Margarita Holding Area Progress: The MHAP Report

MHA progress is happening fast and furious over here and I am about 2 weeks behind Mr. Monkey. Last night we went up to the future Margarita Holding Area and held some beers - Ninkasi's Spring Reign to be exact. It was the perfect way to start a spring weekend. These pictures show Mr. Monkey and friend, Mid-west Monkey getting those posts up. They reported to me that they were very heavy. So afterwards we all scaled the ladder & those 2 monkeys had beers. I just admired the view and their hard work. We felled a tree from the backyard (it was a dying Doug Fir) to make the posts. By "we" I mean we hired someone to do it safely and without the use of beer but with the help of plenty other tools. Mr. Monkey slapped some spar varnish on the posts and voila! It's RuMo fo' sho' (RuMo = Rustic Modern)! I think before the weekend is up I'll have to get you some pictures of the incomplete staircase because it is just that cool.

In the meantime however it's frickin' gorgeous outside so I'm going to go for a run and head to the farmer's market. For those of you in the local area I saw one of the Bald Eagles yesterday on my run along the waterfront by Skinner's Butte! We've got a pair of urban dwelling Bald Eagles in Eugene - even these raptors are smart enough to know that creating higher density living spaces are the way to go! Be well, live modern!

Modern Fences IV

The quest for the perfect modern fence continues on . . . Mr. Monkey and I have been on a search to be good neighbors and to have happy neighbors. In our case this involves hiding their houses (for privacy) and keeping our late-night laughs and bunches of bon fires contained to our yard and not echoing off their walls. We often walk around the neighborhood in search of ideas for fences. These first pictures are of the winner of the fence that we liked best in the neighborhood, that is a little different and meets our needs. It's modern but not too modern like a wall of corrugated metal. I like the horizontal lines and the big carriage bolts. I also like their color scheme and their overall landscape. We'll be skipping the raised bed boxes and our fence may not be 3 thick pieces. We're thinking four slightly narrower pieces that would also have a slightly smaller gap in between each horizontal strip. Of course we'll keep you posted on the existing fence coming down and the new fence going up! Next up -scroll down for a wacky totally unique Eugene fence!

Recently this fence went up in our neighborhood. At first we walked by and wondered what was going on over there. Was it a parade float? Was it a booth for a festival? Was is a gazebo? Finally it took its final form as a fence! I'm not the hugest fan of the aesthetics of this fence (aka I don't like the way it looks). But I admire the way they just went for it big! It's new and different and it seems like it uses twigs and not processed wood so it's environmental impact is small. It is creative and offers the house a nice privacy screen without feeling unfriendly. Yay for fences. Even though we've ended our search for our fence I'll keep my eyes for y'all. You can click here for my other 3 posts on modern fences.

Modern Fences II

Well in one of my recent lay overs at home Mr. Monkey and I went for a quick walk around the neighborhood looking at fences. This is what we came up with. I'm sure there are others but these are the more interesting ones. I'm also posting a picture from Arcosanti that is not a wood fence but a wall instead - one that I've been thinking about in fence form. I think we could leave the center open and filled wih a tinted glass or a small window of woven wood. Just ideas . . .



I'm about ready to just rip out that chain link fence. I'm exercising restraint for the summer though. Since it's our first summer here and on one side of the fence there lives a kiwi plant I'm curious to see if it will bear fruit. So for this summer the chain link will stay. I also was briefly imagining removal of the chain link but keeping the metal posts and building off of that somehow for the new fence. There are craft classes at the local U and they do offer some welding classes . . . but the mind wanders first I have to put away the pile of landry I'm sitting next too then I can think about welding my own fence for the front. Enjoy the pictures of Friendly Street Neighborhood fences.