the fireplace first sight

This was the living room - you can sort of see the fireplace there on the left. I think I have another picture of it somewhere - I'll look - but it took up an entire wall. It is gone now! We had a couple of "get your frustrations out" parties and gave everyone a sledge hammer.......

the kitchen first sight

Green green, everywhere green. and well, sort of yellow? The floors were yellow downstairs and green upstairs.....more to come....these cabinets were incredibly well built with a beautiful wood.....then covered with GREEN laminate. Oh my.

the studio first sight

So now, the studio. Probably in the worst shape of all the property. Likely had been a carport and was converted in the seventies to a workshop. One side was his, and the other hers. I think someone fell through that hole in the ceiling.....not good. This was the first hing we demo'd.

These concrete block walls are underground. As a matter of fact, half the house is underground.

The roof was flat and leaked big time. We had to redesign it so it sloped. Wait till you see what we did!

outside first sight

A view of the chicken coop and the barn

And this is the back of the house. Doesn't look so bad from here.....

upstairs first sight

my my my my my my my.

oh my.

This was the upstairs.

A sad day at the Shady B

Today is a very sad day at the Shady B. We lost our precious calf - Juney B - this morning at sunrise. She was just four months old.
The vet said she broke her pelvis. Can't imagine how she did that. But the weather has been cooler lately and everyone is in good spirits and running and jumping and we figure she must have just fallen while she was playing in the pasture.
Everyone is sad. Bessie, the momma cow is bawling, walking up and down the fence looking for her baby. Gracie is crying and nervous. The horses are at the fence watching - they seem to know there is sadness and death. Everyone is grieving for our loss.
We have to realize that this is part of life. That she had a good one while she was here, however short. That we provided a good home for her to live, and that Bessie was a terrific momma. Death comes to all of us at some time or another. Some sooner than others. Animal or human, we all have to die. So we will grieve for our little Juney B. And we'll continue to live too, blessed by all the creatures, great and small, that God gives us to love and care for.

downstairs first sight

So, we went inside. It smelled funny, but hey, it was winter and all closed up and the lady that lived there smoked. alot. But we thought it was a VERY interesting house. It had been built by the very woman that was sitting in the dining room, along with her husband - gone about 10 years before - who was a very ingenious fella, we found out later. I think they had a contemporary side to them which was evident every now and then.....ahem....now and then.....

early 2004 looking for a place in the country

2004. Larry took an early retirement. We started looking for a house in the country. This one was the first one we found.

We looked at a lot of others, but we kept coming back to this one. It had what we wanted.

The right amount of land, fence for horses, a good water well, some outbuildings, trees, a couple of ponds, and it was on a hill. Oh, and it came with a tractor. a blue one. very cool.

So this is a picture of what we saw when we first drove up the driveway, following the realtors car. Looked pretty good from here! Ok, so blue wouldn't be the color I would choosefor a house - a tractor maybe, but still, it looks good. A house on a hill - actually built INTO the hill - the back door upstairs goes out on the ground.
This used to be a little carport - but some years ago they turned it into a workshop - one side was for her and the other for him. I'm thinkin', hey, this could be my studio!
The front door and a nice little covered porch area.

Welcome to the Shady B Ranch!!!

Howdy and Welcome!
I have a dream that this great old place will become an artist retreat that sustains itself through art processes and creativity in learning art and craft, old and new. A place that nurtures the artists soul with good food, fellowship and artistic endeavors with people seeking knowledge in areas of interest. We've been working on this place for four years now and have made significant progress on the house and grounds. But there is still more to do.
My plan is to build a barn that can house workshops of all kinds, a cabin for guest artists, a deck for outdoor demonstrations and parties, and eventually, cabins for guests wanting to stay for a weekend or a week workshop, when those are available. Workshops will begin in the year 2010 with a year in the RED. Our first guest artist is already booked - Ron Meyers - from Georgia - one of my all time favorite clay artists that works primarily on the potters wheel and decorates his utilitarian vessels with a wonderful sense of humor and play. More on him in the months to come.
So get excited with me, and I'll share our journey with you, past and present, as you get to know us and what we're doing at the Shady B.