Since getting the Violation Notice, I have been hard at work repairing and restoring the exterior of the Carriage House. During these months I have been having a deep relationship with… …lead paint. This is a classic toxic relationship.   I have been taking the standard precautions and have not exhibited the normal physical responses…

When I purchased the Cross properties in 2014, one entered the carriage house via a huge, non-original L-shaped porch. The entry door was under the turret. But not centered on it. The porch blocked a lot of light into the Secret Bedroom, Foyer, and Living Room. It was also falling apart. Stepping into the foyer,…

        Justin, Scott, and I all noted how good the new deck location feels. “It’s more private.” It has an intimacy that the old location never had. It feels…safer. More protected. This should intensify when the roof is installed.      

I am of Scottish descent. My mother was born in Scotland, and my father’s family came from Scotland in the late 19th-century. As such, I am genetically predisposed to rush into battle. I mean, y’all have seen Braveheart, right? Yesterday I was…ruefully…vanquished. Today? I gird up my loins, and proudly stepped into the maelstrom.  …

Yesterday, I arrived at the Cross House at 1PM and had lunch. At 1:30 I stepped onto the south steps with the intention of walking over to the Carriage House. I paused, feeling assaulted by the heat and humidity. While no hotter than many days of late, it felt overwhelming. I went back into the…

Yesterday I did CH: Day 77, about…at long last…moving the front door. I was so very excited. I assumed y’all would be, too! Oopsie!   A friend called me. “Ross, why do you put yourself out there like this? If people are just gonna be critical…not knowing all the facts, issues, and considerations, and entirely…

    And…drum roll, please…there is more. But, I advise getting a glass of wine. Then (and this is critical) fasten you seat belt. Scroll way down…                                                   Again, the deck…

  I also mowed some of the yard. Yes, I am a brave, intrepid man. I also fussed with the large window in the air-conditioned workroom of the Cross House. Yes, I am an indulgent man, too. And thus passed Day 74.    

  The sash is a mess. I think though that it can be saved. I think. I will do what I can, reglaze the glass, and prime it with oil-based white primer. Later…much later…I will paint it gloss black. The same window has an upper sash with diamond leaded-glass. I am hoping to pick it…