the good life- SHELTER!

Have you dreamed about what your perfect home would be like? I love daydreaming about this! I sometimes envision the Family Home to be something modest, along the lines of the Von Trapp abode. Living in the Bay Area makes this daydream perhaps somewhat unrealistic. I mean, where would I find a nun. Church of the Perpetual Party (the founders of whom we saw at none other than Party Sushi)? Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence?

My sister proposed that I keep a journal of sorts dedicated to the care and feeding of my imagination's dream home. I decided that for such a grand operation, nothing less than an orange hardcover Clairefontaine notebook would do. (Speaking of the good life, anyone who wants a little bit of affordable luxury in their penning lives must pick up a Clairefontaine notebook.)

I've pasted in the flyer for the sale of an amazing California Bungalow (which included amenities such as a custom bathroom with a heated tile floor). I've made lists of the qualities the home would have on the inside. On the outside. What the neighbors would be like. I've gotten down to the details, pulling everything I know from green design.

We'd have neighbors we love. The public schools would be excellent. There would be redwoods trees in abundance, an ocean view, hardwood floors, plenty of southern exposure, a Sunset-worthy landscape design in front, Sunset-inspired outdoor living principles in back. The house would have been designed by an iconic Bay Area architect (Maybeck, Morgan, Howard?) and I'd take a lot of pleasure in preserving its original architectural details. The kitchen would be very well-appointed. My notebook has details from the brand of oven to the brand of knives. But "elegant" would describe the home in a nutshell. And hanging in my closet would be Verrieres and Sako.

Ok, now I'm veering into other aspects of the good life, but I've included every minute detail in my orange Clairefontaine because at the end of the day, the "shelter" aspect of the good life doesn't just mean a roof. Ideally, it's every expression of home I can think of-- safety, and beauty, and comfort, and family.