Inside Out

Every once in a while, an image captures your attention and you can’t let it go. After dreaming about this photograph last night, I thought I’d throw it up here and see what you have to say about this "down to earth" home.

“The idea of having a sand floor was to bring the outside in, to live naturally. It’s very calming, which is what my wife Andreia, and I wanted in a beach house. We picked Comporta in Portugal, an hour south of Lisbon, with its wild beaches full of birds and dolphins but very few people. The original inhabitants fished and grew rice. They picked straw at river’s edge, and built small houses with compacted earth floors. This was the tradition; you cannot build anything new. Our architects at Aires Mateus could only rebuild what was there, because it’s a preserve. When our kids, Joao and Maria, go into the house, they play like they are on the beach, with shovels and buckets. A cleaning lady comes in; she goes over the sand with a big rake. And no, you don’t need to wear shoes. There is a heated concrete floor underneath, so even in winter, the sand is warm.” ~ Joao Rodrigues, Coastal Living

For more information, visit CasaNaAreia.

Credit: Gaelle Le Boulicaut

Lessons From A (Pet) Heron

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, Let’s Party!” ~ Robin Williams

With all the rain, the flowers are bursting, the grass is growing, and the birds have renewed their vow to come back and nest in inconvenient places (right over my back door). Just when I thought the party was under control, my two dogs began their early morning spring barking frenzy. 5AM is now the new 8.

A Pond Story

As the sun began to rise, the pooches were falling all over each other at the glass doors - clamoring to get out to the deck that leads to the pond. After brewing my tea, I checked out the commotion. Standing elegantly on sinewy legs, was the same great blue heron that graced my pond last year. Here she stood...again, with one of our last remaining fish dangling from her beak. I opened the door and let the dogs go crazy. But, this heron is wise to my canines. She stoically turned from the beasts, walked over to a bench, glanced to the sky, then she glided up to perch on a tall tree that overhangs the pond. The heron held its ground while the guys went bananas.

When the saga began last spring, I watched helplessly as my koi fish became gourmet chow for a "scattering" of herons. This year, I'm taking a different tack...

Learning From The Heron

The last few days, I purposely woke in the wee hours to grab a glimpse of beauty radiating from this magnificent and massive creature. Refusing to be bullied, while obliterating the aquatic life in my pond, these birds have proven to me that with a quiet confidence and slow and steady wing beats, a seemingly calm temperament can ward off a multitude of dangerous situations. If two ninety-pound barking dogs don't faze the living daylights out of these birds, it would seem not much would.

Native Americans consider the great blue heron to be nature’s representation of the ability to evolve and find one’s own way. Herons are believed to reflect the journey of self-realization and clarity of purpose. The heron's long delicate legs are likened to unusual pillars of strength. Standing still, waiting patiently, and going forward with inquisitiveness, curiosity and determination are judgment skills worth learning from the heron. Her noble stature seems to go with the flow, as she welcomes the elements of nature. Thus, my heron is truly a gift, (wrapped up in a natural lifecycle eating package).

Yes, I loved my colorful koi. Now I love my heron.

Credit: Ted Fink

Repurposed Boats: Water, Weather and Whim

“Have a happy passing, purchase ” quipped our captain as our ferry headed out to sea towards the island. As we debarked and drove down the unpaved road on the island I have visited every year since I was 20, pilule I noticed small changes. The insular world of living on an island constantly changes and unfolds, as water, weather and whim dictate.

Off-season...

1. It’s quiet. This is always obvious once the swell of summer people fade away. In the spring, it’s a different kind of quiet – one that is laced with the anticipation of new growth, brighter skies, fishing and the upcoming summer season. 2. Everyone knows everyone. During the high season, islanders tolerate the seasonal visitors. On the shoulder seasons (fall and spring), the two groups co-mingle naturally. 3. People who live on islands are forever adaptive and resourceful. While much of the local economy depends upon the glut of summer people, year-rounders know they need to be both practical and imaginative to survive the off-season.

On an island, lighting and wind may change from season to season, but one thing remains constant - boats are a lifeline. When a boat’s usefulness ends, why not give it a new life?

Canoe ‘O Plants

Fishing Boat Storage Sheds

Floating Garden

Credits: Ben Scott, Recylart, Inhabitat, Garden Design

Wood Lust To Wear

Let’s just say…moms like jewelry. All kinds. The glittery kind that sparkle in all its small solid rockness on a finger, and the kind that goes with the grain and celebrates the beauty of nature. Designer, Gustav Reyes creates these salvaged wood bracelets by repurposing wood from unusual sources: castoff baseball bats, and maple, walnut and rosewood pieces from abandoned instruments. Each bracelet is like a mini-sculpture. They are hand formed using a cold bend process, and finished with natural beeswax. Reyes' wooden pieces function as a reminder that the past, present, and future are intertwined.

Let’s just say…it’s almost Mother’s Day…

"The desire to create is the vehicle by which we, as humans, extend our minds and souls beyond the limits of our physical selves." ~ Jewelry Designer, Gustav Reyes

Credit: Artful Home via Materialicious

Tale Of 3 Toilets

I can attest that not all toilets are created equal. There have been three distinctly diverse toilet systems in my life. This little story is mainly about my different middle toilet. The first toilet was kind of boring and my last toilet is really spectacular.

When I met my husband, green was just a color. He lived in a house named, thumb“The Ecology House”. The idea of building a sustainable home was so forward-thinking at the time, that the house was highlighted in the book, 30 Energy-Efficient Houses, by Alex Wade. It was designed and built by a local man as an experiment. We called the house the A-Frame.

Living in the A-Frame was like living in a park full-time. My husband, his cat and I lived in this special house in the pre-kids years. We swam in the roaring creek that gushed over rocks just footsteps from our back door. We peered out the windows at the mountains, and hiked trails that zigzagged through the woods. The attributes that embraced the land surrounding the A-Frame were breathtaking.

There were a number of innovative energy-efficient properties that made the A-Frame a truly groundbreaking example of a green home. The passive solar house was built entirely on bedrock. No septic and no basement. This house was magnificent in its smallness and simplicity.

The toilet in the A-Frame was something I had never encountered. It was called the Clivus Multrum Composting Toilet System. It wasn’t one of those “hold your nose and go as fast as you can” toilets that you might find in an outhouse or porta-toilet. It worked very simply once you got used to not flushing. The one thing we stressed to everyone that visited our bathroom was that you had to leave the seat closed for it to do its composting magic.

“Composting is the breakdown of organic matter in the presence of aerobic organisms. This is the same process that happens wherever organic matter is exposed to oxygen and moisture: In forests, garden compost piles, lawns, etc. The composting toilet system allows human waste to break down into simple, stable compounds that have value as plant nutrients.”

These toilets have so many components of green living. They are low maintenance, conserve water and convert waste to reusable fertilizer. Most importantly, they have no odor and the air stays clean and fresh. Our Clivus, which we affectionately called it, was upstairs in a second story bathroom. Its tank was discreetly hidden downstairs behind the kitchen wall where the fertilizer was produced.

We lived harmoniously with our Clivus, until the day that we brought a new puppy into our home. In our excitement over our cuddly new family member, we had forgotten about the cat. We couldn’t find him. Frantically, we searched and found the cat perched over the Clivus with the concentration of an Olympic diver going for gold. He was so petrified of the dog that he was about to take the plunge. Someone had forgotten to close the seat!

We moved from the A-Frame to accommodate our growing family, and for many years had traditional water and energy zapping toilet systems

After the greening renovation of our bathrooms, my third toilet system was installed. I can attest that our dual-flush toilet is a true beauty. It meets our family’s needs, it appeals to my design sense, and makes the environmental nod our planet appreciates with a water savings of 67%. Did I mention there is also no possibility of losing a beloved pet?

Photo: Ted Fink