Home sweet home
Well, we are back home in California. After the usual week of 'closing up the island' chores, we boarded the plane and headed home. We have the routine down so pat, we could do this blindfolded. Toss one set of car and house keys in the travel bag and pull out the next. I traveled with one set of underwear, socks and shirt only because we had an overnight in Syracuse for scheduled medical check ups for Janice before flying out. Otherwise, everything we will want or need (except my airplane) is here.
Once again, our return here will not be all fun and games. Last year we did a total makeover of the interior of the house over the 4 months we were here. This year calls for my re-roofing the house. Considering that a dome is 85% roof, it will be quite a task. Heck, while we are at it, we will replace the fireplace and some appliances too. Next year promises to have its own set of projects but like the Bee and the house in France, the biggies will be out of the way, allowing for way more free time.
We spent the first week getting ourselves organized, ordering supplies and working out the logistics. There was also the issue of getting my workshop put back together after it had served as a storage unit for all of our furniture as well as my tools over the previous 8 years while the house was rented out.
Much to my dismay, I spent days clearing out 'stuff' that I had hoarded in silly expectation of 'possibly' needing some day. I would hold anything I came across the way a clothes dryer holds lint. When you are a serious DIY guy, no bit of wire, wood or metal is ever seen as trash, only reserve stock that 'might' serve a purpose....some day.
Fair enough, but when you have enough stuff hoarded for 3 lifetimes worth of projects, it was time to get my head out of my a**, it is not a hat.
I never used the building as a workshop last year as I was strictly working on my hands and knees in the house, laying what seemed to be acres of Travertine floor tile over the entire main level of the house. But now, I am ready to get down to business.
We are enjoying getting back into the swing of things here, like hanging out at the Thursday night farmers market In San Luis Obispo. A bit of a misnomer, as it as much of a market (After all, California is the land of 'fruits and nuts') as it is a street fair. The main drag is closed to vehicles and thousands of people turn it into a 10 block party. Home to some of the best BBQ on the planet, it is accompanied by street musicians and all manner of vendors hawking their wares. And yes, every religious zealot and fruity loop organization known to man was there to make their pitch.
Including Democrats, of course.
I had one ask me to sign up and I said "Great! That way we could go down together with all the warmth of companions locked up in the steerage compartment of the Titanic".
We spent the first week getting ourselves organized, ordering supplies and working out the logistics. There was also the issue of getting my workshop put back together after it had served as a storage unit for all of our furniture as well as my tools over the previous 8 years while the house was rented out.
Much to my dismay, I spent days clearing out 'stuff' that I had hoarded in silly expectation of 'possibly' needing some day. I would hold anything I came across the way a clothes dryer holds lint. When you are a serious DIY guy, no bit of wire, wood or metal is ever seen as trash, only reserve stock that 'might' serve a purpose....some day.
Fair enough, but when you have enough stuff hoarded for 3 lifetimes worth of projects, it was time to get my head out of my a**, it is not a hat.
I never used the building as a workshop last year as I was strictly working on my hands and knees in the house, laying what seemed to be acres of Travertine floor tile over the entire main level of the house. But now, I am ready to get down to business.
 |
| San Luis Obispo Farmers market |
We are enjoying getting back into the swing of things here, like hanging out at the Thursday night farmers market In San Luis Obispo. A bit of a misnomer, as it as much of a market (After all, California is the land of 'fruits and nuts') as it is a street fair. The main drag is closed to vehicles and thousands of people turn it into a 10 block party. Home to some of the best BBQ on the planet, it is accompanied by street musicians and all manner of vendors hawking their wares. And yes, every religious zealot and fruity loop organization known to man was there to make their pitch.
Including Democrats, of course.
I had one ask me to sign up and I said "Great! That way we could go down together with all the warmth of companions locked up in the steerage compartment of the Titanic".
The Little Free Library
Revisited
Last month, I wrote about the Cottage Life Magazine folks who came out to do an article on the Bee for next next summers edition of the magazine. However, there is another very popular online magazine in the area called "Thousand Island Life". With a subscription base of 5,000 readers, it is targeted to the hard core Thousand Islanders. Our friend Kim had written an article about the Bee back in 2009 and after the little blurb in Cottage life last month, the editor of Thousand Island Life asked us to write about the Little Free Library for them also.The result, as seen below, was published this morning. You can also read it online HERE.
Final thoughts for season
Shortly before we left the Bee, a friend asked me if I was ever put in a situation where I had to choose, which home would I prefer to live in? Over the years we have been asked this by folks on both sides of the Atlantic and our answer is always the same.
"It would be like asking us which one of our kids would we save if they were all drowning?" we say. The day may come where we will have to pull back some, but it is not today or as far out as we can see. We simply cannot envision being in one place year round. Once we had a taste of this incredible lifestyle, we simply couldn't go back.
Try to imagine your life being reduced to a third of what you currently have. That is how we would feel if we stopped doing what we do. Shudder the thought.
One thing I did discover this summer though was just how much fun Jet Skiing is. We had always thought that is would be a blast but other priorities and our usual state of abject poverty kept us from finding out. Finally, at the end of last season we picked up a pair and I rode the tar out of mine this summer. I have to say that it is second only to flying on the thrill factor and I intend to do much more of it and farther afield next summer. It is an absolute rush!
 | |
| Second only to flying in fun and usually easier to land |
