The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain. I had anticipated this moment for over a year. For the first time, I stepped foot onto the newly laid subfloor of our house. I realize this might not sound like a revelation and in reality, I had...
The lastest Ready for Rain newsletter was meant to fill in essential gaps regarding what events led us to today. Up to now, the readers have seen my life in real-time, with only brief references to the past. I wrote: Over the past year, youβve had a front-row seat to...
In 2007, our lives changed thanks to publishing a series of animated videos that became known at the first “explainer” videos of the YouTube era.
Last night I published my newsletter, Ready for Rain, and it kicked off a new direction for readers. Over the past year, I wrote every week about big events in my life and the projects that made them happen. This included leaving Seattle after 20 years, moving to...
The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain. When I was home with my parents for Christmas, an idea started to percolate. Over the last year, my momβs health prevented her from checking email regularly and she wasnβt able to keep up with my...
Ready for Rain at one year. A review of the events in 2019, as shared in the newsletter.
Home construction is a project that takes significant time and it’s not always clear why. It can be painful and frustrating, but it’s often necessary for quality. This is our experience.
The Danish people, among the happiest in the world, have a term for the feeling of indoor coziness in the winter: Hygge. We are trying our best to create that feeling here on Orcas Island.
Sometimes the reality of living on an island taking ferries becomes very real. This is one of those times.
The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain. Early in the design process, John, our architect, said something that caught my attention. He said our design would require a lot of steel. Not knowing much about engineering a house, I took it as a...
Ready for Rain is, in part, a media experiment. I love making media and use the newsletter as an opportunity to create videos, gifs, and more. This is a look at my tools and processes.
A look at a home construction project on Orcas Island, WA as the framing is being built.
House plans are not written in stone. Achieving what you want requires constant edits and course corrections and it’s best to catch them in advance.
One of our favorite hobbies since moving to Orcas Island is crabbing for Dungeness Crabs in the summer. This is how it works for us.
As the foundation was poured on the new house, I learned about concrete in construction and the history of lime production in the San Juan Islands.
The first big phase of the house building project was the foundation and starting then, the house took on a realistic form and shape.
A few notes on the house project and our plans, as is was coming together in 2019.
Moving to a small guesthouse took some getting-used-to. But over time it became home and we learned a number of ways to adjust.
The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain. Iβve planted trees like Japanese maples and fast-growing conifers at every house Iβve owned. I think of them as semi-permanent fixtures that slowly improve the property and provide shade, privacy,...
Our lives changed for the better when we bought a used Boston Whaler that allowed us to explore the Salish Sea and San Juan Islands.