Welcome to The Ranch (aka "In the Beginning...")

Here we are. A lot has happened since our own little piece of ticky-tacky was built back in 1958. Mom and dad moved in to a still-unfinished, built-to-order single story, 3-bedroom ranch house, along with my brother and sis. At the time the neighborhood was so new the roads weren't even paved... not to mention some other utilities.

But, my parents were young and filled with the enthusiasm of the age. Dad was a commercial artist working 9-5, of limited means but modern-design concious and Mom was the homemaker 24/7. In many ways, our family was much like what you'd see idealized on television at the time.

At this same time, our grandparents moved in to an almost identical house just next door. I remember both homes filled with products from the Fifties when I was very young. Dad appreciated the fine lines of modern design (after all, he was an artist!). We had shelving on one wall of the livingroom for the hi-fi and television, tiled walls in the bath and pastel colors on the walls. The house was decorated modern-with-that-colonial touch. Walnut finishes. Oval twill rugs. Wood & metal geese scupture flew across our wall. Paintings everywhere done by Dad. Sling chairs outdoors.

My Grandparent's house on the otherhand was Very Early 50's modern, with a few modest splashes of kitsch here and there. Grandma collected Japanese-influence housewares. The livingroom indulged a sculpted beige wall-to-wall carpet, an aqua-color leather lounge chair accompanied by a pole lamp with built-in table, and a large counsel tv. The kitchen showcased a Scandinavian table & 3-legged chair set and a stylish pink built-in oven and stove. And the bath was always in pink. I'll associate that color with bathrooms to this day!

Today, both homes have seen a lot of changes (dad was an avid remodellor), they hold innumeral memories, and they are still in the family. After my parents' passing I wanted to bring back the entire house somewhat back to the age it was born in. I have some work to do!