old cabin…

an old cabin in the coastal woods of Oregon

Fan Palms & Renovation

Recently, I became more familiar with the use of the fronds from Mexican (Washingtonia robusta) fan palm trees. You may have seen thatched roofs (palapa’s) on Mexican beaches offering shade while you sip a bebida. This time, I came upon the renovation of an old house damaged in a flash flood where fan palm fronds were being used to install siding. I checked further and noted the nearby trimming of the fronds/petioles from the skirt around a tree. An admirable, yet arduous task it seemed.

Nearby, I found the source for the fronds….

The renovator has gone in under the skirt of the tree and trimmed away at the thick petioles that attach the frond to the trunk of the tree….

Lumber must be scarce or the person has a penchant for immediately available, natural materials…

A palapa/canopy near Andreas Creek a few miles from the renovation project.

A replica of an Agua Caliente Cahuilla structure using the same fan palm fronds & materials from the tree’s skirt….

At one with nature…..

rocky environment

homes at one with surroundings

rock solid vision

~

~

Trains: Inside an old passenger, rail car

“All the coaches shall be scrap and rust and all the men and women laughing in the diners and sleepers shall pass to ashes.”    Carl Sandburg    Not so fast Carl….

Porch Railings

Sit upon them, prop your feet up on them, hop over them, climb up over them, peer through them, hide behind them, set a drink upon them, run your hand along the railing, paint them, talk through them. When is the last time you just sat on a porch with a railing. Been a very long time for me.

Vintage Floor & Wall…….50’s

My Uncle Felix built the wall, floor and built in drawers in this downstairs bedroom in 1952. The walls and floor and attention to detail carried over into the ‘party room’ and a second kitchen area. He hung pictures that showed the Sierras, Mountain lakes, Western themes…all things that were appealing to the Wisconsin boy transplanted to the West in the 1930’s. Classy then, when I was a young lad. Still classy and durable today.

Sagging in the Middle

Sagging in the middle, seems to be the inevitable in life. Here an old garage had the walls constructed with tongue and groove, a staple of siding. Only the middle gave out. No doubt a foundation issue. Isn’t it always the foundations, the core in life, that gives out?

Sagging beams, sunken foundations, acceptance of decline, turning away from seemingly insurmountable decay. Only certain people possess the skills to fix, rebuild, repair, envision change, fix the foundations, return to the original intent.