On the Road Again

A series of storm fronts is making its way to our coast. There was 2-1/2″ rain a few days ago, the high pressure buffer in disarray right now. Gimme more of that low pressure thing, inviting the storms in off the ocean. I took off yesterday morning, got excellent latte and superb ginger scone at Toby’s, headed up the coast for 2 book signings. I get almost giddy when I take off in my truck for parts not unknown, but not recently visited. Sirius radio a huge boon. Water on the roads — a couple of times I didn’t slow down enough when hitting standing water and water sheeted over the truck, blinding me for a second. Magic Slim singing”I’m a Bluesman,” Willy Nelson’s “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys,” Ralph Stanley “Man of Constant Sorrow.” A pissed-off-looking turkey buzzard, soaked, sitting on a fence post. The Confederate Railroad doing “I Like Women a Little Bit On the Trashy Side.”

Bought a dozen oysters at Hog Isand Oyster Company, rolled through the green hills, water cascading everywhere. Seeing the earth get this much-needed moisture is exhilarating, like taking a deep breath. Acquifers getting recharged, creeks roiling, rivers at power stage. 

A couple of buildings I spotted for the first time yesterday:

I got up to Louie’s around 4. We had shots of tequila and olives in his workshop, where he’s now building a concrete Rumford-type fireplace he’ll use for cooking as well as heat.

   Louie’s older than me — unique for me, since everyone else I hang out with is younger. We grew up in the days of radio. As kids: Superman, The Green Hornet, The Whistler, I Love a Mystery. As adults: Jack Benny, Red Skelton, the Great Gildersleeve. We both know 1000s of songs. I just have to sing “Everybody’s hand in hand…” and he’ll sing, “…swinging down the lane.”  We do this over and over. We both speak this rather rare language.

About Lloyd Kahn

Lloyd Kahn started building his own home in the early '60s and went on to publish books showing homeowners how they could build their own homes with their own hands. He got his start in publishing by working as the shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog with Stewart Brand in the late '60s. He has since authored six highly-graphic books on homemade building, all of which are interrelated. The books, "The Shelter Library Of Building Books," include Shelter, Shelter II (1978), Home Work (2004), Builders of the Pacific Coast (2008), Tiny Homes (2012), and Tiny Homes on the Move (2014). Lloyd operates from Northern California studio built of recycled lumber, set in the midst of a vegetable garden, and hooked into the world via five Mac computers. You can check out videos (one with over 450,000 views) on Lloyd by doing a search on YouTube:

7 Responses to On the Road Again

  1. Lloyd, can you post a picture of the fireplace that Louie is building? I've grown to really appreciate his seemingly endless ability to design and craft pretty much anything with perfect real world elegance and function.

  2. Heh, we must be contemporaries. I grew up on the same radio shows back in the 40's & 50's and remember when 'Gunsmoke' was just 15 minutes of radio drama. I learned later that the guy who vocalized the good marshal Dillon was about 5'4" and bald – wouldn't do for a TeeVee hero I guess.

    By the way, I live north of you in the Rogue Valley (State of Jefferson) and haven't been able to drive down your way for quite awhile so I'm wondering if the little chapel that sits in the trees east of the highway at Sea Ranch is still there – it's not far from the fire station, as I recall. It's a beautiful little building.

  3. Lloyd, is there a Paul Harvey, "and now the rest of the story" that goes with the wind mill pictured here? I sure would love to know more about it.

    Thanks
    Peace
    Gill

  4. Phil, He's only built (poured) the base so far. Gill, I have no idea what the tower is for. It almost looks like it was built by the guys that did the reconstruction of Fort Ross.

  5. Lloyd –
    Guess you can just chalk it up to the maunderings of an old fart (me) with too much time on his hands. However, since I did ask a direct question I reckon I anticipated an answer. Won't bother you again.

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