Outdoors Archives - edb designs

Outdoors The Big Sur House Travel Uncategorized

big sur under siege by fire and visitors

August 30, 2020

UPDATE: On September 11, the Dolan Fire is is 113,486 acres and only 26% contained. 14 firefighters were injured in a burnover incident. Thankfully, the last one will be leaving the hospital this week. The fire has been burning for over 3 weeks with no end in sight at this time. For anyone who loves Big Sur, please consider donating to Big Sur Fire , an all volunteer brigade made up of 22 men and women who do more than…

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Outdoors The Big Sur House

outdoor living at the big sur house

June 18, 2020

More than ever, our homes have become places of comfort and refuge. With temperatures heating up, we are now turning to our outdoor spaces as an extension of our homes. Today I’m sharing our outdoor living space along with links to some truly inspiring blogger’s gardens. Here at The Big Sur House, we spend most of our time on the front deck (you can find the story on creating the deck here). With the stay at home order still in…

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Outdoors The Big Sur House

gather round the big sur table!

October 17, 2019

At our Big Sur home, we have a big deck…a really big deck. On one end is our lounging area with a large sofa, chairs, and a coffee table. The other end is a whole lot of empty deck real estate. I knew eventually we would have some sort of table. But a year later…still nothing. I always thought it would be fun to design and build a table, which I mentioned it to our contractor, Brendan Wahl of B…

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Landscape Design Outdoors

stock tank gardens

September 14, 2019

What is a stock tank you may ask, and what does it have to do with gardening? It is a large galvanized container that is used to keep livestock hydrated. They also make wonderful gardens! When we bought the Little Glass House ten years ago, the previous owners left four large tanks. I knew that when we reimagined our backyard space, the tanks were going to be a feature. With drainage holes drilled into the bottom and drip irrigation lines,…

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Outdoors Travel

hiking solo

June 22, 2019

When I can combine two of the things I love, Big Sur and hiking, it’s a good day! Just to clarify, while I truly enjoy hiking with friends and family, there is something meditative and restorative about going solo. Much to the consternation of my family, I know there are risks going it alone…but I’m not talking about hiking for days…three to four hours tops! I always tell someone where I’m going and let them know when I return. This…

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Landscape Design Outdoors

showering en plein air

June 8, 2019

Let me start out by making clear that I am not an exhibitionist. As a small child, I have fond memories of coming back from the beach sandy and a bit sunburned but eagerly looking forward to the outdoor shower (or “plein air”, as I like to call it). It was the only one in the rented bungalow! Never mind that there were often a dozen of us in need of washing off the sand and suntan lotion…it was worth…

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Landscape Design Outdoors The Big Sur House

the funk factor

May 11, 2019

Big Sur has something I like to call the “funk factor”. The creativity is off the charts, and often it is out of necessity. With the closest hardware store an hour away and frequent road closures due to mudslides, people learn to make do with what is available and it often leads to creative solutions. Our contractor Brendan Wahl is just such a person. He has lived in the area all his life and to him there aren’t problems, only…

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Outdoors The Big Sur House

our great big sur deck!

May 4, 2019

You know how when you improve one part of your home, it makes the other parts look tired and old? That’s exactly what happened with our deck. We were told we could likely get another few years out of it, and so we had put it on the back burner along with a kitchen remodel. Fast forward ten months, we had new windows, siding , and outdoor furniture. The deck stuck out like a sore thumb! It was old redwood…

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Outdoors The Big Sur House Uncategorized

springtime at the big sur house

April 27, 2019

After a very wet winter (over 50″ of rainfall) it has been a beautiful spring at The Big Sur House. The poppies and wildflowers are blooming and there is a veritable small green field in front of our deck! Next spring I’m going to toss a bunch of wildflower seed and hope for even more flowers. Of course, lest you think it is perfect, poison oak and ticks are in great abundance and seem to have an affinity for me.…

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Outdoors

out with the rosemary!

November 3, 2017

When we moved to The Little Glass House seven years ago, we redid the landscaping. You can see some of the changes here. Things grow incredibly fast and big here in Southern California, and before I knew it, that cute tiny rosemary hedge became a four foot monster! Here’s what the back yard looked like when we bought our house as seen from inside……

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