Another drawing from Shelter. Looks like the frame for a New England home.The drawing tells you a lot. This was reprinted from The History of Notable American Houses, by Cal Sacks.
14 years ago, we thought the world was ready for a cookbook based on what’s growing in the garden, the wild, or locally available. We published this book — which turned out to be ahead of its time. Now we’re happy to have it back in print. It’s a great cookbook “…for people who want to learn more about how to use healthy ingredients to whip up delicious meals without too much fuss.” Suzy and Charlie Restino moved from New England to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, in 1971, built a house, planted a huge garden, large greenhouse, root cellar, had chickens, cows, goats — a real homestead. Suzy’s a real writer, witty and insightful, and did all her own drawings. A few people have told me it’s their favorite cookbook. This is the style of cooking we practice. As local as possible. As home-grown (or gathered) as possible. “Country cooks have to do a lot of improvising, experimenting, and inventing in the kitchen. You have to, since the store may be far away.…” Interspersed with homesteading experiences of two people who left city for country in the ’60s (and super relevant today).
Available here: https://shelterpub.com/_mrck/mrck_book.html
We got a shipment of baby chicks in the mail a couple months ago, and 2/3 of them died. A combination of cold weather, too long in transit, and the fact that they are all bantams, which are quite small. We ordered another shipment of 28 bantams, and yesterday I drove up the Petaluma to pick them up at the main branch post office, so we got them a day earlier than if we’d waited for them to be delivered to our town. This batch looks really healthy, they’re already running around like a bunch of little punks. We keep them in the house under in a big box under an infrared light for a few weeks, then put them in a special wired-off area in the chicken yard, still under a light, until they’re feathered out.
On my way home with the box of peeping chicks, I spotted this little building on wheels (at 1840 Petaluma Blvd. N.) There are 4-5 other little buildings there on wheels, the builder is Stephen Marshall, and the website is: https://littlehouseonthetrailer.com/
Tiny houses are hot right now!
“…these little cabins need a new home and are free to anyone that can take them away. There are four identical cabins, each measuring about 12′ by 12′. The only catch is that they must be removed by July 31, 2010… Each cabin measures approximately 12′ x 12′ with a small bathroom and kitchen area. Exterior features include novelty siding, exposed rafter tails, original windows and door, and Craftsman-style entry hoods. These are great examples of roadside architecture and could be rehabilitated into wonderful little guest cottages, playhouses or retreats.”
From Michael Jantzen’s Tiny House Design: https://www.tinyhousedesign.com/
I get up a 5 Tuesday morning, load up the Tacoma, and take off for my friend Louie’s, 3 hours up the coast on Hwy. One. Fragrant latte and cookie at Toby’s in Pt. Reyes Station (best coffee in Marin), then skirt the eastern edge of Tomales bay, mist drifting across tide flats. In spite of the terrible things going on all over the world, I still have these days, magic moments when I’m thrilled to be alive. The hills are still moist from all the rain. Cattle all have shiny coats. Flock of fat butterball looking sheep. Coffee, ganja, blues on radio, not too shabby eh?. Sometimes a song will be perfect with passing scenery, and I make a movie in my mind, moving through space with music. It’s a low tide and I check out a clam digging area for future trips. Lots of clams, a bunch of clam diggers. Pick up some beautiful large sheets of nori seaweed, will see if I can clean and dry it when I get home There’s a roadkill faun on the highway, but it’s too old.
Great breakfast (preceded by um, a Bloody Mary; hey, it seemed appropriate) at recently refurbished Timber Cove Inn. There’s something good going on in that kitchen. Looks like a great place for a weekend getaway, on rocky point looking out at ocean. Not cheap, but elegant in its present incarnation.
Around noon I get out to Louie’s, which is in a valley, on a river. I unpack in this room, which always makes me happy, every part of it is so right. Bed on right, desk for my MacBook at left, looks out into sunny vineyard, redwoods in background.
Louie and Lloyd House are my two favorite builders in the world. Louie’s next project will be willow furniture, There are always little things around that are a delight, like this Birch branch hose holder:
I go down to the swimming hole, lie in sun a little, boy does it feel good to have sun on my skin, I’d forgotten. Dive into deep green water, the river is beautiful (and cold) right now. About 8′ deep alongside rock face.
Three 13-or-so-yr-old girls are on the beach, talking.
“And I’m, like, no way!”
“She like had 2 kids.”
“He’s like, sorry to be so late.”
“And she’s like, where have you been?”
Then, like, a 15-yr old boy comes and he and the girls start jumping off the cliff into the pool.
They’re playing and giggling, having a great time. Gaiety on a sunny afternoon at the swimming hole.
Back home: I wrote a bunch of stuff yesterday afternoon, will post when there’s time. Also shot movie of going 500′ across river on Louie’s aerial tramway cable, which I’ll get up on YouTube.
I arrived a few hours early for my presentation at Gravel and Gold in San Francisco’s Mission District. I had a problem: my new MacBook Pro laptop wouldn’t accept the plug-in from my Epson projector. I’d been to the Apple store on the way over, and couldn’t find the right connector. The three owners of the store, Cassie, Lisa, and Nile weren’t dismayed. We tried all kinds of variations, but nothing seemed to be working. Lisa kept saying, “Don’t worry we’ll figure it out.” I wasn’t so sure. Finally she took off in her car and came back with a borrowed projector. We transferred the data to one of their laptops, then couldn’t get the projector going. We tried various combinations, with me having my doubts, but Lisa saying, “We’ll get it working.”
Finally one of their friends came in and knew just what to do, and 10 minutes before starting time we were in business. I started by talking a little bit about the first Whole Earth Catalog, and how it and the Dome Cookbook by Steve Baer were my inspiration for getting into the publishing business. Then I showed slides from the three main builders featured in Builders of the Pacific Coast. Finally I showed some slides of tiny houses, the subject of my next book. (Actually, in retrospect, these were photos I grabbed at the last minute and they weren’t really representative of the great material I have for this book.)
For me it was a pretty wonderful evening. The store is unique, with eclectic clothing, art, jewelry, crafts, and items you’d never think of until you see them there. Good vibes. The median age in the audience was, I’d say, 30. It’s great to be connecting with this generation. Someone asked what I thought of Dwell magazine. I said I couldn’t figure out who lives in those houses, but there seems to be no warmth or soul (or funk) evident in the Dwell style. Further, that people like us are interested in shelter that is full of life and warmth and the touch of the human hand.
Gravel and Gold has been mentioned in the New York Times and Vogue magazine and seems to be catching on. It’s at 3266 21st St., between Mission and Valencia in San Francisco. Website here. Blog here.
Photo by Evan Kahn
Gravel and Gold is a shop in the heart of SF’s Mission district. It’s called a “Magical Outpost in the Mission” by SF Station, which writes it’s “…where a hand-selected mix of artists and makers exhibit their crafts. You can find just about everything here from things to wear, to write or to work for your home.” Someone on Yelp says: “The clothing is really eclectic — natural fabrics, interesting patterns and designs, local artists.”
I’m going to show slides from Builders of the Pacific Coast and can talk about mini-homesteads and show some slides from our forthcoming book on tiny houses.
It’s at 8PM thus Friday, June 18th at 3266 21st Street, San Francisco.
For Gravel & Gold’s writeup of the event, click here.
Peas and poppy
Lavender in foreground is leaping for joy with the late rains.
2 rows of concrete blocks stacked on layer of ¼-inch mesh, filled with soil