might see at a show like this. To make a long story short, I think we were some of the youngest people there and it made me question how much the younger generations find value in old, beautifully hand crafted things.

I recently salvaged an antique Victorian entry door that some young man was giving away on craigslist. The picture showed a big door with mounds of paint on it but you could still see that it had all the original knobs, mailbox and door pull cover. I didn't know the condition but emailed him anyway and out of 50 emails, he responded to mine.

I went over to take a look at it and my tongue nearly fell out. I could tell that this was a very well crafted Victorian door that was worth something.

So I took it home and started cleaning the paint off.

Exterior side had about 6 layers of paint but the entire door was in great shape. Nothing broken.

During that time I wondered if I should try and sell it or just keep it. What is the value I'm looking for here? Is the value in the money I might get for it so I could do more things to fix up the house? Or is the value in the beauty my hard work will bring out of the door once cleaned and refinished? Maybe the value is just in looking and pondering the exquisite craftsmanship somebody had put into it 100 years ago??

Scraped off about 3 layers of white paint on the interior side

So I took it home and started cleaning the paint off.

Restained and a coat of poly.


Same on the interior, Put back the oval, beveled window and reglazed.

It's Earth Day

2013-04-22T17:21:00.001-07:00

Today is Earth Day and to honor that day ( a day which should be celebrated everyday really), I offer up a few pics from our garden taken just a few minutes ago. Also, on a whim and realizing I had leftover redwood from the carriage door project, built this lattice shade/trellis over the old brick patio. The yard gets full sun this time of year and we needed someplace that didn't let us cook under the sun.

We would like to say thank you to the following for helping us make our home and garden more of a reality.

-Bill and Sylvia Beckerley
-Lois and Lenny Paul
-The Temescal Tool Library

I expect nobody to respond to this blog because....you should be outside celebrating Earth day not using the Internet like me! lol

So Enjoy!


Stain glass through Window


New garden arbor/trellis with growing Honeysuckle vine, antique blue tea lamp and recovering bouganvillea in hanging planter.

California Poppies just keep coming back here every year.


The dark wood framing connecting beam to back wall is actually from an old sofa bed. Chair courtesy of in-laws.


Andrea's recent artwork masterpiece is hidden among the poppies and growing 4 o'clocks.

Clematis? We thought you dead but you came back out of nowhere this Spring.

Andrea's new vegetable box with recent plantings of zucchini and other veggies.


The mint looks, smells and tastes great. I'm trying something new by growing Morning Glories and Sunflowers in an old copper colored pillow case. lol

We recently attended a W. Oakland Community Garden event and showed some support by purchasing a few starters, including this Chamomile plant. W. Oakland hopes to build a big health food store and great a large urban farm just a few blocks from us. Hope it happens.


The pink rose bush that came with the house continues to flourish despite the fact that I do nothing else but throw our coffee grounds at it.

Also, one of our neighbors in the hood is Novella Carpenter, author of 'Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer'. She continues to do very interesting work with food production in vacant lots and is an inspiration to many urban farmers. I learned about her about 2 months after we moved here and was encouraged by her efforts. Check her out!
http://ghosttownfarm.wordpress.com/