33. The Homestead "diamond in the rough"

Guess it’s about time I mentioned the homestead. Had it not been for the economic crash in the city a few years ago, I'd still be in there plugging away on another cereal commercial, or starting up some ragtag animation school. (A median-priced home in San Francisco, the most expensive in the U.S. market, is $759,000) Que and I were looking for ways to live with the economy when I mentioned that I'd be happy to support Que's search for work out of state. “Really? You're kidding? Okay!”, was the reply I received. Soon enough, we married, and started our own excursion to the Great NW, not unlike that one on The O Trail some 200 years ago...







Well, to make a long story short, Que settled into his new dream job, and soon enough, we purchased the diamond in the rough. Life is good...(Our only wish is that the railroads were offering passenger service to Stumptown once again. Good ol' President Shrub hacked services just after 9/11.)

SEE BELOW FOR EXCITING BEFORE AND AFTER REMODEL PICS!
~UPLOADED AT THE PACE OF A SNAIL~

BEFORE-BATHROOM: Dusty pink bath tile with matching grout, of course.




Dank and dark with knotty pine cabinets and seersucker-esque textured wallpaper peeling at the seams...




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Need I say more?


Okay, here's one more. (Click on image to see details of black moldy growth, crud build up between the tiles.)

BATH AFTER PICS: Stay tuned!

Oh what fun we've had! Now that we are out of the pricey city, we can engage in such things as house remodeling. Never thought we'd wind up this far into the back country, though. I guess it might have been inevitable, as my dear friend E told me in an email exchange, “Why, Jane D'oh, you have been fortunate enough to meet a man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.”

BEFORE "knotty pine anomally" formal entrway:
























scrape, scrape, (@!#) scrape...























AFTER:


















After making a list of the affordable homes in our new town, the diamond in the rough was the last house on our list. I really was not interested in the ugliest house on the block. It appeared to be a cross between some sort of Swiss Chalet Alpine fantasy and Steve Martin's rustic house in 'The Jerk'. It wasn't until I saw a glimpse of the insides from the online real estate web site, that the diamond struck my imagination. A classic, unpainted craftman bungalow in El Big? Who would've known from the outside!









Tearing apart walls, patching up awkward doors, peeling down 4 layers of nasty wallpaper, drywalling, replacing hideous chandeliers, patching lath and plaster, ripping out musty old carpets and mold-encrusted walls, building a walk in closet, sanding and refinishing fur wood floors, installing in floor heated bath tiles...and all the while listening to the local olde timey obnoxious classic rock n' roll station, and all in 100 degree heat.

And that's just the inside of the house. The list goes on and on, and won't be completed for awhile. The good new is, the rugs finally arrived and are installed, (after a very long 3 month delivery wait ) and the heat is working quite nicely.

As a result of a lot of sweat, patience, and hard work, we’ve found a good life in this remote little corner of the North West.

32. Meltykiss

Culture Shock Level Check: missing Japanese candy stores
















The snow has melted in our front yard. It's a relief to be able to see the earth again— if only for a brief time. I feel like I've survived my first real North West snow storm, which, oddly enough, parallels nicely with the frantic completion of my first final at the school.


It is a balmy 42 degrees outside. The school is out for the winter holiday, so the town seems abandoned. It sort of feels like we have the whole place to ourselves. The students and faculty have gone home to where ever they're from, or have just gone away. ( ie: Oaxaca, Paris, Sacramento Valley...)











Empty hallway at the school. A common sight in El Big: Mountain seeds are often seen propagating in common areas like hallways, service areas, and landscaping. They are just everywhere!
( Tip o' the hat to my brother-in-law, Que Si')

Not experiencing the usual onslaught of the Bay Area's crass Christmas commercialism is odd. El Big's Christmas commercialism comes in the form of really elaborate Home Depott style decorations on the neighbor's front lawns. I also recieve an onslaught of East Coast junk mail order catalogs addressed to the former homeowner's former wife.

There isn't the usual 10 minute wait behind 8 students per vehicle at the drive through coffee hut, either. I spot only one acquaintance as I do my weekly shopping at the Safestway. The checkers are chatty and seem relaxed and starved for conversation...


Que and I meet friends for the Friday night El Big movie premiere of Mel Gibson's 'Debaclelypto' at our one movie theater. We arrive 10 minutes early and have no one in front of us or in back of us while we're in line for tickets... And what used to be a 3 sec wait at the busiest intersection in town, is now my former, "California stop" 1 sec pause. I am starting to get a better feel for just how small this town really is without the student and faculty population from the school...


Unappetizing muffins at the grocery store. I hope it's butterscotch.















I have a lot of nervous artistic energy again. I feel it kick in on my final assignment at school. Taking care of the family last year really took it out of me. It's good to have it back...

























Last night I paint a portrait of Que. acrylic on canvas 12/15/06
Adding MeltyKiss "Precious Cocoa" to my growing list of items to remember to bring back from Christmas in SF...

31. Thanksgiving Cartoon

Culture Shock Level Check: I'm missing my SF friends at times, but I'm liking the isolation... I have to admit, having access to the art school makes it bearable. The school attracts some creative, driven people, and that's a nice contrast to the monoculture and maple syrup pace of the town. I've wanted to get away from the city for awhile now, so this is a welcoming pace. Living in the middle of everything hip and cool was invigorating for the first 37 years, but it was often a distraction from the focus of creating my own art. The intro to intaglio was a kick in the pants. I didn't create anything I'm exceedingly proud of, but that wasn't a big surprise, being that it was technically heavy. I'm looking forward to delving deeper into an independent study so I can focus less on technical aspects, and more on content... Last night i dug out my satirical print art books and was able to decifer the techniques made by my printmaking heroes Hogarth, Duemier, and Goya. "Sweet.", as the fellow students like to say.

30. Low res laptop sketches

These thumbnail designs were created on an online drawing program with my Mac and Wacom pen.
From L-R: har gow; Michael Moore; The mentor; French water glass; self portrait during an earthquake; after Rembrandt. (Click on photo for larger image.)

29. Summer and Fall Highlights 2006

SUMMER'S CULTURE SHOCK LEVEL: Too Busy to Notice
FALL'S CULTURE SHOCK LEVEL: Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back...



Que and I frequently remind each other of the Bay Area West bound morning traffic in the Berkeley Tunnel to help us keep our move to podunk in perspective...


Images of bumper to bumper Bmw's and bloated Cadillac Suv's are soon replaced by images such as this. (Someone's private Covered Wagon collection in the remote town of Jimmy Day, Oregon)
















And this—


















And this...



Irrestistably bizarre decorative "Native" style bathroom tiles in the women's bathroom on a reservation!


A dry resevoir bed! The atv tracks appear to be made by one vehicle.


Very good-sized pinecones!




















Very small but sincere, peace rally in the town square! (triangle)

















Highlights from our brief summer break at the great volcano, Lassen St. Park in CA... The inn in the 2-building town surprises us with outdoor wi-fii. (This is CA, isn't it?) I am able to send email to Karinalin. Note babbling brook in background. I'm in paradise...



Snow in the mountains in June. We are wearing summer shorts and tshirts and enjoy a stunning afternoon hike up to the snow covered peaks.













The Burger King's alienated son? A "family" owned business, no doubt!










An alarming set of table cards in a diner across the valley. Click image to read strange text...












Another dinky church in a spooky, remote mountain town south of El Big. Some of Que's more socially conservative students hail from this town.

















A blown glass moosehead at the Jupiter Art Hotel, Portland, Oregon.

Bar

Bathroom

Chandelier made of deer antlers

Fall rolls in quickly. Once more, Que's work sends him and his students out on a field trip for an urban experience.



It's a 5 hour drive to the medium sized city of Portland, but I never turn down a chance to get out there to enjoy some Thai food, new art, strong coffee and very large bookstores.


We stay two nights at the trendy Jupiter Art Hotel. It's hit or miss. I like the ironic wildlife art and playful architecture, but I am turned off by the techno "muzak" pumping 24 hours in the halls and parking lot...












"I think it's raining bacon again, honey."

We meet old friend Towad for dinner in the Jupiter's restaurant. They serve stylish comfort food. (Side Note:I don't know if it's a trend or what, but North Westerners put bacon and/or cheese in EVERYthing. They'd probably put bacon on a Pastrami sandwich, if you let them! What gives? ) Later, I draw a NW stereotype on the hotel room chalkboard door. NW hipsters are invariably white, 30-ish women, chainsmoking, and wear flipflops no matter the weather. (And finally, here's a draw for Jamie-Gomer B, who has harranged me for not posting more drawings on this site. Tell me I still have my mojo?!? )


Photo taken at the Salmon Nation Eco festival in Portland. Que and I find eco friendly all natural rugs to take back to our new home in El Big...


The house, being from 1925, has non standard sized doorways. Que finds he has to remove the front window sash in order to bring our couch inside. (Stay tuned for special post on The N house remodel)

The audience at the Salmon Nation eco festival. It's been so long, why, I've almost forgotten what a hippie looks like...


"Three steps forward-"
Girl's volleyball games. For fun, El Bigians watch local sports teams. If you don't, WHO WILL? Que's colleague's daughter plays volleyball in the itty bitty town of Onion, so we attend our first game. The whole town shows up. It's great fun hollering and stomping for the team. If we don't, who will? (Click image to basically see the whole town of Onion.)


"Two steps back." Que has to point out this sign to me, so we stop and take a picture. I wonder to myself if not noticing these things right away is a sign of my adjusting to El Big...



The view of El Big valley from Mt. E, the highest mountain in the valley. The sun is shining, but the air is crisp.

On our descent, Que pulls over and takes note of this site-- somebody's idea of heaven!


Wild turkeys running for their lives. Happy Thanksgiving, all.




Saturday, November 25, 7:30 am: I wake to the first snow!



And alas, this morning Que finds solid PROOF that it is indeed, deer chowing down on the front yard


NEXT WEEK: The N House Remodel! How to Remodel an Old House in a Really Remote Area.