what's new at the ranch

a few of my recent Etsy purchases...
orange scandinavian vase
vintage bird apron

lilacs

This is a fantastic year for our lilacs. The blooms are humongous and they smell better than I have ever remembered.

yeah, these are quite nice

if we had an island in our kitchen it would be just like this one with the roll out wine cart.


i love this.

Dark Lord Day tree for Kark

We planted a tree yesterday in John's honor. Dark Lord Day was one of his favorite days and it will never be the same without him. Mark built a planter box for this tree and he'll eventually clad it with limestone to match our firepit.

Here's to you John Kark! We'll give your tree a taste of Dark Lord every year!

blue sparrows

I could vacation here

Archipelago House, Stockholm archipelago, Sweden
Tham & Videgård Hansson Architects

Conceived as a light weight construction in wood and glass, this summerhouse is built in the outer Stockholm archipelago. The horizontal character of the black stained exterior relates to the verticals of tall grown pines and the mirrored views of the Baltic Sea.

The geometry of the plan is generated by the specifics of the site, the house being fitted into the flat surface between two mountain rocks and turning simultaneously towards the sun in south and frontally towards the sea in west. With the small rooms placed in the back, the social areas of the house stand out as an open platform crisscrossed by sliding glass. The zig-zagged layout also creates a series of outside places sheltered from the strong winds.

Building Information

Assignment name: ARCHIPELAGO HOUSE
Client: PRIVATE
Year completed: 2003-06
Location: Stockholm archipelago, Sweden
Square meters: 130 sqm + terrace.
Size of building lot in square meters or hectares: 3250 sqm
Time to build: 18 months
Type of construction: Massive wood, plywood.

photos: Åke E'son Lindman from Tham & Videgård Hansson Architects

Dark Lord Day: April 24

http://www.3floyds.com/about/

A bottle of Dark Lord — a Russian-style imperial stout — is available just one day a year at the Three Floyds Brewery in beautiful Munster, IN... on Dark Lord Day. This year it's April 24th. The DLD festival itself is a free, daylong event that drew nearly 7,000 people from all over the country to Three Floyds’ industrial park last year.

Before you’re allowed to throw down $15 bucks per 22-ounce bottle, you have to score a “Golden Ticket” online that guarantees your chance to buy it. This year’s batch of Golden Tickets sold out in less than an hour after Three Floyds announced their release on Twitter. In fact, so many people swarmed the Web site that offered the tickets that the servers crashed, creating a blog-post backlash from out-of-luck beer aficionados. Sometimes, though, if you’re lucky, you can find drinkers willing to share a taste, sell a bottle or even hawk an extra Golden Ticket.

Dark Lord was first brewed in 2004. It’s Three Floyds founder Nick Floyd’s response to a local brewer’s boasting about his own stout. The beer is brewed with hundreds of pounds of Intelligentsia Black Cat espresso, Mexican vanilla and Indian dessert sugar that mingle to create an intense stout with a viscosity akin to that of, say, Quaker State motor oil. Dark Lord was rated in the 100th percentile — that’s the best — of beers by Ratebeer.com, which also named Three Floyds the best brewery in the world for 2010.

This year’s Dark Lord is the biggest “most brutal” vintage ever, with 15 percent alcohol content and 700 calories a bottle, head brewmaster Chris Boggess says.

If you go... expect thousands of people already packing the parking lot by 10 AM. Parking can be a bitch. Guest craft beers from across the country are available and be sure to try them! My favorite guest beer last year was from http://www.flossmoorstation.com/
Heavy rock and metal bands play (not really my thing, metal that is). In years past, there has been a BBQ tent with some good eats. Maybe I'll see you there!

yes, more birds

I really do photograph birds everyday. The proof is here.

basement remodel: mid-April

The floor is sealed. The vapor barrier (fancy for 6 mil. clear plastic) is up. Mark did a lot of electrical work on Saturday. He's been highly influenced by the Holmes On Homes TV show. He is making sure everything is to code and wired properly. Wood and insulation have been purchased so framing will begin soon.




I've been thinking about the decor down there too. I ordered this tweed fabric for the couch-daybed things we will create. We're keeping that 1970s chartreuse-lime green recliner that I absolutely love. Everything else will be neutral with natural wood tones (I'm calling this look Swedish Lodge). There is also the 1960s aqua pool table that gives us another color challenge but it's just so damn cool that it fits in no matter what! Last year we built a slat wood covered half-wall with a counter top to seperate the giant space and give a spot to pull a few barstools up to when eating and watching TV. We'll continue the slat wall theme down there with another bar (a real bar with liquor and wine storage) and also cover part of one wall next to the pool table (say floor to about 4 feet up) and build a legde perfect for a drink to sit on while you make your shot on the table and for some artwork.

Want? Need? Buy?

Five things I contemplated buying this week...


A giant letter B made out of metal. Do I need this? No. Do I think it would look awesome painted bright orange and sitting on a shelf in my office? Yes!


Sterling silver necklace inspired by the work of sculptor Richard Serra. This one has been in my Etsy faves for a LONG time. I think i actually need this...but not this week.


Vintage 1950s Walter Bosse fox figurine. Do I need this? Absolutely not. Is it just so painfully cute? Yes!


Ah, the hinoki cypress tissue box cover. A very cool thing. Oddly enough I will probably buy a hinoki cypress tree before I purchase one of these. Still very cool.


Last but not least, the cast iron bird bottle opener. I can just see it sitting on the bar waiting to open your favorite beer. Wait, we haven't built the bar yet. I am determined to get one of these eventually!

magnolia snow

male model robin

I probably took 30 pics of this robin this morning. He was following me around the yard, posing perfectly still. I never noticed their legs before...they look like they have little white pants on.

hounds

Still feeling numb. Otto (on the left) is John's dog - his pride and joy!! He has taken thousands of photos of these dogs, the other two belong to his good friend and neighbor. Cali in the middle and Otto are brother and sister. I love the look of pure happiness these three have when they're out hunting and running through the fields. Dogs and photography...two things he and I could talk about for hours!

Mark and I picked up a growler of Gumballhead and went over to John's mom's house on Saturday. We sat in what had become "his" garage with a few others, drank his favorite beer, and played with Otto.

We're having such an oddly warm Spring. I've been out in the yard a lot these last couple of days not really doing much, just enjoying the sun (and looking at all the weeds). Gave Lottie a bone this morning and took some photos. She's such a beauty.

I'm gonna miss you Kark

In loving memory of John Kark (March 9, 1970 - April 10, 2010)

fat mama robin

Last Spring, John, Mark, and I watched the baby robins make their jump out of the nest into the big world. It was such a special moment watching the baby birds hopping around unable to fly. This robin is full of eggs – you can see how fat she is.