;-D
Here are a few random nuts and bolts notes. The house was originally owned by an International Maritime Captain and his Wife, a former Dancer on the Lawrence Welk Show. He must of kept a sailboat too, as I heard that he would sail into the beach and she would wave at her love from the very deck you see me washing dishes on at the top of this blog page. The parties they held here were LEGENDARY. Even though they have been gone for over 20 years, people in this neighborhood still talk about them when they find out where I live. They say, "Oh, we heard you're fixing up the McCann's old place! Oh my the parties..." One neighbor told me that the ground floor (where the pool table is now) was where the owners kept a huge wine cellar, filled to the ceiling with leftover bottles of wine and liquor from all his maritime activity.
My youngest son and one of his childhood friends rebuilt the fireplace facade with tiles that are made of rock that is millions of years old. Those boys used to run to the beach in the middle of the night and jump in the cold water (sneaking out unnoticed) and now they are fully grown men, with houses of their own! The weathered fireplace mantle was left in its found state. It was a piece of the old Bodega Bay pier that fell down bit by bit in the storms - that particular piece of wood floated in just a day before I HAD TO HAVE something, and I found it just laying there on the shore, the perfect piece! This, after searching for something else for weeks all over the beaches here and every salvage yard in the Bay Area too. (The original pier was featured in The Birds, the pier Tippy Hedren walked down to get in the boat.) Downstairs, in the pool table room, is an upright post that came off the porch of one of Bodega Bay's oldest houses. I found it damaged and tossed in a burn pile at the empty property that was being cleared of debris. Another piece of local history, salvaged! The barn tracks featured throughout the house carry some old and some new handmade doors; all 100% wood with handsome Emtek hardware.
The original solid wood front door was too weathered to function well as an entry anymore, but it was charming with its hand carved boat, so it was bolted onto a sliding barn track to close off the laundry room. The grip handle hardware on all the sliding barn track doors came from old sailboats.
I tried to give this house a very warm and comfortable feel, not slick, but perfect to house an active family (like mine) who loves the beach. It had a good floorplan, but so much bad, ugly and dated decor and additions, with every wall dark-stained, and heavy curtains and valances, and ugly overhead fans (as if you need fans in Bodega Bay!), so there was lots of stripping off of layers to get started. But the bones were very good, the house just needed LOVE!
And that is what I gave it... the house returned the love by accommodating so many wonderful gatherings over the years. The living room is so huge that the kids and I used it every Christmas to host a semi-formal sit-down dinner for 24 people! (When I moved the furniture to the sides, the living room could accommodate three 4X8 foot tables end to end, to make one giant 4X24 foot table with a chair for everyone, kids and adults all together!)
A few parties were very healing where various feuding family members arrived, putting aside their differences for the sake of the greater good of all. LOVE and time heals all wounds, and a good meal at the beach makes forgiveness even better! Another time I found a wonderful solution to not finding any giant tablecloths I could reasonably afford. Home Depot (or Hope Depot as I often called it) has wonderful thick nubby cotton painter’s dropcloths. For a 4X8 foot table, a dropcloth sized 12 X 14 (or near that) will cover the table to the floor. That night, my oldest son’s friends, associates from his work with Martha Stewart’s magazine in NY, arrived for dinner. They were marveling at how I found such amazingly huge LINEN tablecloths! You see real linen is somewhat nubby too, and with all the candles we had hung from the beams, and the glittery place settings, well you would never guess that the tables were covered in lowly dropcloths. So add dropcloths to your stash of miracle decorating solutions! They also work as slipcovers, room dividers, drapes...
I wish I could keep that house, but the little Fisherman's Shack (aka High Low Jack) is also needing more attention, money and time, and as an artist, I have learned that you must release your creations in order to keep creating! And thought the house is tiny, the great room can still accomodate a sit-down feast.
So even though the economy says WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, it really is time to let go of the big one.
I know someone else will really enjoy it, so I am PUTTING IT OUT IN THE UNIVERSE!
Come enjoy this house and give your family some incredible memories that they will alway cherish! I am open to offers, creative purchase ideas or whatever you want to talk about.
Did you hear that financial experts are advising that interest rates be dropped to 4.5% next week? That could be a great thing! I hope they do, and then some wonderful person who has lots of family and friends will be encouraged to buy and then enjoy this wonderful house.
It was my healing, learning and growing place, and I loved living here, watching the birds, the waves, and hearing the ocean. The stars at night were magnificent too and the sun pouring in (southwest exposure is the BEST!) often made me stretch out like a cat, clothing optional, as it is so private and nobody can see in because the house sits up high. Very relaxing to have sun, space and privacy too. It is a house of peace, and now better and more functional than ever!
Visualize completion of the cycle of renewel!
