Saturday, July 31, 2010

Toasting Egrets....

Mom in her Buck Roger's outfit- probably 3 years old?

I am writing today's post more for myself than any of you following along.  July 31st marks the third anniversary of losing my Mom.  It is the day that I allow myself to go "there" to really think and remember all that she means to me- in life and beyond.  But I wanted to share this with you all since my Mom may also have been your sister, your aunt, your friend or even your mother too. Without her there were be no blog being written, someone else fixing up the wreck of the little William Tripp house, and no me for that matter.  I realized when I got to work this morning that I had cried for almost the whole 30+ miles it took to get there while I was thinking about what to write.  Good thing I only allow myself to go "there" once a year!

Christmas 2006

For all the joking that I do about my mother (and that can be a lot) and how she bordered on the "creatively insane" she was the most beautiful, brilliant and interesting woman I have ever known.  After Mary they definitely broke the mold.  It wasn't until we opened Weekend Kitchen and Mom worked on Wednesdays did I truly understand the effect that she had on people.  I thought she was just incredibly annoying to anyone not related to her.  She was always getting herself into troublesome situations that I could only think were self imposed.  But people really took to her.  Customers would return to the shop and rave about how interesting and beautiful she was and that they loved her outfits (courtesy of the Good Will- I might add).  My immediate comment to them was "how long were you held captive?" or "she can go to your house for dinner on Saturday night then".  They usually laughed and dismissed the length of time as being OK and that they had nowhere else to be.  Upon learning of her death quite a few people came in to see me and cry with me.  It was a good healing process.  Even 3 years after her death people still come in to tell me how much they miss her and have a funny story about some encounter they had with her.  In fact just last week someone came in and said "hey-that's Mary (in the picture)- I used to work with her at Phoenix Press".   I said "so you knew Scary Mary?" which was what she said her coworkers called her behind her back.  Admittedly she could be a little scary at times- ask anyone!  When she started to move her lips in a certain manner you knew to run for the hills.  The man was nice enough to say that he had not actually heard this about her.  But really, what were the odds?

It was from these encounters that I realized that "my mommy was not like everyone else's mommy".   For some reason I thought that everyone's mom could make or build stuff.  She was always sawing, nailing or otherwise altering the variety of crap she dragged back from tag sales (a boat hand trailer from a baby carriage might have been her most creative).  She did seem to like to saw the legs off of virtually anything that had them but always seemed to keep the little bits of wood she removed.  But then again she kept EVERYTHING!  For years she collected old screen doors that she hid under the deck of our house in Guilford.  Finally, she made rabbit hutches out of them for the array of bunnies that I kept as a child.  She built a dog house that looked exactly like our house (I can't remember my dad ever building anything at home so it must have been her).  My dad was the fisherman and gardener while Mom made and fixed stuff.  She baked cakes for my Dad's restaurant, sewed pretty much anything even without a pattern (I will never forgive her for the fringe on the slip covers of my couch), she knit sweater upon sweater and spent many hours printing on her old letterpresses.  Where the Hell did she find all that time????  Dave thinks she saved time by never cleaning the house- I think he has something there!

My Mom was an individual from the very start.  She donned a Buck Roger's costume at an early age that I hear she wore until it was thread bear (see above).   She was smarter than the rest of the kids in her class so she was always getting into trouble in school while earning all A's (there was no Gifted and Talented programs then).  I have kept every book report that she wrote in a storage locker.  I could not throw them away as each report had an amazing painted thematic cover.  I look forward to the day that I can take them out again and really read them.  She wrote little children's stories that she illustrated and printed herself on her presses hand setting all the type.

Age about 16 (blonde on left)- sorry about the poor quality of the old photo but you get the idea
Mom was also a party girl as you can see in this picture from when she was a teenager.  Cigarette and beer in hand down on the dock in New London where she grew up (it was this smoking vice that she could never break that eventually took her).  This picture was probably taken after she spent the day sailing on the Thames River.  Incidentally, there is a great story of her swimming across the Thames from New London over to Electric Boat and back with a friend following in a row boat.

Mom at Vassar
Her brilliance took her to Vassar College on full scholarship and then a transfer to Simmons College and the Boston Museum School where she majored in Illustration and Book Design.  After graduating she worked in the publishing field for many years in a variety of positions.  From the age of about 10 she took to letterpress printing.  She had a variety of little Kelsey proof presses and hordes of type and engravings.  I have all this and more awaiting me in that storage facility.  Our new barn will house a print studio where my little company called the Green Grape Press will be housed.  Mom's company was the Paragon Press where she made business cards and wedding invitations for those lucky enough to get them.  The year she worked in the shop she made cards and gift tags-  they were beautiful.  People are still coming in asking if I have more (which I do).  While I cared for her during the 5 months she was sick we had printing lessons every evening.  We spent a lot of time going through all of her the engravings and looking for one with chickens in particular.  Not sure we ever found it though.  I had been asking for printing lessons for years but none ever happened.  She commented that if she had know that I would be such a good student she would have taught me years ago.  I hope to honor her legacy in my own studio and have a few people already interested in what I produce.  I know I will have to take some refresher lessons when the time comes since I am sure there is a lot I have forgotten.

For a few years before Mom got sick she would take her little boat Yassou out in Middle cove and row around with her dog Hooligan in tow.  They cut quite a cute picture rowing up and down the falls river.  On weekends before I had the shop I would follow her in my kayak.  We would paddle for a few hours and had a great time looking for Egrets (especially those in trees).  I am not sure who liked Egrets more, me or Mom, but we always commented when we saw them.

Mom and Hooligan in Yassou-  Middle Cove, Essex

After Mom died I saw Egrets in the weirdest places.  One such time was one flying over the parking lot at Yale just as my bother and his kids were getting into the car after a visit to the lab.  Who sees Egrets in New Haven?  A grouping of 5 flying over the house at the same time my cousin and her son had arrived shortly after she died.  All 5 birds illuminated to the sky.  We also saw one fly over the house the first year after she died while we were having a birthday celebration for her (July 4th).  This occurred right after I finished telling my uncle about my weird encounters with Egrets.  He commented that he was "a believer" after that.    So every year on the anniversary of her death I take to the river and toast the Egrets- a lovely reminder to me of a wonderful mother and cherished friend. 

P.S.  August 1:  We did toast the egrets last night as well as Dave's father (it would have been his birthday) and Sir Harry- the Golden Retriever of a good friend of mine.  Ironically, there was an Egret standing across the street from the house all day in the little frog pond- Coincidence????

From the web

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Unglamorous beginnings....

Today they came to dig holes in the yard in order to determine what type of new septic system we will need to have installed.  No one wants to put money into poop.  Your company does not come over to beam about your designer septic system.  They don't call friends to tell them that the Smith's have jazzed up their house by putting in a new septic.  They may talk about the new toilets, sinks or the beauty of laundry upstairs.  They are already talking about the French range and the prospects of dinner parties in the new kitchen.  But the percolation of one's effluence is not a hot topic- only in today's blog entry.

I think that my biggest concern today was the fence.  The fence is the barrier by which I keep my loved ones in- my wee beasties- some with 4 legs and others with wings.  There needs to be an access road built that will allow all the trucks and diggers into the yard.  Once the fence is compromised it will be hard to trust the integrity of this life saving barrier.  My unknowing about what is actually being done makes me worried- but ask anyone I tend to be a worrier.  I am sure it will all be fine and dandy for the duration of the project.


Could this get any uglier?  My mom had dug a big hole to get dirt when she built our blue stone patio while we were not home. My mom was very handy but had no concept of boundaries.  She decided we needed a patio and low and behold she made us one while we were at work.  The hole never really got filled in (nor the patio actually finished) with the exception of broken terra cotta flower pots.

Patio that Mom made on the sly

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!
 As you can see from the pictures below the hole was not that bad.  The verdict was that the soil was good and that we did not need any fancy pants engineered system.  They found a really neat old bottle totally intact.  Can't wait to see what else gets dug up!  Over the years we've found a lot of old iron and many shards of pottery.  I think that the chickens are all buried on the hill so we won't be seeing them unearthed.

Hyatt's Infallible Life Balsam bottle from the 1850's
Looking for more treasures

Pip looks a little worried about the dirt patch. 
I think that this is the best we can hope that the yard looks from here on out. 

The next step is to get the price for each phase of the project.  Up to this point "ignorance has been bliss".  I think that at the next meeting when Peter's head bob and "a lot" finally takes the form of $XXX,XXX  I might necessitate the use of smelling salts to revive me.  All panic aside we don't have to finish everything all at once.  However, I am getting that Lacanche stove no matter what- even if I have to stand in an empty room with no cabinets or finished walls.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Illuminate....

Over the years we have collected a few lights from Scofield Historic Lighting in Ivoryton CT http://www.scofieldhistoriclighting.com/.  In my opinion it is the best reproduction lighting anywhere.  Needless to say it is our first choice for the new lights in the house.  Hopefully Dave and I can agree on what to get and where it will go.  I am sure there will be a few wires hanging out the walls until we can afford to get all the lighting we want.  There are also some cool less expensive lighting choices from Mothology that I can get to hold us over until we can afford the real deal. 

I really want these lights in the kitchen.  I can see them in 3's either over the center island or the counter somewhere.

The first in this series could do in a pinch

In the dining room I think that either of these sconces would complement the candle chandelier that we already have.

A little too formal?
Maybe a little better for my more primitive house?

These pendant lights might look nice either in the kitchen or the bathroom if the ceilings are high enough.

These may be great in the bathroom or kitchen?
Beautiful in a hallway

So simple

Anywhere

Let me think.....

These are really great, hope Dave likes them.

I think that we have our work cut out for us to try to narrow down the choices.  Maybe a little trip to Scofield's studio to really get a good sense of what they look like in person.  What ever we choose they will be great since we have loved the sconces and lanterns we have already.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Game On!


Good bye patio and walnut tree.... Hello kitchen and bedroom!


The day of the Zoning committee meeting finally arrived.  I have no idea why it felt like months and not just the few weeks weeks that it took from submitting the plans until the actual meeting- but it sure did!  Dave was anxious all day.  Said he couldn't sleep.  I said "but you are at work?" I am not 100% sure that he was joking.  It was torture waiting for the 8 pm meeting.  So, we fed clover to the turkeys for a while which always is a fun waste of time. 


Cranberry and Gravy (not for human consumption)

 Cranberry

We met Peter in the board room where the Zoning committee members were all assembled in their seats around the table.  The guy that vetoed our garage remodel a few years back sat front and center (which made me a little nervous).  There were a number of other people anxiously awaiting their turn to present their plans and learn their remodeling fates.  Peter had all our plans done up nicely on foam board so that they could easily be seen by the committee.  This was impressive since I have made many scientific posters in my life that did not turn out so great especially when you introduce humidity to foam board and spray glue (voila bubbles).   But no bubbles with these plans.  Maybe I used the wrong spray glue?

We were slated to go second, but the first group failed to show up, so we were on first.  The plans were eloquently presented showing CAD drawings and pictures of the existing house and then the projected new addition.  Peter nicely pointed out the 1775 structure and how the new addition would complement and be in keeping with the style of the house without detracting from the historical portion.  He also mentioned the new barn and how that would be swung into the hill and not near the property lines as recommended at the last hearing.  The committee looked on intently and nodded a lot.  The main guy commented that he did not like the existing chimney.  Hey, we don't like it either.  But at this point there isn't much we can do about it without a total gut of the house.  Dave and I sat in the back nudging one another about that one.  Finally they had heard enough and we were adjourned.

The three of us ventured into the parking lot where I think we stood for an hour or more in the dreaded heat of the evening.  Dave asking plenty of questions and we all joking about a zillion things.  Eventually the zoning meeting ended and everyone came into the parking lot.  Peter inquired of one board member as to whether or not we had passed.  He said yes!  We all breathed a sigh of relief.   Now we can move on to the "soil test" for the placement of the new septic system.  How exciting, huh????


Apparently they want to drive trucks through my garden.  Maybe to get my new kitchen it will be worth remodeling the garden too!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Saturday, July 17, 2010

It's all in the planning.....

The next house adventure was for Peter and Shane to return to take pictures and measure the house for the CAD drawings.  Dave and I had scrambled around to try to make the place as tidy as possible given our remedial house keeping skills.  I am hoping that this will improve with more storage and places to put things.  But it would be obvious to anyone what the problems are- too little time, too little storage and too little motivation- apparently.  I have to admit that it feels a little weird having people you hardly know taking pictures of your house when you aren't home.  Since no one came to do an intervention on hording or clutter I guess there was no report submitted anywhere.

Top depicts the front of the house as seen from the road.  A mirror image of the original house (wher chimney is).  Notice how the scale of the addition is in keeping with the existing structure!

The second drawing is the side of the house looking down the yard.  The door will open onto a patio.



While the preliminary plans were being drawn up I was busy looking at pictures from blogs and magazines that I have saved.  I wanted to get a collection of pictures that would evoke the right feeling that I wanted to capture.  What about something like this for a center island?


There is something about the wall colors in the pictures below. 
From a site called Light Locations.



How simple and beautiful is this cabinetry?


The initial design meeting was to see what Peter would come up with at first pass and then react to it.  Make sure we were all thinking alike.  For days Dave and I threw around "do you thinks...."  Will it be a Gambrel like the other additions we have seen or something completely different?  I was thrilled that Dave was having ideas and a level of enthusiasm never before seen in reference to this house.   This was until he came running in to me with a picture from a magazine of a bathroom that looked- swear to God- like an outhouse.  I would find it and attach it here but I conveniently misplaced it so it would not come up again.

We finally got word that the preliminary plans were done and a meeting was set up.  Peter and Shane arrived with a roll of drawings.   Each one was rolled out and our eyes immediately fell upon the paper.  We sat there mesmerized with the plans- looking at them from every angle.  I could hardly get my bearings about where these new rooms were or how large they would be.  Peter sat and "held court" while we hung on every word and drawing.  We asked questions and joked about this or that.  Peter was very gracious when we said we didn't particularly like a certain aspect and marked the plans accordingly.  He did tell us "no" on a few occasions as if it was meant to be that way.  We kept wanting to expand our first floor full bath but more than once we heard "no- does not need to be".  But that's OK, I have moved past it (or have I?).  Eventually we all went outside and put stakes in the yard that marked where the addition would go.  This gave everything a little more reality.  Wow, could our new bedroom get any closer to the chicken coop?  Perhaps the Roosters would need to move down the yard a bit!

Dave and I spent the next week or so taking about little else than the house.  We were only left one diagram of the outside of the house.  Of course, 5 minutes after they left we could remember nothing about where things were supposed to go.  Torture I thought- but the next draft would arrive soon enough.  

A few days later an e-mail with a pdf attachment of the second draft of plans arrived.  This new set was smaller than the last version, only focusing on the addition- kitchen, bedroom and master bath.  We had really wanted a bank of gallery windows in the kitchen that would wrap around 2 walls.  Starved for light- we are trying to maximize sunlight in the new addition.  To get this effect, Peter had moved the lovely range to the center island.  As I looked at the plans, dread set into my mind.  How would I tell him that I could think of nothing worse than cooking in the center of the room?  Plenty of people have cook tops in their center island and are quite happy.  But I really didn't want that.  The center island has to be for prep work.  Any gourmet classes that we will have need space for people to work.  A prep sink so that Dave and I are not always in each others way.  I agonized about the right way to approach this.  But after a while I got up enough courage to e-mail my disappointment of the range placement.  I sent it off.

A nice response followed saying thanks for the great feedback and that there was no problem returning the range to the back wall.  It was all part of the process of getting what we wanted.  Dave and I breathed a sigh of relief!  They would fix the plans for the next meeting.


The second meeting went similarly to the first.  This time the plans for the barn were unveiled (see above).  A lot more talking, joking and asking of questions to orient ourselves on the plans.  Where the new septic would be, the new heating/ cooling system, the much needed drainage.  I cleverly asked about the downstairs bathroom- again I was told "no" (at least he's consistent!).   This time I was brave enough to inquire about an estimate of cost.  Peter smiled and did a funny little head bob and muttered.... "a lot".  I immediately thought "if you have to ask, then you can't afford it".   I am going to leave it at that for a while. 

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Inspirational Photos

I love to look at blogs from Europe.  Many are from France, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden.  It doesn't matter that I can't read the text because the photographs are so wonderful!
The following pictures are from a blog called Belgian Pearls.


 



The Lacanche French range that we chose.


This center island would be perfect clad with a zinc top!


Love this sink and tap. 


 Terra cotta flooring- so warm and inviting looking.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Executive Committee Meetings



The major decisions to be made about the house are now being discussed at Sea.  Well, on the river.  Why make major decisions when you are not relaxed and can discuss things over wine and cheese?  But on the water isn't the Captain's word law?  Best stay away from any decisions that could end in me walking the plank huh?





Patina


I think that Patina may be my favorite word these days.  While I like to buy new things, I don't seem to like for them to look new.  I want the feel of the house to be old, mellow with soul and patina.  A warmth that usually takes years to achieve.  Often you see new cabinets or furniture that has been distressed but many are horribly executed examples of a bad paint job with an overzealous rubbing with steel wool or sand paper.  Just because you rub off a bit of paint doesn't mean that you are fooling anyone- enough said.

I found a tile company that I know will be able to help me achieve this goal.  We visited Pave tile http://www.pavetile.com/ in Hatfield MA to see the tiles first hand.  The owner very graciously showed us his work and was very kind when we riffled through his boxes of tiles in the process of being worked on.

I found the perfect tile for our bathroom that matches the original stain.  I am hoping to use this as a boards in the tub with the cream color for the rest.


Below are a few examples of their work.  The pictures speak for themselves.


The tile above was my favorite- if I could only figure out where it could go.  Since it isn't glazed it won't be good behind the stove so we'll have to find some accent areas to showcase them.
The tiles come from Europe as plain blanks.  They are acid washed, stained and waxed to achieve the lovely patina that you see in the photos.  I found the rectangular tiles to be the most pleasing while the hexagons really made me feel like I was in Provence again,  for the house I am thinking rectangles or Parefeuille.