fishing float lighting...

I was intrigued by this light fixture...

It was huge, and strung with blown glass fishing floats...

It was in a house, in a local tour of homes...

Many murals were on the walls

..and on the chairs

...and in the bathrooms

And behind the cooktop...

I did love this collection of tropical flowers and fruits....
More interesting tropicals...

Great ceiling details...

out back overlooking the river...

Come drink the koolaid with me.

A piece of peace in the Keys...ahhhh.

Indeed...There is a little hidden jewel on the island of islamorada

~ halfway between key Largo and Key West~

The Moorings Village tries to recreate a bit of what mass development with its concrete high rises, noise and neon signs have taken away.

The owners recognize that Peace is becoming scarce....and they are trying to preserve it on their 18 acres of tropical heaven.

Eighteen restored 1930s cottages some newly built to look and feel old

are discreetly hidden on what was originally a coconut plantation estate.

The cottages are all self contained with kitchens, french doors and wraparound verandas.

Old black and white photographs and faded navigation charts hang on the walls...

idealic white sanded beaches frame the resort's 18 acres

The cottages exist within the verdant canopy of palms and bouganvillea

and ginger

affording more privacy...more nature.

The massuese hut....

it IS still a resort, after all

Let your mind wander....

your soul soothe...

Find this bit of paradise here.

Unless I find it first

Key west.....

Go figure...

Photos: Ken Hayden

Find the story here.

Designing your Dream....

.Sometimes out of something horrific comes beauty.

Fellow blogger Susan Lang recently sent me

her new book

Designing Your Dream Home: Every Question to Ask, Every Detail to Consider, and Everything to Know Before You Build or Remodel .

It is a workbook of sorts, that walks one through,

step by step and room by room

the process of designing and building a home.

Highly organized, she does not leave one stone unturned.

...But it is also thought provoking...

challenging you to really think about what you need in each room.

Then helping you to communicate that vision

to the whole team of architects, builders, designers, consultants.....

The crux of the book is organization...Susan not only reminds you to take the time to get organized...but walks you through step by step the process with forms , check sheets, to do lists, meeting notes and ticklers...

Right down to how many binders to keep, what to label them and how to keep them at your fingertips for which meetings!

She really does a lot of the tedious thinking about organization for you!

oh would I need that!

This was really helpful to see folks...and I am not even building a home.

...yet

Now for the horrific to beauty part...
Having survived hurricanes, and seeing the mass devastation firsthand,

even losing family members to Katrina's fury...

Susan somberly dedicates this book to the victims of Hurricane Katrina

with the hope of
renewal and rebuilding.

If you are balancing on that wonderful slippery slope of designing and building...

even if you just like planning for that time

check this book out.
only 16 clams...I have a feeling it will save you that much alone in
Ibuprofen.


Easily.


check it out here.....


All Photos, for your viewing pleasure from Marie Claire. Top one is Marrakech others are a Parisian apt.
Hey....I said DREAM house...right??

Just the beginning...

He was born on his Grandfather and uncles birthday...

and it was the first day of spring

17 years ago.

the stars smiled down for sure

He arrived with a twinkle in his eye...and a beautiful smile on his face

we see it every day...

we are lucky.

He is an artist although won't admit it

an athlete

who has been likened to watching choreographed ballet when he moves his body

through space to catch a ball.

He is an old soul,

so aware...so complex

so amazing

He has a natural charm and charisma...

a sense of humor sometimes dry,

often just nutty.

Our third son

a true joy.

Oh yes...sometimes dramatic...intense







but so full of life...and love.

My heart swells.

Happy, happy day to you, Cameron!


we love you so.

Discomboobalated....

Didn't get a dayum thing done outside this week.

So...I give to you our unfinished outdoor area.

Why, you politely ask? Because I am HOOKED on finishing it!!

I figure if I show it to you in this state it will motivate me to get it in that state.

simple, eh?

...In all of it's full, unpretty, crooked and unfinished glory.

Full disclosure.Our pool area is a mess.

We had a friend take down the 35 year old pool screen.

Thank you thank you thank you!!

This must be what catarac surgery feels like...

We can see color above the pool. Blue sky, green palms...

lovely saturated color. No more grey screened color

{This is under our roof...we have about 200sf here. and 2000 in pool area. Ideas???}

But now we need to paint and scrub and powerwash

and arrange chairs and umbrellas...and make it liveable again.

This is the sad but true view we have right now...which

maybe by the weekend will be much better

ok. a little {Corner of pool area. It has about 7 arches to the outside yard}
Like I said...we're feeling a little crooked...


Much, much work to do...sigh

How does the saying go?...many hands make light work...yep.
This weekend the kids and I are having at it. Making work light.
I can hear their moans from here.


Meanwhile...nature keeps working it's amazing graces...

This is a piece of driftwood I found on the beach.
Now home to a vibrantly smiling bromeliad...

I don't hear it moaning and complaining.
Nope.

Palms keep palming...without my asking.

Lemons keep lemoning...even when I am not looking.

Cleodendrum blasts its firecracker like blooms

Yep...a veritable party in the back yard!

Isn't nature grand?

...I need to follow it's lead and get crackin'

Yep.