What Happens Next

Lofty Ambitions

There is one floor of the church that is finished and functioning.

It looks very much like a loft, and has been called "lofty" more than once. But contrary to a tradional loft, It is actually on the bottom floor, at about 20 percent "below grade", with windows all around. Does that make it a basement?

I'm not sure...    

It has a definite urban vibe. It was built out as a completely separate unit, and is a pretty vast space at just over 5,000 square feet, so we kept it simple. Clean lines, minimal fuss. 

Here it is on the day of our first walk-through. This floor just exuded charm. How could we resist?

The dropped panel ceilings with florescent lighting was particularly compelling. As was the lovely paneling.

Finally, some clean lines and minimal fuss. But, I need to know who on earth picks out that precise color of green paint. I see it everywhere in buildings of a "certain age", and I feel queasy every time. However, I love the pinky-peach folding chair, sitting there all alone...

I couldn't ever figure out the floor plan in this space. I was forever getting turned around. I suppose in over ninety years of the building's history, there were plenty of opportunities to rearrange and put up random walls. Places to hide the clutter. 

Pay particularly close attention to the linoleum floor tiles. They will be important later. 

This area was used for the actual church services, at the end. The congregation had dwindled down to a mere handful, and using the sanctuary for services seemed inappropriate. So they moved downstairs to a more intimate setting.

I will note at this point that there is another church of this denomination less than two miles from here. So, these parishioners were not left without a church home, they merely transitioned to the new one. 

Here is the original kitchen, probably added in the sixties, where I imagine many a church supper was prepared. It cracked me up that the wastebasket was still here, with a clean bag in it. And the dishcloth casually drying on the sink, like someone would be right back to finish cleaning up.

In actuality, the building had been vacant for many years before they unloaded it on us we bought it.

So here we are after a little over a year of demolition and reconfiguring. All the dropped ceilings were removed and recessed lights were added. Superfluous walls were taken down, which added to the "loft" feeling.

Minimal.

The new kitchen is still somewhat of a work in progress. The upper cabinets were a result of measure once, and then order. And then order again, seemingly without measuring at all.

It will ultimately get corrected, but for the time being, we moved on.

The backsplash and island top will also be getting a makeover at some point. 

Again, moving on.

But this... this is the piece-de-resistance. A favorite trick of Daughter's. Order two separate refrigerated units. One regular fridge, and one freezer. Put them side by side, and get the trim kit that finishes them off as one unit. Voila! Fifty-four cubic feet of space for a fraction of the price of SubZero™.

Genius. And I love the JennAir™ cooktop, too.

There is a small area right off the kitchen that was once used as the coal room for the heating system. We wanted to keep it intact, sooty bricks and all, so we had these wine storage units built to slide into the spaces that were left after removing the old bins.

The plumber will be cutting that pipe off at some point. So I hear.

And "someone" will make a new window. Details, details...

Remember those linoleum tiles? Well, here's what we found when we had them scraped up. First we found out that 90 year old tiles are extremely hard to scrape up. Second, we found that whatever they used for glue back in the day was formidable to say the least.

But the other thing we found was that a very cool pattern was left when the tiles were finally gone. Kind of like a crocodile print.

We had the floors sanded a couple of times to remove the residual glue, then three coats of concrete stain were applied in a warm tobacco color. Finally they were sanded again and sealed. And because there is so much floor exposed in this space, it is the first thing everyone asks about. 

And then they ask why no one lives here.

That's right, this space is not being used as a residential unit at the moment. It is being used by all of us as office and creative work space, and often by The Boy as a place to race office chairs on the polished floors. And sometimes we watch movies and eat dinner here just because there is so much room, and a calm and serenity about the whole place. Not to mention cool and dark, which has come in very handy in the Texas summer.

And during the day, the construction guys upstairs know they can find one of us down here. Then they drag us up two flights of stairs to ask yet another convoluted technical question that make my eyes absolutely glaze over. Okay, so that's just me. Daughter always has the answer. I often wonder exactly when she got so smart. And so construction savvy...

So that is why we can move on at the moment from finishing out the kitchen the way we really want to. 

We do have bedrooms, though. Three of them, and three baths. They remind me of a nice hotel room, except there's not much generic art. Or any, really... but that's because, hello, no one lives here.

My sister and I did stay here for a few days a couple of weeks ago, and we would like to report that the beds are super comfy and the coffee maker rocks!

Four and a half stars! We had to deduct points for the lack of room service...

For those of you worrying that we weren't accomplishing much on our behemoth project, rest assured. It is coming along, and it is beautiful.

This One's For The Girl(s)

Daughter and I said goodbye to our friend today.

Her husband was unbelievably warm and kind to each and every person at the memorial... the ones he knew, and the ones he was meeting for the first time. It was truly touching to witness him handling this deeply painful time with such grace. 

Knowing how much Aleida loved music, I wanted to offer something here to honor her publicly one last time. She was a supportive friend to many women of all ages, from countries all around the world. They have reached out to each other for strength and comfort during this past week. It has been nothing short of amazing. 

This song celebrates what I found to be the very essence of Aleida.
 

Aleida understood on a deep level what it means to overcome a painful past. She encouraged all of us to celebrate and commemorate our families and our accomplishments, to stand confidently in our own unique beauty, and to lift each other up with humor and a kind word. She loved without holding back. 

This one's for you, Aleida. You will continue to inspire all of us.

In the Arms of the Angels

Our friend Aleida Franklin was taken from us early this morning, as she drove to work in downtown Dallas. Someone ran a red light, and in that split second the brightness of the world was forever diminished.

Those of us who knew and loved her are beyond heartbroken. We are stunned and griefstricken. She leaves behind a husband that she loved with all her being, and two small children who knew for certain, every single day, that they were the center of her life.

The outpouring of emotion from the artistic community that Aleida was so much a part of is testimony to her ability to touch others in a really profound way. Her talent was immense, as was her heart. She was strong and kind, funny and charismatic. A friend to so many. A tireless cheerleader and advocate.

This is the photo and text that she posted on her blog last Friday. One week ago today. 

Haunting and beautiful.

Please keep Aleida's family in your prayers.

*We will miss you always, dear friend. You will live in our hearts forever.*

Hotel California

There are some places on earth that just beckon you back over and over. 

Places so beautiful, so welcoming and magical that you can't believe your good fortune at having been invited to share brief interludes within their realm.

One such place is the family home of one of Daughter's dearest friends.

From the moment you begin driving up the hill, you know there must be something incredible waiting at the top. 

The gates give a mere hint at what awaits within. And by hint, I mean you will stand there with your mouth wide open at the view. And then you notice that the gate is padlocked.

Not to worry, it turns out to be the wrong gate, the one they never use. 

 

And this is the reward that greets you as you step into what feels like another world. Lush and fragrant, you are at once transported to the Italian seaside villa of your wildest dreams.  

One of the lower courtyards in bloom. Late summer has been very kind on this side of the hill.

Around the corner, and the house begins to come into full view.

The family bought this property in the 1970's, when it was just a (smaller) house in significant disrepair, with several acres of wasted, barren hillside "dirt". In the thirty years since, they have lovingly restored the home, and added incomprehensible amounts of landscaping as well as literally tons of "hardscaping". I hesitate to use such a generic term for what they have accomplished. 

It takes your breath away.

A photo "op" at every turn.

Someone should have told me to buy stock in the company that produces plaster columns and statuary. And palm trees. 

And, well, planters. 

Another verdant garden, looking down to one of the guest houses that were added along the way.

Are you getting that Italian feeling yet? 

No???

Well, this ought to do the trick. 

On the balcony behind the statue is the "apartment" where Daughter, The Boy and I stayed for a good deal of the month of August. I fear that we stayed too long, and dancing boy up there is blowing that horn with all his might, trying to scare us up a shuttle back to the airport.

But when you have views like this to greet you each day, and Italian music playing through the sound system all over the grounds, how exactly do you tear yourself away? 

That is the dance floor that you see, being covered with a green shaggy carpet for a three year old's Princess Birthday Party.The "magic gazebo" will be put up later in the day. Many family weddings have taken place on and around that dance floor.

And now another generation comes here to celebrate.

Sometimes you are above the clouds, as the coastline begins to shed it's morning shroud.

Everywhere you turn, a view more stunning than the last.

A young family moved on to this property thirty years ago, and seven children were raised to be humble and gracious servants of all they had been blessed with. These are kind and generous people, welcoming and open-hearted to a fault. 

It's no accident that they are doctors. Doctors and nurses, physical therapists and medical estheticians. 

Nurturers.

So many paths to wander. So many steps to climb!

When I first began to visit here, I thought I would never figure it all out. 

I got turned around more than once.

Somehow, like a compass, I would always end up pointing north. Well, and a little west.

As night falls, the house is a beacon, guiding everyone back, leaving the rest of the party decorations to wait until morning. 

Late in the evening, I always feel compelled to step out onto a balcony, any balcony, just to take it all in once again. The coastal air is cool and breezy, and the twinkling lights are just astonishing.

The allure is complete. 

It has been hard for Daughter and I to leave our beloved California, even if it is only for a year or two. It has been only very recently that we have relocated to Texas full time. We try to get back as often as we can to see our friends and family, to shop in favorite stores and eat in favorite restaurants. To feel like we're home.

And sometimes, when we're very, very, very lucky, we get to experience our city from someplace so beautiful, so quintessentially California, that the homesickness is abated for a time. 

And for that we are so deeply grateful. 

Rooted in Love

Today is my youngest brother's birthday. It is fitting that it lands on Labor Day this year, since he is probably working at least part of the day... it's the middle of the trade show season in the apparel industry.

I would like to celebrate him today by sharing his life's work with you. I am so enormously proud of him and the way he is walking his walk.

Click on the logo above to go to his website. The video below is an overview of his company, and serves as a small window into who they are and the ways they are making a difference.

The girl painting throughout the video is my amazing niece, who is of course my brother's daughter. She is the head designer for Jedidiah, and together with her father, they have created a clothing brand that is at once both beautiful and profoundly meaningful. I absolutely love her work, and the way her art is so completely true to who she is and what she believes. And it never, ever fails to make me smile. Bonus.

Here is another peek into her world:

Happy Birthday, Kevin! (Hey, you must be in your thirties by now, if my calculations are correct. Ahem.)

And congratulations on Jedidiah. It's enormous success is a testament to all of your hard work, and the strength of your mission. My favorite clothing brand in the entire world... by far.

You and Me ... Rooted in Love.

**My brother also appears briefly in the first video. Can you tell who he is??**