The final corner of the inside of the house now has new paint! From the upstairs bathroom to the downstairs “wet bar” area took 104 days and 13.5 gallons of paint (Kelly Moore Frost, low sheen). Without my routine of patching and washing walls, taping, prepping, brushing, rolling and clean up, I won’t know what to do with myself on the weekends. And without 4-6 hours of stretching, squatting and lifting heavy objects, I’ll have to go back to regular exercise. On to the next project!

From the Pickle Barrel
McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica was my home away from home in the late 70s – early 80s. I found this pick while cleaning and it brought back memories of the “pickle barrel” (take up to 5 picks for free), John Zehnder the master luthier, the back room stage, walls full of harp guitars and other oddities. Good times.

Finishing Touches
On May 4th, we started our home improvement project, in preparation for putting our home of 20 years up for sale. From the humble first step of painting the bathroom, we have progressed through re-roofing, deck repair, exterior painting, a front door portico and winding gravel walkway. As I write this there are only three walls and a patch of ceiling that remain unpainted inside and the portico needs a few square feet of shingles.
We expect to be listed by the end of August, which launches us into the next phase of our move-down-the-hill adventure and the ongoing question, “what have I gotten myself into?”
Here are a few more exterior photos. Click to enlarge.
Old Habits Die Hard

Room emptied for painting but this is where Gussie sleeps, damnit.
First New Hot Rize Studio Album in 25 Years
Coming to Strawberry Music Festival in September! Listen below.






