OTHER COOL THINGS is the blog page where I go off topic. In other words, this is a page where I ramble about a wide variety of subjects which have nothing to do with the Cross House restoration or Emporia.
OTHER COOL THINGS is where I might suggest a great new restaurant. Or a movie I enjoyed, or book. Or a favored blog.
OTHER COOL THINGS may — fasten your seat belt — open discussions about dangerous subjects such politics or religion.
OTHER COOL THINGS will, in short, be a page where I ramble about anything which captures my special attention. Like, perhaps, a nice moment I had with my favorite cat Gilda.
I love comments, so please do not hesitate to toss your two cents in, even if you disagree with me.
My blog posts are below. Enjoy!
Gilda. My favorite ever cat.
Stunning Slip-Shades
My online store.
Continue ReadingCan This House Be Saved? The Sternberg Mansion.
A few weeks ago I received an email. Did I know about the Sternberg Mansion in Wichita, Kansas? Why…no. So I clicked on the Realtor.com listing, and my heart was instantly seized. Before me was a FABULOUS house built in 1886. But, before me was also a house in alarming condition. Thus, the seized heart. I…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingYearning for my Lost Lighting
When built in 1894, the Cross House had lighting fixtures which were a combination of gas and electric. None remain. Much to my vexation. Nor do I have tantalizing interior archival images to offer an idea of what was. More vexation! I assume the fixtures were removed when the house was turned into the Palace…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingThe Cross House Comes Alive…Politically.
I love politics. Indeed, it could be argued that I am a bit obsessed with politics. My friends will all read the above and think: A bit? OK. Well, I had this nutty idea (I do not suffer from a lack of nutty ideas) that it would be cool to have Debate Nights at the…
Continue ReadingGet ready. Get set. GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today, I received an email: “All work is okay to proceed under the HTF grant, the state tax credit program, and the state preservation law.” I know, huh? Huh? But this in M O N U M E N T A L news. Huge. Big. Exciting. Thrilling. A make-my-eyes-tear-up kinda news. You see, waaaaaaaaay back…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingSuicidal Stained-Glass?
This year the Cross House was awarded a substantial grant, in part to restore the 40 stained-glass windows in the Cross House. The damage above is a testament to the need of such work. Had the window not been so terribly fragile, it would not have been affected by…
Continue ReadingA Wall. Full of Information.
There is a lot of information encoded in the above image. In the above terrifying image. To the RIGHT are plastic pinky tiles from a 1950 motel bathroom. The bathroom was created in what once a kitchen. The kitchen was created in what was originally thin air. Confusing, I know! 1894: The staircase stepped…
Continue ReadingCreating a New Kitchen in an Old House. Part Four.
A few months back I did three posts about how to create a new kitchen for an old house. No original fittings remain in the kitchen of the Cross House, although the room is architecturally intact. The butler’s pantry, and main pantry, are also mostly intact and will be fully restored. The other day I…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingA Breathtaking Update About Peacocks!
Truly, I am breathless. A while back I did a post about finding some 1970s peacock wallpaper, and the powerful memories it invoked. If you have not read the post, I think you will enjoy it. This great find though was but a single roll. Enough to do one wall in the first-floor bathroom. The…
Continue ReadingA 2015 Fall Update
Anybody walking by the Cross House last year could not help but notice a LOT happening. Here is what the house looked like when I purchased it: But this year it appears, appears, that nothing is happening. At least from the exterior. Inside though is another story. In 2015 the living room…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online store.
Continue ReadingSeparating More Myths From Reality
Today I was looking at the Facebook page of somebody I sorta know. I will call him Tom. Tom posted this image: Under the image Tom wrote: During the Industrial revolution in the Victorian and early Edwardian era Every city was spewing Coal and Wood smoke into the sky. We burned wood or…
Continue ReadingAwestruck by Young
JC is a very young man. I am old enough to be his father. The very thought freaks me out. FREAKS ME OUT. JC is renovating/restoring a house in Canada. The house is quite simple, so simple that, when JC purchased it, it was difficult to appreciate WHY he would have purchased it. But love…
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