Wednesday, December 3, 2008

i'm still..........

smiling from the holiday weekend.... like all families....we have our quirks... the perfect brother... the can't get things quite right brother....the psychotic sister... and the novelty (me)... things haven't changed much...over the years... as we come back together... the roles we played as children return... but now...there are 2 or 3 clones of each of us...as the years pass and our children grow into teenagers....young adults it becomes more and more clear how each and everyone of them embody so many of the same characteristics as each of us.... watching my sons and the children of my brothers and sister... is almost like watching the four of us... 30 years ago... damn i loved this thanksgiving... an amazing holiday... i'm still smiling....

moving on....

monday... i began working at a friends house... redecorating... but first...there is the cleaning and clearing out of 8 or 9 years of life... piling up... in each room... i chose to begin in the least cluttered room.... his bedroom.... two days and 7 ginormous bags of laundry....4 ginormous bags of give away clothes....3 full bags of trash...the room is for the most part done...
i must admit i'm most excited about this project....the house was built in 1930... arts and crafts style...wood floors...amazing wood molding and trim... french doors... it's almost like excavating... and uncovering all of it's wonder and beauty...... not to mention all the things that have gone missing over the years...just yesterday i found his eye glasses... looking to be 20 years old or so... when i held them up to dust them off....he got so excited....saying..."i've been looking for those" a sweet almost child like smile stretched across his face as i handed them to him... thinking to myself i can't imagine...how many memories...he has... how many things he saw...through those lenses...

this project is hard work... but at the same time... fun... i have so many visions...of how to reinvent this house... decorating... adding touches of golds, red oranges... dirty olive green... colors that reflect my friend...comfortable warm colors... cozy... unfortunately...i have not been given free reign as to creativity... and knowing my friend as well as i do... i have learned... how far i can push him...and when to just step back... the thing is...he too is incredibly creative...with such a wonderful sense of beauty....he knows just what he is comfortable with... i suppose this will make it a less complicated job...as well everything i do MUST be cat friendly... oh...no no no... the cats need to learn... however... that's not his way... it's my way... so far this seems to be my only real restriction... a big one...but one i can work around....

another bonus...is the furniture in his house...he has some very cool pieces...to work with... his taste is somewhat eclectic...a mixture of rattan... bamboo... wood...mission style furniture...early american... some i don't even know the period...kind of 70's style...i suppose...then there is the added touch of ... his love of the tao...and buddhism....

today...i will begin documenting the process... photographing each room and the change... the best part....to me... is the clean smell... replacing that of cat leftovers... the ability to walk through his house...without bumping into something... and giving him back his home... this lovely house... which deserves to be as glorious as it was intended....

the magic of this day...has already engulfed me.... life is good... really good!!!

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