This is my winter project ... well one of them. Take a look at this lovely but dated kitchen. It will all be gone by February. I'm replacing the cabinets, the lovely gold appliances and the counter tops. Fortunately, Tom, the contractor who helped me tear down some walls and tear up all the floors when I bought the house two years ago has found time to fit my little kitchen project into his schedule. So we've set early February for the demolition. Although I probably won't purchase the best cabinets I figure anything will look better than the dark brown and the gold appliances ... especially that huge gold exhaust hood.

The history of the house is kind of interesting. The original house was built in the early 1900's and it appears that it was a one bedroom cottage. Then in the 80's a young man moved into the cottage with his parents and designed an A-frame addition that sits perpendicular to the main house. My neighbor across the street who lived here during that time period said he was somewhat of a hermit but meticulous with details. I have all the many architectural drawings he did in a closet so I can attest to his attention to detail. The house is only 1200 square feet, not counting the loft, but the open floor plan makes it feel much bigger. And believe it or not the house actually won an architectural award back in the 80's. I love the house. It's small but cozy and the two wood stoves and two fireplaces he designed into the floor plan give it that winter vacation feel. The city of Takoma Park also designated about 10 acres behind the house as "protected woodland" because there is an endangered fox living behind the house. This is true. I've seen the fox. And I'm keeping him well fed and happy so he lives a long, long life!

So there is another little project I'm working on this winter that is kayak related ... but I'm not ready to blog about it yet. I'll just say that there will be another kayak joining my fleet in a few months. It's being custom built and the design is kind of a ... mystery.

-Susanita