3 weeks into it...

This is the space that john & I built. the pictures only tell part of the story; the interior vibe (for me, at least) is one of love and beauty and yoga. the delicious warmth of the awesome concrete floors is too tough to convey in words. it sounds so corny "labor of love", but i'm not sure how else to describe the result of our hard work and the challenging journey that brought us here. what joy to share it.

pre-opening day

For all your love, support and presence (and ganapati, candle and orchids), a million thanks to david, johnny, bhavani & bay. xoxo

stairway to heaven

Built with love and attention by my man's hands!

24-Hour Countdown

sleep not coming, mind-stuff so fluctuating, body a-jittering:Are we really opening tomorrow? the guru poster is in place, the staircase is sturdy, the floor is radiant and toasty, the wc has tp. the gods might get hung, the dog has no balls, the shower is weak, but it works. friends are coming to practice, we have no cubbies or coathooks, no seating, no mat storage. some trim is not there, the thermometer is MIA, the thresholds not painted. I bought some tampons and toe tape.....my back is not bending.

inauguration practice with special guests....

witness

screened in

From the photos-only posts, it's fairly obvious how preoccupied we are with finishing the space. JW is on last-minute, can't-open-without-them details -- heating the floor, swapping sinks, building a staircase, hanging lights and redoing just about everything our "employees" so sadly already did. badly. Today was a big day -- we all walked on the newly stained floor in stocking'd feet and the opaque film went up on the windows. no more looky-loos.
ps. that's bubba sniffing the new storefront -- his last day as a man-dog.

slowly, slowly...

final inspections: PASSED!

progress pictures

walls & windows

HELP!!!!!

I am taking color suggestions for the front door to the school (anything but orange or saffron). I photoshopped some options that i don't necessarily like. Please send me any and all ideas to match (or contrast) the puke green building.

guess which makes me smile....

We're Floored!

Ah, the feeling of a new foundation, sealed with new smooth floor and no more excavation-like dirt. Flashback to the month of May, when construction started along with our delusions of "a little rouge & mascara" -- just a coat of paint and we'll be ready to go. HA! It's been a journey, a practice in itself to reach this precious point of the remodel. We survived one nightmare contractor, a small earthquake while the building was finely "braced", re-permitting and the city planning office, and arguments too numerous to mention. City life for these country mice has been quite the adventure! I've never celebrated a floor before, but this one was worth the bottle of bubbly we shared Wednesday night!

Radiant!

With JW on the job, along with our new guy Tony, things are finally moving. And although they retied re-bar several times one sweaty Saturday to meet my very Virgo's very high standards, the last bit was twisted and the radiant heat tubings were laid this week for an eventual warm and cozy concrete floor (if that's at all possible). Above see the "finishing room" through the slats...a staircase will eventually lead up to and down from it.

Tree Time

With a lot of help from FUF -- Friends of the Urban Forest -- and Farmer John, of course, Page Street is sprouting new greens: two Olives and two Primrose, planted last week (in the midst of a Pacific Gas & Electric sidewalk mess).

Dog Day Afternoon