Life Should Be Beautiful

Bathroom design inspiration

2011-12-03T19:28:00.014-06:00

When we started this project, we had a general idea of the style that we were going for - clean, modern but not cold, timeless, natural materials, and simple lines. We started to term our desired style as Nordic modern farmhouse. But translating a general idea into specific material choices proved to be a challenge that required much time searching the internet for specific pictures of design inspiration.

I knew going in that we wanted natural materials, light colored wood, and a light filled room with neutral tile colors. But specifically, I had no idea. Looking for photos helped us to narrow down our choices.

These photos were the ones that resonated with us most, and from which we drew specific material selections.

I started to notice that I was collecting a lot of pictures of long, skinny tile that was stacked horizontally, like in this shower. I also liked the brightness of the white tile.

Chad responded to the pendant lights in front of the mirror in this bathroom. The large mirror behind the sinks makes the room look bigger and is very clean and simple. (But - we're not huge fans of the vanity - which is one of the challenges of inspiration pictures. You have to pick and choose what you like, and ignore the rest. Often I would find a picture I liked, and then ask myself, what is it that I like?)

Although this is a kitchen, this photo is the one we thought of most when selecting tile. We liked the white, horizontally stacked tile contrasted with the mid-tone gray tile floors, and the light wood flat panel cabinets.

This photo shows a similar wall tile, but (I think) in a carrera marble tile:

None of these photos illustrates exactly our new bathroom, but I think you'll start to get a sense of where we're headed.

We're excited.

Remodeling phase 1: bedroom and bath

2011-11-20T13:56:00.014-06:00

Our remodeling project has begun. Let the craziness begin!

Phase 1 is tackling a bedroom and bathroom upstairs. Phase 2 will include the entire first floor, including a new kitchen. And then phase 3 is back upstairs, to add a master bath and rip out our nasty duplex kitchen and make the upstairs into bedrooms. But I am getting ahead of myself. This is going to take YEARS.

For now, we focus on just two rooms upstairs.

The plans

Here is the before layout. A big problem with this bath is that since the roof it pitched, the shower is only about four feet high. The dotted line between the bed and bath represents where that roof pitch starts.

Here is the after plan. The room placement similar, except we steal some room for the bathroom from the bedroom:

Before photos

The bath looks OK in this photo, but the big problems are hard to see: the pitched low roof, junky vinyl floor, dog eaten woodwork, broken window covered with flaky lead paint, discount vanity sink, and leaky toilet.

Here you can see why a shower would not be a possibility for anyone over 5 feet. You can also see one of the many, many cracks in the ceiling:

Here is the bedroom before, which we were sleeping in. It was actually the nicest bedroom in the house, but we were having ice dam problems due to the lack of insulation in that pitched roof, and also the windows were not entirely operational.

The rooms now

What have we done? Um, tore it all out. Here's the old bathroom.

Former bedroom:

Another view of the bathroom:

And one minor accident (restaged here) along the way... whoops! Everyone's ok!

The chaos has begun! Lord help us.

It's been awhile.

2011-04-03T13:17:00.009-05:00

Well. Hello there! It's been awhile. I've fallen a bit behind on blogging. Um, like a whole year. We've, uh, been a bit busy:

It's true that pregnancy takes some of your brain cells and diverts them away from their normal activities. The scientists can't prove it yet, but I would guess that's because they are mostly men. This blog became a casualty. It was hard enough to get anything beyond regular functioning done, let alone write about it on the blog.

But, I'm going to try to make a comeback. We have some exciting things ahead of us with our new project house. We've been here almost a year now, and while we've mostly focused on raising baby, we've also started to get together our plans for the house renovation. We're working with an architect, and the house is gonna awesome. It's a big project, will be a lot of work, and will take a long time. But we are super excited about it, and we've got a lot to talk about.

In Search of New Blog Name
So! In honor of the blog comeback, I think it's time for a new blog name. But, I haven't thought of it yet. Got any ideas?

The new blog name should:

Focus on house remodeling and design (with a few cute baby pictures thrown in here and there.)
Be positive, because I want to focus on why we're doing this, not the inevitable grumbles and struggles along the way. For example, thisoldshitter.com doesn't fit the bill. "Old shitter" is the first nickname we gave to the house, and while it's accurate, it's a little obscene and definitely not positive.
Be short and catchy, so that I can tell people, "hey, check out thisurl.com," and so they will actually remember it.
Shouldn't focus on a specific design style, because we haven't defined our design style yet. The closest we've found to naming the style we're going after is scandanavian modern, or farmhouse modern, but we won't know until we get there, so we don't want to put ourselves in the wrong category. We'll use lots of natural materials, and the design will will be simple and clean, but also warm, friendly and super functional.
Could include minneapolis or mpls, as that indicates the urban location of our home.
Could reference the fact that it's an old house becoming new again, or an old house transformed. Our house was built in 1923, but when we're done, it will be almost all new. The form is very simple, almost a farmhouse, with hardly any redeeming things to save in the renovation. We loved the fact that it was a blank slate that we could work within - ensuring that we have a roof over our head while we transform the entire space. We're not adding on, we're just working within the existing square footage and foot print.
Shouldn't be too personal - i.e. I don't want to include our last names or address.
Might include that we are doing a lot of work ourselves. We'll hire people to do parts of the project so that we finish before 20 years from now, but we'll be taking on a large part of it ourselves.
Might include that we'll be budget and value conscious, but not cheap. Long lasting, beautiful, natural materials are not the cheapest choice, and we definitely have pretty big budget limitations to work within. Champagne taste, beer budget. We'll need to be creative and resourceful.

Wow, that turned into a long list of requirements for a short little blog name. Can you think of anything that fits the bill?

More before pictures + how we removed heavy smoke smells from the walls

2010-04-22T21:37:00.005-05:00

Well, we did it. We successfully moved into the new place, which we are now referring to as the "sweet dump." I am tired. It's been non stop moving, packing, organizing. We close on the old place tomorrow.

We got lucky and both renters moved out April 1, so we had about 2 weeks to clean and paint, which has made a HUGE HUGE difference. The pictures below were taken after both tenants had moved out and the place was empty, as we just started painting. The big thing which cannot be expressed by these photos is the incredible SMELL of the first level. The former tenants smoked heavily. Here's how we got rid of the smoke smell.

Smoke removal for walls and rooms with heavy smokers
-Wash all rooms where heavy smoking occurred repeatedly with TSP
-Wash all rooms repeatedly with a product from Odor Matic, a local Twin Cities company, which did wonders and actually leached the nicotine out of the walls.
-Repeat. Some rooms got washed 8-9 times. Wash until the wall stop oozing nasty nicotine. Yuck!
-Primed the walls, ceilings, and all all woodwork with a product called BIN. This is a product similar to Killz but works better for woodwork and for smoke.
-Repeat
-Painted 2 coats with regular paint (we have had good luck with Behr paint.)

So, um, that was a lot of work. My job was to write the checks, as I was lucky that the guys on Chad's landscaping crew were willing to do this dirty work. I loved the feeling of sitting at work while all the nasty crap got done on the house. I think we've already done more on this house than has been done in the last 50 years.

We already have a good before and after shot just from the tenants moving out:

Before:

After:

Kitchen designs

2010-01-03T23:25:00.004-06:00

So, I downloaded the IKEA kitchen design program and started playing around with some kitchen designs. Here is where I left off:
The space in the right lower corner would be a bathroom. The area in front of the sink would be a breakfast bar open to the living room.

It's a big work in progress!

Laundry Ideas

2010-01-02T17:17:00.005-06:00

Where to put the laundry? Upstairs, main floor, or basement? We won't know our options until we get further into the redesign, but I would love to move the laundry into either the main floor or upstairs - but there has got to be enough space for storage and hanging clothes, and I am not sure if we have it.

Some ideas from Better Homes and Gardens: Laundry Rooms

I like the sink and the hanging storage:

Love the sink - looks old and super functional. I wonder how much it costs. Probably more than my fridge. :)

Another nice layout, but no room for hanging clothes.
A nice little laundry space.

Kitchen Cabinet Inspiration

2010-01-02T13:56:00.004-06:00

More ideas from apartment therapy: Christen's "Beautiful Goofball" Apartment

I love the cut out handles in the cabinets and the marble countertops.

Inspiration: Kitchen

2009-12-28T20:47:00.004-06:00

More kitchen inspiration from Apartment Therapy: Jason Weinbeck's Mid Century Frugal Fix Up . This place is in Richfield, MN.

Our first big project at the new place is likely to be the kitchen, so I've been gathering up ideas and inspiration for the design.

Nice choice of materials (on a budget) in this cute little kitchen. The cabinets are from IKEA, we will definitely be considering them as a source in our design. The tile was cut down from standard 12 by 12 tiles to save money.

Inspiration: Kitchen & Dining Room

2009-12-27T10:58:00.004-06:00

Some inspiration on the new place from Apartment Therapy: Midcentury Organic Remodel

The kitchen/dining room layout could be similiar to this (of course, we have a 1920s house and not a 1950s house).
I like the breakfast bar with seating. Not sure about having seating in front of the stove - seems dangerous and messy.

Love the dining table:

Why this house? Factor 1 - location

2009-12-25T22:38:00.002-06:00

So, we had been looking at real estate for awhile. Years actually. It all started with an architect designed beauty that needed some work in west st paul. That was 2007. That was the first of a few houses that we lost out on because we were too slow, not sure, or undecided. It took us two years to get a little more decided on what we wanted in our next house. We had to look at a lot of houses and run through different scenarios. A bunch of factors went into our decision.

Factor 1 - Location

A big factor in buying the duplex was location. The age old truism in real estate. But location is about more than the value of your home, it's the place where you are going to spend a majority of your time. It's your start and end point. It's your neighbors and roads and parks and schools.

The only neighborhood we could both agree on was the one where we already lived - the longfellow area of Minneapolis. We knew we liked it. It's close to everything. We love being by the river and close to both downtowns. We didnt want to move to the suburbs. We love walking and riding our bikes.

But the choice was not without compromise.

Living in the city means a small lot. The new place is the same as our existing lot - about .12 acres, 50 ft by 120 or so. Not a lot of space to run a landscaping company. But it will work, because the alternative was the suburbs, and a long commute.

Also, the neighborhood is made up primarily of small homes, 1200 sq feet or so. The new place is 1900 sq feet. It is literally the biggest house on the block (but not by too much). We realize this is risky from a real estate perspective. However, there are a number of new homes going into the area, and lots of people fixing up their homes. The area is quiet, located in the heart of mpls and st paul, and is close to the river. We think its a great place to live, and we're doing this for us, so it's a risk we're willing to take.

Factor 2, to be continued: the budget.

I was at : 91 Silver Mountain Dr, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601,

Pictures of the new place - BEFORE

2009-12-13T19:17:00.003-06:00

Well, it is happening. The old shitter is really ours. I suppose we need a new nickname now that it is almost ours (tomorrow). I think we are hurting the house's feelings with our negative talk. We need a new nickname with a little more encouragement. We need to boost up it's self esteem. Start to give it a little love.

There's a book from the 70s that posits that if you talk to plants, they grow better. We need to start applying this theory to this new house project of ours. No more negative talk. It's got a lot of "potential." It's gonna be beautiful - one day. It's like a pimply teenager. A little awkward, dressed up all funny, squeaky voice, bad manners.

So with that introduction, here are the pics. Squint your eyes a little and imagine something totally different, just the same shape on the outside. All grown up and beautiful.

Oh - and where is it? It's in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, 5 blocks west of our current house.

Free money for energy efficient upgrades in Minnesota

2009-12-12T23:36:00.005-06:00

Well, apparently there is a lot of free money out there for energy efficiency updates. Thank you Obama! We close on the new place on Monday, so we are starting to kick into high gear of planning. It appears that first on our list will be energy efficiency updates, since there is some pretty decent *free money* available to make this happen.

I found this really helpful overview of all the programs available in Minnesota: Minnesota Residential Energy Incentives PDF

Highlights include:

Heating, insulation, roofs, water heaters, windows and doors

Federal Tax Credit: 30% of cost up to $1,500 (for materials, not labor)
Expires: December 31, 2010

Energy Saver Rebate Program - 35% off, up to $10,000!!!!
We are definitely going to apply for this. It's a loan that refunds 35% of the cost of energy improvements, up to 10,000 back IN CASH. This is incredible. Funds are limited and will go fast.

DETAILS:
Rebates for 35% of eligible improvements, up to $10,000, as part of a home improvement loan. Eligible improvements include furnace, AC, windows, attic air sealing, attic & wall insulation, and water heaters.
Scheduled to begin in December, 2009.
Go to www.mnhousing.gov for more information.

Solar
With all the incentives out there, we are going to look into solar. Whoa. There is a TON to learn about here, we are just starting to dip our toes in the water.

Federal Tax Credit: 30% of cost with no upper limit
Expires: December 31, 2016
Use for: geothermal, solar, wind turbines

Minnesota State Solar Rebate Program
There seems to be a program that is specific to Minnesota, but that may have run out of funds. I need to check into this further.

One website i found said - "Minnesota's solar rebate program is funded by Xcel Energy. Homeowners can get a $2.00/watt rebate up to $20,000 with an additional $0.25/watt rebate for solar electric systems installed by NABCEP certified installers."

The state website says:
"This program has limited funds. Contact us to check the current status. If presently fully reserved, your name can be put on a waiting list. For more information: www.energy.mn.gov or Email: energy.info@state.mn.us"

Energy Star Appliances
Rebates (available through Minnesota retailers) for specific ENERGY STAR labeled appliances: refrigerators ($200); clothes washers ($200); dishwashers ($150); freezers ($100). Refrigerator rebates will require recycling of old refrigerator. Program is scheduled to begin in March, 2010.

Do's and Don'ts of Home Remodeling

2009-11-15T15:29:00.003-06:00

In the last six years of remodeling our now almost perfect and hard to leave house, we've learned some lessons that we'll be able to apply to our next bigger & better project.

Here's the short list.

Do:

Use grout the color of dirt for tiles. It never looks dirty.
Install recessed lighting on dimmer switches. Simple, modern, moody or bright, makes stuff look good.
Invest in good lighting. Brings a space to life and makes it much more usable.
Invest in attic insulation. Easy, cheap, saves energy right away.
Invest in a new furnace. This isn't cheap. But our furnace was from the 1940s. We got a huge boost in monthly savings from the new furnace, and it will make a difference for resale.
Invest in gutters and regrading. We completely dried out our occasionally wet basement.
Design smart storage solutions. Ikea has great inexpensive systems for storing just about everything.

Don't

Get a glass shower door in the bathroom. Looks nice, but gets dirty so fast.
Fix up 1920s windows. We spent a lot of time painting the interior and exterior of our old 1920s windows, and they still look old, and waste a lot of energy.
Buy an LG over the range microwave with a vent hood. The microwave works fine, but the fan is really loud and weak.

Viva la house projects!

New House. No Kidding.

2009-11-12T21:54:00.006-06:00

People, we're doing it.

We're buying a new house. I mean, new to us. It's old. 1920s old.

Seriously. We mean it. Ok, so we haven't closed yet, but we're gonna do it. We had the inspection and everything. There's no turning back without losing a pile of cash. I even turned off my automatic real estate searches. All 26 of them.

Here it is:

But don't get too excited. It's kind of in shambles. Not just kind of. Seriously. VERY.

You are going to think we're nuts. I think we're nuts. We're going to move from our lovely, nice, finished house to a smelly, ugly, catastrophe. (Seriously. Our nickname for it is "the old shitter." Chad said to me - "but I don't want to move into the old shitter", and it just stuck.)

But why, you ask?

Because it's got tons of POSSIBILITIES. Possibilities that we can actually afford to complete in the very near future.

We decided that we didn't want to wait until we were 40 to get the house we wanted. We wanted to find a way to make it happen now, while we are young, but on a budget. How could we do it? We went round and round. We almost bought tons of other houses. We stressed. We looked. It's not easy having champagne tastes on a PBR budget.

The option that finally made sense to us was to buy a run down house, for cheap, with good bones, good space, in a good neighborhood, that needs all new interior work, but no space additions. We found it. We bought it. Whew. All it took was a little over 2 years.

It's going to take some work. LOTS of work. TONS of work. But we get to make it our own. We get to make it 20 times better than the house we have now. Well, at least 4 x better, since it is twice as large, and since we now have some experience with this renovation stuff, hopeful we are twice as good at it. So that buys us four multipliers of improvement. We hope.

So, instead of going on a awesome tropical vacation, we get to go on a awesome home renovation adventure. Hmmm... wishing I could have both....

It's a duplex now, but we plan to convert to single family. Renters live in both floors, so we have some time until their lease is up to plan for the new adventure.

We're working with an architect friend to draft up the plans.. and also working through the logistics of being landlords.

Working to prepare for a new adventure ... but still dreaming of Thailand beaches. And winter hasn't even hit yet!

Floating House Of Brad Pitt

2009-10-22T11:27:00.004-05:00

Cool house design - modern home floats in case of flood (New Orleans).

More images here

Writing Lesson of the Day: I and Me

2009-10-08T12:05:00.003-05:00

So, I have to admit something. I got in a fight with my high school grammar teacher, and it's been haunting me ever since. I was sick with Mono, missed a lot of school, and then he wouldn't let me retake a big test. I went to the principal, and he told me I could drop the class, but that there were going to be difficult people in life that I would have to learn to deal with, and that I should start now by sticking to the class.

I dropped the class anyways.

Now, I'm constantly scouring the internet to make up for lessons I would have learned in that missed class. And, still working on that "dealing with difficult people" thing.

Grammar Lesson of the day: I and me
When you’re talking about yourself and someone else, be careful to use I and me correctly. Many people think it’s classier to always use I, and they end up getting it wrong half the time. The best way to know which one to use is to eliminate the other person from the sentence and see what you’ve got left.

Jenny and I went to the store. I went to the store. (That’s right.)

Grandma gave the cookies to Jenny and I. Grandma gave the cookies to I. (Nope.)

Grandma gave the cookies to me (that’s right).

Courtesy: Ten Common Writing Mistakes Your Spell Checker Won’t Find

Great Storytelling from Thai Commercial

2009-07-31T11:08:00.000-05:00

on the lookout for inexpensive new modern home construction projects

2009-07-02T21:47:00.004-05:00

We are on the lookout for examples of new, affordable and modern home construction, especially in the city.

Here is one example -- an 800 square foot house, built including land for $200/square foot --let us know if you know of more!

An Urban Pioneer
David Sarti is showing us that good things can come in small boxes

Happy 5th birthday frontyard: A pictoral history

2009-06-21T22:34:00.014-05:00

2004

2005

2006

2007

2009

Here is a photo set that includes more photos from the history of our yard.

SE Asia trip: Photo highlights

2009-06-06T17:33:00.006-05:00

For those of you who have short attention spans (and who doesn't?), here is a collection of my 18 favorite photos from our trip to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos this past winter.

Dream home slips through our fingers. Sad. :(

2009-06-03T19:14:00.006-05:00

So, we decided we don't want to live in the suburbs.... which is why we missed out on this super awesome house at a super awesome price. Chad happened to drive by it, and by the time we checked on it.. the sale was pending. Sold in foreclosure for $315,000!!! INCREDIBLE! Now, we are sad. :(

Mid-Century Modern "Alcoa" Home For Sale in St. Louis Park, MN
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Year Built: 1958
Area: 3600 square ft.

Mid-Century Contemporary Marvel! Post beam construction, combines decorative structural aluminum w/beautiful woods. Fantastic double lot, 3 bedroom, 3 Bathroom, open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, basement with 2 egress windows ready for finishing. Designed by Charles M. Goodman and constructed in 1958 as a project for the Alcoa Aluminum Company to showcase the wonders of Aluminum. Home needs restoration to bring back to original splendor.

Ira glass gives hope to those of us creating crappy content

2009-06-01T17:30:00.002-05:00

Guess why: More married women work in Minneapolis than in NYC

2009-06-01T15:01:00.008-05:00

New study shows: Commuting = wasted time.

From The Harris School at the University of Chicago

In Minneapolis, 79 percent of married women are employed, while only 49 percent are in New York.

Why, you ask?

"Black examined a variety of factors—local housing prices, child care costs, and local unemployment rates—but one stood out: commute times in metropolitan areas."

"The authors predicted, and confirmed, that cities with longer commutes are associated with fewer married women who work."

"A one-minute increase in a daily commute is coupled with a 0.66 percent decrease in the likelihood of employment. "

Smart women know -- commuting = wasted time!

Boys trip: fishing opener in the BWCA

2009-05-31T11:13:00.008-05:00

Chad took some lovely photos in the BWCA for fishing opener this year. These are my favorites.

Video: Collin dives in the cold water!

Brett & Collin both dive in!

Here is the full set of photos:

What Do Other Countries Eat For School Lunch

2009-05-29T09:47:00.005-05:00

If you are what you eat, that means that U.S. kids are cheap processed crap and Italian kids are full of culture and traditions.

Read: What Do Other Countries Eat For School Lunch

Chad, will you build this for me?

2009-05-25T15:52:00.002-05:00

patio set 1, originally uploaded by livegreenstlouis.

Cool patio set made of reclaimed flooring material.

homemade granola

2009-05-09T23:07:00.002-05:00

Have you ever made homemade granola? It's easy, delicious, and nutritious! You can keep the ingredients on hand and make it when you run out of other breakfast stuff. You can eat it with yogurt, or with milk or soy milk. You can change up any of the nuts, seeds or dried fruit depending on what you have on hand. Some of my favorites are coconut, pecans, almonds, dried blueberries, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. You can put more honey in if you want it sweeter. Since you make it yourself, you know that it's all good stuff - whole grains, nuts, and dried fruits without a lot of sugar. Who knows what is in the stuff in the grocery store?

Here is a recipe i use, from Rio Caliente Hot Springs Health Spa

Ingredients

2 lbs. rolled oats (not the quick-cooking or instant variety)

3/4 cup pecans, chopped or broken

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, whole

3/4 cup hulled sesame seeds, toasted or raw

1/2 cup powdered low fat milk

2 T. sesame oil

1/4 cup honey

How to Prepare

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and mix.

Add the powdered milk and mix again. Add the oil and honey and mix thoroughly, using your hands to turn the mixture over and over. Place into baking pans and bake in a slow (250F) oven for 45 minutes to an hour until golden brown.

Stir every 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.

Note: If you add wheat germ, the granola must be refrigerated.

Additional ingredients: Powdered soy milk or flakes, peanuts, wheat germ, bran, oat, rye, wheat or soy flakes, soy nuts, raisins, currants or other dried fruits, almonds or other nuts, dried coconut.

Note: If you add soy flakes, be sure to include them at the very end of baking as they tend to burn.

The Decemberists - The Rake's Song

2009-04-29T12:36:00.005-05:00

The Current is playing this song a lot. I had listened to it many times, enjoying the song, before i actually *listened* to the lyrics. It's the song of a family's massacre, and here i was, passively enjoying and absorbing it, while three children were being murdered! How many other things like this happen everyday, while we don't pay attention?

It's kind of fascinating (but still disturbing). Have a listen.

I had entered into a marriage
In the summer of my twenty-first year
And the bells rang for our wedding
Only now do I remember it clear
Alright, alright, alright

No more a rake and no more a bachelor
I was wedded and it whetted my thirst
Until her womb started spilling out babies
Only then did I reckon my curse
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright

First came Isaiah with his crinkled little fingers
Then came Charlotte and that wretched girl Dawn
Ugly Myfanwy died on delivery
Mercifully taking her mother along
Alright, alright, alright

What can one do when one is a widower
Shamefully saddled with three little pests?
All that I wanted was the freedom of a new life
So my burden I began to divest
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright

Charlotte I buried after feeding her foxglove
Dawn was easy, she was drowned in the bath
Isaiah fought but was easily bested
Burned his body for incurring my wrath
Alright, alright, alright

And that's how I came your humble narrator
To be living so easy and free
Expect that you think that I should be haunted
But it never really bothers me
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright

Houses we almost bought

2009-04-26T17:10:00.015-05:00

I admit it, I am addicted to house hunting. For your entertainment today, the story of three houses that we almost bought. These are houses that caused heartache, houses that we lost sleep over, houses that we very much wanted at the time. But i like to think we are in house buying training, and that something even better has got to come about. Above all, we have learned through this process about our likes and dislikes along with must haves for our next house.

1. West St. Paul House
July, 2007
I was browsing the MLS for homes over .5 acres, not looking to buy anything, just seeing if it was possible. There was one picture listed of this place, and it looked pretty run down. In foreclosure, listed for $256, in West St Paul, close to Mendota Heights, in an area of 400k+ houses. We were planning a wedding, not thinking about moving. One week later, we were in the area, and drove by. After walking around the house and the .75 acre lot, we were in awe. We called our realtor immediately. We made an offer a few days later, but those days of thinking cost us the house. There were already 4 offers on the house and they were not taking more.

Front of the house -- 50s architect designed, brick construction. Needs some landscaping help!
Nice living room with large windows looking out to the backyard. OMG, we loved this place.

The house from the backyard. Awesome deck out the back. Walk out basement. S-W-E-E-T!
Upstairs living room, walk out deck.

Back view of the basement walk out and upstairs deck.
Here is a picture of the house in better days -- before the foreclosure.

Downsides = 2 bedrooms 2 bath, but room for more bedrooms by converting tuck under garage.
Neighborhood was awesome, but suburban. The basement ceiling height was somewhat low.

Upsides = architect designed, solid construction, sweet spaces and flow, could move in with out too much updating, tons of land.

This was a SWEET house.

2. Golden Valley House
Feb 2008

So, we got married instead of buying that West St. Paul House. But we were hot on the trail of a sweet house, and determined not to miss out on a sweet deal again because of hemming and hawwing. We wanted to be ready for action.

This place in Golden Valley hit the market, and we went and saw it the same day, and made an offer that very day. Another house in foreclosure. The only problem was that we saw the house at night, and the power was turned off, so we couldn't see everything. But, we proceeded with the offer anyway, knowing that we would likely lose the house if we waited to see it again. We knew that others were interested in the house, too, because people were pulling up while we were looking, AND our realtor happened upon another couple making an offer. We had to act quick!

Our full price offer was accepted, but after careful consideration and inspection, we decided not to buy. The lot was too steep, and would have required 1000s of dollars in landscaping, and would never have resulted in useful spaces. The house design was OK, but not fabulous. One wing of the house was poorly heated. The neighborhood was good, close to the city and still close to 500k+ houses, but we were still not totally comfortable. All in all, we didn't feel right about it.

Making an offer was the only way we had a chance to even think about it.

The useable space in the backyard was small, because of the slope of the site. The lot was actually huge, about .75 acres, but mostly unusable.

3. House Near River Road, Minneapolis
November 2008
The only picture i have, from google street view. 1960s architect designed, tuck under garage, overgrown landscaping.

The house that got us away, literally, on our 3 month tour through SE Asia. This house hit the market one week before we bought our plane tickets to Thailand. THe location was stellar, one block off of west river road, in a neighborhood developed in the 60s in longfellow. I love this area, and walk through it often. It's about 4 blocks from our current house, but a world away from the 1920s bungalows. This was another foreclosure, the former home of an inventor. I wish i had more pictures. There was a complete mother-in-law apartment in the basement that we could have rented out to help offset the $300k asking price.

We saw the house the 2nd day it was on the market, and made an offer than day. We knew that if we got the house, our trip would be off. We also knew that there was another offer on the house, but we did not feel comfortable offering more than the asking price, which in retrospect we should have done to seal the deal. (Proving that hindsight is 20/20). We waited a week to hear back from the bank..... and we didn't get it. Promptly thereafter, we took that good faith check and purchased two tickets to Bangkok.

This was really a heartbreaker for us, because we loved loved loved the neighborhood, and we loved the house. The spaces were open and large, and the house was huge, with a rentable apartment. But we knew we couldn't swing the house and our trip. So, the universe picked an adventure trip for us, instead of slaving away restoring a foreclosed house.

What's Next?
There you have it. The story of three houses that got away, for better or worse. What's next for us? Time will tell. We've definitely learned a lot about where we want to live, what we want in a house, and what we are willing to do to make it happen. We have also learned that we really, really like the house that we have now, and that our next house has to be super stellar to make us make a move. But with rates this low, and so many distressed properties out there, i can't help but see what's listed on the MLS....

Some of my favorite house hunting tools:
Themlsonline.com -- has a google map feature to search home listings in Minneapolis/St. Paul, along with a great saved search feature
Zillow -- predicts expected value of home as well as neighboring homes
Google Street View -- type in an address, see a picture of the home and the neighbors. Wow!
County websites -- look up the property value, taxes, last sale date, lot size

some inspiration

2009-04-19T19:18:00.004-05:00

Finish each day and be done with it.

You have done what you could;

some blunders and absurdities have crept in;

forget them as soon as you can.

Tomorrow is a new day;

you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

----------------------------------

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, on Creative Genius.

2009-04-06T10:13:00.003-05:00

I like this talk. Elizabeth Gilbert talks about the creative process, the historical perspective of "creative genius", and the anxiety and fear that creativity can cause. She makes the case that we should go back to the Greek/Roman thinking about creativity: that great work and great creativity is outside of our control, a muse and we are it's vehicle. Instead of worrying about our product, we should continue to keep showing up and hope that the muse makes an appearance.

Chad and Shane's Special Day

2009-03-28T11:12:00.002-05:00

This concept photo documentary got me in a bit of trouble with Chad and Shane. But, I swear, all of the photos are real! What a date!

Our fancy digs in Bangkok

2009-03-28T11:11:00.002-05:00

We had the good fortune to stay with our friend Shane in his fancy digs in Bangkok. Thanks Shane!

Hello, U.S.A.

2009-03-24T12:32:00.002-05:00

After three days of traveling, we made it back to the U.S.A! It was very nice to finally be able to walk through the "local" line at the airport and not the foreigner line. Ahh, it is good to be home, where we can drink the tap water and everyone knows not to stand on the toilet.

We had a harrowing journey home as we flew right into the middle of chaos at the Tokyo Narita airport, where hours earlier a fed ex cargo plane crashed killing two people. Utter, utter and complete chaos. The airport was officially closed for 24 hours, but somehow, our flight from bangkok was still sent to tokyo, where we were stranded for hours with no plan and no information. Staff were obviously not prepared for an emergency. They finally bussed us to a five star luxury hotel ($600 plus a night) with no information about when our flight would leave, when or if they would pick us up again, or even who was paying the bill.

When our flight finally left 24 hours after it was scheduled, it was only 60% full even though it was one of the first flights out, and even though there were obviously many people who should have been on the flight who were still waiting in lines at the terminal. The situation was very poorly handled. We were sent to tokyo after they knew about the "incident", and even though the major runway was closed. Our plane coming in had to use a smaller landing strip to get in, but our larger plane to MSP could not get out. Why Northwest routed us to tokyo even though the airport was closed and then proceeded to put us in a luxury hotel with a steak dinner and 5* buffet breakfast is totally beyond me. This must have cost them a bundle, and could have been prevented by *not* flying us into the closed airport. Hello? Is this crazy or what?

Needless to say, we are happy to be home and also delirious from lack of sleep, but trying to stay awake a few more hours so we are not *totally* screwed up.

Escaping the party in Vang Vieng, Laos

2009-03-21T04:19:00.003-05:00

Vang Vieng was really a very beautiful location, however, all the obnoxious partying and drug abuse by backpackers had, in my opinion, basically ruined the town. Who wants to see a 6 foot tall skinny white girl in a bikini limping/pacing back and forth like a zombie, with a hurt foot/ankle that she does not even notice, eyes wide, dark, red and swollen, moaning and repeating to herself, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck, because she is too messed up to know what is going on? It was in some ways astonishing to watch, I admit. I tried to say something to her but her eyes would not focus on me, she was in her own world. Eventually we did see that she hooked up with another bunch of girls who helped her, thank goodness.

Video: Crazy party scene in Vang Vieng, Laos

2009-03-21T04:05:00.002-05:00

Instructions:

1. Head to one of the poorest, most conservative, rural countries on earth where the women wear long sleeves in 100F heat.

2. Put on your bikini!

3. Wait in line at the tubing station and pay a few bucks to get your own tube.

4. Hop on the bus to the river.

5. Head to the river bar and buy some $2 mojitos. Dance to the music!

6. Draw some stuff all over your body. Example: Free Hugs!

7. Climb up the bamboo ladder and swing 50 feet into the river.

8. Tube about 50 feet to the next bar.

9. Repeat.

Video: Chad loves rope swings

2009-03-21T04:02:00.001-05:00

Video: Traditional laos dance & music

2009-03-18T23:13:00.001-05:00

Video: Chad crosses a bamboo bridge via vespa

2009-03-18T23:12:00.000-05:00

Vientiane, Laos Itinerary & Photos

2009-03-18T23:02:00.004-05:00

-A visit to the very strange Buddha park with crude concrete sculptures and lots of school kids running around.

-Scooting on a vintage 1950s red vespa all over the countryside, waving to the kids and stopping for some noodle soup and beer lao with locals who knew no english but had lots of smiles and laughs. Our old police moto helmets gave them pause.

-Delicious dining on fine french cuisine & chilled bourdeaux.

-Crossing a rickity bamboo bridge by scooter! Two 9 years olds passed us on a moto and had no fear.

-The beautiful Lao textile museum, set in a lush facility with gardens and teak buildings.

-Hanging out at another concrete monstrosity, the victory arch, a project constructed out of concrete that was supposed to be made into an airport runway.

-Watching cute laos dancers at a cultural show.

Incredible story of landmine remover in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2009-03-18T22:50:00.002-05:00

Aki Ra was a child soldier who marched in front of the older soldiers laying land mines in his native Cambodia. Now, his life's work is removing land mines from his country. He began this incredible musuem just by collecting remains from land mines that he had removed. Tourists started to stop by, eventually his house became the land mine museum. The museum has since moved to a dedicated facility that also provides housing and a school for kids impacted by the landmines. Meanwhile, Aki continues his work removing the dangerous and devastating landmines, which are designed to maim rather than kill victims (the war theory being that an injured soldier is more expensive to the enemy than a dead soldier). A truly inspirational place and story of how one person can really make a difference in their own community and in the world.

Video: Chad Eats Two Silkworms

2009-03-18T02:59:00.002-05:00

Silk Weaving in Siem Reap, Cambodia

2009-03-18T02:53:00.002-05:00

When we were in Cambodia, we visited a silk farm operated by Artisans D'Angor. It's a project to sell local handicrafts and provide fair market jobs to the local people. The free tour was very informative -- of course they bank on visitors making some purchases in the gift shop, which we did (an amazing grey silk dress for me!)

Angor Wat, Cambodia

2009-03-13T05:08:00.001-05:00

Apologies -- lots of temple pictures here. Angor Wat was truly spectacular, the level of craftsmanship, detail and scale is difficult to comprehend, even today, but completed 700 years ago? Astonishing.

Emily walking to the temples in angor wat, cambodia

2009-03-13T04:53:00.000-05:00

Angor Wat, Cambodia video

2009-03-13T04:43:00.001-05:00

The Road to Cambodia

2009-03-13T04:19:00.001-05:00

Chad recovered, and we made it to Chang Mai, Thailand, where the internet connection is much better than Laos. In other news, here are some pictures from the drive into Cambodia from Thailand.

Struck by bacteria.

2009-03-09T21:58:00.002-05:00

Well, it has finally happened. Chad is down and out in the hotel with a bad case of food poisoning, or some kind of nasty bacterial invasion. Somehow, i managed to escape. We ate exactly the same thing yesterday, so I must be very lucky indeed.

It's strange. A few days ago, we shared the same lunch and the same dinner with a couple here after our kayaking trip, and we ran into them a few days later, they were both sick and throwing up all the day before. Chad and I totally escaped that one, even though we had exactly the same dishes as they did. My theory was that our stomachs were more accustomed to the bacteria here, since we had been here for 2 months and they were only here for two weeks. I don't know why the bacteria gods chose to infect chad and not me, but I am fine.

We had booked an air ticket to Chang Mai for today, but luckily i was able to change it to tomorrow. Hopefully chad will be feeling better by then, or we may need to change it again. It's much better to be recovering in a comfortable, familiar hotel than have to catch a plane and then carry our packs all over looking for a new place to stay. We are in no hurry to get to Chang Mai, other than our time here in SE Asia is soon coming to a close and we will be meeting up again with Shane on Friday. We should have no problem getting there by then.

Last day in Louang Prabang, Laos

2009-03-09T00:45:00.003-05:00

Chad and I have been in Louang Prabang, Laos for over a week now, as we have really enjoyed the culture, scenery and people here in this little sleepy town.

A highlight of our time here was a kayaking trip down the Nam Ohn, about a one hour drive out of the city. On the way to the river we stopped at two local villages and "exchanged information" (as our tour guide put it) with the locals in the village. One of the villages was a Hmong village that had been relocated from the mountains further south down the hill. Our guide was also from a Hmong village and so he spoke the local dialect of the people there. Our guide was from a hmong family, and his parents had previously been opium farmers. He said that in 2000 Opium was outlawed, leaving many of the hmong without jobs and without a way of life.

We saw them going about their daily jobs such as the blacksmith mending an ax, knife sharpening, paper making, and weaving baskets and bamboo roofing materials. We were invited into the home of the village shaman, who played us a toon on his bamboo instrument. He asked our guide if he would come back to the village and teach the local kids, as they had no school and no education system in place. There is a widespread belief here that education is really the path to a better future, but it's hard to come by in a little village with no teachers and no school supplies. Learning english seems to be the path to a good job in the tourism industry, which is really pumping much needed cash into the economy. The kids in the village followed us around with huge smiles.

After the village visits, we spent the day kaying on some class 2 white water.

Along the way, we heard the sounds of what we thought to be generators along the river. We asked our guide was was going on, and he said that the people were panning for gold. We stopped at one of the operations to get a good look. About every 50 meters, about 25 people sat along the river banks. Wooden boats held 2-3 air compressors that had clear plastic tubing attached, going out into the river. At the other end of the tubes, at the bottom of the river, the plastic tubes were giving air to men who were collecting the dirt on the river bottom. The plastic tube was stuffed into a diving mask so that the men could breathe for 20 minutes or so on the river bottom. They took a simple bag and the mask and air tube, and then used their hands to collect the river rocks. There were several men walking on the bottom of the river at a time collecting the dirt. They would bring it to the surface, and the women used big wooden bowls to swirl the dirt in the river to sort out the big rocks, and eventually find little teeny specks of gold in the bottom. We watched a women doing the panning, and in about 10 minutes she had maybe 20 teeny teeny specks of gold. Amazing! People all along the river were using these home made scuba diving contraptions to collect tiny specks of gold. Considering the alternate forms of employment available (paper making, weaving, farming) the gold operation seems very lucrative indeed. Our guide even joked that he should find a wife in this village, as only the local villagers had rights to pan the river for gold.

Tomorrow, we fly to Chang Mai to meet up again with Shane for the weekend.

Lovely Luang Prabang, Laos

2009-03-02T03:06:00.003-06:00

Luang Prabang, Laos is probably the loveliest place that we have traveled to so far. It's a small city of around 26,000 but big on culture, personality, and in a gorgeous natural setting between two rivers and the mountains. It was the former capital of Laos, and is filled with temples, varied architecture influenced in the styles of Laos, Thai, Vietnam and France, and cultural activities like the Royal Museum, National Theatre, lots of art galleries, cafes, and the biggest night craft market in all of Laos.

The people in Laos are very gentle and kind, unlike the Cambodians who were more aggressive in their selling techniques, and the Thai who are also very friendly and accommodating, but less caring and gentle. 80% of people live outside the city, making their living mostly with rice farming, making textiles, paper, or whisky.

Today we biked to a weaving village 4km outside of the city. The bikes we rented were pretty crappy, and it turns out i really don't like mountain biking, but it was nice to get out of town and get a peak at village life. Everyone in the village we visited makes their living weaving textiles. Each home had a loom sitting outside where the women were at work, weaving intricite silk and cotton textiles. The mothers teach their daughter how to weave each piece. We stopped at one house that had a large display outside, and got to watch the mother working on a very detailed piece, while the daughter worked on a less intricite, but still beautiful and patterned piece. The son was making a fishing net. We bought some textiles and biked our way on, stopping at a few other places including a silversmith house and then to a roadside shop for lunch. We had purchased some baguette sandwiches in town to bring along for the ride. For $1.25 we got a huge baguette filled with chicken and vegetables.

Another great thing about Laos, because of the French influence there are baguettes everywhere. Unlike Thailand, where they do serve bread to the tourists for breakfast, but it is basically wonder bread that sucks. The lao have adopted the baguette as their own, and fill it with pates and fillings of their own making. Lots of bakeries and cafes line the streets, and you can get a huge fruit shake and a beer lao almost anywhere for $1 each. Also, they have decent wine here, including imported french wine, and a local wine made here. They also sell bottles of lao snake whisky -- with cobras and scorpions along with the whisky. We haven't tried this yet.

Tomorrow, we head to some class 3 rapids on kayaks up river.

Ko Chang, Thailand Photos

2009-02-26T04:13:00.001-06:00

We met up with our elusive friend Steve Q. and his girl in Ko Chang, Thailand -- here are the pictures to prove it.

Erawan waterfall video, Thailand

2009-02-26T04:11:00.001-06:00

Photos from Kanchanaburi, Thailand

2009-02-26T04:07:00.003-06:00

We spent a long weekend in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, with our friend Shane. It was a good escape from Bangkok. We visited the largest waterfall in Thailand (Erawan) and also saw and learned about the bridge over the River Kwai.

99 degrees in Vang Vieng, Laos!

2009-02-26T03:28:00.002-06:00

Hot damn, it's hot in the shade. Emily and I are still in Vang Vieng, Laos and we have moved out of town a few miles to a quiet bungalow on the river. I am not sure if tourism is down, or it is just a quiet time, but we have the entire place to ourselves. A small family lives on site and runs the entire place. They are also our chefs when we are around, and I love them for this.... However, last night Emily was super tired and left me at the table by myself with an entire fish, two orders of rice, and a good size dish of green curry/chicken. I did my best but later realized that I couldn't fall asleep the entire night due to my binge eating. I had a whole table of local men drinking beer across from me and looking at me like I had ordered it all.

Our first night in this party town, we witnessed two men stumbling and being helped into a back of a Tuk tuk (taxi), on with the back of his head bleeding out, and off they went. second, we noticed many people started to seem very strange and the later and darker that it got the crazier everything seemed. One group of tubers dropped off back in town all were a mess. One man fell straight to his backside, and the other tore off into a nearby restraunt, and the girl was walking downt the street like frankenstein. We know that there is a huge party scene here and that everything is available to poison yourself, but seems like many went over the edge. Emily and I just sat and watched the mayhem for a while and couldn't believe it was real.

The town is also know for their TV bars, yes, TV bars. They run episodes of Friends, Family Guy, Simpson's, and Seinfeld while you order your choice of marijuana, opium, or any mushroom blended treat you can imagine. There are dozens of these places and they were packed every day and night. Yikes....

Yesterday we thought we'd check out how an entire town can be packed with travellers just here to tube and party. We started around noon, being dropped off up river at a loud bumping bar with a deck over the river. I noticed a bunch of cables and strange ladders leading up to this tree/deck area 40 ft off the ground. IT was here that a man hands you a trapieze handle to send you swinging 40-50 ft over the viewing deck and at your decision, you can fly down to the moving river. It was incredible. I did not have enough courage in me to have a go at this, especially after watching a few unpleasant water entries. Some travellers boasted great style with laid out back flips and the occasional double. We moved down river to the junior body slinger, still sending you flying around 30ft. Good times. I am going to work on some plans to build one at the cabin. Ron said that he would help.

We are off back on our mini-moto back to the village. We miss everyone... home sickness is kicking in.

Chad and Emily

Quick update on Laos

2009-02-24T23:00:00.002-06:00

We're in Vang Vieng, Laos, surrounded by lovely limestone cliffs, a beautiful river, and lots of other tourists who are here mostly to party. They say this is the adventure capital of laos, but it seems to us like the party capital. We quickly realized this and headed out of town to a very quiet location.

Today -- we tube the river.

Tomorrow -- we go kayaking and river rafting.

We are both missing home but definitely enjoying the adventure.

Soon, we are off to Louang Prabang, Laos.

Off to Laos

2009-02-18T07:46:00.006-06:00

Tomorrow we fly to Vientienne, Laos. We enjoyed Cambodia, but we are anxious to head to Laos for a more relaxed pace.

The main attraction in Siem Reap, and in all of Cambodia, and also the reason we came here, is Angkor Wat, ruins of the ancient Khmer city of one million plus which represented the height of culture, art and architecture of the 11th century.

The scale and intricicy of the temples was truly astonishing; it is one of the wonders of the world. However, the town is completely filled with tourists from all over the world clamoring to see the temples -- mostly japanese tour groups and adventure retiree tour groups.

The Cambodian people (and foreign interests) have quickly capitalized on tourism to the temples. Only 30 years after 1/5 of the population was killed by the Khmer Rouge genocide, there now exists a variety of western-style luxury resorts, restaurants, ATMs and performances.

Reminders of the genocide 30 years ago and the widespread povery are not too far from the luxury resorts, however. Small children stand outside of each temple trying to sell bracelets and postcards, (10 for $1 mister, you buy something, maybe later? I remember you! buy from me!) Tuk-tuk drivers desperately try to get riders whenever a tourist walks by. The main tourist area is lined with boutiques selling handicrafts funded by NGOs to help the people get back on their feet. The first international tribunal trials for the genocide opened in the capital this week. Blind and disfigured landmine victims walk into restaurants asking politely for money. The landmine museum was founded by a 30 year old former child soldier who now spends his time de-mining the landfields of cambodia. And the children at the orphanage perform free dance shows to bring in people to donate $$.

The plight of the people here is hard to ignore, but also disturbingly easy to ignore while sipping on a beer laos.

We made it to Siem Reap, Cambodia

2009-02-15T08:09:00.003-06:00

Well, we made it to Cambodia! We left at 7am on Saturday, and arrived in Siem Reap by 7pm on Saturday.

The trip was exhausting. The road from Thailand to Cambodia was paved only in parts, and was filled with cows, bicyles, various home made machines, and motorbikes. We rode in the upgraded "taxi"option to Siem Reap, which cost $15 a person (a lot) but saved us 3 hours of transit. And, all the times they say are wrong, so it probably saved us 5 hours. Apparently this road is much better than it was in the past, as they were working on paving it (while we were driving on it). Every 10 minutes or so we would have to avoid a new part of the paving process by swerving out of the way of the machines and workers. The driver kept his hand on the horn, honking at every single bicylist and moto that we passed. This meant literally that he honked the entire drive.

We got through immigration with no problems. Since we already taken passport photos, we did not have to pay the $2 required to bribe the officials not to worry about the fact that you don't have photos. We also paid $1 to "expedite" the processing of our visa, which i was more than happy to pay.

In Cambodia, everything is priced in US dollars, but when you pay, you get anything less than $1 back in their local currency, which is Riel. The ATMs dispense Riels. It seems to me like the local people pay in riel, and the foreigners pay in dollars. Today we went to a restaurant where there were no other foreigners, and the guy accidentily told us the price in reil, but then switched to dollars. The dollar price was about 1/3 more. However, in some places it is more.

We went to the temples of Angor Wat today and basically we were forced to eat lunch there. This is the #1 tourist attraction for hte whole country and basically the reason that everyone is here. So, the lunch menus were really pricey, all run by local people, for example, noodle soup = $4. I kept saying, too much, too much, and then they immediatlely dropped the price. Ok, special price for you lady, i give you discount. We got about a 50% discount on their menu prices, but it was still overpriced. You can't blame them, the people here are very poor and the surge of tourists represents something very far out of reach.

One more thing for now, it is HOT HOT HOT HOT here. I am not sure about the real temperature, but it feels about 100 at noon. I was seriously not built for this weather. I realize that I have traded one extreme for another. There is tons of dust in the air because of the dry season, and also lots of smoke because of the cooking methods, and the slash and burn agriculture. All the people on the road wear bandito masks over their noses and mouths to avoid the dust, chad and i have starting doing this as well. But, i am not going to let it bother me. I swear.

Kho Lak video

2009-02-12T22:22:00.001-06:00

Video tour of our bungalow in Ko Sok national park

2009-02-12T22:17:00.002-06:00

Border run to Myanmar to renew visa

2009-02-12T22:15:00.001-06:00

Ko Lak and Similian Islands, Thailand

2009-02-12T22:12:00.000-06:00

Jungle Hiking, Cave Exploring, and Boat Trip in Ko Sak, Thailand

2009-02-12T21:53:00.002-06:00

We found tequila steve

2009-02-11T08:45:00.002-06:00

Well, we are now on the island of koh chang, on the east coast of thailand, and we have found our friend steve and his girl ja-ja, who is kazek but lives in shanghai with steve (lots of bad spelling there).

We spent a fun weekend with our friend shane in kanchanaburi which involved riding one hour on motorbikes to a 7 tiered waterfall, a thai-korean barbecue, lots of afternoon drinks, and ending with a trip to the spa for a total detox treatment.

We made the 12 hour journey east to meet up with steve, and we are again in tropical beach paradise soaking up the rays. Tomorrow we will go on a snorkeling trip around the island. Ja-ja cannot swim but is trying to learn, so we hope tomorrow will go ok!

We just finished a dinner of white snapper fresh from the BBQ, tom yum soup, red curry, and fried vegetables in oyster sauce, along with many singhas. Tequila steve got special privledges from ja-ja for some drinking because friends are in town.

Next, we head to Cambodia, most likely siem riep and angkor wat.

The elusive Steve Q

2009-02-06T02:11:00.002-06:00

Steve has evaded us! With no word from him, we are planning to head instead to Kanchanaburi for a long weekend with Shane. We are staying here: http://www.thaigardeninn.com. We may even partake in karaoke on the floating barges on the river. Watch out! Also, Chad got a haircut and shaved his beard. YEAH!

More photos of Koh Tao

2009-02-05T03:20:00.000-06:00

Video of Whale Shark Sighting

2009-02-05T02:34:00.000-06:00

Tsunami video

2009-02-05T02:30:00.001-06:00

Here is a video that Mark found of the tsunami wave in koh lak:

thanks mark!

wow.... border jumping and cash talking

2009-02-04T07:45:00.002-06:00

Emily and I have been having a great adventure running around in Thailand, and so much that we needed another 15 days to wrap things up here before we roll on into Cambodia. We were intending on heading to another coastal island named Koh Payam on the west coase and made our way to Ranong, a port town, and also the border jump to Burma. This is where every one at the end of there 30 day visa limt, swings some cash at a longtail boat driver to haul you across the murky waters to another port town ont he southermost point of Burma. Everything was very clear and there really wan't too much confusion than some simle navigating tasks, but the whole experince held a seedy stigma that was very present.

It all went smooth, and we now have another 15 day visa, however our plans have changed and we are making our way north to Bankok again to meet Shane. He has Monday off and his company is priceless. There is word that Steve Q, man of China, is to be on Thailan soil this week and beach-bound as well. We are meeting Shane and caravaning south east to intercept Steve and crash his quiet beach vacation. Probably the other way around. I will do my best to keep up with this wild man. We are in the town of Chumpon catching the great 1950's train bound for Bankok, leaving at 11 pm tonight. I will post any sightings of Steve Q. Now, we are off to check out the local night market. Oh, Thanks everyone for checking in on us. We miss everyone. Anybody want to see Cambodia? Ciao, chad and em.

hanging out with europeans on holiday in Koh Lak, snorkellling in Similian and Surin Islands

2009-02-03T04:36:00.004-06:00

From Koh Sok we headed to Koh Lak, which is a beach town on the west coast. This is the jumping off point for trips to the Similian Islands, which contain fabulous snorkelling and diving spots. LIttle did we know that Koh Sok is THE german and swedish tourist destination in thailand.

Kho Sok was completely devastated by the tsunami, and suffered horrible damage and loss of life. There is a police boat that sits one mile off the beach that was brought in by the tsunami. Apparently someone on the boat made a video of the boat riding the tsunami wave that is now on you tube, apparently you can find it by looking for tsunami, police boat, koh lak (or Ko Lak). If you find it please send me the link, i don't have a fast enough connection here to find it.

As a result of the tsunami, all the beach businesses were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Most everything is rebuilt now, and the beach is dominated by super super high end resorts, charging something like 100 a night for very posh surroudnings. It's very strange how many germans and scandinavians are there. it's like the town has some agreement with travel agencies in these countries. THere were many dive shops and restaurants that advertised in german and swedish, and the town was just full of tall blonde people. It was far too package touristy for us, but a good jumping off point to the islands.

The first night we stayed in a relatively clean room and looked quiet and off the main road. When we went back to our room at night, we discovered that our room was right behind the most happening bar in the area. The front garden area had transformed into a loud busy bar. ARRGH! Another night of bad sleeping!

The next day we relocated to teh Banana Bungalows which were nice, beautiful and quiet. Perfect. And also, a pool, hot water, a safe, and a fridge! Quite a splurge for us at $28 a night but i needed some rest after nights of vermin and loud parties.

We did one day trip to the Similian Islands and the next day went to teh Surin Islands for amazing snorkeling. We saw an octopus, sharks, a sea turtle, and amazing corals and all sorts of other colorful fish. A greenback turtle almost ran into me, i did not see it until it was about one foot away and then i swam away so as not to touch it but still got quite a look at it. The visibility was great and the coral and reef life was so beautiful, it was like national geographic. The octopus was really cool and moved all stealthily grabbing out at fish. He was hard to spot on the bottom of the coral, he blended right in. Everyone said the Surin Islands are the best spot for snorkelling in all of Thailand. Both are protected park areas with only park areas to stay, which is why we did the day trips. It was expensive to get out there but well worth it. I put on SPF 50 twice and still got burnt from the intense sun.

Now we are in Ranong, extending our Visa, and our plans for the next part of the trip may change as we just found out that our friend Steve Q. is also in Thailand.

Until next time!

Koh Sak National Park

2009-02-03T04:07:00.002-06:00

From Koh Tao we headed southwest to Koh Sok National Park for some time in the jungle. This national park is an area of "SUPER DIVERSITY" and contains miles of protected original jungle and tons of plants and animals.

We stayed at a place called Our Jungle House which was right in the middle of the jungle. The bungalows were very nice and made of woven rattan and had lovely linen lights and very nice details. Out our window was a 100 foot limestone cliff and a river, along with lots of animal noises including monkeys, cicadas and birds. It was very beautiful and we met some great people.

We went on a one day trip to a lake nearby that was made by the Thai government by creating a large dam that they use for hydroelectric power. It's sort of like lake powell, only much bigger. The lake is framed by 100 foot limestone cliffs that are really stunning. We took a longtail boat tour of the lake, and then had lunch at a floating village, along with a swim in the sweet water, as they call fresh water. It was very clear and clean and beautiful for swimming. Apparently since it is man made, not a lot of wildlife live in the lake.

From there we went on a tour of a local cave. We were not sure what to expect. It took us one hour of hiking through the sweaty jungle to get there. Along the way, the tour guide pointed out wildlife including monkeys and also told some dirty thai jokes. I will not repeat them here, though they were pretty unexpected, as we have not heard anything remotely similiar from the very polite, friendly and sensitive thai people.

We had two guides, who both grew up in the area village. Jungle man wore plastic shoes and told the ditry jokes. Big man drove the boat and entertained us with antics like hiding behind a rock wall and pretending to be a wild animal to scare us. it probably would have been more entertaining if i was not already scared for my life.

They brought us to tour a cave where only a few years before 8 people had died when rains unexpectantly filled the caves with water. Big man had to go in the next day and carry out the bodies. I was not too worried about flooding because it is the dry season here and the skys were clear. However i was nervous about slipping on one of the rocks or being bitten by one of the thousands of bats or spiders i saw. But, I could not worry too much as there was no escaping.

We walked deeper and deeper into the cave and the rooms got narrower and narrower. We had headlamps but nothing more. there was no path or no lights. The rocks were very slippery and sharp and it was hard to see where we were going. Red glowing spider eyes followed us everywhere. The smell of bat guano filled the room, and the guides would yell at them and make them fly from their resting spot.

We were soaked from walking in the river through the cave. Finally we came to a point where the only way through was to climb through a cramped opening and then swim to the other end. There was about one foot of breathing room above, and we were not sure what was next after this. I had already had my fill of caving for many years, but i had to keep going.

We really didn't know much about what we were into for the day. We knew "cave tour" and "floating village" and lake tour but that was about it. The people at Our Jungle House made sure we had the right shoes and lights and such, but we really did not know what we were in for!

I was certainly glad to be through the worst of it with the swimming part of the journey. 15 minutes later we saw the light of day and then made our sweaty walk back to the boat.

It was a good day of adventure, and that night we had more adventures when a rat made it's way into our room. YUCK. We saw the teeth marks on our soap in the morning.

The next day we did a 4 hour guided hike to see Rafflesia, one of the biggest flowers in the world which happened to be blooming while we were there. Our guide again was jungle man, but this time the group was only 4 people and he left all his bad humor behind. We hikes for 2 hours strickly uphill climbing on vines and very small paths to see the flowers. I was covered with sweat. We saw 3 of the flowers, they were about 2 feet in diameter and a bloody red color. They bloom once every year for about 4 days, and only bloom in this park. (a relative of this flower blooms in Malaysia as well). It is actually a parasite, not a plant, and cannot be propogated elsewhere. The park had protected the area with barbed wire, but jungle man lifted up the wire and directed us to get closer to the flower. The Thai way. He did warn us of all the places not to step so as to protect the flowers that were not yet blooming. They were amazing, but certainly a journey to get there.

On the hike, we saw hornbills flying above and jungle man told us how to survive in teh forest with plants, water from vines and frogs that taste like chicken. I would have considered a camping trip but it was just too hot and humid.

After the hike, we were exhausted and napped the afternoon away! We were going to dinner about 6pm and i opened the bathroom door and saw a huge rat in the bathroom, it was about one foot long including the tail. The room was open air, so i don't think there is much that can be done. That night i did not sleep well at all!

We headed out the next morning, me happy to be moving to a room safe from vermin.

Map of where we are

2009-02-03T03:32:00.003-06:00

Here is a map of southern Thailand that shows where we have been travelling.
We went from Bangkok (not pictured, to the North) and then to the island of Ko Tao. Then, on to Khoa Sok National Park. From there, we headed east to Kho Sok National Park (not on map). We did day trips to both the Similian and then Surin Islands. Now, we are in Ranong extending our visas and planning out our next steps.

Still in Koh Tao

2009-01-26T03:04:00.003-06:00

We find ourselves being seduced by Koh Tao. We have been here for two weeks. Life here is very easy and beautiful. There are just enough bars and restaurants to give some variety to the night, and so many beautiful surroundings for the day, mainly, the beach and sea. The weather is getting hotter, we read that we are in the midst of a ten year record cold spell.

We spect 11 nights at Chalok Baan Kao beach. It was very laid back and friendly with lots of ocean view restaurants with cushy pillows overlooking the sea, and not too many people. We had our favorite coffee shope which served italian cappucinos and croissants. We whiles away the time snorkeling and laying on the beach, and the nights trying all the very low key restaurants and bars. We met many people on the beach, and became good friend with 4 Norwegians who you will see in many of our photos. It was fun to hang with them as they had a comedy routine for every occasion. Lana and Fredrick both got tattoos from the operator of the Rasta Bar, who uses traditional bamboo tattoo methods. Chad considered becoming a tattoo artist but I fear thathe would practice on himself, or worst, me. We figured that he could post an ad on craigslist for free tattoos for practice, no guarantees given.

Chad and Perry went on a fishing trip and saw a whale fish and also caught the smallest fish ever. We have a video of the whale fish, the internet connection here is too slow, so i will try to post it later.

We went on two snorkelling trips around the island and saw amazing coral and fish. We found a secluded beach called Freedom beach with lost of shade, good sand, and amazing snorkelling, and spent a lot time hanging out there.

We spent two nights at Ao Leuk bay, and it rained and thundered the whole time. The area was very quiet, there was only 3 bungalow operations with 3 restaurants and about 12 cabins. It was also windy as the bay faced out to the ocean and the waves were huge. There was good snorkelling there the first day, but the weather was too bad to get in any more time.

We are now just down the beach from the main pier, and we will stay here one more night before heading off to Kho Sak national rainforest. It will be HOT HOT HOT in the jungle, I am not used to this heat!

Wish us a wave free boat ride off the island! we will load up on dramamine and spend tomorrow on taxi, boat and bus to the interior of thailand.

drop us a note with any news from home, it is great to hear from people!

Staying away from drunk tourists on motos in Koh Tao

2009-01-18T05:12:00.003-06:00

In Koh Tao, tourists, motobikes and ATVs rule.

Tourists arrive on the island and are confronted with multiple offers to plop down 6 dollars a day to rent a motorbike or ATV. The island is not large, the entire perimeter can be walked in one day. I am not sure why motorbikes are needed.

Farangs (tourists) who have never before ridden a motorized bike sign away their rights and hop on. The roads are poor, covered with sand and the drivers are fast. The scuba shop owner said all the bike places make their money on tourists wiping out and paying for the bike damage. The town is full of tourists with bangaded legs and ankles from moto wipeouts. There is a thriving medical clinic business to accomodate all of the scratches, scrapes and broken bones.

There is one main road through the island which at night is not lit. We walk along the road at night, back from dinners, with a headlamp on, veering to the side when we hear the motor noise, fearing for our lives from drunk motor driving tourists. Walking is our mode of choice.

A little taste of Thailand in Beautiful Koh Tao

2009-01-18T04:58:00.005-06:00

Koh Tao sat for ages as a beautiful island full of untouched mountains beaches and bays. The Thai people first used the island for a prison, isolated from the mainland, but a beautiful location for the countries criminals. A local told us that even today 75% of Thais can't swim, which made the paradise island an ideal location for a prison.

The prison closed, and Koh Tao sat undisturbed until the 1980s, when foreigners first made teh long sea journey to explore the coral reefs. More and more tourists came and along with them, entreprenurial Thais to sell corn on the cob on the beach, build bungalows near the sea, drive tourists to a fro on 4 by 4s on the hilly roads, and navigate from beach to beach in water taxis.

Tourists here are from all over the world, but seem to be mostly European. Thailand from Minneapolis was a 17 hour flight, but from Europe, it is cut in half. The island completely and totally caters to tourists, with no other industry on the island besides tourism. Many of the Thais we have spoken with moved here in teh last few years as the island has gotten more popular.

This is not the real Thailand, it is its own world where everything is built exclusively to cater to tourists, and tourists completely rule. But it is beautiful, calm and charming. The island is very laid back and more places are not too busy, to the chagrin of the restaurant/bar owners. The dive shop fellow said that it has been quiet here after the airport shut down and Bangkok and the worldwide recession. There does seem to be more restaurants, bars, dive shops and motos than there are tourists.

English is definitely the common denominator with all on the island. The Thais speak enough to to their job. We ate at a restaurant up from the beachj area that was run by an entire Thai family. THe restaurant doubled as their house. THe two women were the main waitresses, maybe 30 years old, because the spoke the best english. Tourists from all over sat around us speaking german, french and italian, but when it came to order, English was teh common language. In bangkok we ordered food on teh street just by poiunting at what looked good.

Koh Tao is a very easy place to get a small piece of Thailand along with lovely scenery and a million dollar view for under $20 a night.

Lounging and Snorkeling in Koh Tao, Thailand

2009-01-18T04:35:00.007-06:00

We have adapted to our beach lifestyle. It begins with morning cappucinos and croissants followed by a hike to our favorite snorkeling hideaway. By the end of the week I hope to be giving lessons on the reef.

I have befriended a local dive shop owner from Holland who helped replace a lost mask. My goal is to send him loads of new business as i am working from the inside. We spend one day on an eco friendly snorkeling tour boat with captain Phillip who runs AC Tours. IT was very informative and he also shared local pirate stories and a few other things you didn't want to hear, like sinking ships with guns.

We have been adopted by a small crew from Norway. They are younger than us but Fredrik sponsored my beers one day. The rest of the gang is Lena, Perry and Egle. We have spent evenings on the pier dining and drinking local beers with them and we hold down a good portion of the beach each day.

Each day i try to fill my pockets with floating plastic orr trash that is in the water. I think next time i will bring a bag to gather more trash. There is no enforcement to support the environment or those trying to independently organize clean up efforts. As everything is brought into the island, not everything makes it off. We are becoming more familiar to the 5500 locals and warmer faces greet us each day.

Chad wants me to write that he is having a hard time with the budget each day. Two coffees means no beer for the day. Accomodations here are cheap but drinks are from 2-$5 each, island prices. Tonight we are chasing a deal, all you can eat buffet at one of our favorite restaurants with a view of the bay and the Buddha rock.

We have gathered a group of new friends to join us for dinner. One couple from the Netherlands and definitely our Norwegian friends. They are good for a night of comedy.

Tomorrow I will follow a friend out to a further reef to dice down to see schools of barracuda. Today i was too exhausted after two one hour reef swims. Today I saw parrot fish, my first blowfish that blew up and swam away, butterfly fish and i was surrounded multiple times on hundreds of schooling multi colored fish. Yesterday on the snorkel tour we saw Black tip reef sharks, longer and bigger than me. You could tell they are very powerful, even though they are in a dormant state during the day. They kept to the bottom and we were 15 feet above. The live coral reefs are wonderful and are some of the best in the area.

We are not sure when we will leave the island, because every day is calmer and warmer and the water clarity just keeps getting better as we move into the dry season.

-by Chad

Our first night in Koh Tao, Thailand at the Sunset Bungalows

2009-01-15T21:36:00.005-06:00

We were in a ramshackle bungalow precariously perched up on a hill. Before bed we scared away a 3 inch spider and killed a large cockroach. we hung the mosquito net around us in the bed and turned off the lights. That is when the mystery noises began. I thought it was flip flops from people walking by but we were so high up it would be difficult for anyone to get up where we were. The noises got closer and louder. Something was right outside the wall between us and the outside. The bungalow was like a tent made of plywood. The windows had a one inch gap to the outside and the water from the sink just drained onto the hill below. Animals could get in in multiple entrances.

Something was definitely on the roof, chewing or clawing right above our heads. Chad had visions of using his multi tool to stab the animal in the wall. We were surrounded by the noised, under attack by an unknown intruder with only a mosquito net and some plywood between us. And we were cold. This bungalow came with a sheet on the bed but nothing more.

We awoke early and high tailed it out of there. We never were sure what we heard that night, but i suspect it was the large crabs that we saw walking up the hill towards our bungalow. Their shells and claws were tearing something apart right over our head, and i feared they would land on our bodies at any moment.

The place we are at now is made of very sturdy concrete and the room is clean and clear of pests. We hear the motos zoom by from the street below, but no animal intruders.

Bangkok - Ko Tao, Thailand

2009-01-13T23:48:00.009-06:00

Koh Tao, Thailand Photos

Sunset Bungalows, Koh Tao
Chad and I are perched 300 vertical feet above the sea, looking out at large barges, fishing boats, diving boats, snorkelers, a sunbather, and the tree tops below. The deck we are sitting on makes me nervous. The deck is constructed of 2 by 4s with an inch between each board. There is a 30 foot drop to the rocky hill below. The railing to the deck is wobbly. The steps up to the bungalow have more space between the steps than actual steps. The stairway is attached to the rock with some sort of falling apart concrete mixture. The railing to the steps is half missing, and the other half is not supported by anything. We wonder if it is missing because someone crashed through it. The bunglalow sits on a rocky hill, supported by concrete footings poured many years ago. Chad says not to worry, this bungalow has been here for a long time. But how much longer will it last? And will we be inside of it when it takes its final fall?

I am trying to relax and enjoy the gorgeous view. We picked this bungalow in Koh Tao, off the eastern coast of Thailand, because of its seclusion. Up here, all we hear is the crashing of the waves and some chickens down by the sea. Bangkok was loud, frantic, dirty, exciting. We came south seeking rest and relaxation.

Although our bungalow may lack safety features, it does have its' advantages. Mainly, location, location, location, and price. For $13 a night, we get a million dollar view. Boats, the sea, trees, and the reef are all we see from our private deck and hammock. The uphill walk to the top of the hill where the bungalow sits means we are above all the other bungalows, so we have complete privacy. It is very quiet, and the horizon line is beautiful and colorful, and does not bob from side to side as it did on the boat ride in.

We had lunch at the restaurant run by the bungalows. We sat on thatched bamboo mats lying back on pillows, looking out to the sea as it lapped up almost to the edge of the sandbags blocking off the dining area. There is a very small beach and it is supposed to be one of the best areas for snorkeling. Our heads are too messed up to head out today from the ride in, but we will try tomorrow.

RoughWaters to Ko Tao from Bangkok
To get to this island from Bangkok, we took a taxi, an overnight train, a bus, a ferry and then a 4 by 4 truck. Total travel time was 17 hours. The two hour ferry ride to the island was rough and choppy. At least 50% of the passengers, including Chad, were throwing up into little plastic bags, given out in multiples by the staff.

First the German girl across the table started sweating profusely and turned pale and panicky. Chad took a map and fanned her with cool air. 10 minutes of fanning later, i had my hand on his leg and could feel him sweating and getting hot. I scooched all the way to the very end of the seat so he would not throw up on me! It was all I could do not to lose it myself.

I didn't utter a word for the length of the 2 hour journey. I moved as little as possible, worried it might get worse. My hands were laid out flat clenching the table. My neck was strained to the right, fixed on the horizon as it bobbed above and below the windows. I put to use what i know about Buddhist meditation to keep my breakfast in my stomach. breathe in, breathe out. I tried mantras -- sat nam, sat nam. I tried repeating some of the new thai words i have learned -- kob kun ka -- and focused on the breathe.

For 2 hours, we were wasted by the sea.

Even the thai people on the boat employed the little plastic bags given out by the ferry men. When we leave, we will first check the seas, and remember to take our dramamine, which would have saved us from two hours of sweating, suffering and praying. I think tonight we will treat ourself to a delicious lovely dinner. Chad says, "I feel like i need some nutrients, like maybe some fruit juice or a beer." Chad, beer is not a nutrient!

Bangkok Photos

Bangkok

In Bangkok, we stayed at the Shanti Lodge for four nights, recommended by friends who had stayed there before. A lovely place, but more expensive at 850 baht a night ($26). Our budget for the trip is $60 - 80 a day for both of us, which so far seems to be very comfortable. I hope that this will leave us with some $$ left over, as well as allow for some more expensive endeavors, like diving, guides and tours.

The Shanti Lodge was truly an oasis in a bustling city. It's in an older part of town close to the university and the river. The food at the restaurant was excellent and the room was well appointed. The area was quiet, for Bangkok, but the loud engine sounds of the tuk tuks still kept me up at night.

We spent most of our time in Bangkok getting used to the time zone, the climate, the culture, and spending time with our friend Shane who just moved to Bangkok. Thanks Shane for showing us the town! Bangkok certainly is a city of many choices, opportunities and variety.

We went apartment hunting with him, touring the city along with the cute real estate agent in her mercedes. We checked out some of Bangkok's finer ex-at lodging, complete with pool, security and modern furnishing. Shane will have a KILLER apartment by the time we get back to Bangkok.

We also checked out the Grand Palace, a number of Wats including the largest reclining buddha, the emerald buddha, the tallest buddha, got thai massages (only one so far Holly -- i am just about ready for another down by the ocean!), went to the zoo, road the water taxi, and had a few dinners out with shane and friends. One day, we laid down for a nap at 3pm and slept until 7am the next day. That was terrible! But we needed the sleep after the long journey. We have eaten some AMAZING meals, everything here is so fresh and tasty. I got eaten alive by mosquitos one night at a resturant by the river, i did not even see any of the bugs biting me!

Bangkok River Taxi
The river taxi in Bangkok was very close to our guesthouse, and we took that many times. One day, the boat was very full, and Chad hopped aboard, but I heard the tough thai lady yelling and could not get on. The boat zoomed away with Chad aboard, and me still on the platform. We held our hands out to each other but they would not let him get off, and the boat was too far gone! I was standing all alone on the dock, separated and a bit nervous. 20 minutes later, the next water taxi came on, but it was full.

Meanwhile Chad was waiting on the other end, and that taxi arrived, without me on it. He was worried and did not think i had any money and that that was the last boat of the day. Luckily i did have some baht, and got on the next boat, and arrived safely back to meet him at the pier. It was a good lesson to always have a meeting place and make sure we both have money.

The Weather
The weather has been unseasonably cool for Thailand. Shane took us to a fun rooftop barbecue for a friend's birthday where the thermometer dipped to 65F. The thai girls started a fire in the BBQ to try to stay warm, and all the expats could not believe how cool it was. Every day from 11 - 3 the sun is hot and intense. Chad and I have made the mistake of sleeping in late and having a late breakfast, only to hit the town at 10 or 11, just in time for the hot sun. The sun beats down, sucking the life right out of us. We need to get into a schedule to work around the afternoon, equitorial heat.

Ko Tao, JJ's Resort

We woke up this morning after a very restless night of sleep at the Sunset bunglows. After a great dinner overlooking the bay, we had to use our headlamps to find our way back to the bungalow, about a 30 minute walk through unlit dirt paths. We finally made it back, only to be greeted by crabs bustling about the 2 foot high steps up to the bungalow. We didn't sleep all night because the craps were crawling all over our rooftop. Atleast that is what we think it was. The location was beautiful, but the crabs and the questionably construction quality creeped me out.

We headed back to the main beach, and found a new place to the night. It is less remote, but close to restaurants, dive shops, and the water. I signed up for a yoga class tonight, and Chad is down by the ocean, doing some snorkeling. We are considering doing the intro to scuba diving, as this is one of the premier and most inexpensive places in the world to SCUBA dive.

Until later, I am off to the ocean for some swimming and maybe a massage! Please leave us a comment if you are checking in on our travels, we would love to hear from you!

Holidays 2008

2009-01-07T08:38:00.001-06:00

What a great send off from friends and family! We are off to the airport, but first, some pictures from the holidays.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-01-06T11:01:00.002-06:00

Wow! We are off tomorrow already. We are spending today getting all the last minute details together and also trying to organize our house and our life here in Minneapolis to run without us while we are gone. We are getting the house into shape for Chad's brother to stay here while we are gone, including cleaning up the fish and iguana residences, cleaning out my closet and dresser, cleaning out the fridge, and putting together lists of emergency numbers.

My biggest task for today is working on Chad's taxes. YUCK. We are also doublechecking our packs and finalizing our finances. We are hoping to finish everything up by dinner time so we can head to the Nook for one last american cheeseburger before three months of delicious and spicy thai food.

Last night we had a going away ladies happy hour at our house. Thanks ladies for stepping out on a Monday! It was so fun to see everyone!

Thanks everyone for all the support and encouragement, we will try to check in via this blog when we can!

3 months in SE Asia

2008-12-17T19:06:00.003-06:00

T-minus 21 days until we leave on our 11 week adventure in SE Asia. Wow! We will be leaving Jan 7 and returning March 23, flying in and out of Bangkok. Our itinerary beyond that is not set. We plan to play it by ear and see where the wind takes us. However, I have been reading up on the area and checking out some potential areas and things to do. Here is where we are going:We expect to spend most of our time in Thailand and Laos. We will likely go to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat. We may go to Malaysia, especially to the island of Borneo to check out the wildlife and jungles. We may also head to Vietnam.

Some of the things we will likely see and do:
-Hang out on the beaches of southern Thailand
-Sea Kayak in the Gulf of Thailand
-Go on a jungle trek and visit the hill tribes of laos
-Bicycle through Laos villages
-Check out a lot of markets
-Eat a lot of tasty spicy food
-Visit many, many temples and historic buddhist sites
-Hang out with our friend Prigge who will be living in Bangkok
-Meet lots of local people and travellers
-Visit gardens and see lots of orchids
-Take lots of bus rides to get from town to town

We have been saving up for this trip for a long time. I am taking a leave from work, and Chad is in his off season, so he is able to get away. It's a big amount of time to be gone, certainly longer than any vacation i have taken in the past, and the expense is not insignificant. However it is one of the most affordable areas in the world to travel, with hotels often costing $10 a night.

There is never a good time to travel, never a time when a big trip fits easily into life. We had to make it a priority to find the time and money to make this trip a reality. I have been inspired and encouraged by all of my friends who have traveled the world and brought back stories that changed the direction of their future and shaped their character. I have been inspired by the life and loss of my dear friend Kelly, who lived in Vietnam teaching English and who in life and dying was an inspiring, fiercely independent, adventurous, gracious and compassionate spirit. I feel lucky every day to be healthy and surrounded by friends, family, opportunities and the things we take for granted like clean water coming out of the tap and comfortable furniture to rest upon. Chad and I are taking some time out of our busy working lives to travel together, see the world, and get a glimpse into other people's lives.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-19T22:22:00.003-06:00

Ok, I am a little behind in my blog postings. Here are some pics from Halloween over at Collin's house.

My new initiative is to get my photos on Flicker for easy viewing and sharing. Ok, my other initiative is to actually start taking photos. I am terrible about that.

Announcing -- we are heading to SE Asia for three months in January, February and March!

We have been busy getting ready for the trip. More to come soon!

Homes Designed by Architects tour

2008-09-28T12:32:00.010-05:00

We spent last weekend touring 13 homes in the area's first ever homes designed by architects tour. The tour was very inspiring and showcased a range of styles, ideas and solutions customized to the needs of today's homeowners. Our goal was to learn more about what is possible with architecture as well as to learn about our own preference and style as we think about our next home.

Some things that we saw and liked:

Screen porches. We were surprised by the number of screened porches we saw in higher end, custom designed homes, both in the city and in the posh Western suburbs. What a lovely way to enjoy Minnesota summers, free from mosquitoes.

Open Living / Dining / Kitchen Areas with 12-13 foot Ceilings and Clerestory Windows. Vaulted ceilings, especially in living rooms, can sometimes make the room feel too formal and disconnected. We saw several examples of kitchen/dining/living spaces we loved on the tour with roughly 12-13 foot ceilings and clerestory windows (a high wall with a band of narrow windows along the very top). I love the open kitchen/ living room / dining room layout --- when they are done well. The best open floor plans still have some division of space. The spaces are designed to be used, not designed to be formal areas for special occasions (ie a dining room that is only used once a year).

My thinking here is probably influenced by the Not So Big House philosophy, which basically promotes smaller houses that are designed for living, making the best use of all nooks and crannies and designing at a very human scale.

It seems to me that the open layout is actually trickier to design than having separate rooms, because you do need some separate of spaces and flow, but you can't do it with walls, which are easier design solutions. However, I think the effect of a great open floor plan is that people can have their separate spaces, while still feeling connected to each other and the outdoors.

One of the best examples was at a house designed by Charles R. Stinson Architects.
I found some photos from a similar project of theirs, not on the tour, to illustrate.

This is not the best example i have seen, but the one that i could find a picture of! We were not allowed to take photos on the tour. You'll have to ignore the furniture selection in this, which is totally not our style.

Build or Remodel? This is a big question for us. We want to be in the city, where land is not available and is not cheap. Building is expensive, and i am not sure that we can afford it. This project was a good example of a total renovation of a 1920s bungalow by adding a second story. However, there were a lot of spaces in this house that I thought were unresolved, likely due to the constraints of a renovation vs. building from scratch.

The house below was another example of a total overhaul remodel of a 1920s house in the city. Read more from SALA about it. Again, i thought there were obvious constraints that were reflected in the end product.

Affordability. There was one house on the tour that was meant to be "more affordable" -- "This small, functional, more affordable project is meant to be a prototype for a new urban revitalization style, all green, including solar panels, and all new. "

Size? 1500 square feet.
Asking price? $600,000.
Affordable? Well, not for us.

One architect told us that $300/square foot was a comfortable but not extravegant budget for new construction. This, of course, is not including the price of land.

How we can actually AFFORD our next house is a huge question. This tour gave us lots of tall hopes & dreams about what is possible -- but really nothing in the way of answering the affordability question.

Then again, we are resourceful and we definitely won't be paying to have a full service team of experts working at full speed to meet our wishes and dreams. We just don't have the budget.

Design for Design -- Not for Living.
There was a house on the tour by Salmela Architecture that we were really excited to see.

However, we both felt that it was a better expression of form than function. Most obviously -- see those big white boxes? Those are slats that obscure the bedroom views of the beautiful natural setting, and whose lines made us both feel like we need to lie down and close our eyes. We were disappointed, especially after having stopped at the GORGEOUS Gooseberry Falls Visitor Center, also designed by Salmela, shown below.

We did however buy the book Salmela Architect.

We also bought The Farmhouse by Jean Rehkamp Larson.

We talked to so many interesting architects and homeowners, including Jean, who were overwhelmingly friendly and who loved telling us about their projects.

Overall, highly recommended. Hopefully, the tour will be repeated again next year.

2008-09-13T18:37:00.001-05:00

The Infinite Plan: A Novel by Isabel Allende

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
loved this book. highly recommended, best book i have read in a long time. a lifelong journey starting with boyhood in the barrios of LA with a father who proselytized his religious plan called the infinite plan, ending with a harrowing legal career and redemption from a lifelong of mistakes. a character driven, emotional journey.

View all my reviews.

August Workshop: Image, Space, Object 5 in Denver, CO

2008-08-29T10:58:00.006-05:00

In August I attended a workshop on people-centered design tools and processes in Denver, CO. Each morning, we heard presentations from speakers from various backgrounds and disciplines about people-centered design -- past projects, processes, methods, successes and ideas. In the afternoons, we worked with a small team of other workshop attendees to concept and design a product extension for a well known brand. Each team made a presentation at the end of the workshop. The presentations were really fun and were like a talent show! Here is my team's presentation:

Workshop Team 5 Presentation: Introducing NIKE FIT
Concept for Nike's entry to the hand tools market

Other highlights included:

-Exploring Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. The campus is a former TB hospital and village and all RMCAD buildings are restored historic facilities. Can't beat the fresh mountain air!

-Conference facilitation and presentations from Michael and Kathy McCoy, Highground Design Workshops. They were both great facilitators and clearly enjoyed themselves.

Michael covered small scale tools and strategies for people centered design, including ways of asking, ways of envisioning, and ways of trying. Kind of a soup to nuts methods overview.

Kathy covered cultural sustainability -- a concept she is exploring. She said that as a society, we have reached the end of mass communication and economy of scale and are moving towards a period of narrowcasting (personalization of communication) and an economy of individual choice. Globalization is at odds with a desire to preserve local cultures. CULTURAL sustainability is a way to think about preserving, acknowledging and encouraging geographic, ethnic and special interest subcultures. Her goals is to design target messages and communications to reflect the values and needs of the target audience-- a kind of cultural sustainability.

I thought it was an interesting extension of the current focus on environmental sustainability. Are we being too narrow by focusing on sustainable practices for the natural resources? She asks us to give our cultural resources the same amount of care and attention. She observes that globalization is erasing local cultures while micro-movements arise in protest to preserve the old ways of doing things. It's an interesting way to frame the upcoming challenges that face our global society.

-Presentation of projects by antenna design. They are industrial designers whose work includes the NY subway kiosks. Especially interesting was their playful concept work, like this:

This is a proposal for Nyw York City sidewalk interventions inspired by their observations of the city. This was my favorite -- allow city transients sanctified space to sell their wares and legitimize their services.

-Hugh Graham talked about Emergent Design -- involving the storytellers in the creation of the evolving. He calls it "story-centered design".
I talked to him afterward about his Denver stories project.

Here is his process:
-understand context
-consider the subtext
-do some research
-create personas
-explore maps and models
-develop scenarios
-build prototypes
-iterate rapidly
-increase fidelity

-Party at KNOLL! I learned about the woman architect who founded KNoll in the 30s and browsed their incredible textile library.

-Hugh Dubbery talked about Service Design.
10 principles of service design:
1) the value is in the experience
2) experience = reputation
3) sending a message is not enough, it must be recieved
4) learning requires interaction with an environment
5) conversation buildings meaning
6) services are intangibles and unfold through time -- they must be seen as a whole
7) experience is an activity /performance / journey
8) create conditions in which users can design (meta design)
9) build platforms systems and rules
10) take advantage of network effects

-Melody Roberts talked about plans she has in the works to reinvent the model of quick service at McDonalds. She heads up customer experience for the global innovation team at McDonalds. She talked about her process for uncovering problems that no one has identified before. Highlight was a video of comedians ad-libbing ways that McDonalds employees could convey that food is made fresh and to-order.

-Tucker Viemister thinks that branding is a cool tool for good design. He gave us his whole life story including being named after a car, designing the OXO products that were later endorsed by jesus.com, how we should look to bad design (i.e. Nazi domination) to learn lessons, and overall, how brands make stuff better. His philosophy (and the old razorfish mission): everything that can be digital will be.

The value of a brand:

To business:
-cohesion
-shared language
-mission
-differentiation

To the user:
-shortcut
-reliability
-trust
-symbol

Branding = developing the soul of a company.

More senses = more touchpoints = more valuable

Brands make stuff better.

The end!

A story of Bangladesh

2008-08-03T13:55:00.001-05:00

A Story of Bangladesh
Created by me, circa 2000

two amazing projects

2008-08-03T13:24:00.002-05:00

What do Kids Really See?

view presentation (tags: kids photography granada nicaragua)

A Great Definition of an Expert

2008-07-23T15:22:00.000-05:00

Someone who has made more mistakes than anyone else.

Summer Salad

2008-07-20T21:48:00.002-05:00

DRESSING
4 cloves garlic unpeeled
fresh hot green chiles to taste, 1 jalapeno or 2 serranos
3/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
salt

Set dry skillet over medium heat. Lay in the unpeeled garlic cloves & the chiles. Roast, turning frequently until soft and otchy browin in spots--15 minutes. ALTERNATIVELY, grill until black spots appear. Cool until handleble then slip the skins off the garlic and roughly chop the chiles.

Compine in blender and puree.

SALAD
Tomatoes, diced
Fresh greens
Queso Fresco
Roasted Corn

To roast corn, peel corn from husk. Option 1) rub with oil. Throw on grill until blackened. Cool. Cut off corn. Option 2) Cut off corn from cob. Put kernels on cookie sheet with olive oil and salt. Roast for about 30-40 min at 350 until slightly blackened.

TOSS INGREDIENTS! YUM

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

2008-06-03T21:36:00.001-05:00

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

--Dylan Thomas

Photos to remember her by

2008-05-29T17:44:00.001-05:00

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kellyandrews

Colorado

2008-04-30T22:28:00.004-05:00

Kelly's Kickin Cancer Benefit -- April 11 at the Fineline

2008-03-14T12:16:00.002-05:00

www.kellyskickincancer.com

Curb Appeal: Before and After

2008-01-20T16:38:00.000-06:00

Chad's company Diggit Landscaping did a TV project this summer for the HGTV show Curb Appeal. The house is a modern 50s rambler in Minneapolis. Chad designed a complete overhaul of the house exterior and front yard. New paint, garage and front door, entry, landscape and gardens. The house went from tired 50s grandma to contemporary hipster.

Before:

After:

I love the work Chad did for this project, I am so proud of him! He is such a fantastic designer! He wants to focus on more contemporary, modern landscape design (while still incorporating lots of plants and flowers). The show still has not aired. I'll let you know when it does.

I want a green roof

2008-01-15T21:11:00.000-06:00

Check out the green roof on this building in Japan:

More pictures at metaefficient.com, an excellent global green blog.

Home Organization

2008-01-09T20:35:00.000-06:00

Office Organization complete!

Impromptu Winter Dinner with Friends

2007-12-29T19:02:00.001-06:00

little snacks while dinner is cooking :
-Bruschetta topping (Trader Joe's)
Comes in a jar, fresh tasting and nice to keep on hand.

-Thin crackers with seeds (Trader Joe's)
Also good to keep on hand, & inexpensive at Trader Joe's.

-Brie with Fig & Orange Jam (Lunds)
I bought 2 pounds of brie on sale for 9.99 and have been eating it all December. The jam is a perfect compliment to the brie. I first had it at a Christmas party, and I sat close by all evening. After I had made a substantial dent, I asked the host what the topping was, because I couldn't identify the flavors. I searched all over for the jam and have only found it at one place: Lunds. They have regular fig jam, and also the kind with orange: that is my favorite.

dinner for 10:
-Stovetop Mac & Cheese (America's Test Kitchen)
Evaporated milk is the key to making this creamy, old fashioned mac & cheese. It is 100 times better than the pre-packaged kind and really not much work. After I made this recipe the first time, I now keep evaporated milk and macaroni on hand. Add a little (ok, a lot) of cheese & you get easy, creamy, warm comfort food. For a crispy, buttery topping, crumble Ritz crackers on top. I wish I had some leftovers, but every bit was gobbled up.

-White Bean, Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup (Epicurious)
This soup is healthy and delicious. I add crumbled, browned ground sausage, and whatever other vegetables I have on hand -- sweet potatoes & regular potatoes went in this time. Good for leftovers.

dessert:
-Peach pie
I was seduced by a very large crate of peaches this summer at the peak of their flavor. They were sweet & juicy & beautiful and I could not resist. I bought the whole crate. We ate as many as we could and I still had about 10 pounds left. In one more day, they would be overripe, a shame!

I lovingly treated them to a nice hot water bath, and then plunged them into ice water. The skins slipped off. I removed the pits & cut them in half. They got another little bath in lemon juice to keep their color. They were so beautiful, I took a picture. I packed them in ziplock bags and reluctantly stowed them away in the freezer.

The peaches have since made appearances in white sangria (floating in white white & peach schapps), yogurt, & smoothies. Their culmination was warm, sweet peach pie: a reminder of summer sunshine in the middle of winter snow.

Kick Cancer Broccoli, Pomegranate and Wheat Berry Salad

2007-12-26T22:47:00.001-06:00

My good friend Kelly was recently diagnosed with cancer. She has vowed to and is kicking ass on the cancer. I was looking through my cookbooks for some kick-ass cancer fighting foods when I remembered this salad. Caffe Latte in St. Paul has a version of this recipe in their deli case, and it is very tasty and healthy. I recrafted the recipe and added pomegranate for bursts of flavor, color and antioxidant power.

I had never cooked with wheat berries before, they are slightly chewly and nutty and shaped like little bullets. You can find them in the bulk section in natural food stores, Rainbow or Lunds (but not at Cub). I made the salad again for Christmas and brought it to our respective families. It was very healthy compared to all the other options. Chad's aunt had the gut busting version of this salad -- with bacon, uuber amounts of mayo, and cheddar cheese. Also good, but without the kick-ass cancer fighting power.

INGREDIENTS:

-2 heads broccoli

-1 pomegranate

-1 small red or sweet onion

-1 cup uncooked wheat berries

-1/2 cup sunflower seeds, raw

-3/4 cup white raisons

-2 Tablespoons balsalmic vinegar

-1/2 cup olive oil

-1/4 cup mayo

-1 tsp. dijon mustard

-sugar, salt

INSTRUCTIONS

-Add the wheat berries to a pot filled with water, bring to a boil and then keep at a low simmer for 45 minutes, until the grain is soft and chewy and doubled in size.

-Toast the sunflower seeds in a saute pan over medium heat until just brown and fragrant.

-Separate the broccolli into small bite sized florets.

-Chop the onion.

-Separate the pomegranite seeds from the fruit.

-Make the dressing: combine the mayo, olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, and a pinch of sugar and salt.

-Toss to combine all ingredients and enjoy!

A lot to be thankful for

2007-11-22T20:27:00.000-06:00

Thankful that we have enough tables, chairs, plates and forks.

Thankful for friends, family and plenty of food.

Thankful for a husband who likes to clean!

and for a husband who likes to fix up the place. (He refinished the floors in the porch).

Extra thankful and best wishes to Kelly and Collin.

Emily and Chad's Thanksgiving Feast!

2007-11-17T10:21:00.000-06:00

Sarah has inspired me to post my menu for Thanksgiving. Thanks girl! Our house is small, so to distract from the tight quarters, we are compensating with over-the-top food selections. Here is the planned menu:

Emily and Chad's Thanksgiving Feast!

Butter Lettuce, Arugula and Spinach Salad with Spago House Dressing, Pears Poached in White Wine, Aged Goat Cheese, and Toasted Pine Nuts.

Wild Rice with Leeks, Mushrooms, Dried Cherries and Apricots

Root Vegetable Puree

Chestnut and Sausage Stuffing

Pear Honey Cranberry Sauce

Lucia's Brined Roast Turkey with Pan Gravy

World's Best Green Bean Casserole

Baking Powder Biscuits

Apple and Pecan Pies

Furniture Binge

2007-11-07T22:59:00.001-06:00

I have to admit, i went on a mini - furniture buying binge recently. These are all upgrade purchases, nothing that I was in desperate need of, but replacements for things I did not love.

Getting married kicked me into gear. We asked for $$ for our honeymoon from the wedding, and did not get many gifts. We had a great honeymoon! But it was also a little sad not to get the usual house things that come along with a wedding.

To compensate, I went on a mini-furniture binge. It is my intention to buy quality furniture with good design that should last a long time. I am trying to avoid furniture made of particle board, with a trendy design or that is made to be disposable. I think this is one of the best ways of being environmentally responsible.

We were very happy with the furniture and the vendors and I thought I would tell you about them, in case you are looking for good quality furniture at a reasonable price.

Here are my recent purchases:

Desk chair and lamp from Cb2.com

CB2 is an offshoot of crate and barrel and has more modern, contemporary furniture at very reasonable prices. Their selection is not huge yet, but they have some nice pieces. I have to say, the furniture arrived today, and we are very happy with the quality for the price. The desk chair was made in italy and feels very sturdy.

Used Danish modern teak table from Spinario. This is my new favorite antique store in the twin cities. they have a very awesome selection of furniture, artwork and pottery that is very reasonably priced. They list a lot of stuff on craigslist, type in spinario, but their showroom has so much more. Its 2000 sq feet of cool stuff. We talked to one of the owners and she buys estates from New York, which is where they get most of their artwork. They have a very nice selection of mid-century modern pieces. This is a locally run business created by some people who have very good taste. The showroom is in NE. I would definately encourage everyone to check them out.

Happy furniture hunting!