A Queer Mobile

Wolcum, Yule!

It's the beginning of the return of light! (Though you wouldn't know it here in Siberian Iowa where the wind chill is below -20F.) This is my Yule wreath for this year. Taking an old English custom, I decorate a wreath with apples to symbolize the equinoxes and solstices.

All the best to you in 2009!

John's cleared to start moving lumber!

John and his landlord worked out the details on some temporary storage space in the building where he'll have his shop. The first floor of that building was damaged by the June floods, but John now has storage space on the third floor. He'll lay out the new space and then begin moving the stacks of lumber that we've had stored here after the floods.

No word yet on when he'll have access to the new shop space. That space will be on the first floor of the same building - in a very stylish brick annex where he'll mostly be by himself. I suspect the final renovation of the shop space will now run well into 2009, but at least John can begin getting his lumber and equipment staged and organized.

Super Turkey Day

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday: it's all about food and friends. I love cooking for T-Day, and this year was just a slight variation. Usually I do a disassembled turkey breast roasted per Julia Child's instructions. This year I did one of those and I smoked a breast on the grill with cherry wood. John's brother Jay and his wife Janece came, as did his sister Jane and her husband Roger and kids Jacob and Rachel. Our friends David and Mary Taylor and Rick Hahn rounded out our eleven folks.

We were swimming in food - and I had one surprise: almost all the turkey vanished. The smoked stuff was a real hit!

Some great customer service

Two great customer service tales:

1. Last summer I tried using the window in my office. It opened fine, but it wouldn't close. John finally pushed it shut from the outside, and we contacted the Pella Window folks to come take a look. Their inspector found dry rot in the windows and conducted a complete inspection of every window in the house. (John will only use Pella windows, by the way.) The inspector said the company would be back to us with quote and schedule to replace the four defective windows.

Turns out there was no quote - just someone from the Pella factory calling to replace all the windows free-of-charge. He did the job in about an hour, and I'm a happy camper.

2. I've sworn by Shure in-ear headphones for years: sonically they're impeccably good, and they're just wonderful for blocking ambient noise. My SE530's developed a real problem: the earpiece cracked so I couldn't put the left element in my ear.

Not to worry: I sent 'em back to Shure under their two year full warranty. About a week later I got a complete new package, factory sealed and perfect in every way.

Revealing the Teahouse

I've had some friends ask what's been going on: I've not been updating my blog very much of late. Lots of changes have been going on, and our new Teahouse is a big part of that. I've just finished editing video of how the building came together. Now for a bit of the backstory.

Our old shed was ready to fall down when John moved into this place in 1983. John got permits to replace the old shed back in 2001. but with work on the house and work for clients, he's been too busy even to contemplate another major project.

After the summer floods, John had (and still has) no working shop. About the same time I thumbed through a book on Japanese architecture that he had, and I wistfully talked about how beautiful the teahouses were. A little gleam went on in his eyes, and he started reworking the old shed plans with a different use in mind.

After the demolition finished, his old friend and master builder Franklin Hanson came available to help with the project. John and Franklin did the structural work on the renovation of our house, and I was delighted that Franklin could come back and help again.

The video shows most of the story - with a few exceptions. Some of the construction phases, like raising the walls, happened while I was at a client's site during a day. I literally returned to find all the walls in place and sheeting done. Other phases, like putting on an incredibly beautiful metal roof, escaped the camera, too.

John and Franklin buttoned up the exterior this year, and I'm actively using the space as my meditation retreat. Next spring John plans to complete the siding and the interior walls and floor. We've already found a supplier for tatami mats, and he'll build some low tables. We're talking with some of our artist friends about commissioning pieces for the space. One of these artists is a renowned Japanese ceramics artist; the other is a sumi-e painter. I'll follow up this story as the project completes.