The Cross House

    Cody also discovered…drum roll, please…that the hardware is by Yale and Towne, their Lydian Pattern. Yale and Towne, of course, did all the hardware for the Cross House. So, it is an extraordinary coincidence that door hardware gifted to the carriage house in 2022 would be from the same manufacturer as the Cross…

After purchasing the Cross properties in 2014, I began work on the carriage house. It soon became evident though that there was a serious problem with the second-floor bathroom. It entirely rested on 20-foot 2×12 joists. This is bad. 2×12 joists should never be so long. And then to add the weight of a bathroom?…

It was a dark and stormy evening. It proved a terrifying evening. Aaron and Breanna were on their front porch with their children. The sky was a color they had never seen before. As Aaron watched the sky, he realized…to his horror…that he was also watching debris flying horizontally. He suddenly shouted: “WE NEED TO…

    Obviously, Kenny deserves a round of applause. Make sure to clap hard so he can hear it.        

    I know what y’all are thinking. WHAT is going on with the wall? In the pantry I did a mud finish that I learned decades ago in Florida. The finish is common there. Rather than do a smooth mud coat (which is a ton or work), one applies a ‘dragged’ coat. Once the…

Hello everybody! Remember me, Ross? I am still very much here. My blogging though has drastically reduced and this is due, in part, to my lighting business taking up a LOT of my time. You can see here the many fabulous vintage lights I have been listing. In addition, the work I am doing at…

    I don’t have the final coat on yet. But…so far…all seems OK. And did I enjoy the process? Oh, hell no. Even though the area is very small, it was awful. The plaster kept falling on my head and body and onto the floor. It was a mess to work with. I am…

      Of course, this means that Cody will not have a kitchen for a week. Or more. To compensate, I told Cody to upgrade his food purchases. “Rather than getting take-out hamburger, order steak! I’ll reimburse you! Order salmon dinners! Buy some wine! Make sure you have Granada chocolates for dessert! And invoice…

DANGER! Politics ahead! EEK!     2021 began with a searing shock: domestic traitors to my country attacked the US Capitol with the intention of murdering people and overthrowing an election. And these evildoers always refer to themselves as…patriots. Orwell, live.     In the eleven months following, all evidence reveals that these traitors were…

As I noted in my very first blog post in 2014, life has an annoying habit of unfolding…unpredictably. A year ago I assumed I would end 2021 having accomplished two things: Finishing the 2017 Heritage Trust Grant. Moving into the house at last. At very long last. Well, one of these goals happened. Sigh. What…

Hippies. They were once everywhere. And in the early 1970s, two hippies, Phyllis and Louis rented the Octagon Bedroom. Louis proposed to Phyllis in the room. Later, the couple moved to the expansive third floor and were, obviously, THE coolest hippies in the city. While living on the third floor, the couple conceived a baby….

        The upper cabinet is not installed yet. It is just sitting in place. I will take it back down so as to finish its interior which will be a ton easier with it sitting on a work table. I was not sure how to proceed though. Repaint the interior white? Or…

A few weeks ago, Dianna contacted me. As a Christmas gift to her 14-year-old son, Justin, she wanted to know if he could come by the house for the 2-hour tour package. “He loves the house and has read every post!” This made my heart soar. For, I thought Cody was the only young person…

…when all through the huge house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. At least, it was hoped. The stockings were hung by the eight mantels with duct tape (What? You think I’m gonna hammer nails into my fabulous mantels?), In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there with wads of cash,…