On Blues, Bundt Cake and Benevolence

In a barn, on a meadow, in the middle of a pine forest, Sisters locals gathered on a mild April night to help out a friend.

Some folks know Gary Oldham from church; others ride with him on the Sisters Cycling Team. Still others were helped into a home mortgage over the many years that Gary has provided that service to the community. Grateful teens, better off for being fed and mentored at the Oldham home, sat front and center.

All were devastated that their gregarious friend suffered a broken neck while snowboarding at Hoodoo Ski Resort on April 1st. 

    

They came to The Barn at Pine Meadow Ranch on Friday night to offer encouragement and financial support to the Oldham family. The rustic venue hummed with the down-to-earth acoustic strains of several astonishingly talented Sisters High School Americana students . Inside the converted farm building with its rough, wide-planked walls and uneven floor, the organic rhythms of guitar strums and sweet vocal harmonies seemed just right.

On a futon draped with a Pendleton blanket, I sat with my husband on our date night. Wicker chairs and wooden benches placed at casual angles accommodated others. Candles flickered; old and new friends mingled. Barbecued burgers, brownies and Kahlua-infused bundt cake were laid out. Oldham, in a full upper-body brace and using a walker, took the stage briefly to thank the community and “to reflect on how awesome this place is that we live.”

Outside, under a thin silver smile of a moon, a ranch dog barked and a baritone chorus of frogs crooned across the meadow.

    

When popular local singer-songwriter Anastacia covered Gillian Welch’s wistful Elvis Presley Blues, this blogger was mesmerized. She paid a moving tribute to the memory of local developer Gary Sokol with a soaring ballad, written for him and unveiled for the first time in the venue that was his brainchild. Sokol died in a tragic accident nearly two years ago. Applause rose when event organizer Melody Youngblood, a senior at Sisters High School, announced that about $1500 had been gathered in offering for the Oldhams.

Miraculously, Gary is alive and he is not paralyzed. Translating that miracle into a full recovery will take arduous months of rehabilitation and possibly more surgery. It’s heartening that this small community still rallies to aid one another in tough times. As Anastacia sang in Elvis Presley Blues, “It blessed my soul … yes it blessed my soul.”

I witnessed hope ascending last Friday night—up and beyond a canopy of unrefined beams, from inside that old dairy barn, on a meadow, in the middle of a pine forest in Sisters, Oregon.

Tax-deductible donations to help with Gary Oldham’s medical expenses may be made via Rotary Club of Sisters. Phone (541) 977-6545.

Full Story: Nugget News, April 21 2009.
Photo Courtesy: Upper L: Author  Upper R: http://ow.ly/1A3dA  Bottom L & R: Kyle Rood Photography

Reclaimed Barnwood from the Pacific Northwest

Like a weathered old man leaning on a cane, ancient barns seem to whisper sit down, I’ve got stories to tell if you’ve got time to listen.

I’ve admired the tasteful use of reclaimed barnwood from the Pacific Northwest in stunning custom homes built by Gary Norman. But I can be sensitive and skeptical. Even as I looked forward to meeting Gary, I wondered if he was actually the villainous type … you know, the Hollywood character who wouldn’t blink at mowing down a historic monument or threatening an endangered species in the name of progress.
“…Like the scary tractor in Fern Gully," Gary joked and I knew he understood and shared my sensitivity. Gary was recently asked to take down a very large barn out of Reedsport, Oregon and simply refused. “The building was very sound, set on the site pristinely and just needed a little love to last another 100 years plus. It is not appropriate to dismantle a perfectly sound structure.”
Contrarily, he’s excited about the wonderful 1x12 siding and 3x12 flooring recently reclaimed from a barn in Tidewater, Oregon. Built in 1912, the structure was used as a theater house in the 30’s and 40’s. “We will make the 3x12’s into outrageous plank flooring,” says Gary.

To be considered by Barnwood Inc., a division of Gary Norman Custom Homes, a barn must have a rich history, an ample supply of timbers of useful size and character, and accessibility. Instead of being burned and destroyed, this lustrous wood is given new life in the form of fine furniture, cabinetry, siding, flooring, exterior door systems and interior doors and trim.

It takes a heap of craftsmanship but only a scant amount of a water-based finish to re-purpose this treasure. Natural weathering has made its durability integral. You can watch a video of the process on the Barnwood Inc. site.
It’s what Gary Norman calls a “feel good business. Nothing can replicate the character of hundred-year-old wood that’s been out in the elements.”
To contact Gary:
Phone: (541) 312-1187
Email: gary@barnwoodincorporated.com

        

Ode to Color Joy

It snowed here on Easter. Egg hunts were moved indoors at the last minute. Yesterday was a sunny 60 degree mood-lifter. Today the ground and sky are a matching shade of white. Another perfect April day in Central Oregon—for scanning old family photos and writing blog posts!

A hop, skip and a jump over the Cascades, the Woodburn Tulip Festival is blazing. If you’re craving a color fix as I am, put on your mud shoes and load the kids in the car. Until April 30, the festival offers wine tastings and wooden shoe makers, art classes and antique steam tractors. Kids will happily slosh through the mud for cow train rides, ducky races, hay pile, pony rides, horse swings and exotic rescue birds.

If you find yourself on I-5 between Portland and Salem, this is a quick and happy diversion just a few miles to the east. Check the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm website for a list of upcoming activities and live entertainment.

 

Book Review: Blogophobia Conquered

Fear not, dear almost-blogger.

These are the soothing words of Laura Christianson in her worthwhile e-book, Blogophobia Conquered.

I wouldn’t consider myself a blogophobe, really. More like over-confident and under-informed.

Laura’s book will serve you well if:

•   you are trying to determine if you need a blog
•   you have fears about your abilities to blog successfully 
•   you just want to get started, and need a guiding hand to hold.

Or perhaps, like me, you launched a blog in typical I-don’t-need-to-read-the-instructions, I-can-figure-this-out-myself fashion. Now it’s time to go back and fill in the gaps left in the wake of your exuberance.

In her friendly tone—comparing blog hosting services to ready-made pie crusts—Laura provides practical encouragement rather than stuffy technical jargon.

Most helpful for me, she emphasizes the discipline of time management. (C’mon guys, am I the only one who struggles with this?) Scheduling, for a creative type, is a party-killer! After a few months of winging it, I concede that I must set clear goals and make a plan. Here are some of Laura’s suggestions:

• Commit to a set time period (a year) to experiment with your blog and build your brand.
• Decide how often you will post and set “reasonable, attainable goals.” She points out that burnout is your worst enemy.
• Act like a real Editor! Make a schedule, calendaring the days and topics you will post.

You can download the first chapter of Blogophobia Conquered for FREE, and there’s much more to check out over at Laura Christianson’s site, Blogging Bistro. If you seek a more confident and successful approach to social media, she may become your new best friend.

And The Gold METAL Goes To…

In the spirit of the Olympics and last night’s Oscars, let us honor some high stylin’ cabinet hardware that deserves a moment on a podium. Or, at least, a shining moment in the blogdom.

The Bronze Metal goes to… 

        

       One of my favorite decorative hardware collections is Ironcraft by Avante. I’ve seen these lend a tasteful rustic splash to a simple contemporary kitchen with stunning results.

 

The Silver goes to…

             

Do you agree that these sweeties from Alno in Polished Antique would be exquisite on white painted cabinetry? Proof that decorative hardware truly is the jewelry your kitchen wears.

 

Roll out the red carpet . . . The Gold Metal goes to . . .

                        

 

OK. These pricey Rocky Mountain Hardware gems are out of reach for most of us. But we’re just window shopping here. And I’m only suggesting that we can find a way to tastefully gild a kitchen without resurrecting polished brass.

Rocky Mountain’s Silicon Bronze is an alloy of copper, silicon, and zinc. Even a little splash of the resulting coppery-gold patina would go a long way to bling-ify a room.

Kind of reminds me of Sandra Bullock last night looking as golden and statuesque as the Oscar statue itself!

 

NY Daily News

Yay or nay on Silicon Bronze for cabinet jewelry? Leave a comment or just thumbs up/thumbs down.

2010 Home Buyer Tax Credits

Here's a really helpful info-graphic to determine eligibility for 2010 Home Buying Tax Credits:


Click the image to enlarge

Source: FixR

How A Granite Countertop Is Made

I love this video demonstration from the good folks at Solid Rock Granite.

Were you, like me, one of those rock hound kind of kids who collected promising pebbles then put them in water to watch them transform from dull to shiny, humble to glorified? When I was nine I double-circled a photo of a rock tumbler in the JC Penneys Christmas Wish Book and dog-eared the page; Santa was good to me that year!

If you have trouble loading the video, HERE is the link. Enjoy!

More Kitchen Trends 2010 (NKBA)

Last week I revealed some results from the National Kitchen and Bath Association's annual Design Trend Survey. In case you missed it, you can go here to learn about current trends in kitchen cabinetry styles, wood species, finishes, countertops and flooring. And now for the rest of their findings:

Faucet fashion:  Pull-out styles are most in demand. The top finish choice is brushed nickel, followed by stainless steel, satin nickel and finally, polished chrome. Extra-tall Pot filling faucets are gaining popularity, creating convenience at the cooking center.

Delta's Pilar Faucet with Touch20 Technology. Messy hands? Use your arm to touch on/touch off.

Brizo's Florio Pull-Out faucet. Their fashion-forward designer lineup is refreshingly chic.

The go-to cooking appliance is still the Range, but the combination of a Cooktop and Wall Oven is gaining steam. Home owners still crave a Gas Cooktop, but they are beginning to appreciate the energy-saving advantages of Induction Cooking.

There is growing enthusiasm for Drawer Dishwashers, but a full, standard Dishwasher continues as the best-seller.

 

Consumers will continue to be wildly infatuated with Bottom Freezer Refrigerators, with or without French Doors, while Side-By-Side is still a popular choice. Refrigerator Drawers are coming in vogue, as are Undercounter Wine Refrigerators.

This graceful kitchen features a number of trendy appliances including the ever-popular range, undercounter wine refrigerator, warming drawer and undercounter microwave. Cabinetry by Fieldstone.

I encourage you to read a comprehensive and entertaining review of Delta's Pilar Faucet from Susan Serra, The Kitchen Designer, here.

Susan Serra also provides insight into Brizo's fashionable faucet line-up here.

Read Kitchen & Bath Professional Laurie Burke's inside look at Brizo's fashionable faucet line-up here.

Kitchen Trends 2010 (NKBA)

Design trends ebb and flow. The popularity of kitchen styles isn't subject to sudden, dynamic shifts, so when the National Kitchen and Bath Association reveals the results of its annual Design Trend Survey we designers don't expect to fall off of our swivel chairs in amazement. But we do pay attention.

Fieldstone Cabinetry featuring Shaker doorstyle inset into traditional face-frame. Hardwood floors and dishwasher drawers are riding a wave of popularity also. 

This is a national survey of Kitchen Designers, so allowance has to be made for regional tastes. What most appeals to folks on the East Coast often differs from what is desired in the Pacific Northwest. Architectural styles vary from one place to another. Vacation homes may require a different aesthetic appropriate to their settings.

Overall trends are useful to track, if only to reassure timid homeowners that the choices they favor will maintain value for the foreseeable future. Here are some of the NKBA's expectations for 2010:

Traditional cabinetry styles will continue to be most popular;  Contemporary style will be a close second.

Shaker is making a strong resurgence in popularity.

Cherry is the most favored wood species;  next is Maple;  Alder is trending upward on the list.

Medium to Dark stains and glazes are prevailing over lighter, natural finishes.

White and Off-White shades are still the major fave in painted cabinetry. Aside from beige and brown tones, other colors are on the decline, as are distressed finishes.

Hardwood is, more than ever, the lead flooring choice, followed by ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tile.

Granite is still in highest favor for countertops, but (and this excites me enough to do a happy spin in my swivel chair!) quartz is expected to "nearly catch up" in popularity. Backsplashes will mostly be adorned in tile, including ceramic, porcelain and glass.

Cambria Quartz countertops with a glass tile backsplash. Medium stain on cabinetry.

See what national trends the NKBA survey predicts for faucets and appliances in Part 2. Then I will report on how the Pacific Northwest is trending by comparison.

We just wrapped up a Give-Away Contest for a $65 gift certificate to All Modern.

Now to reveal the lucky winner ...

By the way thanks for all your entries...

Also by the way, glad you enjoyed visiting the All Modern website. Isn't it great?!

Oh, right, and the winner, by random integer selection, is...

Alycia Wicker

CONGRATULATIONS!

Alycia is an Interior Designer from Eastvale CA. Visit her cool site Casa Moxie here.