The Hibernation Home - House and Garden 1967

1967

While on a little road trip last weekend, I concluded that bears have SADS - hence hibernation. 

Humans need to take heed from our animal friends. Really, would you not rather sleep, chill out, snuggle, and stay out of the gross weather from November until March instead of forcing yourself up out of bed to go to work in the dark and come home in the dark, only to be surrounded by nothing but artificial light? 

I most definitely would.

I've asked my GP for a doctor's note/green card/prescription to move south from November - March (I figure the final three months of Vancouver rain from March to June will be ok) and although she didn't say no, she did give me a prescription for a Happy Light and told me to take up indoor activities like the climbing gym (how 1994), lunching with friends ($$$), and movies (sorry, bed bug paranoia).

The days are getting shorter. If you have SADS, like me, that looming darkness is slowly rising on the horizon of your mind, and The Cask of Amontillado will soon start to take on its own personal meaning. 

But alas, I have a new idea! I'll approach my GP with an alternative to the green card - the Pacific Northwest Hibernation House. A prescription for a home! 

My insurance plan will not have a problem purchasing a snippet of land and building this hinged panel glass house for me; after all, it's five times smaller than the average home in West Van. I've already researched where I can source most of the materials so that what I use will be mostly recycled. The flip-up hinged panels surrounding the entire structure are paramount to human hibernation. Upon the light of the new season, my home will gradually unfold and welcome back the Technicolour Springtime of the moody land I love.

My cat Tilley feels the same about winter.

For more reading on moody Cascadia (the Pacific Northwest), I recommend: Cascadia: The Elusive Utopia.

home image: House and Garden Building Guide, Spring-Summer 1967

I'm away

away - my vacation pic site

Starting today I'm on vacation for four weeks! I'm headed to the spa in Whistler for the weekend - that's my only plan. What happens next will be spur of the moment as plans give me anxiety. I've started up a Tumblr page to chronicle my vacation.

Nothing is up yet but book mark it if you want as I'll be sporadically posting vacation pics - and pics only  ->  stacylavaway.com

I'll still be posting on BL and on the BL fb page so please let me know you exist.

ps I deleted my Twitter account. 

Madonna on Fashion

You can't do head-to-toe Chanel; you've got to mix it up with combat boots. Madonna

Design Lover - Windsor Sack Back Chair

Currently Listening To

The Pentangle Basket of Light

Quote of the Week - Ralph Waldo Emerson on Amateurs

Every artist was first an amateur. Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Lamp Dilemma

I couldn't resist this big handmade vintage lamp at our local thrift shop. Unfortunate thing is, it doesn't have a shade. One would think it would be easy to find one - not so. Any suggestions?

From a day in the winter

English Bay may have their rock balancing guy but over here in West Van we have late night driftwood stacking person. The past three winters that I've lived here I've awoken to a morning beach transformed over night into a driftwood art exhibition. These photos are all from one morning's walk along Ambleside Beach. They spanned the entire length of the beach. On my list of things to do, (along with taking up pottery), is to take up abstract oil painting so I can capture scenes like those above or this:

What's on your list of things to do?


more images here

Design Lover - Hermes Pippa Portable Lounger

Hermès Pippa Chaise Lounge - 1987

Boyd House - Another West Vancouver Home Demolition

Two weekends ago, we were out for a rainy day walk and decided to follow some Open House signs to see what was up -  luckily, I had my camera as we had stumbled upon Boyd House. Built in 1954 by Pacific Northwest architect Ron Thom, Boyd House reminds me of a mini Taliesin West in the rainforest. 

The home's exterior is virtually impossible to photograph as it blends perfectly into the environment - Frank Lloyd Wright would approve. Other Wrightisms are evident in the fireplace, the corner-to-corner glass walls (also seen at The Staples Residence), the angled ceilings, the use of raw materials (cedar, concrete), the intelligent use of windows and skylights, and the overall sense of calm and stillness the home evokes. If you've toured a Wright home, you know the calm and stillness I'm referring to. The home is settled.

Unfortunately, the cynic in me doesn't think that presenting this stunning mid-century Pacific Northwest Modern home in West Vancouver as 'a work of art by renowned architect Ron Thom' will keep it out of the hands of Rondelle and Ronald McDonald and their McMansion-loving ways. 

I highly commend Judi White and Robbi-Layne Robertson for presenting the property so thoughtfully - they have created a website specifically for Boyd House which not only showcases the home but also notes the importance of preserving what little is left of Pacific Northwest Midcentury Modern here in West Vancouver - please visit their site to learn more - ronthomhouse4sale.com.

At 1669 sq. ft, the same size as the mid-century home we rented in Palm Springs last summer, Boyd House is the perfect size. It may be the ideal size for Ronnie's Escalade as well.

While we were touring the home, architect Peter Pratt - son of mid-century West Van architect Ned Pratt, also came by for a look-see. Pratt's comment about the home that stuck with me the most was, 'The nice thing was, the concrete slab floors could just be hosed down." Now that's an architectural feature I could live with.

More of my Boyd House photos and outtakes are here.

PS - the home is listed at $1.9 million.

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When I think it is bad

I think about this little guy.

 

The Blue Day Book, Bradley Trevor Greive, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 104pp, Buy this book.

How to Make Steamed Spot Prawns

these guys could've been steamed 30 seconds less

Here's another easy one.

What you need:

• 1 lb fresh spot prawns - they really should remain in the shell (deveined) The legs and head creep me out though so we cleaned them.
• a bunch of fresh tarragon
• lime (optional)
• a bamboo steamer

What you do:

• lay tarragon in the steamer
• lay spot prawns on tarragon
• steam no longer than two minutes - not even two minutes for the guys without their shell

Serve with poached halibut topped with ginger, lime, and avocado. 

Vintage Chloe 80's

 1982 Chloe by Karl Lagerfeld