Color Sampling

Color Sampling, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

We're doing some color work up here at Tall Pines. Making good with a bunch of color samples on the walls, a swatch of this here, a swatch of that there. I can't show you the colors -- yet. The photography just isn't doing it justice. But soon, we'll be out of the land of "Color by Kilz." And then I'll have plenty of photos.

The 'mater

The Mater, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

LP took up gardening and this is one of the many fruits, so to speak, of her labor. This small little guy got picked tonight and he's ripening a little bit on my window sill. Soon, we'll celebrate the little by by slicing him up, dipping him in olive oil, pairing with some bocconcini and basil leaves, some salt, some pepper. Then, down the hatch!

Fireplace: After

Fireplace: After, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Instead of just picking new fireplace doors from a supplier and writing a check, I decided to add one less thing to the landfills and refinish the doors I had.

They were a god awful glossy gold (a "before" photo is right here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tallpines/3810612988/) before. With awful hardware. And of the awful hardware, some of it was missing.

So this was one of the weekend projects. Bit by bit, I am really getting ready for some good autumn fires.

The Tall Pines Crest

The Tall Pines Crest, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

TP designer DA has been working on this for a while. Looks pretty good, huh? Well, it's a work in progress. Initially, I loved it too, but now I'm kind of sour on the whole thing because I don't think this will translate well to wood etchings and cattle brands. Nevertheless, its wonderful as is, and just needs a line-art version, really.

Call it a Vacation

DSCN6260 - Version 2, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Tall Pines -- the blog -- has been suffering from neglect the past couple of weeks as I have been planning for a ten day motorcycle trip. I just finished that trip today. An exciting 3,300 mile jaunt from Tall Pines to upstate NY, to Toronto, to Niagra, to Detroit, to Dayton, to Nashville, to Birmingham, to Chattanooga, to Asheville, to DC and home again. A great time, with my high school chum RP.

Today while I was on the final leg of the trip, would you believe I started thinking about insulating the basement? True story. I guess with the trip completed, its time to turn the attention back to the house. Well, so be it!

Anyway -- if the motorcycle trip interested you, you can read all about it at http://moto3our.blogspot.com. And see photos from it right here on Flickr.