#blue double column patio

[rcbooks]

Roof Extensions Deck in Tampa Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard deck remodel with a roof extension

[yeahkrystal]

Tampa Roof Extensions Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard deck remodel with a roof extension

[hellahook]

Tampa Roof Extensions Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard deck remodel with a roof extension

[scottpilgvrim]

Roof Extensions Deck in Tampa

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This is an amazing Zen estate. The architectural features are superb. Built in 2002 in Santa Fe, NM, the 6bd, 8ba estate is priced at $2.595M.

Isn't the entrance hall amazing? It's like entering a Buddhist temple.

Intricately carved wood, niches, and a tile fireplace with built-in sofas to match.

The sculptural architecture is magnificent.

Step down into a large living room. The entrance has carved molding and the ceiling beams fan out like an umbrella.

You'll notice lots of skylights in the ceilings. I would think that the white candle tables are sculpted up from the floor.

Enter this very serene space.

I like these umbrella ceilings. This is a lovely dining room with a corner Pueblo style fireplace.

I like how the ceiling crisscrosses. The rooms are so sculptural throughout the home.

Another scalloped and beamed ceiling, carved wood columns and a carved fireplace.

Beautiful dining area for the kitchen has high open ceilings.

The kitchen is lovely. Almost every room has a rounded wall or two, and the kitchen is no exception. I like the brick wall, light Shaker cabinets and hammered copper farm sink.

There are so many tables and chairs. I love the turquoise tile, and at first I thought it was a water feature, but I'm not sure what it is.

The primary bd. is spacious, has a raised platform bed, and a fabulous built-in canopy. A door opens to a patio and a lighted art niche is in wall next to the desk.

This bath has double blue glass sinks and a stone floor that comes up to surround the tub.

The stairs are beautiful with the carved rail, niches, and interesting light fixtures.

This bedroom is lovely. It has so many built-ins the scalloped ceiling and doors to a patio. It's like a 2-room suite.

Go down the stairs to a sitting area that looks like a play area for toddlers, with the safety gates. But, notice the ceiling fan- isn't that cool?

The baths are all very Zen. This one has a stone tub surround.

Here's a nice corner home office with spiral stairs to a loft.

The grounds are absolutely stunning. Here's a fountain and a vine growing over a wood structure, plus a garden of sculptural rocks.

There's a covered patio and larger patio under a pergola.

And, off to the side there's a koi pond.

A path to stroll passes by a beautiful water feature.

This is a custom-built 2bd, 3ba guest house.

The desert estate is 13.74 acres.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/14-Destierro-Trl-Santa-Fe-NM-87506/6843993_zpid/

[christophechoo]

Live In This Amazing Hancock Park Mansion! from Christophe Choo on Vimeo.

Live in this AMAZING Hancock Park Mansion! - Christophe Choo

129 Fremont Place Los Angeles, CA 90005 4 Bed | 5 Bath | 6,157 Sq. Ft. List Price - $7,888,000

Property Website - fremontplacemansion.com

This impeccable home is located behind the prestigious guard gates of the historic Fremont Place. This three-story home encapsulates modern and traditional designs uniquely intertwined throughout the entire house. A grand exterior entry vestibule welcomes you, with a lovely fountain, beautiful columns, and glass and wrought iron double-front doors. The stunning formal entry foyer gives you a glimpse of the spacious open floor plan with hardwood throughout. The elegant living room features a superior marble gas fireplace, followed by a full floating bar, an entertainer's dream. This seamless home features countless spaces for comfort and entertainment. An additional sitting room, just off of the bar, features white glass french doors, opening up to the beautiful terrace. The gourmet chef's kitchen offers an assortment of stainless steel appliances surrounding the Carrara marble countertop island with an additional breakfast bar. The six-gas stove top Blue star Range and oven offer plenty of room to cook and entertain. The beautiful white cabinetry with seamless glass to feature antique pieces, making the kitchen feel spacious and bright. Just adjacent to the kitchen is a grand formal dining room with enough room to seat 12+. Up the beautiful ironed staircase to the second level, the expansive primary suite offers a generous sitting area with french doors to an immense terrace overlooking the serene backyard, an intricately designed white wall of the brilliant bedroom makes the space feel open and bright, along with the additional balcony to the front yard. The spacious walk-in closet has an island for additional storage and the marbled spa-like bathroom features double sinks, a free-standing bathtub, oversized shower and is topped off with a heated towel rack for those rare, but cold winter days. The two outstanding ensuite guest bedrooms and a separate office, perfect for working from home, are all also located on the second floor. The third floor with seemingly endless multi-purpose rooms features two sitting and lounging areas, as well as an additional powder room and separate room perfect for an at-home massage. The lush backyard features an outdoor dining area with an outdoor oven and range and a built-in BBQ. The massive patio with a built-in fire pit sits above a dreamlike zen garden and boasts wonderful smells from the abundance of planters filled with flowers, rosemary, mature hedges, and fruit trees. An unbeatable guest house sits at the edge of the property and is set up as an apartment, with an extensive living area, bedroom, and bath. The home has an extensive driveway leading to the detached three-car garage towards the property's back. The laundry and powder rooms on the first floor are quite massive. This home is complete with an abundance of architectural details throughout. Submerse yourself in a little piece of Hollywood history in the historical neighborhood of Fremont Place.

Christophe Choo is in the top 1% of brokers internationally with 33 years of experience as the President of the Christophe Choo Real Estate Group at Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Real Estate in Beverly Hills. The #1 producing office in the United States for 24 years and the most comprehensive source for luxury real estate listings, from estate homes to luxury condominiums, incredible tear-down opportunities, and investment properties. Christophe was voted as the #1 Real Estate Video Influencer for North America in 2018.

Based in Beverly Hills, California, The Christophe Choo Real Estate Group provides exclusive luxury homes for sale on a local, global and international stage. Hence the tagline: “Locally Known – Globally Connected”.

Search for luxury properties in your area, whether in the “Platinum Triangle” areas of the Westside of Los Angeles of Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, and Bel-Air or in The Sunset Strip, Hollywood Hills, Brentwood, Westwood, the Wilshire Corridor, Century City, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Malibu, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Cheviot Hills, Hancock Park, Los Feliz and the key Westside areas of Los Angeles, the Christophe Choo is the luxury Realtor that can help you achieve your selling or buying goals in Los Angeles. Call or email me today! Christophe Choo 310-777-6342 The Christophe Choo Real Estate Group Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Beverly Hills Realtor | Luxury Real Estate Agent Email: Christophe@ChristopheChoo.com

FOLLOW ME: Instagram: http://bit.ly/cchooinstagram Facebook: http://bit.ly/cchoofacebook Twitter: http://bit.ly/cchootwitter Website: http://bit.ly/cchoowebsite

[lumosinlove]

Coast To Coast

(Sweater Weather spin-off)

Read part one here

Read about Wolfstar in Sweater Weather here

(warning: Worrying about coming out. I’m not sure how to tag it, but I know some people wanted warnings about these types of issues and I want everyone to feel comfortable and aware <3)

part ii

Harvard University, 2016

Logan sat on Finn’s bed, the mattress bare. The walls were stripped of all signs that Finn had ever been there—the Speed Limit 55 sign he had found in a parking lot. The pictures tacked on the wall of him and his brother, his family, the team winning Championships, and Logan’s favorite. He stared at the place on the wall where it had been. He could still see a bit of blue tack there, forever hardened into the white paint. It was a picture of Finn and him, taken by someone else, one of their teammates, at the party the team had thrown after they won. They were both grinning like all hell in the picture, and Finn’s arm was thrown over Logan’s shoulders, standing behind him a little, his hand pressed to Logan’s chest. Logan could still feel it, Finn warm all along his back. He remembered hoping Finn couldn’t feel his beating heart.

“Lo, can you stop looking so mopey for two seconds, please?”

Logan blinked, snapping out of it to look back at Finn. He had his ray bands pushed into his red hair and was chewing his gum loudly, as usual. The summer sun had already made his cheeks a little pink at the top. He looked lean and strong in his NASA-logo t-shirt and jean shorts, sweating a little from moving boxes all morning in the new-summer heat.

Finn was leaving, was the thing. Finn wasn’t a senior anymore, he was draftee of the Gryffindor Lions. Finn was going, going, gone.

“I’m not mopey,” Logan said, picking at a mattress thread.

Finn huffed out a laugh, zipping a suitcase closed. “Could’ve fooled me.” He snapped his gum and hauled the suitcase and his hockey bag up by their straps easily. He pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes. “Alright, last two. Hold the doors for me, eh?”

Logan took one last look around the room as he stood. “You’re not even going to say goodbye?”

Finn laughed, “You’re so fucking sentimental. I’ve got the party tonight, and I’ve got one more night here.”

“Yeah, in my room,” Logan said.

“Exactly,” Finn turned to the side, and Logan could just a sliver of the brown eyes some of the boys called him bambi for. It wasn’t enough to read his expression. “Plenty of time to say goodbye,” Finn finished, and then turned all the way towards the door. “Come on, I don’t want to carry this all by myself.”

“That’s because you’re lazy,” Logan said over a catch in his throat. Finn had a way of making him feel perfectly at home and blazingly nervous all at once. It gave him whiplash. He couldn’t get enough of it.

“Facts,” Finn hiked his stick bag up onto his shoulder with a grin and opened his door.

They loaded the car and made sure they would be able to pull out easily the next morning without having to wake up any of the other guys. When they were done, Logan left it as a problem to face the next morning. He didn’t want to think about Finn leaving. He didn’t want to think about spending next year, his senior year, without him. He wanted to get a little drunk tonight, hang out with his friends, and have Finn in his bed—maybe not in the way he wanted, but it was something.

“I am going to miss this shit-hole house,” Finn sighed as they walked back up the stone steps of Omega Kappa Nu, or the hockey-house as the rest of campus called it, together.

Logan scoffed, gesturing up at the ionic columns and the double-decker wrap-around porch. “Hock-house is anything but a shit-hole.”

Finn laughed. “Easy for you to say, you got the best room in the place.”

Logan smiled thinking about his corner room on the top floor, windows covering both walls. “She’s a beaut, eh?”

“Yeah she is, but only because I get her for one night.”

The reminder made Logan’s stomach flip. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, you better not kick in your sleep.”

“Even if I didn’t, I’d kick you.”

Logan shoved him as they reached the house, the heavy wooden double-doors propped open by one of Logan’s socks shoved beneath it as a door stop.

“Gross,” Finn said, pointing.

“You told me to help you with the doors.”

Finn rolled his eyes, but threw an arm around Logan’s shoulders. “Alright. Let’s take your car to get the booze, yeah? You got your fake? Oh, that’s right, no one ever believes yours.”

“Fuck off,” Logan groaned, and Finn laughed, tossing Logan his keys.

~

The party was in full swing, the sun down and hanging lanterns lit, and Logan was pleasantly buzzed. He had a red cup in his hand full of rum and coke, and he could see Finn across the patio, feet dangling in one of the blow up pools that one of the boys had bought and filled. He was laughing, a Harvard hat flipped backwards, keeping his hair out of his face. Logan sighed and drained the last of his cup, ducking back into the house for some more. He got a few slaps on the back along the way and smiled back. The kitchen was actually pretty empty, everyone having gone outside to escape the heat, but the liter coke was empty, too. Logan sighed, picking up the bottle by its cap and bouncing the plastic on the counter a few times, as if that would fill it back up.

“Wingardium-coke-osa,” said a voice in his ear and Logan snorted before spinning and smacking Finn with the bottle hard on his arm.

“Fuck me,” Finn hissed, rubbing his arm. His own drink had sloshed against his shirt, leaving a dark stain on the hem. “Tremzy.”

Logan laughed, pushing himself up to sit on the counter beside the sink. “There’s no more coke, it isn’t funny. Where’d all these fucking,” he gestured around, “people come from, drinking my rum and coke.”

“Here,” Finn said, and suddenly Finn’s cup was pressed against Logan’s lips.

Logan’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then narrowed suspiciously.

“Drink,” Finn said softly. They were closer now, Finn almost between Logan’s thighs. He was taller than Finn like this, level with his soft brown eyes. “Go ahead.”

Logan could smell the sickly sweet soda, and he let Finn tilt the drink into his mouth slowly. There was only an inch or so left, and Logan drank easily, the bite of the rum hot on his tongue. Finn pulled it back at the last second and drained the last centimeter himself, mouth where Logan’s had been.

“So, you’ve been drinking my rum and coke,” Logan said hoarsely.

“Guilty,” Finn replied, and Logan thought he saw his eyes dart to his own mouth. His own did the same instinctively.

“Facts,” Logan parroted, and pretended, to himself, that he could lean in right then and kiss Finn on the mouth.

Finn’s nose scrunched, then he smiled and looked behind him. “Promised Kourt a game of pong, eh? See you later?”

Logan’s heart did a little twist. Kourt. Kourtney Bleaker. Logan would do anything to poof that girl out of existence, her hands all over Finn all the time.

“I’m not sleeping on sheets you fucked Kourtney Bleaker on,” Logan said, looking down into his empty cup.

Finn’s smile dropped, surprised, then he raised his eyebrows. “Jesus, Logan. Who said anything about that? I said I’m going to play beer pong.”

“I’m just telling you. You might be sleeping in my room but don’t do that.”

“What, you got plans?” Finn bit back.

“What if I do?”

Finn’s mouth formed a hard line. “Well, have fun, then.” He turned and went into the living room without looking back.

Logan threw his cup in the direction of the trashcan, maybe too hard, and let the screen door bang behind him as he went back outside.

He didn’t want them to fight on their last day together. It was three in the morning and people were filing out to other parties or going home. Logan could still hear the music from downstairs, but he’d learned how to sleep through it a long time ago.

Finn was still in the house somewhere. Logan pulled off his sweaty shirt, his necklace bouncing, cold, against his chest, and went into the bathroom to splash cold water on his face and brush his teeth. He rinsed his mouth out twice, and pushed wet hands through his hair. He was hot, and upset, and he couldn’t decide if wanted Finn to appear or not.

He didn’t have long to worry over it. He flicked the bathroom light off and there was Finn, closing the door behind him. They stared at each other.

“I thought I should probably sleep,” Finn said. “Got a bit of a drive tomorrow.”

He took his sunglasses from where they were folded into his shirt and set them on Logan’s dresser, along with his hat. He toed off his navy blue vans and then stood there, unsure of what to do.

Logan picked up the t-shirt he had discarded earlier and threw it into his hamper without a word. His shorts he left on the floor to be worn again tomorrow.

“Pardon,” he mumbled, maybe one of four phrases Finn knew in French, and Finn all but jumped out of the way so that Logan could get to his plaid pajama bottoms in his dresser.

He thought he heard Finn sigh as he walked into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door when he used the toilet. Logan ran his hands over his ribs and neck, trying to calm himself down, before crawling into the far side of his bed by the wall and moonlit window, leaving Finn what room was left—which wasn’t much. Logan had had a few girls stay over and it was always a tight fit. He could only imagine what it was going to be like to have two hockey players, all six feet of Finn, in the bed with him.

“I’m using your toothbrush, I packed mine,” Finn said from the bathroom.

“Fine,” Logan replied. They’d done it enough times on roadies. One of them was always forgetting something. Toothbrush, underwear, phone charger.

Finally, Finn flicked the light off and came to the edge of the bed. He looked down at Logan for a minute. Logan could feel his eyes on him, but he kept his towards the ceiling.

Finn sighed, and reached behind his head to pull his t-shirt off. He unbuttoned his jean shorts next, kicking them away. He left his socks on. Logan watched the muscles in his chest from the corner in his eye. Finn pushed the covers back and slid in. Instantly, the bed was warmer, verging on too warm in the June heat, but Logan kept very still.

After what felt like an hour of both of them lying there stiffly on their backs, Finn let out a sigh and pushed himself up onto one elbow, leaning over Logan. Logan kept his eyes towards the ceiling and the stripes of moonlight. He could guess how Finn looked in the moonlight, all pale skin and sharp lines. He didn’t know what would happen if he actually looked.

“I’m not leaving tomorrow with you mad at me,” Finn said softly.

Logan felt his chest tighten at the words. His throat felt very suddenly tight with tears, surprising him. He blinked hard and then turned on his side, back towards Finn. It was another few moments before he thought he could speak. Even when he did, the words came out thick. “Guess I’ll have to stay mad at you, then.”

Finn sucked in a breath. Whether it was at Logan’s meaning, or the sound, Logan didn’t know.

Finn was quiet, but then Logan felt his hand on the bare skin of his back, thumb rubbing over his spine. “Lo…”

Logan squeezed his eyes shut.

“Tremz, come on, look at me. Logan.”

“Non. Tu dors,” Logan rasped.

“Door?” Finn’s hand pressed against his shoulder. “Don’t speak French, I can’t—”

“Go to sleep,” But Logan’s voice broke, giving him away. He cursed, turning his nose into his pillow. “Go to sleep, go to sleep…”

“Logan—”

“Je ne veux pas parler,” Logan began, voice hitching up at the end. His cheeks burned, his head hurt. If he talked about it, it was real.

Finn groaned and then suddenly Logan felt him throw a leg over his hips, his full weight settling over him for a moment as he wedged himself between the wall and Logan’s body. Logan was too surprised to struggle for a moment, but before he could think about it, Finn’s hand was wrapped around his neckless, the small fleur-de-lis, and it was like a tether. Logan couldn’t find it in himself to look away. They were chest to chest, skin against skin, and their heads were on the same pillow.

Finn’s face dropped in surprise.

“Don’t,” Logan said, wedging a hand between them to wipe at his face angrily. “Don’t, Finn.”

But Finn caught Logan’s hand around the wrist. “No, I want—I need to talk about—”

Finn cut off though. Logan knew what they were both thinking. That kiss, almost a year ago now. More than a kiss. Logan still thought about it, too much. How Finn had felt in his hand. The feeling of Finn kissing him back, holding him close.

“No,” Logan said. “You don’t.”

“Yes,” Finn argued.

“Why?” Logan said, voice hushed. “You’re leaving. You’re going to the NHL. Name one player who’s…whatever you are. Whatever—whatever we are.”

Logan wasn’t quite sure. He liked girls. He liked boys. He liked Finn. He’d burn worlds for Finn.

But Finn was leaving, and it wasn’t up to Logan whether he could follow or not.

“You can’t,” Logan said. “Because there aren’t any.”

“Maybe I could be the first,” Finn said.

“You want that?” Logan fired back. “No one will give a shit about how you play. Maybe it’ll be too much for the organization. No one will want you because you’re too much trouble. We’ve both heard the things said on the ice, in the stands…the slurs. Imagine how bad it would be if they knew it was actually true.”

That seemed to make Finn think twice. Logan had let it spew out of him, all of the horrors that kept him up at night. He expected Finn to pull away. He waited for him to pull away.

Instead, Finn made a sad, low sound in his throat, and pushed their foreheads together. Logan let out a shuttering breath and let Finn slide their fingers together. His heart pounded, and he could feel Finn breathing against his chest.

“Well, I’m not there yet,” Finn said. “I’m still here. With you.”

Logan’s hands were shaking and he knew Finn could feel because Finn squeezed his fingers.

“Lo, please. I’m gonna be all alone with no one I know. I’m going to…” Finn gave his head a little shake, pushing harder against Logan, like he did after a goal, on the ice. “I’m gonna miss the hell out of you, okay? I already do.”

Logan’s breathing hitched again, tears hot in the corner of his eyes, and he leaned forward and kissed Finn. He brought his other hand up to clutch desperately around his back, nails digging in.

Finn kissed back hard, licking into Logan’s mouth like he needed it. His hand wandered down to Logan’s lower back, ending in a press to his thigh. Logan took the hint and wrapped his leg around Finn’s, heel against Finn’s calf. Finn pressed a hand to Logan’s cheek, thumb wiping any wet away, and Logan clutched harder to him. He was trying to remember, and trying to forget, at the same time.

The music had finally stopped downstairs, and neither of them noticed.

Logan woke up to quiet. The sun had replaced the moon and it was bright. Too happy. He looked over at Finn, who was on his stomach, sleeping with his face mashed in the pillow and full lips parted. He had one hand curled around Logan’s bicep lightly, holding on. Logan could barely stand it.

Logan looked at Finn again on the side of the road. Finn was wearing the same shirt as yesterday, stain and all. The same shorts, the same hat, the same shoes. He wore a different expression. His eyes were sad, conflicted.

Logan wanted to make it easy for him. He wanted him to go and live his dream.

He put his hands into his pockets and smiled a half smile. “Ne m’oublie pas, d’accord?”

Don’t forget me. Please, please, please.

Finn sighed, like he always did. “I can’t understand you.”

Good. Logan looked down, then back again.

“Call me when you get there. Send me a picture of Gryffindor,” Logan took a deep breath, and smiled. “Meet a nice girl.”

Finn’s expression cracked. His lip even quivered, just for a moment. “Lo…”

“Call me when you get there. I want to hear about everything. This is your dream.” Logan said, and turned away from the curb. If Finn spoke, Logan would get into the car with him.

He made it inside, he made it up the stairs and into his room, before he pressed a hand over his mouth, shaking. He leaned back against the door. Out the window, he watched Finn drive away.

He tried to remember, and tried to forget, at the same time.

[visual-explorxtion]

A Date With Rebecca [Rebecca Chambers x Reader] - One Shot

Summary: Taking your favourite girl on a date. Go see her favourite movie, have a candlelit dinner, take a short stroll. What more can you ask for?

A/N: Looking for some wholesome Rebecca content? Then you’ve come to the right place. Originally, I’ve planned to make this 1.5k words or less but somehow I kept adding more and more details to the story. Is it a fluff fic? Yes. Is it filled with cliché plots? Also, yes. Sometimes, cliché stuff are pretty wholesome. Bonus content if you read the whole fic ;)

Word Count: 2.7K

Hairstyle? Check. Outfit? Check. Time? You peered up from your full-length mirror and glanced at the analogue clock on the wall. The ticking dish points to 6:15 pm. Perfect, you still got time before picking up your lovely date, Rebecca. You've planned a surprise date night for her for weeks now. Only up until recently, she finally agreed and cleared up her schedule. Joy would be an understatement to describe how you are feeling right now, nevertheless, joy is the only thing that's coursing through your body. Ping! The screen of your phone illuminated in blue, revealing a text sent by your date.

'Hey! I'm on my way to our meet up point. I'll see you in 10 minutes x :)'

The message made your heart melt into a pool of jello, she even left a little kiss and a smiley face at the end. This made you even more excited to meet her, the sooner the better. With no time to lose, you grab your old-fashion helmet from the console table, reviewing yourself one last time before exiting the apartment. Keys to your scooter in your fist, you stick it in the ignition and the little yellow hunk of junk sputter to life. You smile to yourself and pray that your only transportation doesn't fail on you tonight. Index finger double tapping on the oil gauge disk displaying petrol 3/4 of the way full, tucking your hair neatly inside the helmet then you set off.

Round the corner and through the bustling streets of downtown, you parked your bike just a couple of shops down from where you're meeting Rebecca. Every step you take seems like you're walking on air, the bounce in your steps lights up every way of your path, leading you right to her. There, she stands under the fairy lights- strung from one side of the patio to the other wrapping around the redwood columns- waiting for your arrival just outside of her favourite cafe, 'Dans le bleu'. From the moment she saw you, her sweet smile has taken over her perfectly shaped face and time slows down around you as you take in the impression of her. Her hair twinkles under the warm white glow, eyes crinkled as she beams; draped in a celadon green vintage flare dress, fitted waistband hugging against her slender waist, she is your angel at heart even if she denies it.

"Hey, you look beautiful tonight." you resist the urge to pull her into your arms even with the whole world watching.

"You don't look so bad yourself. Did you style your hair? It looks great." she praised. "Should we go to eat? I think Bleu just flipped to their bar menu and I'm kinda craving pasta right now."

"Actually...I have something else planned. It's only 6:30 and I think it's still kinda early for dinner, so I have something else planned instead." you smiled mischievously.

"Oh no. What deathly things have you got planned for me." Rebecca's face drained as you chuckled at her expression.

"I'm not telling you, it's a surprise." you flashed a smug grin. "Come on, we'll be late." You grabbed her hand and tangle your fingers with hers. The warmth of her palm radiates onto yours and you can feel the nervousness and sweat running through with each beat of her pulse. But all of that did not bother you. You held her hand tighter even with the sweat binding both hands, you love her too much that you just accept every part of her.

After 15 minutes of waltzing through the artificially lit avenue, you and Rebecca both arrived at an inconspicuous movie theatre. "The cinema? But it doesn't even look like it’s in business." Rebecca frown.

The cinema looks a little out of place compared to the rest of the street. The creamy white façade has witnessed the testimony of time and history, all cracked and shedding off little pieces. But, the neon sign still glows ominously in the shade of red, the building itself it's illuminated with a standalone rustic street lamp and a retro letterbox that's yellowing with age, only one film is showing in bold letters.

"...Roman Holiday? Oh my gosh! D-did you do this?" she's dying to know as curiosity shimmers from her eyes.

"I have my ways." you winked and she playfully slaps your arm to return the gesture.

Upon entering the building, the scenery was so drastically different that you'd almost thought you stepped back in time. Or walked into a Wes Anderson movie set. Your feet landed on the carpet that was once plush and fluffy, vermillion red and sunset orange shades of intricate patterns stretched across the main entrance. The ticket booth stands in the centre of the hall with a two-tier crystal chandelier hanging above on the high rise ceiling. The leather lounge chairs face one another on either side, beige wrinkles and creases etched onto the chestnut seats with time. The pair of you gradually take in the scenery but was soon greeted by the sweet and savoury scent of popcorn. Rebecca's eye lit up with delight.

"Wait here, I'll get us popcorn." Swiftly, you turned and Rebecca's gaze follows. She watches intently as you carry two bags full of popcorn from the kiosk. Her eyes widened in bewilderment. "I didn't know which one you want so I got both." you shrug as she shakes her head in disbelief.

"The film's about to start. Let's go."

You and Rebecca found your seats with ease, considering the fact that only a dozen of people are here for this movie, scattered across the theatre in various age groups, even though you'd thought about having this screening just for the two of you instead. The lights went dim, shading your eyes in pitch blackness, then the screen comes on. The unfamiliar brightness made you squint your eyes as you shield them and blinked several times to get used to the luminosity. Actors appear in black and white, the deliverance of dialogues flows through the auditorium but not to your ears. Your eyes admire Rebecca as she’s fixated on the film. Adoration and excitement glisten in her soul, just like stars, watching this film as if it's the first time. As the story continues to play, the protagonists tour the city of Rome on a scruffy moped, her arms around his waist, riding away in this romantic getaway. You held Rebecca's hand laying on the velvet armrest, a little shock sent up her arm and she looked at your conjoined hands then up to your rosy gaze. Someday, you'd hope to take her to Rome, under the ray of the summer sun, riding on the same vintage moped and reenact the same scene in front of our very own eyes.

"That was such a good film! I haven't had this much fun in so long, I almost forgot what it feels like." she giggles. "I bet I'm going to have a sweet dream tonight."

"You'd think our date ends here? Just after one movie?" you blinked. "Honey, I'm taking you out on a date, not a movie night. We can go anywhere and do anything you want, just say the word."

Rebecca paused. "Anything?"

"Anything," you answered.

Her stomach grumbles and she laughs. "I think the first thing I want is dinner."

You chuckled along. "I think so too. You said you want pasta, right? I know just the place."

Leaving the cinema with the night claiming the light, Rebecca's hand hasn't left yours since halfway through the film, nor does she have the intention to. Everything just felt natural, like puzzle pieces falling in the right place. As you lead the way, a darkened cobbled street came into view as both of you turn a corner, Rebecca couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness.

"A-are you sure this is the right way?" she stammers.

"Trust me. I am 100% sure," you reassure her.

"B-but what if-"

"Ah, we're here!" you voice made Rebecca jolt.

She peeked out from behind your right shoulder, quizzical by what she's seeing whilst tugging on your sleeve, she asked, "A hole in the wall? That was a bit anticlimactic..." a hint of disappointment seeps through.

"Dear, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I thought you taught me that." you tease. Her face pouts but you still find her cute no matter what.

You push the wooden front door which made a stifling groan. Inside, the little restaurant is rustic and oddly homey. Photographs hung on the wall, from monotones transitioning to technicolour, each photograph tells its own story and heartfelt emotions behind it. Your eyes scan each decoration as you move further into the place, bits and pieces collected from around the world and written messages left by visiting customers. The reserved table is located in a less crowded area behind a half wall, just overlooking the rest of the room, an ambience mood under the candlelit atmosphere. Quiet chit-chats and conversions turn to waves of laughter, feeling content in each other's company as dinner went by in a flash. Spending time with Rebecca is every second well spent.

"I hope you still got room for dessert."

"I think you're underestimating my stomach's capacity." she returns the jab.

Flipping between pages, indecisive, Rebecca bites her bottom lip as her finger scans through the list of desserts, unawarely emitting soft 'umm's and 'eh's from her lips, tinted with a glossy shade of chilli red. Trying hard not to laugh at her child-like indecisiveness caused by this inconvenience, to which her brows begun knitting together bit by bit, the corner of your lips can't help but slowly crawled upwards. All the dessert dilemma ended with her favourite, Baked Alaska. The snowy white miniature mountain engulfed in a sea of blue flames, it's a form of entertainment in the shape of a dessert. You and Rebecca filled your stomachs to the brim with food, thus, this concludes the dinner segment you have planned for her.

The touch of the summer breeze caressed your face under the starry night, footsteps in sync with one another as the night winds down with a stroll into empty, midnight street. Silence flows through the air, except for the distant sound of traffic and Rebecca's angelic voice. Shop windows reflect the pair of you, illuminated by neon lights, you wish this moment could last forever. Music could be heard from afar which prompted the curiosity within Rebecca as she ran ahead to listen to the tune more clearly. The playing tune came from a speaker located just outside of the entrance of the theatre. An all-time classic 'Singing in the Rain'. The cheerful melodic song takes the centre stage as the vacant street acts as their audience. Rebecca looks at you with devious gaze in her eyes. You have a bad feeling in your gut as you can almost see the thought that runs in her mind. You shook your head.

"Oh, come on! You promised that I can do anything I want. Please?"

She gave you those pleading puppy eyes, a critical hit to your heart. You battle with your internal self but the latter isn't any good with arguments. You sigh and agreed. Rebecca jumped up in celebration of her little victory and took you by your hand and lead you to the spotlight. Hands behind her back, tapping one foot out to her right; heel, toe, heel and step. Knowing your cue, you followed. With the opposite foot, she repeats the same moves, gliding in the opposite direction and you do the same. One foot at a time, she hops with airy steps with arms flutter at her sides as she glides her footwork in the figure of eight, in time with the beat. Pushing her foot out with pointed toes, her leg lightly sweeps across the concrete floor as she shifts her weight and twirls on the spot. Her matte satin dress spins in the same direction, the seams floats up in a graceful manner as it whirls around like a maypole but it's gravitational pull delays when Rebecca halts to an end with a croisé pose as the song fades.

Mesmerised by the sight of her dance, you stand on the spot and gawk with your jaw hanging wide. Before you can react with applause, she extends out a hand to ask for yours in return. You happily accepted her touch with the heat of your palm. Fingertips tenderly brushed against her shoulder blades and even the slightest touch her skin can make your heart race a thousand beats per minute. With her hand clasped on your waist, she takes the lead. The incandescent bulb echos in her emerald eyes, twinkling like stardusts; each step she takes, you follow along. Moving to the adagio rhythm, Elvis whispering softly about hopelessly falling in love with somebody, swaying side to side in front of the dazzling theatre with half the city fast asleep. You wish the city could watch as both of you dance in the moonlight, but you need no audience, as Rebecca is your whole world. Prompting her right hand, she twirls for you once more, making a long-lasting image imprinted into your memory. Hands delicately raising the edge of her skirt with the pinky finger extended out for emphasise, she dips into a curtsy bowed gracefully towards you and you do so returning the politeness also as graciously as possible.

All seriousness suddenly turns into a bellow of laughter filling up the darkness and drowning out the music. The hilarity persisted until both your stomach muscles ache with a fiery pain and eyes filled to the brink with tears of joy.

"Alright, lemme take you home."

She nodded with a soft smile, strolling together once more, hand in hand. Wasn't long until you looped back to where you've parked your transport. Rebecca eyes the yellow, barely-holding-it-together machinery with uncertainty.

"A...vespa. Can you please make sure I get home in one piece?" she jest.

"Hey! This baby is as safe as a house." you shift just out of earshot and murmur, "Don't listen to her, baby."

"You should get an electric one. You know, to help save the planet."

"Alright, alright...Dr Chambers." she huffs in response.

Tucking strands of hair back into you hat of safety, you popped open the seat, revealing yet another helmet. This one, a cream coloured shell lined with a retro red-blue stripe inspired by 60s aesthetic. You bought this weeks before the date and with the intention that she'll be the only designated passenger. Rebecca picks up the helmet and paused, eyes gazing attentively at it. Internally, you start to panic. Is it too much? Does she hate it? You swallowed hard; your lips quiver as you were about to speak, she cups your cheek as the warmth of her palm spreads before you could register it her lips are pressed onto yours, taking you in by astonishment. Your hands instinctively supported her waist as her body leaned against you on tiptoes, then she pulled away. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but the lingering feeling felt forever. Still living in a daze, she calls out.

"Are you still going to drive me home?"

You snapped out of your daydream and found her already seated on the backside of the Vespa. Gleefully, you skipped your way to the driver's side, almost crashed landed onto the seat, still giggling stupidly to yourself. Sometimes, action speaks louder than words. And that kiss was all you needed. Ignition on, goggles strapped to your face, you yell;

"Hold on tight, babydoll."

The back tire squeals as you take off. Rebecca clutches your midriff for the sake of her life as you race into the twilight full of adrenaline. Engine roaring in the dead of the night amidst the summer wind streamlining around you, streetlights began to form in a strip of fluorescent lines. Her chin rests on your shoulder, squeezing you ever so tighter as the passing signs and billboards reflect off her visor, in shades of pink and purple hue, wondering if she's existing in a virtual dream state. Even though the music had already stopped playing for the both of you, this was once in a lifetime experience that you will remember for eternity.

-----

Bonus:

Love ya ☆

[speakspeak]

Photo by Darrell Godliman on flickr ·  ·  · The exterior of the Grand Mosque of Cordoba has a real patina of age to it (only slightly enhanced with the use of the Topaz Adjust PS Plug-in). From Wikipedia : 'It was the most magnificent of the more than 1,000 mosques in the city and was at one time the second largest mosque in the Muslim world. It was connected to the Caliph's palace by a raised walk-way, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for the islamic rulers of all times. The city in which it was built was subject to frequent invasion and each conquering wave added their own mark to the architecture. The building is most notable for its giant arches, with over 1,000 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple which had occupied the site previously, as well as other destroyed Roman buildings. The double arches, pictured above, were a new introduction to architecture, and helped support the tremendous weight of the higher ceilings. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch. The Mezquita also features richly gilded prayer niches. A centrally located honey-combed dome has beautiful blue tiles decorated with stars. The mihrab is a masterpiece of architectural art, with geometric and flowing designs of plants. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 A.D. with the completion of the outer naves and orange tree courtyard. Patio de los Naranjos, inside the Mezquita. In 1236, Cordoba was recaptured from the Muslim army by King Ferdinand III of Castile and the mosque was reconsecrated a Christian church. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the structure of the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features: Enrique II rebuilt the chapel in the 14th century. The most significant alteration was the construction of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the structure. It was constructed by permission of Carlos V, king of united Spain. Its reversion to a Christian church (officially the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin) may have helped to preserve it when the Spanish Inquisition was most active.'

[hellolibrarygarden]

Creating Ambiance With Gardens

During his 40-year career as a garden writer and photographer, Derek Fell has designed numerous garden spaces, many involving his wife Carolyn. The best example of their work can be seen at their home, historic Cedaridge Farm, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. There, they have designed more than twenty theme areas, including shade gardens, sunny perennial borders, tapestry gardens involving trees and shrubs, a cottage garden, herb garden, cutting garden and an ambitious water garden.

Derek worked as a consultant on garden design to the White House during the Gerald Ford Administration. Derek designed Ford's 'Win' garden, following his 'Win Speech', advising the nation ten ways to fight inflation.

Many garden designs by Derek Fell have been implemented without inspecting the site. The great late architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed beautiful homes for his clients, entirely from photographs without the need for a site inspection.

Fell's garden spaces have been featured in newspapers, magazines, books and also on television, including Architectural Digest, Gardens Illustrated, The Garden (the magazine of the Royal Horticultural Society), Country Gardens, HGTV, QVC and PBS.

Derek has authored more than sixty books and garden calendars, including 550 Home Landscaping Ideas (Simon & Schuster), The Encyclopedia of Garden Design (Firefly Books), The Complete Garden Planning Manual (Friedman), Garden Accents (Henry Holt) and Home Landscaping (Simon & Schuster).

Curb appeal and ambiance are important to brighten up your propoerty or prepare it for sale. Feel free to ask Derek any garden related questions regardless of how big or small.

SOME GARDEN TYPES

Water Garden. Water is the music of nature. It can be tricked over stones, cascaded from a great height so its crashes onto rocks. It can fall in a solid sheet or as silver threads. A beautiful water garden with waterfalls and stepping stones can be located in sunlight or shade. The water garden shown here is located at Cedaridge Farm. It includes a pool for dipping, and it features both a collection of koi and hardy water lilies. A popular water garden design features a koi pool fed by a series of waterfalls, and the water re-circulated through filters to keep the water clear.

Sunny Perennial Border. This can be formal or informal, square, rectangular, round and kidney shaped, in the form of an island bed or backed against a decorative hedge, wall or fence. Plants can be chosen to produce a parade of color through all the seasons, or concentrated for a particular season. Color themes can be polychromatic like a rainbow, monochromatic (for example all white - perfect for a wedding), or it can feature an Impressionist color harmony, such as yellow and purple; orange and blue; red, pink and silver; blue, pink and white; even black and white or black and orange (one of Monet's favorites). A popular perennial garden design is two parallel border with a grass path leading to a focal point such as a sculpture or gazebo.

Tropical Garden. You do not need to live in a frost-free area to have a beautiful tropical garden. At Cedaridge Farm we have two - one is a tribute to the design philosophy of the late Roberto Burle Marx, who designed dramatic tropical gardens around Rio. It is in a lightly shaded area and features plants that are hardy (like 'Sum & Substance' hosta) but look tropical and tender plants that are tender (like banana trees and tree ferns) that either need moving indoors during winter or can be discarded like annuals at the end of the season. Our second tropical space is a patio with tropical plants grown in containers.

Shade Gardens. We design two kinds of shade gardens - one where the plants provide mostly foliage interest (like ferns, hostas, heuchera and hakone grass), and plants that flower well (like impatiens, coleus, and lilies), or a combination of the two.

Woodland Garden. Whether you have existing woodland or you need to create a woodland from scratch, the result can be sensational. Decide whether you want deciduous trees that provide fall color or evergreens that stay green all winter, or a mixture. At Cedaridge we made a 'cathedral' garden where the existing trees are trimmed high so the trunks look like the columns of a cathedral, and the branches arch out to meet overhead like the vaulted ceiling of a cathedral. Below, we provide two more layers of interest, at ground level and the under-story.

Vegetable Garden. We can design you an easy-care garden of raised beds where vegetables are planted in blocks or an edible landscape where edibles are grown for ornamental effect. We can provide the plan for a garden that was approved for the White house during the Ford Administration where Derek Fell worked as a garden consultant. Derek Fell's book, "Vegetables - How to Select, Grow & Enjoy", won a best book award from the Garden Writers Association.

Herb Garden. The herb garden at Cedaridge Farm is a 'quadrant design', feature in numerous calendars and books, including Derek Fell's 'Herb Gardening for Beginners.' We can also provide a cartwheel design or a parterre herb garden for bountiful harvests of fresh herbs. The Herb Garden can also do double-duty as a vegetable garden.

Cutting Garden. The cutting garden at Cedaridge Farm features bulbs such as tulips and daffodils for spring, and ever-blooming annuals to follow the bulbs so armloads of flowers can be harvested from April through October.

Victorian Garden. A garden with romantic overtones! Imagine a white gazebo framed by mostly white flowers for a wedding in the family. Or choose from among several color harmonies, such as yellow and blue, red, pink and silver, or blue, pink and white.

Cottage Garden. You don't need a cottage to have a cottage garden. But if you do, such as a guest cottage, why not wrap it in shrub roses and climbers, plus those delightful English cottage garden plants like poppies, sunflowers and pinks. We also like to include plants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Stream Garden. Lucky you if you have an existing stream to be landscaped. At Cedaridge Farm we have a stream, but when we moved here it was overgrown with poison ivy and brambles. Today it is criss-crossed with bridges, and beds of moisture-loving plants like astilbe and water iris. If you don't have a stream, but would like one, we can create a design where the water is re-circulated along one that's man-made but looks natural.

Orchard. You don't need a lot of space for a productive orchard. By making the right choices, fruit trees can be grown in containers or espaliered against fences and walls to save space. Peaches and apples can be trained over arbors. Just a few plants of small fruits like strawberries and raspberries can be highly productive.

Bog Garden. Ideal for soils that tend to remain moist all season, bog gardens can be extremely colorful and highly imaginative, incorporating stepping stones and bridges to cross wet areas, and growing some of nature's most diverse plant families, such as water iris, Japanese primroses, astilbe and waterlilies.

Japanese Garden. The problem with many Japanese gardens is a tendency to use pseudo-Japanese elements such as Chinese dragons. Derek Fell has twice traveled to Japan, has written award-winning articles about Japanese garden design, and has the experience to design authentic-looking spaces in the Japanese tradition using elements of Zen or Feng Shui, or a combination of the two disciplines to create a magical space.

Italian Garden. Although Italian gardens can be highly ostentatious, requiring steep slopes to achieve the best effect, like the Villa d'Este, near Rome, small spaces can achieve the aura of an Italian garden. Derek Fell has not only visited some of the finest Italian Gardens, such as La Mortola on the Italian coast, and Boboli overlooking Florence, he has toured and photographed the Vatican Gardens.

French Formal Garden. The elaborate style of Versailles Palace and Vaux le Vicompte, may be beyond your means, but elements of French garden design, such as a parterre garden, can be incorporated in small spaces.

Monet's Garden. This beautiful artist's garden north of Paris contains more than a hundred special planting ideas to create what Monet considered his greatest work of art. Moreover, his planting ideas have undoubtedly inspired more new garden design than any other garden. Monet's arched bridge, his waterlily pond, his arches leading to the entrance of his house, and his color harmonies are just some examples of Monet's innovation that people today like to emulate.

[this-lioness]

Quaranmemes for Quarantines

Tagged by @reallyginnyf​ <3  Putting this under a cut since it’s pretty much doubling as my weekend wrap-up as well.

when was the last time you left your home? On Thursday I had to run a few quick no-contact errands -- dropped a bulk mailing off on the rear platform at the post office, deposited a Fedex envelope into one of their pickup boxes, and then ran some miscellaneous groceries over to my Mom’s house.  Today I went for a run, but only around the neighborhood, so that doesn’t feel like it counts. 

what was the last thing you bought? I’ve actually been doing a bit of online shopping lately -- bought a sewing machine (still need to sit down and set it up), a gas-powered pressure washer (arrived today), a new bathroom scale and a vacuum sealer.  Last thing we bought in-store were some small necessities from Walmart.

is quarantine driving you insane or are you finally relaxed? This is tough to answer, because I’m never actually relaxed.

I worry about someone in my immediate family getting sick, but beyond that the quarantine doesn’t really trouble me.  I’m largely a homebody, and honestly this has kept us from a lot of unnecessary spending, so all the places I’d probably be going would just be buying shit that we really don’t need. I think my anxiety only ramps up when we have to go somewhere, like when my parents need groceries, and we have to go through the whole process of masks and gloves and fully decontaminating everything once we get home.  We have it down to a science, but it’s still a whole process.

But I’m frankly enjoying the time at home.  I’m a very “routine” person -- I’m comforted by having lists of things I need to do, and places to put things, and then doing it all by rote.  We worked very hard to make our house be a place where we enjoy being, creating, relaxing and working, and now we’re reaping the benefit of all those things.

who are you spending quarantine with? My husband Marc and all the cats.  I only see my parents long enough to drop things off at their house.

do you have pets to keep you company? We have three of our own -- Bones, Spencer and Rosie -- plus two fosters, Baby and Blue.  There is also a semi-feral cat, Fidget, that we feed and care for, and he occasionally spends a night inside if it’s particularly cold or wet out.

what are your current responsibilities? We’re both very fortunate in that we are fully capable of working from home, and both our employers are in full gear.  Mine is actually busy enough to need to hire new people for the sudden influx of work, apparently. So I work my “day job” during the day, and when I’m not working I’m cleaning and doing laundry, trying to keep our chest freezer topped up with ready-to-prepare meals, a lot of organizing and a bit of gardening.  I really need to sit down and do something creative, although my muse has been completely dead for... longer than I’d care to admit.  I’m going to give it a bit of a try tonight, though, so we’ll see.

Just lately I’ve been on a purging spree.  Thursday, Friday and yesterday I cleaned out every corner of the art room / office and made three piles of craft supplies to give away.  I also gathered together two enormous bags of various clothes and gave that away as well.  My next step is probably to switch out my winter wardrobe for the summer stuff, although we’re expecting a good week of cold, rainy weather so... maybe not quite yet.

do you have a room to yourself? Well, if I ever needed time to myself I could certainly find it.  The art room / office is unoccupied when we’re not working, and when we are I can always come down to the living room or go into the bedroom with my laptop, or I’ve got a little “writing chair” in the dining room, by the back patio, that’s nice to sit in.  I can be content anywhere in the house, basically.

are you exercising? I wasn’t, but a few days ago I decided to change that.  I need to get better control over my physical well-being (and self-image), so I made myself a little weight / diet log, included columns for water intake and exercise, and signed up for a “virtual 5k”.  Today it was just warm enough to get outside, so I went for a run.  Technically we went for a run, but Marc got winded not too far into it and had to head home again.  I grabbed my earbuds and went back out.

Got in 2.27 miles before deciding to head back home.  Because the weather is going to be shitty I plan to kick the fosters out of their room for at least 45 minutes every day so that I can get some treadmill time in.  With any luck we’ll shortly have space cleared in the attic so that we can do yoga and maybe barre as well.  

town, country, city? We’re in a semi-rural suburb in Bucks County, PA.  It’s... suburban, but very very blue collar, and there’s plenty of farms around, large and small.

how’s your toilet paper supply? We seem to be OK.  I am a prepper by nature, and I made sure to stock up before things started to get bad.  I’m also being very mindful of how much I use, which helps.  I’m more worried about my folks, who blow through resources like crazy, but I don’t think it’s terribly hard to come by as long as you can get to a store.

what’s the worst thing that you had to cancel? I was a bit bummed about the Colin Firth concert being cancelled in the early part of this month.  That was going to be a nice night out.

To be very honest, my biggest regret is that we took on the fosters when we did.  No one in this area is in a position to adopt two cats, and to be honest... they’re not very good fosters.  Blue is friendly and outgoing, she likes to play, but she’s not cuddly -- she’s not really interested in being petted or held and doesn’t seem to want to sit in your lap for very long.

Baby likes Marc well enough, but she continues to run from me whenever she sees me, and forget about coming up for a cuddle.  She’s just... fucking miserable.

We’re also giving up on trying to integrate them with our cats.  They don’t have very good “cat manners” (they have no sense of personal space and will get right up in the other cats’ business), and the two of them have twice now gone after Rosie in what was a semi-playful, semi-aggressive manner that she definitely did not appreciate, so that’s the end of that.

It would be different if they got along with our cats, or if they were cuddly, but Blue is the only one that I’d consider truly adoptable.  Baby is fucking miserable and I have no idea how the fuck we’re going to adopt them out.  I’m desperately trying to find someone that can take them, but I don’t have a good feeling, and I honestly don’t know what we’re going to do long term.  It was a mistake taking them in, and I regret it, but I’ve got to find a way to deal with it now.

what’s the best thing you’ve had to cancel? This is going to sound terrible but... we were planning on going to a “Return of the Living Dead” convention in June.  Had tickets, a hotel, everything.  Technically it’s still on -- they haven’t cancelled the event yet -- but we’ve agreed we won’t be going, even if it’s still on in June.  Too much of a risk.

In theory this was going to be super fun, and I actually was excited about it, but... honestly, going to so many comic cons has really burned me out on other people who attend conventions, and the idea of being around mobs of people acting like smelly, poorly socialized assholes about something that I genuinely love was kind of stressing me out.

I didn’t want to see something that I love gatekept, I didn’t want to be “fake geek girled” about it by somebody with B.O. and no social awareness.  It was starting to stress me out. So I’m sad that we won’t be going, but glad that I don’t have to stress out about it.

who do you miss the most? My boss, I guess?  He was fun to hang out with and bullshit with, and we can’t really do that the same way that we did when we were in the office together.  I’m pretty lukewarm on everybody else I used to see in person day to day.

do you have any new hobbies? Ugh, please, I already have so many fucking hobbies.   Uh. Well, I did buy the sewing machine, so... :/  Let me get it set up and actually sew something before I start calling it a hobby, though.

what are you watching the most? Marc and I have been binge-watching Ozark and a show called Futureman, which are both compelling and extremely difficult to watch in different ways.  I’m still waiting on new content from the lady that lives in Japan, haha... this is probably a good opportunity to go back and watch whatever videos I haven’t seen yet.

are you still going to work? Remotely, yes, every day.  I’m actually using the time to try and get myself better organized and establish good work habits and routines that I can carry through to when things start to normalize.

what are you out of? Mmm... nothing, I don’t think?  I’m getting low-ish on yeast, since I’ve been baking so much, but I’m not even really low on that yet.  I’ve tried to do a “dried cranberry yeast starter” but I’m not convinced it took... I need to drain off the yeast liquid and add some flour tonight, see if it grows or if it’s a dud.  

have you made any changes to your hair during quarantine? I trimmed my bangs about a week ago, I think, because they were getting frustratingly long.  Fortunately I didn’t butcher them too badly.  Today I helped Marc give himself a trim, and he’s looking quite dapper again, so I guess we’re not in too bad of a shape.  I chopped my hair to the shoulders back before the quarantine so it would have to get much, much longer before it became problematic for me, and even then.  I’m still debating if I even want to color my grays at all, so I’m not concerned about “touching up roots” or anything like that.  I am what I am. 

Not tagging anyone because A) I’m terrible at tagging, B) Most of the people I follow that are “real people” and not just content-posting accounts are mutuals of one another.  If you want to participate, please consider yourself tagged.

[mclennand]

#lakeliving #lakehouses #nearUofI #waterfrontproperty #lakeproperty #fullbrickhome

[ontherockswithsalt]

A Guy With A Secret

/Part One/ /Part Two/ /Part Three/ /Part Four/ /Part Five/ /Part Six/ /Part Seven/ /Part Eight/ /Part Nine/ /Part Ten/ /Part Eleven/ /Part Twelve/ /Part Thirteen/ /Part Fourteen/ /Part Fifteen/ /Part Sixteen//Part Seventeen/ /Part Eighteen/

Part Nineteen.

I wake up to the glow of late afternoon sun and the breeze from a ceiling fan on my skin.

It was one of those naps where I slept so hard, I've lost all concept of time and my surroundings. It's quiet except for the soft hum of a lawnmower somewhere off in the distance.

I still feel heat on my shoulders from a day spent in Noble's pool, on his back patio. There we had an easy afternoon -- him, Bianca and me. All of us just catching up. Bianca wanted to hear New York stories. She missed it all so badly. Pizza from Lucali, her guilty pleasure of The Post on Sundays, and the overall hustle of the city were all just a past life. And she hadn't been back once.

It was easier than I thought to just be with Noble. Without this buzzing anticipation, without holding my breath for the next look from him. Having his sister there diffused most of that and it was just like three friends, wistful about Brooklyn, wading lazily through the water, and laughing at the stories we had about one another.

Although Noble in swim trunks -- not my favorite blue ones, but what's become a close second favorite, this equally ridiculous pair with red, white, and blue popsicles all over them -- is a weakness for me I haven't shaken. But I noticed more than one lingering look from him as well and I felt like it kept us even.

Afterward, we retreated inside and since Noble promised a party, I made the call to lay down for a while in the heat of late day.

His guest room is pretty simple, doubling as sort of an office, with a bed, a desk and minimal furniture. The pinstriped sheets smell good -- not like him, but like laundry detergent and I'm in no rush to pull myself out of this naptime cocoon I've burrowed into.

Eventually I shift on my back and summon the energy to find my phone. It's there on the nightstand, showing me it's just past five o’clock. I read a few articles while my brain clears away the drowsy haze and finally I begin to feel like that nap made a dent for the better in my state of mind.

When I make my way out of the room and down the hall, I find Noble in the kitchen. It's smaller than his kitchen in the penthouse, but bright with nearly an entire wall of windows at his sink where he stands washing something.

Under my t-shirt, I absently run my palm up to scratch my chest and offer a sleepy “Hey.”

He turns around, glancing over at me as he sets a cutting board on the countertop. “Hey. Did you get some sleep?”

“I did.” I come closer, swinging my arms across my chest and lean my weight back against the counter’s edge beside him. “Something about a nap after swimming. It's good stuff.”

“Those are the best.”

“What about you?”

“I kicked back for a little bit but not really.”

Nodding, I glance around the room. “Where's Bianca?”

“She went home. Just to get ready and whatever for tonight.” Then he props his hands against the counter, his arms straight and looks at me. There's this thick, uneasy air between us and for a moment, I don't breathe.

I taste my bottom lip and nod again.

Then he just laughs this hiss of air and drops his chin, shaking his head.

“What?” I wonder.

“I’m just-- having some regrets, that's all.”

“What regrets? Me being here?”

“No. More like setting these fucking boundaries with you. As if that's gonna keep me from… y’know.”

“From what?”

He looks up at me and the playful glow there makes my throat feel tight. “Wanting you.”

I can't help it. The corner of my mouth twitches and I set my gaze on him. “But you did set boundaries.”

“Well that was stupid,” he reasons.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because… you leave tomorrow.”

“I know,” I murmur, chewing on my lip.

“And I'm weak.”

A soft laugh escapes with my smile.

“And I miss you.”

“Oh damn.” My brows draw together, teasing him with this judgmental look. “You are weak.”

“You walk out here all… cute and sleepy, with your hair a mess and I'm just trying to make some damn pesto--”

“I see.” God, I want him too. All this buildup and time apart, and then I finally see him but his sister tagging along didn't exactly make for the reunion I had imagined.

And now we're alone and I can't help but keep my foot on those brakes he insisted on. If only to torture him a bit

Arching an eyebrow, I glance upward and run a hand across my head. “What's going on with my hair?”

“You've got some pretty good sex hair happening.”

Dragging my palm across my face, over my eyes, I hum in amusement. “Yeah I wish that's what it was from--”

Noble exhales hard, as if defeated, and pushes himself away from the counter. He lets out an exaggerated groan in frustration and it makes me laugh.

“But--” I continue, taking the opportunity to slide into the space he just made. Baiting him, my tongue clicks inside my cheek and I inhale deep. “Someone drew the line on that.”

“No, no I didn't.” He returns to his spot but now he's right in front of me. “I drew no lines.”

I move to stand up straighter, lessening our height difference. “You did though.”

“I take it back.”

“You can't take that back.” I say in a low chuckle. “You decided before I came here--”

He shakes his head. I feel the way his gaze falls down my face, along the column of my throat, then he murmurs, “Don't listen to me.”

“That this visit should be--” And then I lean into him, provoked by how shamelessly needy he's being because I'm into it. “Chill, no pressure whatever.” With my grip still on the edge of the counter behind me, I ease forward and my mouth just barely ghosts across his.

Easily, he falls against me but I move away before his lips can capture mine. He huffs a discouraged breath. “Yeah, but that doesn't mean lines were drawn.”

“Seemed that way to me.”

“Well fuck that and please kiss me.” The way his lips part and his gaze follows my every teasing move, waiting for me, is hot as hell.

I come closer once more, only tasting his impatient breath before I deny him. “I don't know,” I muse before my head tilts and I find the side of his neck instead. “I'm a pretty good rule follower.”

My lips graze the underside of his jaw and I feel Noble quickly suck in air and hold it. Then I kiss him further down his throat, slowly making my way along the heat of his pulse.

He tips his head back and lets out this gravelly moan that I feel vibrate on my tongue. “I don't know what rules you think you're following, but okay,” he manages.

I almost give in to his familiar taste, the warmth of his skin, and just say fuck it right now. But I can't let myself.

Later his house will be full of people, one of those being his sister, and then what are we supposed to do?

“No, no, no.” I mutter my resolve against his neck then ease back to look at him. “We had it right just doing the friend thing. You were right.”

His hands go to my hair where he combs fingers. I can feel him channeling some frustration in the way he closes his grip there. “I'm fine doing the friend thing,” he sighs. “I just want you on top of me and I want all your clothes off. Whatever you want to call that.”

With a laugh, I glance up at him, then press my lips together. “I would, but-- you know, your sister found that picture, and she'll get suspicious tonight if we don't get ourselves in check here.”

There's a line drawn between his brows when he twists his lips to the side and hums this muffled whimper. “I don't care what she thinks. And you're such a fucking tease.”

One more time, I lean in and snap my teeth on the curve of his neck, where it meets the collar of his t-shirt. I bite there, prompting a loud, throaty groan from him before I pull away. “I am a little bit.”

“Just kill me,” He decides, running his hand over his face and he manages to step back from me. “Like, please.”

I laugh and smack a friendly pat on the center of his chest. “Brakes on, remember?”

“Yeah, I hate it.” He grumbles, scratching a hand through his hair as he peers down.

I push myself off the counter and move around him. “What are you making pesto for?”

He sighs. “Dinner.”

I assess his countertop, the ingredients along with his supplies set out. “There's like, a blender involved. You were getting serious out here.”

“That's a food processor.” He corrects me, a smile finally pulling at his cheek. He returns to the basil leaves he has piled on a paper towel, packing them into the bowl there.

“Oh, excuse me.”

“I didn't want to turn it on while you were sleeping.” He reaches for a cup set aside of nuts and adds them in. “But now I'm realizing that was way too nice of me.”

I smile, fighting the urge to squeeze his side and I lean against the counter instead. “Can I help?”

This humorless laugh huffs out of him and he tries to deny a grin as he points to the back of the house. “Go fix your hair. And put on real clothes so you don't look so goddamn fuckable--”

My teeth dig into my bottom lip, amused by his emphatic instructions. With hands raised in surrender, I start to back out of the kitchen.

“And then come back and mince some garlic.”

I lift one hand, touching fingertips to the edge of my brow in an informal salute. “Yes, sir.”

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This is an all-original 1957 mid-century in Houston, Texas. 3bds, 2.1ba, $499,900. It's a lot fancier than the standard MCM.

The entrance has a beautiful stone floor and 2 decorative walls separate it from the living room.

There's a spacious open floor plan with a round fireplace in the middle, flanked by 2 decorative walls.

Part of the living room has round walls.

Features also include columns and small windows near the ceiling.

The fireplace is double-sided so the formal living room is on this side in front of the large picture window.

The informal living room is around the other side by the semi-circle of columns. The carpeting covers the living room floors, then switches to hard flooring.

The open concept continues through to a dining area and a built-in desk.

The kitchen is immediately off the everyday dining area.

It's a very large kitchen, all original. I like the blue counters.

This is nice. The cabinets could use a refinishing and they'd be beautiful.

The formal dining room is off to the side of the open living area with a step-up and two fancy railings. It has quite a large chandelier and wainscoting.

This room is large and isn't being used. I don't think it's a bedroom, but it could be.

Wow, a bath with original cabinetry and a stone wall. Look at that- a pink toilet to match the tiles. Usually the toilets have been replaced by new white ones.

Definitely an unused bedroom.

The primary bedroom is huge. I've never seen a built-in vanity and sink in an MCM primary.

Check out the bath with the tile sunken tub and a stone feature.

Enclosed shower with a patterned glass door.

It has a big walk-in closet, too.

Sizeable laundry room with a sink.

Plus a nice guest powder room. Like the gray sink.

Garage, patio and grassy area share a space.

https://circaoldhouses.com/property/mid-century-modern-houston-swankienda-2/

[architectnews]

Amos Goldreich Architecture adds timber-framed extension to Framework House in London

Pale timber ribs characterise the interior of this white-brick extension, which local studio Amos Goldreich Architecture has added to the rear of a north London home.

Named Framework House, the asymmetrical extension to the semi-detached home was designed to replace a dated conservatory.

Amos Goldreich Architecture has added a white-brick extension to a London home

It also opened up an existing gloomy kitchen space described by Amos Goldreich Architecture as "like walking into a cupboard".

"The owners wanted to update the property in a way that would maximise the available space and reconnect different areas while leaving them clearly defined," explained the studio.

The extension has an exposed wooden frame

Framework House's exposed timber structure is used to demarcate the new areas while keeping them open and connected.

The new spaces include a kitchen and seating area, positioned underneath the wooden ribs and separated by a run of columns that double as open shelves.

Wooden frame defines the new spaces in the house

A large dining table, additional storage spaces and a bathroom occupy the adjoining space within the existing house, which blends seamlessly with the extension.

These are connected to the home's entrance hall via a doorway that creates a visual link between the front door and the garden.

Timber was used to create open shelves in the extension

The light tone of the wooden structure is complemented by white walls and contrasted with deep blue cabinets that line the edge of the kitchen.

"We chose to keep the interiors fresh, calm and clean so our clients could adapt their future interior design choices easily without the need to renovate the space again," said the studio's director Amos Goldreich.

The extension features a large projecting window with a seat

Framework House's kitchen opens onto a grey brick-paved patio in the garden, which echoes the pale brickwork of the extension.

The garden can also be enjoyed through a projecting metal window box that is deep enough to be used as a seat.

Read:

Simon Astridge adds white-brick extension to refurbished Victorian house

"Bringing in natural light and creating views into the garden where the clients' children often spend time playing were both important elements of the brief," explained the studio.

"A large box window in the centre of the sitting room offers views from both the sitting area and dining table, meaning the clients can keep an eye on the children while working or relaxing."

Inside, light finishes are contrasted with blue kitchen units

Framework House is complete with two skylights that bring further natural light into the home, as well as a flat sedum roof that appears to merge with the garden when viewed from the first-floor bedrooms.

Other recently completed London extensions include a brick-clad gabled extension to a Victorian house in Camden by VATRAA, and an extension in Lower Clapton by Yellow Cloud Studio that adds a bright new kitchen and dining area to a terraced house.

A doorway visually connects the front of the house to the rear garden

Amos Goldreich Architecture is an architecture studio founded by Goldreich in London in 2010.

Elsewhere, the studio designed The Ada and Tamar De Shalit House, which is a shelter for victims of domestic violence near Tel-Aviv featuring a secluded garden courtyard.

The photography is by Ollie Hammick. 

The post Amos Goldreich Architecture adds timber-framed extension to Framework House in London appeared first on Dezeen.

[davidaustin-love]

Trasfit 4 Pieces Miniature Fairy Garden Stone House - Mini Fairy Cottage House for Garden & Patio Decoration - Accessories for Home Decoration Outdoor Décor (4 Stone House)

Home decorate  Moving into a new home can be one of life’s great joys, but it can also be a time of uncertainty, especially when it comes to decorating. How do you make your space look its best while reflecting your personal sense of style? Do it well and you’ll end up with a comfortable, happy home. Do it poorly and you’ll end up with a hodge-podge of furniture, fabrics and paint colors that never congeal into a pleasing whole. With a little planning, and by following the same steps used by professional interior designers, you’ll have a much greater chance of success.   Interior Decoration: Laying the Groundwork To reach the finish line, you first have to know where you’re going. Don't Start in the Furniture Store Many have heard the advice to avoid grocery shopping when you’re hungry, because it leads to poor choices. The same holds true for furniture stores – don’t go shopping in a panic, just because you have an empty home. Yes, you need a sofa. But if you pick the pink-striped sectional just because you like it in the store, without taking measurements or thinking about the rest of the room, you’re stuck with it. The rest of the room will have to be built around that sofa, and if it’s too large for the space it will look forever awkward. Start in the room you’re looking to furnish, armed with a measuring tape and a notepad. Know Your Measurements Matching the scale of furniture to the scale of a room is critical. A deep sectional sofa can easily overpower a small room and svelte chairs can get lost in a wide-open loft. Before you start designing, measure the length and width of each room you intend to decorate, along with the ceiling height and elements that could get in the way – stairs, columns, radiators and other obstructions. It’s also a good idea to measure window openings, along with the wall space below, above and to the sides of each one, to get ready for window coverings. “The first mistake most people make is that they buy things that are the wrong size – sofas that don't fit in the room, sofas that don't fit through doorways, tables that are too small, desks that are too big, nightstands that hang into the doorway,” said David Kleinberg, founder of the New York interior design firm David Kleinberg Design Associates. Carefully measuring your space can help avoid such problems.   Create a Floorplan Once you have the measurements of your room, it’s time to put them to use with a floor plan that gives you a bird’s eye view of the entire home. “Every job should start with a floor plan,” said Alexa Hampton, the president of Mark Hampton, the New York interior design firm founded by her father. “You need to know the space.” One option is to draw a floor plan the old-fashioned way, with paper, a pencil and a ruler. However, most professional designers use drafting software like AutoCAD. In between those two extremes are apps that aim to make it easy for homeowners to create simple floor plans (some even automate measurements with your smartphone’s camera, but double-check those numbers), including Magicplan, Floor Plan Creator and RoomScan Pro. Once you have the outline of the space, start experimenting with the placement of furniture, making sure that the footprint of each piece is scaled to match the size of the drawing. Decide How You Want to Live This is the tricky part, and there are no right or wrong answers. Rooms can be traditional or modern, formal or relaxed, and visually warm or cool. “To the best of your ability, you have to try to discern how you would like to live in a given space,” said Ms. Hampton. “What will you be doing? How many people live there? Are there children? What are your ambitions for how you would like to live?” The decoration of a home for someone who regularly hosts large dinner parties, for instance, should be different from a home for someone who eats out at restaurants every night. The person who plans to host lavish fundraisers should have a different living room than the person who dreams only of crashing in front of the TV. Copy the Pros Look in design books and magazines, as well as at online resources like Houzz, Pinterest and Instagram to sharpen your personal style. “Figure out the style that you respond to most,” said Brad Ford, an interior designer in New York City, and develop a dossier of favorite images. Once you have images you like, study the details, advised Mr. Kleinberg. “See where pattern is used versus where solids are used, and where color can be used successfully or not,” he said. It will also help inform everything from the type of furniture you might like to a potential strategy for window coverings.   Tape It Out To take ideas on a floor plan one step farther, use painter’s tape in the real space to outline where furniture will be placed on floors and against walls. “We use blue tape on the floor to box out different elements,” said Anne Maxwell Foster, an owner of the New York interior design firm Tilton Fenwick. “Where will the rug be? Does it need to be cut? How far is the coffee table coming out? Even though we have everything down to a sixteenth of an inch on a furniture plan, there's something helpful about visualizing it in the space, and being able to walk around.” Develop a Budget There’s no getting around the math: If you splurge on an unexpectedly expensive chair, you’ll have less money available for the rest of the home. “You want to make sure you're being strategic about how you spend your money,” said Mr. Ford. “A budget gives you a roadmap for how to divide the costs of things between rooms.” You can still make an exception if you find a one-of-a-kind dining table, he noted, but in order to pay for it you have be thoughtful about where else you can cut back. Plan the Phases Finishing drywall, refinishing hardwood floors and painting ceilings is all messy work. If at all possible, it’s better to have this type of work completed before moving any furniture or accessories into the space. If it can’t be avoided, seal large furniture under plastic drop cloths and accessories in boxes with tape to protect them. Read More About Planning Your Decor

Home decorate