Alternative Giving

Once in a while I am stumped for a gift or I know who I am gifting to has it all - or at least doesn't need anymore "stuff". Years ago I worked at a generous company that gave all its employees $500 at holiday time to give to a charity of our choice in the company's name (the company I currently work for DOES NOT do this or anything close).

During this time I found Heifer International which is an amazing, and reputable, non profit where you can buy livestock for a village or community in a Third World to provide them with a sustainable food source or income. Its hugely successful and very "give a man fishing pole vs. give a man a fish" type of giving.

There are many other entities out there that do this type of giving, you can give in other people's name for them and I have adopted animals through Defenders of Wildlife, particularly for the little ones, and you can even get a stuffed animal of the animal you give for the little one.

Or if you want to help offset a loved one's carbon footprint (particularly if you know its rather large, yes there will be some of my friends reading this that will received this for the holidays as HUGE HINT!) you can buy offset packages at TerraPass. Or check out Carbon Fund, same premise and I have used both .

So these holidays,think twice about hitting Target or Toys R' Us for those

disposable gifts that will be forgotten in a week or sold at the next yard sale and think about an alternative gift that will benefit our environment or others that don't have as much as we do. If this recession has taught us anything, its that we can live with a lot less and we need to appreciate what we do have. As our economy recovers, let's kick the wave to start spending like crazy again....

Birthday Card

My mom just sent me the best birthday card ever, seems like just yesterday Mr Ziggy would have said this with this exact look on his face...I love it!!

Its going to be a hectic next few weeks as my mom and I are driving her two dogs, Grady and Puzzle back here to CA from VA. They will all be out here for about a month, so we will have 5 dogs here. Its pretty much why we bought land in the country so we could all hang out together, doggies and all. It will be great fun to see Ziggy, Grady and Denali all ripping around playing and the two oldies, puzzle and Wolf hanging on the porch watching the youngsters.

So stay tuned as the mayhem ensues.

The San Juan Home

We have to finish our vacation with an enormous thank you to the wonderful people who brought us here, showed us this part of the world and made this possible - Rick, Marcia and Kathy Brandt. They are such wonderful people, so kind and generous to open their beautiful home to us. Never having been out here, we have seen another corner of our country that has taken our breath away. The San Juan Islands are truly spectacular and unlike anything else anywhere in the country. They really have a piece of heaven up here and we are so appreciative of their hospitality letting us experience it. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to the Brandt Family, you are the best.

Last Days in San Juan

Vacation is winding down, we went to Orcas Island and up Mt. Constitution yesterday which was fabulous but socked in with clouds. Today was some utterly jaw dropping views of the Olympics - what a amazing array flanking the south side of San Juan, and then to look the other directions to see Victoria, B.C.

We had a hail storm last night that was quite impressive, we got soaked to the skin running back from grabbing clam chowder (42nd bowl since we got here) to the ferry and then nearly missed the ferry as we were in the wrong lane with no ticket. We are still learning the ropes.

Today we climbed Mt. Young, Kyle had to summit something while here so the 650ft peak had to do. It was gorgeous at the top with a pillow topping of moss so thick and lush you could have kipped out right there and been comfier than at home. The views were awesome too and Ziggy had a blast running around and climbing tress ( I climbed one too).

As well as visiting an Alpaca Farm here on the island, we also went to a Lavender Farm here, which is a feat as Lavender like dry and alkaline soil, not the glacial acidic soil and constant wet conditions here on the island. But they are stunning and beautiful addition to this peaceful island. Got us thinking about our farm at home.

San Juan Islands

It was a gorgeous day on the island today, all blustery and cold, fabulous to walk all over this end of the island, which is what we did. We came across an amazing sculpture garden that was a natural setting to tons of brilliant art pieces that covered all different mediums and styles. I loved this one of a tree falling out of its surrounding. Both Kyle and I liked the wind chimes, of which there were many.

This one was a fantastic installation, we really thought it was ingenious.

Ziggy wasn't happy with the fox, way to realistic and

gave it a couple of growls but it didn't take long for him to make friends. This fox meant no harm.

Traveling to San Juan Island

We hit the ferry to San Juan Island and had a blast traveling over there and seeing all the islands there are and then finally to see Vancouver Island, so amazing. We stayed in Anacortes on Monday at Kyle's good friend Gary Santiago and his wife Bernie and family. Gary and Bernie own Skagit Cycle in Anacortes so if you are ever in the area and want to rent bikes or pick up some biking gear, check them out. This was a shot of all of us at the top of Anacortes. They have a stunning view of the water and islands from their house and if you go around the corner, WHAM - there are the Olympic Mountains, all snow covered 
 and so majestic. Its truly a stunning place. These islands and gorgeous landscape and windy conditions, you think you are in the thick of Scotland. In Anacortes the winds were about 60 mph, but it was fantastic. We are excited to see more...

WEED - can't get enough

Hey all - we are off on our vacation. We left the house yesterday leaving the big dogs behind. It was hard but I know they will be happier at their house.
So Ziggy, Kyle and I made it to Weed last night and overnighted here after a great dinner at the Black Bear Diner, love it!! We awoke this morning to a STUNNING shot of Shasta and the sun rising in all pinks and blues. Its such a stunning mountain.
Will post more when we reach Anarcotes tonight, after hitting the REI flagship store - YEH! I love vacation.
Oh, and we had TV last night in the hotel room which was great, but what did we watch all night till I fell asleep - The Weather Channel......

Ruff Ruff Bakery

Apparently people are shocked at the fact that I bake for the dogs. I guess it is shocking that I do anything in the kitchen that produces something edible but also that I go to those extent for the pups. It actually makes perfect sense, the dogs enjoy my baking and are the only ones who are appreciative and actually eat what I bake, so that is very satisfying.
The other thing is, is that I am cheap. We have 3 dogs and we go through a lot of COOKIES each day, yes, they know that word. If I were to buy all these cookies, I would be broke, so I make dozens and dozens at a time. Its amazing what you can bribe them to do with a COOKIE.
Therefore the Ruff Ruff Bakery was started, for healthy and slimming treats (use low fat ingredients) with no preservatives, which also means you have to refrigerate them and eat them soon or freeze them.
This is the two young boys, impatient for the cookies to bake - they know when I am in the kitchen, that it is for them.

Lovin' Craigslist

Some of you already know what a cold and rough winter we had last year in the temporary housing here are Cottonwood. The temporary housing is a 1972 (pre-HUD certified) mobile home that not only seen better days, has not been loved and cared for like a mobile should....huh??

Anyway, it was so cold last year, huge gaps around the doors, a gale blowing through the windows (single pane, gun shot riddled, plexi-glass) (and note to why I no longer clean these windows because wherever there is a gunshot hole, when I clean it cracks bigger, so I just don't clean), and a big porch front and back to little sun ever gets into the house and warms it. It was VERY cool all summer but we pay for this in the winter. So knowing that we have at least 2 more winters in this thing, we took charge this winter.

First thing was to improve the weatherstripping around the doors, then we plastic wrapped all the windows, can feel that improvement already and its not that cold. And then we replace that nasty behemoth of a stove the house came with turned out to be completely useless with a Craigslist find. We responded to a local Craigslist ad last spring for a wood burning stove, knowing that any other make, brand, model stove would be an improvement over this thing. We turned up and the lady had a few stoves for sale and cut us a deal. I know what you are all saying, why on earth do you need multiple stoves...well we thought we would need one for the "cottage" when that is finished and maybe one in the shop. So we bought two stoves, one cool contemporary looking one, a Vermont Casting stove and she threw in a broken pellet stove for free. Remember I live with horder extraordinaire so his ears perked when he heard free and broken and was thrilled when he found there was still room on the truck...Oh Yipppeeee......

So true to his word he replaced the motor and fiddled with a couple other things with the stove and a the other week we installed it. There was a small learning curve on this BUT its fabulous. Its clean, low maintenance, runs for a good long time and gets our place really toasty. So with our new weatherization tricks and the stove so far we are running around in the nuddy having a grand ole' time.

Apparently Ziggy and Denali feeling the heat as they get all lovey dovey with each.

A Little Introduction

As I find more and more blogs that I love to follow my blog list grows. Its great fun looking at all the different blogs, design, living, green, project specific, whatever it may be. The first thing I try to find out with a new blog is who is behind the brilliance that is their blog, their goals and dreams, and where in the country are they located. The location part seems key to me as it helps interpret what kind of climate and culture they are living in, which gives perspective to the blog content. Not that I want to stalk these people but a little background helps give the blog more personality and individuality.

So I thought I would do the same, although I think most of the people that follow this blog have either known me since I was 3yo (Merrie), seen me at my worst (Jen and Lesli), seen me naked (mom), or just already know more about us and our place and don't need to really know more. But oh well, in case there are any straggling wanderers who have accidentally stumbled upon this blog looking for weekend getaway or a gardening nursery...here are a few little details about us.

So this is me - I am 35 (I can still say that for another few days). I plug away at a computer all day long for an environmental consulting company but really love to make things, my perfect day is to step back at the end of it and look at what I have produced...and it not look like an excel spreadsheet. I rode horses for about 25 yrs but haven't been on one in 3 yrs, weird. I now like to hike, rock climb and kayak. I live on my dream land (soon to be dream home) and hope that I am buried here. I still pinch myself that I own property in California, I just can't believe I get to live here and with Kyle.

Speaking of which, this is Kyle, the K man, K Diddy, or Batman, as he is referred to at the Firehouse which is where he works as a Firefighter Engineer/Paramedic. He is a search and rescue expert as part of the FEMA USAR Team in Oakland, specializing in swift water and confined space rescue. He is that guy you want to be stranded with on a desert island (and not just because he is a Veggie and won't eat you). He is also a Mountaineer having quite a few summits under his belt and is a caver (don't you dare call him a spelunker). He is also an avid bike rider and rock climber and house builder extraordinaire...or at least he better be.

So we are building a house out of shipping containers on our lovely land in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We are pretty green and its VERY important to us to live simply and have an efficient home that is built with as much recycled content as possible, what better than containers. They are also incredibly strong (earthquakes) and fire retardant (wildfires) all important characteristics when you live in the disaster state and one of you is a firefighter. We are really hoping that this idea takes off and we are seeing more and more of these homes around the country, heck around the world. Plans for the new house on the left.

We also share our lives with 3 pups. Denali, a very large 2yo mut, Wolf, a medium size 7yo mut and Ziggy, a 1.5 yo terrorist. They are fabulous and fun and though terribly behaved, are like our kids (yes, K - you are a Dad)......

So that is pretty much us in a nutshell. We have a project list that is never ending but we are in this for the long haul so I guess we won't run out of things to blog about. Happy trails.

Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Restored Church Converted Into Home

So this is my second AT post today, yes, I have fallen to just reposting other site's posts. Shameful. But I had to share, how amazing is this church remodel in the U.K. what a beautiful balance of church and home.
I bet they don't swear when they stub their toe in THAT house.
Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Restored Church Converted Into Home

Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | Corey's Converted BarnHouse Tour

Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | Corey's Converted BarnHouse Tour

Call for info

One of the big things we want to incorporate into the house is dead standing timber. Just like this gorgeous kitchen from Remodelista Website..
I think that bringing in natural, irregular elements to the house would soften all the straight, geometric lines of the containers. Isn't this kitchen absolutely fabulous.
So we have some big trees on our property that could use weeding out in order to maintain the health of more wooded areas. Wanting to recycle and use everything, we want to dry, strip and preserve them for use in the house, but everything I read says use carbolic acid or creosote which is really NOT going to happen on this property.....someone else said, submerge the logs under water till all the oxygen is depleted from the log, but for a 10foot plus log, this is logistically difficult.
Anyone tried this or got any ideas, I thought if we just hung them vertically off the ground and let them dry and an organic preservative would do it, but I would hate to get them installed and then in a few years they start rotting in our house.......

Solar, Solar, Solar

Probably the number thing that comes to mind when we now here GREEN or renewable is Solar. Its been around for so many years (solar panels from the 60's are still at it, probably just not as efficient as newer ones) and is nothing really new, though technology is improving creating more efficient panels that have a higher rating of energy conversion. We are also coming up with new ways to utilize power from the sun, either Photovoltaic or Thermal (thermal is being used for large scale solar application, think tons of reflective panels in the Mohave that heat water, create steam, run turbines, its the stuff we did in 5th grade, just bigger)

On a more local scale, at home, we sought property that would be ideal for renewable energy and even dreamed of living off the grid. The property we ended up with was already grid tied thus avoiding the costly task of dragging utility lines to the house and with the cost of batteries and the maintenance, it makes more sense to continue using the grid as our battery bank but with the goal of coming close to netting our energy usage.

We aren't in a great wind area, there aren't many places that are, therefore its harder to implement on a small, residential scale. You really need consistently higher wind speeds, and thus you probably don't really want to live there. But with our Southwesterly facing property, solar is ideal. So how are we planning to do this.

Something that has gained a lot of popularity, you might see them in the car park of Google or some apartment complexes are solar arrays that also serve as a car port of types. They are a brilliant idea for those large car parks where your car just bakes in the sun all day plus, moving forward into the future you can plug in your EV straight to the solar panels and drive for free. (this implementation is by Envision Solar)

So we wanted to do something similar. We have talked about putting in a shed type structure up near the shop for the tractor, farm truck and our little caravan, Gimley. So we thought we would take it one step further and create a solar car port, a perfect place to situate our solar array. Then I saw this application (courtesy of Jetson Green) and thought it was a cool implementation of the solar array, kinda like a suspension bridge.







Here is the one at Patagonia HQ in Ventura, CA. But for a residential application I really liked this one from EcoFriend.....

Fantabulous Volkswagon

If we could make Energy Conservation this much fun and this easy to make people participate we wouldn't have an energy crisis and climate change or mercury poisoning in our waterways.....this great clip was sent to me courtesy of one of our GRiP Program Directors at work, thanks Rick!!