We set out to build an efficient home and now that we’ve moved, it’s obvious that some things are not going to fit and I take it as a good sign.
Category Archive: Home
SMASHBURGER! 🍔
Every once in a while, you come across a dish that seems to defy the laws of cuisine; something so simple that it has no right to be as good as it is. The dish I’m referring to now is SMASHBURGER! (Yes, I’m yelling, it’s required.)
The Sticky Notes ✅
As the house project comes to a close we’re removing sticky notes as we go.
I Can Recommend: Alone on TV ✅
The recommendations below also appeared in my weekly newsletter: Ready for Rain, Issue #93 - This is About the Ham. Alone (Hulu) - We've watched six seasons of this show and look forward to more. It's a reality show where ten survivalists are dropped off in a remote,...
This is About the Ham 🐖
A debate about storing ham in a Tupperware container could have gone in a lot of directions. We found a path without hurt feelings.
I Can Recommend: 2-8-21 ✅
The recommendations below also appeared in my weekly newsletter: Ready for Rain, Issue #92 - Hibernating in the PNW The theme for this week's recommendations: school girl comedies and con artists. Derry Girls (Netflix) - A comedy about Catholic school teenagers in...
I Can Recommend: 2-2-21 ✅
The recommendations below also appeared in my weekly newsletter: Ready for Rain, Issue #91 - Because It's Cool We've been re-watching movies from the not-so-distant past, so that's my focus this week. Lost in Translation (Amazon) - A top ten movie for me. Scarlett...
The Blackout ⚡️
What do you do when the power goes out? You see it as a challenge and a game to be played. We asked: how comfortable can we be without electricity?
Designing a Network for New Home Construction
When building a new house, it’s worth considering whether or not to run ethernet networking and if so, what products may work best. This is our plan.
This Was 2020
This was my 2020.
Then and Now 📷 🏡
The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain. I’ve taken thousands of photos of the house project, mostly from my phone and drone. In isolation, they look like any other house photo, a point in time without context. One can only get so excited...
Senioritis at the Guesthouse 🏡 ➡️ 🏡
After 16 months in our tiny guesthouse, we’ve gotten used to it. But as the house project nears completion, the small things are becoming a bit more grating.
The Impossible Skyscraper in the Guesthouse 🏢 🛋
The pile of boxes we have stacked in the guesthouse represent a lot of decisions about the house project.
Being One with the Dirt on Orcas Island 🐕🦺 🥾
Being one with the dirt is part of the transition and how you become part of the island itself.
Where is the Salish Sea?
Since moving to Orcas Island, I've become fascinated by the geography of the area, which is quite complicated. The island is part of an archipelago in an inland sea stretching across two countries and hundreds of islands. To describe the region doesn't do it justice,...
The Smell of Crabbing in the Salish Sea 🐟🐕
One of the challenges of crabbing in the Salish Sea is dealing with the bait, which can sometimes get very ripe. In this case, the bait attracted our dogs, who shared the love.
Solo Stove for Backyard Fires
Since then, the Solo Stove has become one of my favorite products because it makes backyard fires easy, safe, and clean. I often tell people that it’s an awesome piece of engineering, for what is essentially a fire pit.
Powering a Smart Home with Batteries
When we started planning our house on Orcas Island, people often asked about our plans for a generator assuming we’d need one. For a while, we had the same assumption.
Inside the COVID Bubble 🔒
A report from May of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic had forced shutdowns of most of the US, including Orcas Island.
Big Enough: A Balance of Ambition and Happiness
I have always been ambitious and I continue to be. What has changed is the focus or desired outcome of that ambition.