holiday

well, i was out of country for 2 weeks and this time it was a personal trip and not a work one...YAY.   lets just say it was  visual stimulus overload and i finally gave in and accepted that the best images and memories will always be captured in my heart and thoughts..... as a camera just cant seem to capture the essence and color that my mind holds closely to, or maybe i just need to take some photography classes.  :)

can you guess where i was from these images?  one thing i can say is the doors, the doors, the doors reminded me of my friend donna at perfect gray.  i was able to capture one image of a gray door that i can share now,  but i have many more to share soon.

images by me..instagram filters included

grams

part of my absence from brock steet was because i was swept into the instagram vortex and couldnt get out...it was quite easy to share images and i quick fix.

well, as everything seems to do in life, it ran it cycle, much like pinterest has and now i am back to brock.

here are some of the images i shot this summer.  those filters really make one feel a bit accomplished....LOL.

i'm off on vacation for 2 weeks and hopefully will find some time in my remote location to post a few moments.

until then...

more on my "slow and steady" campaign

as some of you know, most of this cosmetic renovation is being done by b-mo (kidding...by us'ns).  as many of you also know and feel,  life tends to creep up on you and before you know it your projects are piling up and being trumped by unexpected "other projects" and for us, guests.  i guess i need to throw in some travel and then it is 2013 already.

no more excuses...the show must go on.  so, right now i am tackling painting the exterior... one wall at a time.  i started with the front of the house (which is small) and am slowly moving around.  my second round was really the smallest wall on the house, but i needed a bit more prep and i was working alone (more excuses). 

here is my before (7 different colors on that patched up wall before i cleaned er up) and after. 

slow he goes....

Squeeze in one more walk

Always hard to say goodbye to the dirt roads, rolling country hills and quiet walks after a great weekend at hillside.  short and sweet.

b-mo and i.

getting close....

....to having one side of hillside kitchen complete.  having problems downloading images of the progress, but for now i thought i would post an inspirational space.  i love this kitchen...it looks old world, sturdy, practical, non-shiny and slick, and like a room that has had several great conversations and meals.

Morning Stretch

First weekend at Hillside in a while (3 weeks....seems like forever) and someone is taking in the morning sun and all the Sonoma mountain scents.

Hope this finds u deep into a long weekend relaxation.

whirling...

..or should i say spinning....or maybe whirlwind.  i think you get it.  this is how life is feeling for me and so many of us.  what is it..why does it feel different...i think it is because i am getting old.  that is it, i am old and tired and need naps..and god knows i don't get any of those.

well, along with this moaning and groaning comes moments of clarity, joy and grace that attempt to center me.  i just got back from hong kong and shanghai (work) and as usual, the personal time is limited, but i had one of those moments of peace..right in the middle of talking production, cost increases and the usual scary stuff you do not want to recall hearing. 

well, one of the general managers of one of our facilities walked us across the street from the production line to his private pottery studio.  i was floored and speechless by the calm and still of his studio (right in the heart of a bussling suburb outside of shanghai.  he told me he goes there when the chaos starts to kick in.  he calls his art/creative buddies and they all get together and throw clay...the tension lifts and beauty blooms.   can you believe this......???

next city on my list to live in..shanghai.

home again

seems like i am never home anymore, either traveling, at the cabin on the weekends or working.  after i walked in the door from one week trip to asia (work), i couldn't think of a place i would rather be than our sun filled living room in san francisco, california, usa. 

while in shanghai, i had a feeling, that turned into internal contemplation, that turned into realization.  should i just throw in the towel and stop this brock street blogging or should i keep on keeping on...overwhelminingly i knew i needed to keep blogging.  the cyber friends i have made....well, i like them (you) and i miss my creative connections with you. 

i hope you are still there and hope we can re-kindle our pittering.

apt. living room.  august 26th.  2012.  usa.  jet lagged.

wide open space

lets see, where do i start and where do i finish with what i think is great about this room:  it has everything.  i could take this space and it would be all i would need (with a small bath and kitchen).

image

summer stripes

these images really evoke relaxation and encourage my eyelids to gently close (maybe i am just exhausted from the daily grind and spin cycle).  i hope this finds you all well into your long weekend plans and some time to reflect and enjoy yourself.

images found here

everyone has an opinion...

....and everyone has shared theirs on this particular wall.  i know someone very well that loved the old way (with the filled in window, not matching to original stain) and felt it added quite a charm, indeed it did, but i had other plans.  lets just say it was probably a fair balance between who said to leave it and who said..stain it to match.  i just had to make an executive decision :) and proceed with the staining.

i included some photos for a historical reference.  the condition of this wall when we moved in was a wallpapered (a textured grass wallpaper) sheet rock wall.  well, one of the first things i did after we ripped out the dropped ceiling was see what was behind all of the sheet rock.  well, we were thrilled when we found the original redwood plank wall that was from the late 1800's and the more we tore down the  sheet rock the more we were mesmerized by this incredible wall... and then we found the hole in the wall that was originally a window. 

well, i finally got tired of the unfinished wall, as well as the ceiling (which we also loved so much..had a great rustic feel).  the ceiling had equally beautiful aspects as the wall, but it has 3 different types of wood, with 3 different stains and three different widths.. and there just wasn't a workable way to address this without more demo and expense...plus i wanted to paint it as we desperately needed some light paint to reflect the natural light (gets dark in the winter).

so here are the results, that only took 2 weekends to complete.   its the little things that bring joy and this one small task feels like we made a huge impact on the project....that feeling will surely last a month, and then reality sets in. 

nothing new

the city dining room with a great instamatic filter.  i tell ya, this instamatic feature has really tricked me into thinking i can take a decent photo.

anywho, nothing in this photo was purchased new...every thing is old and been around the block a few times.

hope this sunday evening finds you in a restful and peaceful moment.  just got back from the very rustic cabin....windows open with the faint hum of the city background noise, feels like home.