Fishgirl Speaks

ABC #3: Studio Progress

It's been awhile since my last house update, but that doesn't mean we haven't been puttering along. We have slowly been trying to clear the land for fire safety. When you have a half acre, ya don't call it weeding. It's "clearing the land."

Downhill from the house. This was a much bigger pile.

The future deck area.

We also got started on my future studio. Progress is slow by most standards, but any progress is great!

Footings poured.

Concrete forms removed, braces almost in place.

Foundation beams.

We also have some roof work to do. Check out this loveliness:

That's not a real skylight, by the way. It's a window they basically glued in place.

We've also been enjoying the local wildlife: quails running across the road, finches dancing in the sky, wild turkeys laughing at us, deer, bunnies, squirrels, cute little inchworms, and the occasional alligator lizard.

 

Previous entries for Adventures in Boulder Creek:
ABC #2

ABC #1

 

 

ABC #2: Stumps and Woodpiles

We've been going up to the house almost every weekend now. The routine is to get up early enough to beat the beach traffic, grab a bagel, stop by the storage unit and load up the car, then drive up and putter. I guess you could call it the slowest move ever. Since we can't do much on the house proper, we are taking advantage of the quiet time to sort through our belongings. They simply won't all fit into a 576 square foot house. I imagine there will be regular postings of free or cheap things for offer on Facebook.

Last weekend, we took some time - in long pants and boots - to stomp around the property. We found a very nice stump, which I promptly dubbed the Thinking Stump. It's a lovely place to sit and think. Or not think. Today, Charles started clearing more of a path to the Stump for easier access. If you come up, you should try it out. Veddy Nize.

Earlier this week, we received a note from the Water District asking us to please clear the meter so they could read it. Oddly, the meter is not on our property, but we figured we'd play nice. We moved roughly two cords of wood, stacking it neatly on either side of our drive. For awhile, it felt like we may never find the water meter, and it reminded me of a joke:

A man is in prison and writes regularly with his wife. In a recent letter, she told him that some officials had been asking additional questions about his case and generally nosing about. He wrote back, "Whatever you do, don't let them in the backyard. That's where I buried the rest of the bodies." A couple of weeks later, the wife replies, "Thanks, dear. They came and dug up the whole backyard. Now I can get that garden going!"

Surely, someone somewhere just wanted this wood pile moved for some other reason. 

We did find it eventually with a little help. A couple of friends stopped by to visit, one of whom happened to bring gloves. Thanks! I also thought it was amusing that they should roll up while we were stacking wood at our new mountain home. It was a nice little workout and now the pile looks a lot neater. All of that work was so we could uncover this, which was in the middle of the biggest part of the pile. Of course.

We met a couple more friends for lunch at Burger 9. Normally, it is a perfectly fine dining experience, but they were completely slammed with Labor Day weekend traffic, along with being across from the Santa Cruz Mountains Art & Wine Festival. They were definitely in over their heads. Tummies finally full, we went back to the house, sorted through the current load of boxes, cleared a little brush, and meandered home.

To read ABC #1, go here.

Adventures in Boulder Creek (ABC #1)

Last we spoke about the housing situation, we had moved into my parents' carriage house. We are still there, but the good news is we finally purchased a place in Boulder Creek! There are a lot of hurdles to clear before we can move in, but the price was right, and so is the view:

 

The backstory on house is roughly this: A previous owner took what was a storage shed/artist's shack (no permit required) and turned it into a small house without getting the required permits. The county came after them, so they sought financial assistance to help with permitting and repair issues. Enter three investors, assisted by an agent who specializes in investing in deeds of trust. The owner did not make good on the permits and went into default, so the title then went to the investors, from whom we purchased the house.

In order for us to pull permits and work on the house, we need to deal with an easement and a variance. We are working on the easement now, attempting to contact the owner of the easement (also, apparently, an investor who does not live in the property to which the easement is attached). Once that goes away, then we can request a variance from the county, because the house is right at the property edge. The variance will allow us to build/remodel within the setback as it is the only good place to put the house. The rest of the lot goes downhill.

Did I mention the view? And the quiet?

So that's what we are working on now. We are also seeing what we can do until we can pull permits, like clearing for fire safety. There are three or four trees that will need to come out. I'd rather not, but they are right next to the house. Here is one side of the house. Charles is back there somewhere working on clearing.

Last weekend, we took the truck up with a new, small shed kit and a few other random things. We were also going to help our friend and neighbor move some plants from her old place, but then the truck decided to break down. At least it was in her driveway and not on the road! We thought we'd let it cool down to see if that helped. That meant going for a walk to Burger 9 which was outstanding. Then we walked back, tried the truck again, and decided to call AAA and unload the truck at my friend's place. While Charles went with the tow truck to the local mechanic, my friend and I played a game of Mexican train (dominoes) in the front yard. A rather lovely and relaxing day, compared to all the work we had planned. Thankfully, my dad was able to come pick us up.

The next day we drove back up, stuffed some things in the car from where we left them, assembled the shed, and puttered for a bit. There is a fair amount of trash sitting around, as well as some odds and ends, like a case of these:

 

We picked up the truck on Tuesday with a new pump for the power steering and brakes and a new belt.

This weekend, we puttered some more, including painting our mailbox. The first pic was after I had wiped it down. The second is after reinstalling it. Now we're the new kids on the block.

We also met our neighbors, a young couple with kids. He's lived in the area his whole life and I think he got the house from his dad. She's newer to the area. She mentioned that she was going to practice making a cake for an upcoming party for the kids, and if we were around later we should help them eat it. I like them already!

We asked about the great big pile of chopped wood near our drive and they said it was dumped there from some other operation, so it didn't really belong to anyone. They also mentioned that our water meter was buried under it, which might explain why the water company hasn't shut off the water to our place! We'll start up official service very shortly, but it's been handy in the meantime.

Here are a few more pics of the place.

 

We Got to Move it, Move it

For anyone who reads this blog but is not on Facebook, allow me to catch you up. After 15 years in our house, we decided to move. Reason #1 is to live somewhere with an improved green to concrete ratio, and #2 is to get rid of our unwieldy mortgage.

We spent much of June and July prepping the house for sale, including minor repairs, and packing up about half of our stuff in order to stage the house. We even got rid of our giant sofa which was looking pretty shabby. I have to say, I don't normally miss things, but I have been missing that beast. It was so very comfy. Instead, I have my trusty old butterfly chair to sit and read in. Anyway, after everything was made spic and span, we put the house on the market at the end of July. The video tour is still available, by the way. About a week later, we had eight offers, all above asking. It was as tough choice, but went with the highest bidder who also happen to be very nice people.

With that step out of the way, we turned our attention to finding our new home in the Boulder Creek area. Well, as timing and numbers would have it, this part of the proceedings may take longer than we had hoped. Our price range is fairly narrow, and with a population of just under 5,000 people, Boulder Creek simply has fewer offerings from which to choose.

Although we negotiated a two-month rent back, that just isn't enough time, and so we will end up moving twice. Finding a short-term lease that will allow cats and is also affordable is a little like trying to find that eighth day of the week. Lucky for us, my parents have generously offered their carriage house. That's right: as I near my 42nd birthday, I'll be moving back in the with folks. Rite of passage? An artist thing? I don't know, but that's what's going on.

So now we are in the second phase of packing, deciding what will go with us to our studio/loft accomodations, and what will go into storage. As George Carlin might say, we are taking a smaller version of our stuff with us, and hope we don't get in the way of my parents' shit. Hopefully, I will be able to enjoy this new, simplified style of living, just as I have enjoyed the decluttered living in a staged house. Then, when we get around to unpacking everything else, I can get of even more stuff. Ever the optimist, I am. As long as Charles and the kitties are happy, and I can still make jewelry, I'll be fine. It will be an adventure no matter what.

New Chairs!

Our dining room chairs and table are hand-me-downs. The table belonged to my parents, who downsized when they moved a few years ago. It's a great big antique with lots of good dinner party mojo. The old chairs, which were completely upholstered and cat-scratch fodder, were given to us by friends. After a few half-hearted attempts to deter the cat scratching, I just gave up and let them be destroyed. Hey, it was five against two. They've been in a state of embarrassment for a few years now - enough that I stitched up some slip covers to hide the worst of it. Any time I looked at replacing them, it just didn't rate a high enough priority in the money juggle game.

Recently, an acquaintance of ours passed away after a nasty battle with cancer. Albie was the drummer in my dad and friends' jazz combo, and didn't have any family to speak of and very few friends. This was by choice, by the way - very nice guy. So my parents and a couple friends helped disburse his belongings, some of which went to a neighbor who handles a charity garage sale.

At dinner with my folks, Albie's stuff came up in conversation. We realized there was an easy solution to our dining room chair dilemma, so we walked over to the neighbor's house, paid cash, and picked up five, almost new, all wooden chairs that happen to match our dining room table exactly.

Post-Thanksgiving House Fun

When I moved into this house in 1998, there was a lot of work to do, including shoring up the living room floor which would travel an inch or two when bounced. Since it wasn't posing any immediate problems, it got put off.

Not long ago we noticed a crack in the living room wall (click any picture to enlarge):

Then this appeared in the office (in line with the living room wall):

Hm, guess we better think about fixing the floor.

The house is rather, um, homemade. The substructure is actual 2x4 redwood that is not necessarily well-assembled. Under the living room the 2x4s are just stabbed right into the dirt, and the dirt is quite soft. The living room is also the largest room in the house and eventually became known to our guests as a bit of a trampoline, having tamped down the 2x4s. We took an investigative crawl under the house to confirm what I already knew, and snapped a few pics:

Yes, that's at least an inch clearance between post and beam.

More not-touching supports.

At least this fine piece of support carpentry is still holding up the kitchen. Likely because it's actually standing on concrete:

On the plus side, several years ago I had the house bolted to the foundation (which it hadn't been for 90ish years). Here is one of the custom brackets installed:

This piece is about a foot wide.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we donned our dust masks and crawled under to work. Here's a workout for you: Travel 30 feet prone, using just your elbows and toes, pushing a 20 pound concrete block in front of you. Travel 30 feet back the same, minus the block. Repeat 10 times. 

For each block, we needed to create a level spot for it to sit. If the dirt wasn't super soft, it was hard and rock-like, requiring pick-and-smash action in close quarters.

About 28 hours worth of work later (split between the two of us) and we now have a firm, secure floor. Here is one row of new and improved supports:

And another row:

There were a few more pictures, but they didn't come out very well. The super fine dust, sketchy lighting, and awkward positioning make photography a challenge. But I did drag out a couple of pieces to shoot in the backyard. Witness the state of these "footings":

And for your amusement, some found objects For some reason, there were a lot of salad dressing jar lids.

Shasta soda, Durkee's Famous Dressing and Meat Sauce, and a prescription box for vaginal suppository. What's THAT doing under the house?

Our elbows were pretty much toast after all of that. At least it was a pretty cheap project. Yay!

Weirdness

The school is located in San Jose's Guadalupe Gardens, which are abundant with critters. We love them all. Something, however, started digging into the school. A corner of the changing area is quite close to the outdoors. When we arrived yesterday, there was about a cup and a half of dirt piled against the wall. There is no visible entry on the outside. That means it was coming up from way below. A little ground squirrel Halloween prank?

A few months ago we noticed a crack in the living room wall. It was mildly alarming, but investigating meant crawling under the house on dusty rocks. Not hands and knees crawling either, but elbows and dragging. Naturally, we postponed it.

Last night, Charles called me in to the office where he pointed out more cracks in the corner on what is essentially the same wall as the one in the living room. Guess we can't postpone that investigation anymore.

Also last night, we came home to find the utility sink faucet running. The cats have never done this before. Not in the five years that sink has been there. I can only hope it was only running for a brief time and not the entire day we were gone from 8am to 9pm. At least it was cold water.

All Creatures Mostly Small

I love critters of all sorts. Even though I'm essentially a city dweller, I get to see a fair assortment of life with anywhere from two to 100 legs.

The school is next to the Guadalupe Gardens, so when the weather turns warms, everybody comes out. Sometimes when I pull up, I'll just sit in the car and watch the ground squirrels hide in plain site, chatter to each other, and occasionally dart around. One time, a squirrel zipped across the street with its tail straight up. I thought to myself, "Hey, he's high-tailing it!"

Frequently, bugs seem to crawl in to die. I like to assume it's a comforting thing rather than an insult to the school. Last Thursday, I saw a small cockroach lying motionless on its back. When I blew on it to test its deadness, its antennae moved softly. Maybe it was freshly dead and not rigid yet, I thought. I grabbed a tissue and, in the final test, waved it over the roach. When I pulled it away, the roach was gone, or rather, had grabbed the Kleenex. So, not dead then! Well, it still had to go outside and I went to wave it off the tissue just outside the front door. It landed feet up and wriggling, tumbled down the ramp a little bit, and righted itself. It seemed to be stomping off in indignation when a bluebird flew down, cocked its head at me as if to say, "For me? Thanks!" and snapped it up in its beak. Sayonara, cockroach.

This past weekend I tore into the pile of crap at the side of the house. It's a great place for crap when you're in the backyard, but from the house, it's the first and last thing I see in a day, being just outside the bedroom. I had plenty of tiny company to amuse me during my labors. The ants and roly-poly bugs are pretty common and some spiders I see frequently, but I also saw a couple of new ones, shiny and chocolatey brown. I truly enjoyed the company of the Red Admiral butterfly, who stayed with me for most of the afternoon, pausing frequently on the upended, outgoing plastic doghouse. And I always like the surprise of pulling up a chunk of concrete to see two black, wet, salamander eyes staring up at me. All creatures, mostly small - I love them all. Thanks for making an ugly job cool, guys!

Photo snagged from here.

New Year's Clean

Me: I can't wait to clean my house.
J: You know, not too many people say that kind of thing.

For many years now, I've been hosting a big party the first Saturday of the year. Big party naturally means big cleaning, and a good incentive to take care of some house maintenance to boot. I've really come to enjoy this ritual, and sometimes I even claim to have adopted the Chinese New Year's tradition of cleaning the house from top to bottom, sweeping away the bad luck of the previous year and preparing the house for new, good luck. I don't really believe in good or bad luck so much, but you can feel the difference when your house is really clean, right? Another way to look at it is in terms of Feng Shui. Clean and tidy is just good practice when it comes to aligning your house chi, and boy, is there some stagnant chi in this house. A few accomplishments so far:

• I cleaned out the candle drawers in the dining room, dumped a bunch of old wax, and cleaned up some of the holders.
• I sewed up some easy and cheap chair slipcovers for our embarassing, cat-enhanced fabric chairs. The next chairs will be all wood, believe me.
• We Tasmanian-deviled the Room of Requirement so it now looks more like a library and less like a photo station/massage space/fabric store/display storage/crap factory.
• Finally finished reorganizing my CDs into DiscSox so they take up less room in the living room. Got rid of a few, too. Sure it's nice to have a big library, but how much dust can you listen to?
• After 10+ years in one configuration, we moved some of the bedroom furniture around. Much more open feeling now. Talk about dust bunnies. Watership Down anyone?
• Many bags of clothes are ready for Goodwill. Rugby shirts haven't been in style for a loooong time. I don't care if it came from Oxford.

Still to come, getting rid of more dust magnets including the old Dell computer that's been sitting under my desk unused for a few years now. Plus I still have a spare, giant desk sitting in the driveway from when I moved my studio two years ago. Free desk anyone? I guess that's more of a leaf magnet. Anyway, lots more cleaning and cleaning out to go...but it feels great. I would recommend this New Year's tradition to anyone!

Wisteria at Dusk

Everybody is enjoying the lovely spring weather, including all the flora, of course. I know I have been remiss in posting completed studio pics, but perhaps these two of the wisteria climbing towards the shop will suffice for a time. And no, I did not consciously choose that color paint with the wisteria in mind :-)