Jul
10
It’s now a Lonely 50s House
Filed by mrbill Under House, Houston | 5 Comments
My wife Amy passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on June 16th. I’m not yet planning on moving or selling the house, as I like it too much.
May
6
When in Doubt, Call in the Experts
Filed by amy Under House, Houston, Resources | Leave a Comment
I’ve spent the past few months memorizing the entire Benjamin Moore paint line, looking for a trim color for the house. You’d think it’d be easy, right? Wrong. I can’t just appease the neighbors, paint the thing beige, and call it a done deal. Why? Because #1 It’s Boring and #2 It’s Not Authentic to 1956.
I admit [...]
Dec
24
A Quiet Christmas
Filed by mrbill Under Houston | Leave a Comment
Not much going on here this holiday season. As an IT guy, I tend to have to work extra hours during the Christmas and New Years break to get things done while the rest of the employees are off on vacation.
Nov
28
Turkey Day at Fifties House
Filed by mrbill Under House, Houston | Leave a Comment
We ended up having a non-Turkey-based meal with our neighbors across the street (who are also Fifties/Modern fanatics). Tenderloin steak, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sausage, and pumpkin chiffon pie for dessert.
I’ve added One Stop Modern to the Links & Resources page.
Oct
2
Update on the Popular Mechanics articles
Filed by mrbill Under Houston, Pictures, Resources, Retro | Leave a Comment
Back in January I posted some pictures I’d taken of interesting articles from the 1961 “Popular Mechanics Illustrated Home Handyman Encyclopedia & Guide”.
I’m happy to report that Popular Mechanics has given me permission to produce PDF versions of their articles as long as I don’t alter the content and provide a link to their home [...]
Oct
2
The Neighborhood Hardware Store
Filed by mrbill Under Houston | Leave a Comment
About a year and a half ago, Jenny Suk and Luther Batie opened up Tanglewilde Ace Hardware in the shopping center at the intersection of Tanglewilde and Westheimer, just “down the street” from our house.
Since then it’s been our one-stop shopping source for all kinds of house stuff. Luther and Jenny (along with the [...]
Oct
2
Hurricane Ike Aftermath
Filed by mrbill Under House, Houston | Leave a Comment
Living in Houston, we got to experience the effects of Hurricane Ike firsthand. A friend from San Antonio found out that I didn’t have a generator, so he bought one (along with 75 gallons of gas) and drove it to me, arriving about six hours before the hurricane hit and we lost power.
The day [...]
Sep
15
Amy and I visited Houston’s 1940 Air Terminal Museum today, and I took a bunch of pictures.
It’s a great example of Art Deco architecture, and I’m glad that it was saved instead of being bulldozed.
Edit: here’s some of my favorite pictures. Click a thumbnail for the Flickr page.
Jun
8
We’re not dead yet!
Filed by mrbill Under House, Houston | Leave a Comment
I just update this site as notable things happen.
Speaking of that, last week was very interesting in terms of home security.
A new Ace Hardware store opened up in the shopping center at Tanglewilde and Westheimer about a month ago – they have a HUGE selection of stuff and it will be great to not have [...]
Oct
2
Apparently the P-trap that I bought, the nuts and compression fittings that came with it, and the old “waste pipe” and nut on it were all crap. When I assembled everything, there were leaks where the nuts and compression fittings held things together. We gave up and called someone who does this for [...]
