Halloween was a Hoot, now back to bidness...

To have the priveledge of living in a house like The 602, I am more than happy to embellish the facade for Halloween. I spent a good three hours decorating the front porch and yard on Friday afternoon, and the crowd never seemed to cease. Probably around 300 children graced our front steps, and the nearly $90 worth of candy I purchased was whittled down to just a few handfuls that are now tempting me each time I walk past the bowl. We had Bethanie and Charles help us hand out treats (and douse the children with the hidden fog machine at the top of the steps), and then later on, Steve and Lynne brought their kids, their kids' friends, and one of the kids' friend's Mother... at about the time we wrapped up our treating. One thing about it being on a Friday night this year, I was uncharacteristically partaking of the spirits. I paid for it this morning, too. I'm a lightweight, so when one considers the two beers (actually, Irish Red ale), and the entire bottle of vino that I consumed, I was toast by the end of the eve.

Today, I have spent the majority of the day in the attic. Not your typical attic, I should add. The 602 boasts an attic the size of the average American home. Some 2000 square feet, with ceilings that reach around 14 feet (give or take), at it's highest point. My plan is to have the attic become a landing spot for much of the boxed goods that are scattered about the house. Some things will land there permanently, such as luggage and wrapping paper, and empty boxes, and Holiday themed stuff... but some things just need to have a place to land for a little while.

Since we repainted all of the upstairs last summer, things have never gotten to a state of normalcy, simply because of the sheer volume of 'stuff'. If I can get most everything up there that is now in our way, I plan to have the main house completely staged for normal living by Christmas*. Perhaps my library will not be painted by then, but to have The 602 livable in each room will do my psyche a heaping bit of good.

Last week was mid-term grade reports, and I am very pleased to say that in Accounting, I have a very solid "A", and in Business Law, I have a "B". Since getting back into the swing of school while working full time, I cannot imagine the folks who take a full load and still work. I realize that my two classes may be more time consuming than they are difficult, but these 6 credit hours are whipping my be-hind! Of course, my job is somewhat demanding of my time too... so I suppose it's a combination of both that are doing their number on me.

I guess that's it..... Check out the picture of the chandelier I installed in the front hall last weekend! Very blingy.























I installed a dimmer switch on it just before trick or treaters arrived last night, so that made the mood of The 602 even more dark and mysterious!!!

?1915?

Our neighbors, Ron and Leigh Linton, brought over this photocopied photo of The 602. I am thinking that it is probably around 1915.

The Black Friday fire of 1913 that destroyed much of downtown, the courthouse and the east side of the Quapaw-Prospect neighborhood also damaged The 602. When new(1887-1892), she was a grand Queen Anne Victorian covered in gingerbread trim, a tall hip roof, and I'm certain that the rondelle had a pointed turret, too.

Well, as evidenced by signs of fire in the attic, I'm thinking that the roof either burned off ... or was damaged to the point of being replaced. And the house underwent a total renovation, not only to repair the burn damage, but to also add indoor plumbing and electricity. It was at that time that (according to the version of the story we've been told) that Dr. Collings decided to make the house as fire-proof as possible. Hence... the stone facade & the Craftsman/Prairie inspired lines that she carries through to this day. Notice how prominently the large Frank Lloyd Wright inspired porch planter stands out on the corner of the front porch.

The lines of the Queen Anne aren't completely lost, though are toned down significantly. I can imagine lots of lattice work for the house's underpinning... lightning rods on the tips of the turret and hips... and lots of scroll cut trim work... all cut to perfection and painted 10 different colors. Can you see it??? Nevertheless, she's still a grand old home. A hybrid of sorts...

Perhaps a Craftsman Queen??????

Artful Dilemmas

The hallways have awaited a response from either of us since being painted and refinished, to display the multitude of artwork that is begging to be hung. The stumbling block for us has been what method to use, and the cute cartoon above clearly demonstrates our angst, but finding the appropriate hardware has been an exhaustive process. We clearly want to use a picture hanging system that blends into the period of the house (1887-1892), but just about all I can find up to now has been more of what one might find in a home fully appointed by Ikea. (I enjoy that look, but only if it can blend... which here, it will not.)

I'll try and remember to take some before and after photos...

What Lies Beneath?

To the idiots who thought that covering the plaster and lathe in a vintage Victorian home was a good idea... oh the SHAME! And to the real estate agents who not only sold this home to Joe and Kris, but were also the owner/occupants at the time of the sale who told them that ALL of the walls were plaster and lathe beneath the floral vomit wallpaper - that they hanged themselves... may you burn in realtor hell.

Yep, you heard right. We began work on bedroom 2 on Monday, and on that morning, as I prepared the room for our painter Steve to begin work, I realized that beneath the insanely wild floral wallpaper was a quarter-inch thick laminated nightmare. 1970's era, dark brown paneling.

Don't get me wrong. Paneling has its appropriate place and use (I'm not sure where nor when, necessarily..) but it certainly is not appropriate for use and placement in an 1892 Victorian with original plaster and lathe walls.

So began the process of deciding if we were in fact ready to face what lay beneath the paneling and possibly have to spend our budget for the entire remodel of the house for the repair of plaster in one room, or just do our best for now, cover it - disguise it as best we can, then come back to it at a later date.

We chose the latter. So guess what I'll be doing over the long weekend? If you guessed "Attempting to disguise fucking paneling", then you're absolutely 100% correct!

Preview

The Master Bedroom is nearly complete. Here_is_a_reminder of how it used to look. Yesterday, Charles helped me move the essential furniture into it, and Joe and I were able to spend our first night in the new boudoir. I made sure to dress the bed in the new 1000 thread-count linens. Pure Heaven. Here are a few preview pics with more to come after the room is accessorized completely:





























Note the painted door behind the bed... so as to hide it. We do not use it (it leads into the adjoining bedroom) and I think it was a great idea to do that. The bed would not have worked as well against any other wall. I suppose it could have worked in the bay, but the headboard is high enough that it would block access to the windows.

I am glad that Joe and I thought about the chandelier for this room. It's Checkoslovakian. I do not know how old...but thinking from the 1930's. Charles re-wired and hung it for us. It definitely needs a dimmer switch now.

We Took The Dogs

out for a walk last night. Our path followed the usual route: the historic Jewish Levi Hospital, turn of the century Victorian dollhouses-three in a row-that are appropriately called "The Three Sisters", then into the commercial district of downtown. We passed by a private courtyard on Exchange Street that I had just noticed for the first time. (I'll try and get a photo soon). It's amazing how there are several little treatlets in this town, undiscovered, even though I've called it home since 1994.

And when our walk led us past The Aristocrat, I sidestepped the slippery grates... much like Dick VanDyke sidestepped the ottoman. Well, no...but given the memory of the pain from falling horizontally atop it, I woulda if'n I needed to.

We came upon several of the new antique shops on the upper end of Central Avenue. Several of them really did their windows well, as they stopped us dead in our tracks. Saw a couple of palace-size urns (Asian) complete with their wood stands, a sterling trimmed crystal pitcher for $1000, and two very cool Yugoslavian beaded lamps (Joe sucked air when he saw the peacock). It was gorgeous. Couldn't see the price tag, though. I may go back and check when the shop is open...just to know. We've got several other Yugoslavian beaded lamps and they are real treats to the eye. Especially if they're the only illumination in a dark room. Intricate, delicate and feasts of color.

We (I) noticed the coolest lighting scheme in that shop. There were cables stretched across the room in pairs-about 4" apart. Along these cables were many small light fixtures that were aimed directly at the artwork. I made mention at how little impact that lighting scheme has on the structure, i.e no holes cut into the ceilings or walls. The fixtures were either halogen or LED.Joe lit up with curiosity, as we've been discussing how to illuminate all of the artwork upstairs... and to add additional lighting, as it is indeed a VERY dark house.

Morning Light

Morning sunlight rarely comes through this glass. The opposing side, once an open porch, was enclosed around 1908. Yesterday, I decided I would open the window coverings within that room, just so I could see the light coming through the glass this morning. Ahh...just as it should be.

The window sits just above a landing on the stairway-five risers from the top...and what seems like 50 from the bottom. And btw, the crazy floral wallpaper will have a short life now. ALL the wallpaper is a comin' down - right along with the crappy-do popcorn.

Working on the bedroom today

Some weeks ago, I had taken-on the task of removing the tragic popcorn ceiling in the bedroom that we plan to take over as the Master bedroom. Today, I take up the task again-repairing the ceiling drywall prior to repainting. The walls are still the original plaster & lathe, and I will be repairing them as well.

The room is nicely sized, with a bay window. Within the bay is a set of french doors which will allow us access to a deck, which is our main reason in making this bedroom our own.