Women Equality: Arab Dysfunctional Culture

Keep this thought:  

    We will never get passed the barbarism of the slavery of our mothers and sisters because it is much easier to ape barbaric bad behavior of dysfunctional countries; than to THINK and rise above it....
           or we would have been there by now.

Worldwide Communication has brought nations so close together; as if, we are now, one dysfunctional family of shockingly, undesirables and strange bedfellows.

In the Arab world, a woman rears her sons, to know, they will become fearful of women as a whole in their culture; and therefore, her sons will
treat her as a second class citizen; you think she has to have the biggest heart or a case of dementia; but really it's fear that Rules the Day.

"Arab proverb: " Victory is gained not by the number killed but by the number frightened." Patton, Carlo D'este.

My husband once told me an American woman, who attended the same Royal Arab wedding he attended, had seen the Arab woman's world from a different side; the dark side. The women and men were always separated in different rooms.
During the festivities, my husband remembers the mess that was left behind once the men were finished eating.
This American woman said she was appalled when the women's door was open to a room for their own wedding meal; only to see the mess left behind from the leftovers from the men.

The Arab women who had prepared the food would leave it on trays in a large room where the men gathered. 
Sitting on the floor, the men would eat with their hand, slinging the food over the tray and floor, making a mess.
When they finished eating, they would leave the room, and the women would enter the same room to eat what was left.

This behavior is part of a ceremony that joins a man and woman into a marriage.

It made me think. These women in these Arab countries cook the food and the men eat first.  Obviously, Arab women are restricted from knowing stories about the European King's Food Taster.
No wonder God did not make me an Arab. I would have wiped out the Arab culture in just one meal. Call it their Last Supper.
But then that would make me a barbarian too.

Instead the women become mindless creatures existing for the pleasure of others. So the meek will inherit the tornadoes, wild fires, earthquakes, tsunamis; but Only, if they survive the Stoning.

So What drug is God on?
After what happened in the Garden of Eden, I think He just went on a drinking binge. Was that before or after He rejected one of his children: Satan?  Speaking of dysfunctional families.

Our World is spinning in reverse gear.
The United Nations gives the Iranians, membership on the Commission of the Status of Women; ...
      "Iran announced its candidacy for membership in the commission" (for women's Status) "after it withdrew from its bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council last week." 

So the Iranians couldn't get on the HUMAN Rights Council; only on the Commission for Women's Status. So what does that mean? Women are less important than humans with rights?

Did you see this video?
Let's not stop here.

Are the Arab civil wars taking place across the world really fighting for equality for all mankind or just for equality for the men?

Once Egypt got it's freedom from their dictator, a revolution started by a woman on Facebook, so I heard on CNN;
a month later, men and women organized the Million Woman's March in Egypt.

....“We are not convinced by the amendments of the constitution as they don’t give women the right to run for presidential elections, and there are still no equal rights,” said Reem Shahin, a member of the Million Woman March movement."


That same kind of amendment, a thinly disguised pretense, that any American woman can run for the presidential office; only that, she is never given the same respect as the man running against her.

About  a 1000 Egyptian women showed up for the march,
...." Meanwhile, as a group of activists stood side-by-side holding banners of the movement calling for equality, another group of male protesters came from the other side to disrupt the march. As males and females activists chanted “Men and women, one hand,” “Muslims and Christian, one hand,” the other group described as “thugs” chanted “No, no, the people want women to step down,” and “The Quran is our ruler."


"It was a shouting match more than a dialogue, with neither side hearing the other. 
The thugs became insulting and aggressive, but the majority of the activists insisted on staying. The thugs then became violent and started pushing and harassing some women....." 
Naturally, the thugs won that round.


The American Unions in Wisconsin followed the Egyptian thug's
 " behavior of pushing and shoving" their way into the Capitol building because the vote did not go their way.
More shocking was the President of the United States, Pres. Obama, encouraging them to protest, in spite, of their violent nature against our democratic way of life because he wanted their vote.

I am glad Egypt was liberated? I still have faith that the women in that country will prevail. When I was in Egypt, I had a good feeling about the people who lived there.

Where is all this destructive behavior heading?

Maybe, it's a Rebirth. 

After a fire, life begins again with new growth. OR

Maybe, we will never get past the barbarism of slavery of our mothers and sisters because it is much easier to ape barbaric bad behavior of dysfunctional countries; than to THINK and rise above it....
           or we would have been there by now.

ROSES Through My Lens

Roses from my neighbor's backyard as seen through my lens....

Proverbs, Politicians and Taxes

"Peace comes within the souls of men, when they realize their oneness with the Universe, 

when they realize it is really everywhere... 

it is within each one of us."

If this is true....I guess we are never going to see any peace....

I was looking for 'walk a mile in my moccasins' because I have noticed how the politicians change their mind depending on which role they play. When Obama was a Senator, he was against the President raising the 'debt ceiling' of the National debt. He felt it was irresponsible and voted against it.  Now that he is President; he is for raising the debt.

When he becomes a regular civilian again; I dare say, he will be for

 'not taxing (what he considers) the rich' 

because he will no longer have the taxpayers paying for his 

Air Force One, his house and chef. He will have to pay for his own transportation and cook. He will have to walk a mile .....to see the world from a different perspective.

I have a friend who thought I didn't want to pay any taxes because I complained about them all the time. That person liked paying their taxes. I am thinking that they don't know what they pay in taxes. 

I remember my mother, not complaining about taxes while my father was alive.  After his death, I could hear her scream across several State borders when she realized she had to pay taxes. It was less than $1000, but listening to her over the phone, I thought someone was killing her.

I told that person who likes paying taxes; that I felt we are unjustly taxed. We are not poor enough to get tax credits and we are not rich enough to have loopholes like General Electric who made billions in profits and paid no taxes on it. 

It is all legally done. 

Pres. Obama appointed the CEO of General Electric to one of his councils, recently. So it's O.K, not paying any taxes and still be honored at the White House.

Whereas, my household is stuck with paying a third of our income in taxes. We work most our life to pay a government who gives our money away to favor others....although LEGALLY, according to the Laws enacted by the same government who is giving my money away, but not for my benefit; like infrastructure; but more for, organizations that don't need it; like  the Nevada Cowboy's Poetry Convention. 

Did I get an invitation? 

Yes, our government use and abuse the system to their advantage; and if, I were in their shoes; they would still be considered crooked and so would I be a crook, if I had empathy with them. 

There should be moral values, in combination, with empathy. I am sure there are some people who feel empathy with Hitler and Marx.

When we walk a mile in someone else's shoes, we should consider whose shoes we are in....  proverb by Nancy Kerry

I know for certain that I do not practice the 
'wisdom of the Ages 

but I like reading them anyway. 

Wisdom of the Ages

http://www.racingbirds.com knowledge.html

Being wise is being able to transform information and knowledge into conclusions and act accordingly. The wise one has the ability to see into the future, by drawing conclusions based on his experience and knowledge from the past. Hence his actions will have the awareness of the past, understanding of the present, and knowledge of how today's decisions will impact on the future. 

The same applies to our sport. Our experience and wisdom can and should teach us to draw conclusions and to know the consequences of our actions.

When I was much younger I was taught, "If you can not think of something good to say about someone then say nothing". Perhaps the following timely post on the Pigeon Mailing List is the source of that wisdom.

The post was also an awakening for me with realization that I at times have chosen to ignored the lesson. 

The triple filter test

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?" "Hold on a minute," Socrates replied.  "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test.  It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple Filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued.  "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say.  That's why I call it the Triple Filter Test. The first filter is Truth.  Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said.  "Actually I just heard about it and......."

"All right," said Socrates.  "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness.  Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary ........"

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true.  You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness.  Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?" 

Have you ever noticed that those who seem to revel in calling other's names always select a word  that describes themselves?  Most criticism is rooted in jealousy.  Instead of retaliation it should be seen as a complement. Allowing you to walk away from the source  with a smile. 

Who hasn't heard ? "Do unto other's as you would have them do unto to you" Or the Native American saying; "Walk a mile another man's moccasins before you criticize him" We live in a world of personalities,  Allowing someone  to be who they are and not making their problem yours is a key to your peace of mind. The time used to criticize anyone else would be better applied with self improvement.

A vacationing business man was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy. Along the shore were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned. The boy was walked slowly along the shore and occasionally reached down and tossed the beached starfish back into the ocean.

The business man, hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, "I have been watching what you are doing, son. You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day. Surely such an industrious and kind hearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time. Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?" The boy looked up at the man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet. He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said, "It makes a difference to that one." 

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. 

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. 

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. 

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots, but it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape 

Getting through all the furniture Bull....

I never get what I want from Life; mainly because there is too much Bull... to wade through; and, I don't have the boots for it.

When we move into our Montana home, the furniture will be slightly rustic compared to our California home; and so, we won't be using most of that furniture.  We were looking for Southwestern, slightly rustic items.

At High Point, NC, there was one well-used Turkish rug that would have fit perfectly in our Library room, but it was faded in parts and had repair stitching in off colors that the Turkish dealer wanted $950. 

He said, " It has historical meaning and that is why it is so valuable." 

I laughed. 

I said, " It's someone else's history, not mine. I don't want a worn out rug, especially at that price."  He laughed out loud. 

I think someone must have thrown it out on the road and he picked it up. Earlier we had bought some better quality runners (rugs) from him for less; one was, also, considered an antique.

I don't want high price rustic furniture, after all I could take a piece of furniture and bang it up with chains and a hammer for the same effect for less.

After the 3rd day of trying to figure out what kind of furniture style I wanted to see throughout the house; I got a sense of what I was striving for in design, as I started seeing antiqued or old furniture with reclaimed wood (slightly grooved and worn) with metal legs or arms. These were unique to me and creative in design.

Although the furniture tables and benches have wood and metal; the Great Room and bedrooms will have cushioned furniture for more comfort which is being upholstered.

Entry bench with distressed wood: reminded me of Big Horn Sheep Ram.

Hallway table with distressed wood, metal design and wood legs

hallway runner, Turkish rug has a Southwestern tribal feel

2nd Turkish Rug, Runner to Master bedroom

Display bedroom at High Point showroom. Bought the bed, nightstands,and dresser (only) for Guest bedroom # 1 
The copper plates will tarnish in time for that patina effect. 

The other guest bedroom will be a very high, paneled, headboard with metal curls on distressed wood.

Looking at Quality and the Time that passed: Our California home dining set is airtight and keeps silverware from tarnishing. It's better built than anything I could afford to buy or want to buy at prices of today even at the bargain prices at High Point.
  We had purchased our California home dining set in the 70's from an antique dealer for $3000 which included mahogany inlaid china cabinets on solid wood, dining table for twelve with 6 chairs and a Buffet. Built in 1929 with the store tags, Lord and Taylor, 424 Fifth Ave, New York, NY, glued under each item.

My current California buffet we bought in 1970, dated 1929.

I was told by my designer (April 16) that the buffet that we had ordered from High Point, to be altered, to fit our home could not be made to specifications.I am so glad because now I can sneak in my CA buffet after the house is built. The buffet at High Point was almost as expensive as my entire CA dining set and it was not half the quality. 
I will just call the dining room COLLECTIVE which I think means a hodgepodge: confusing mix of furniture.

After all, the Interior Design world is as full of BS as any other profession.

And after you read this, you will be surprised that I really do get along with my designer and we plan to be friends. What a shock!

Whenever I liked a piece of furniture, my Interior designer ' friend' would say, "You shouldn't get that; it doesn't fit the decor,"

Whenever she wanted me to buy something she liked, she would say, "but it could be Collective." 

And I would say, "In that case, let me use my California furniture."

And she would say, "We can't do that!"

She would always use superlative words; the ones I would use, mostly, to describe the sunset or the Grand Canyon, not an ordinary piece of furniture. Beautiful and Fantastic meant nothing to me, after hearing it all day long.

So much Bullsh#*.

To top that off, I think she has a little meanness in her spirit. I actually asked my husband if I heard her correctly. He said, "yes." 

Remember that "Blue Louise" granite that I found on the Internet and asked if I could get it? My designer and her granite company ordered the exact piece I wanted.
Blog: Friday, December 17, 2010     Merry Christmas and Happy New Year One and ALL

Only to tell me later that the Brazilian company told them that they had sold my slab to someone else; however, the Montana granite company had already ordered a shipment of Blue Louise from that Brazilian company for their store; and it was on it's way to Montana and should arrive in January.

Instead of waiting to see what the shipment had for Blue Louise,  my designer said I need to purchase granite for my kitchen and since my granite is not coming on this boat, I should buy something else.  She told me to look at the Blue Louise in California just to get an idea of what it looks like in person; and see if I wanted to purchase it from a California company, instead.   

I learned that it's not granite, but Quartz. It has lots of defects, grooves and pits and the color is very dull. All the Blue Louise that I saw was not acceptable and very ugly in color design.

At the High Point, NC show last week, she tells me, "the Blue Louise granite arrived at the Montana granite company, around the same time you had bought your other granite. The shipment had your granite; and it's BEAUTIFUL." 

I thought I would have heard in January about it. But nothing was said. So it didn't sound true to my ears; not mentioning the fact that she would not look at me when she told me.

I decided not to kill her on the spot since I was in shock and while thawing out, I was able to take everything in, including all the Bull Sh#* I have heard over the last year. 

When the Montana granite company did not get a straight answer from the Brazilian company and my plans had to change, I had already resigned myself to getting Less From Life. Add that to my designer's lingo: " It's beautiful." 

So I figured what's beautiful to her (the shipment of granite), is not necessarily beautiful to me and I am Over it. 

I cannot help thinking that she told me out of spite. On hindsight, I do give her a hard time about what I want to buy and it's not what she wants most the time. Yes, I am the client, but she wants to feel essential, not just a 'tool,' she told me last week while shopping. We are still trying to find a balancing act that we can work on together. So far we agree on what we have purchased.  What a surprise!

Being an indiscreet German, she probably wanted to tell me about the shipment arrival, but why the emphasis on "it's beautiful," if not to upset me?

I was more shocked and puzzled by her remarks than the screw up of granite.

I didn't get the Blue Louise quartz slab I wanted. I gave up a higher calling of using my artistic talents for a more mediocre design that is O.K. and nobody cares, but me. With our second choice of granite, since it is no longer my choice anymore; the Blue Louise being 6x more expensive, I was able to buy 5 slabs, instead of 2 slabs, to cover all my counters, walls and then some; with the less expensive granite; that is probably, in better condition from what I had learned about Blue Louise quartz.

Library Floor lamp: reminds me of Galileo and his Galaxy.You really have to have an imagination for this one.

I agreed with my designer friend that we would go slightly wild on color accessories of blankets and pillows to liven up the grayish brown tones of the Living room as we plan to be in the Parade of Homes in September to show off her interior design and our builder's construction which they have asked us to do for them, although it adds more stress for me to get things done faster than I would like.

One of two Library desks we ordered: distressed wood with metal design. 
reminds me of a desk being anchored to the floor of a ship.

Great Room table: reclaimed, distressed wood and metal. Looks rather butch.



..to be continued....
if I can just find some wading.....
boots.

High Point Furniture Buying on a Budget

High Point furniture buying on a budget in North Carolina, is there such a thing? I heard from family and friends: " Get rid of your Interior Designer and don't over spend."

Naturally, I was very worried since in our older age we are spending far more on furniture than we have in our life; and considering where we started from:

When I joined the Air Force and had my first real job, I saved as much as I could, so by the time I met my husband 2 months later, I had $600 saved. I didn't have a car expense like he did, so I gave him $300 dollars with a marriage license attached, so he could buy a stereo. There were many times he didn't think it was a fair deal...for him.

We must have been on the same page when we married because we saved my paycheck and lived like paupers. People were always making fun of us, but we were young and had a goal. I drove around in a beat up old VW that needed paint.

I can't imagine what our friends thought, especially the Colonel and Captain who came to our first rental home for dinner. A beat up old trailer in a white-trash trailer park. Climbing up the metal steps into a small living room displaying a banged up metal military chest placed in the middle of the floor with a tablecloth draped over it.  A WWII chest that belonged to my father.  My mother's bargain fines, from off road antique shops, of sterling silver servers. Her fine crystal glasses filled with cheap wine and her antique Wedgwood dishes. I prepared, what I considered, a gourmet meal taken from my Bon Appetite magazines. We had no chairs. 

A year later, we purchased a new brick home with 3 bedroom and 3 full bathrooms.

Today, we use the same philosophy.  We saved all of our life and now we are trying to reap the benefits by spending what little the government doesn't tax away.

What we learned along the way while in High Point, NC.

The whole point of going to the early April Merchant and Interior Designer wholesale furniture shows in High Point, NC is to buy furniture at discounted prices. There are antique, reclaimed wood, reproduced, and the latest furniture at low prices. 

This week, April 2-8, 2011, of wholesale buyers was an opportunity that our designer offered to us and we were too unknowledgeable to know what to expect, until we got there.

Our designer had been there a few days before we arrived, to select furniture that she thought we might like, as there were too many showcase rooms to see; in fact, she had forgotten, half the time, where some of the furniture she had seen, was displayed.  After running through 13 floors of furniture in one of the buildings; getting lost with her, we decided to stop following her, until she found the furniture first.  

We told her, "You go ahead and when you find it, we will be waiting here for you." She laughed.

This was the only way we could keep from getting completely worn out. We ran around High Point from 8:40 AM until 7:30 PM; stopping to eat only briefly, the catered food and wine.

We did this from Monday through Thursday morning until we flew back to California.

We each had to have a Buyer's badge with a bar code which she gave us; to get into all of the furniture showcase buildings. We were scanned into every building and through every showroom; and then, escorted throughout the room by a representative from that product line. 

We had to 'pretend' we were assistants to our Interior Designer who had the business license; and she was the only one who could purchase any item on the floor with her business Tax I.D. number. The rules are that clients should not be present, but if we are discreet, we will not be thrown out by security.

We did not know the full extent of the savings until we looked at the differences between wholesale and retail prices which were given on each item. 

For example, our Great Room rug which is 9' x 12' was listed at $1999 wholesale. The retail price was listed at over $5400.  In this particular room, this Rep knew we were clients because he knew our designer.

The Rep wrote up the purchase for our designer and she paid for it out of her account since we had already sent her our furniture deposit for this item in advance.

In one of the showrooms, where the representative didn't know our designer or us, he discussed the prices as if we were all buyers.  

Leaning over to whisper in our ear, he said, "go to our website for retail prices and take off  50%; that is your price; I should not be saying this within earshot...."

We were able to get 40% to 60% discounts with a 5% markup from our Interior Designer.  Originally, I thought she said 10%, but the bill stated otherwise. 

In spite, of all the savings we could get on furniture and accessories, we held back buying items too expensive or unnecessary which left us with over half of our allowance still in the bank; although, our designer kept telling us that we were still under budget. I said that there are many things we need later that are unforeseen and some foreseen:  Mattresses, sheets, window treatment which I am sure we could have bought at this show but there was no time left. The wholesale show only lasted one week and all the furniture rooms were spread out so far that it would have been impossible to visit them all. Most the people there were exhausted from the experience, including us. 

Montana: Down to the Wire

Builder and my husband Talking about minimal landscaping

It was a whirlwind 4 day trip to Montana to decide where to place furniture and correct minor mistakes on cabinets, etc.  The plane trip on Allegiant from Los Angeles, CA to Missoula, MT was delayed 4 hours. Getting in at 11:30 PM, canceling our initial plans to drive to Columbia Falls, MT and instead spend the night in Missoula. We were so jet lagged that by the time we started talking to the loan officer the following day; all we wanted to do was crawl up on his desk to sleep.
My husband stop in a parking lot and fell asleep for an hour while I ate the largest Dairy Queen dipped ice cream cone I had every seen. I am watching my weight...
.....grow.
The construction loan officer was impressed that we didn't go over budget, but it was a no brainer when the allowances we had were already set in stone in the loan amount; that had to be compared to the estimated costs from subcontractors.  What part of staying within the allowance limits did we not understand? I know it is easy to go over budget since there are high grade and low grade items to consider; but my rule of thumb for purchasing anything is, "I want to be able to sleep at nights" and not think about debt. Our Interior Designer said she repeats that comment to herself when looking for items for our home.
We had heard some slight horror stories from people going over their loan amount. In all the stories, it seems it was the woman's fault for overspending.  The husband was out of town and the builder or designer convinced her to buy more or build more. In my case, my husband is the woman.


To be fair to the over spenders, we had paid for much of the unexpected costs, like blasting a large hole in the rock on which our house is built, before we even had a construction loan, which we then just added as a cost into the loan. No one expected that much blasting. That was one of the major expenses; besides, my husband's remote control setup for the entire house: audio, TV, security, temperature, cameras, lights, radiant floor heating which can be controlled from California before we arrive in Montana. I am sure there will be some things we can't control on that Ipad in which case we can call a friend to stop by.


It doesn't take much to please me. Even in my youth
I would say, " as long as I have a roof over my head and food on the table, I am fine." Of course, when I moved to California,
I added, ....." and gas in the car."


The builder and designer tell me all the time, "the house is beautiful."
I like to say to them, "It's custom made; it should be beautiful; but since I did not completely design it myself, it's not as beautiful as it should be."
I am sure they are baffled by my response.
I will never get the house I want; although, I am sure it is a nice house and I will like it once I know how it feels to actually live in it. After all, it will have a central vacuum system, a commercial Wolf stove, more storage space; and a well thought out functional kitchen. Not forgetting my art studio where I can make a mess and let it sit without having to hide it when company comes.

My biggest fear is how we will decorate it without having it look like a Bordello or a Native American Indian tribal hut.

The lights
looked cute, that the designer selected for the small guest bathroom,....but when I wanted a light on the ceiling of that same guest bedroom, the designer asked if she could choose it.  Not Thinking that she would use the same pattern which was Only cute in the bathroom...  

After seeing this light hanging from the ceiling....
That wrought-iron bed that I like, would match perfectly, however

 this lamp with a wrought iron bed...... all I can envision is .......

Bordello guest room #2

The designer picked out some of the powder room tile that I find interesting since her custom built home that she and her husband built with their own hands; is very neutral in colors and yet her choices of tiles and lamps for my home are like pieces of jewelry. Although my husband likes the powder room; I could not get my mind around the rustic tile; until I dreamt of a vision that it could represent: 

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. 

It has a shiny reddish stone border that looks like stones for a necklace combined with rough edged tiles with uneven wide grout lines. The granite counter top is a completely different design. I had to force myself to
image Harrison Ford stumbling across this cave like room with it's rustic looking walls and floors....encrusted with rubies.
 All the bathrooms will have wall to wall beveled mirrors; so maybe it will look better once finished and cleaned up.
Next week we head for High Point, NC to pick out the furniture and fabric for all the rooms and I am already worried. 
The designer wants me to look at native America Indian blankets for the beds. 
Having an Indian blanket lying under a Bordello lamp? 
For some reason I can't see it
 unless
I envision an Indian lying on a wrought-iron bed with a prostitute. 


Here are some pictures that we took. 
more are on this page linked to Kerry House Blog.

Front part of house as it angles around to the Master Bedroom with Balcony to Library. Art Studio with french doors just below the Great Room Window.  On either side of the Art Studio are the 2 Guest Bedrooms.

Back of house sitting on 5.99 acres of land. 

Daily site by the house. Builder said he saw a small herd of Elk walking through the other day. It was unusual to see Elk.

Great Room Window. Sorry to see the tree go, but I would like a VIEW of the Valley.

There are bathroom lights that I like 

Great Room Fireplace.  That's our lunch on the box. Looking out back towards the laundry/mud room and garage.

The stairs leading to the Art studio, guest bedrooms, wine room, bar area, gym, theater and mechanical room. 

Looking from the Kitchen/dining room into the Great Room to the Library leading out to the balcony that joins the Master bedroom.

Kitchen Island Granite. 


 I will post more pictures when the kitchen is done; but only if that Indian goes back to his Tepee and that prostitute goes back to her Bordello.