With the Barretts – Adventure Near & Far

Hildring House Adventure – Before & After – Part 1

Part 1 of the Before & After photos of the Hildring House Adventure – With the Barretts

Before & After at Hildring House – Part 1

You never reach a point in home remodel and redesign where everything is “done.” There is always more that could be changed. Another tweak of paint or fabric or flooring, a different window treatment, an alternative furniture placement.

At Hildring House, almost everything has changed. Even if a room hasn’t completely changed, it hasn’t gone untouched.

But we’re at the stage where we have to say, “enough.”

I believe the transformation Debra brought about here at Hildring House is astonishing. So, let’s take a look at some before and after shots, shall we?

The first change you notice about the facade is the color, since it’s the most dramatic. As important, however, is the fact that you can see more of it. Removing the huge bushes standing guard at the front door and the scraggly hedges blocking the windows made a huge difference – inside and out.

But, wait! There is so much more. Let’s go take a look.

2019 & the Power of Intention

2019 & the power of intention. Let’s make it a great new year.

For a ‘50s kid, it’s a bit surreal to think that it’s 2019.
When the millennium changed, everyone made such a big deal out of it (let’s not forget Y2K hysteria) that it turned out not to be such a big deal, after all.

But, 2019. Holy smokes.

During my childhood, 2019 was an impossibly futuristic date, a fantasy of flying cars and anti-gravity rays and buildings that literally scrape the sky. (Why has mastering gravity always been a touchstone of futuristic fantasy? Note for discussion in a later post.)

I’ve seen some things on the Internet and in newspaper deriding New Year’s celebrations as “just an arbitrary date on the calendar.” As far as that goes, any calendar date is arbitrary, isn’t it? If we were still reckoning the passage of time under the Julian calendar, rather than the Gregorian one, today would be December 19, 2018, rather than January 1, 2019.

I prefer the latter, thank you very much. I want it to be a new year. And, so it is.

Intention is perhaps the most powerful force in the universe. I say “perhaps” only because the things that we know represents such a minuscule part of the vast ocean of things to know.

Direct Your Attention for a Happy Holiday Adventure!

Holiday Adventures With the Barretts

Season’s Greetings! It Really is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Sure, things get kind of crazy this time of year.

But the power of a thing is determined by the attention you give it. By directing your attention, you can make your Holiday Adventure a happy one.

You can choose to focus on the rampant commercialism, the hordes of people pushing and clawing, the insane drivers, and the general chaos.

Child wide-eyed and open mouth with wonder — Awe and Joy

Or you can give your attention to the peace, joy, and wonder of the season.

As the old year fades and the new one brightens on the horizon, beauty is a bit closer to the surface.

At no other time of year do so many people make an effort to share loveliness – with lights and greenery and decorations that sparkle and music and smiles and good wishes. And cookies.

Timber Frame Homes – A Guest Post from Hamillcreek.com

Tyler, who writes for Hamillcreek.com, reached out to WiththeBarretts about sharing a post lauding timber frame home construction. We’re pleased for the opportunity to share his work – and to feature the Hamill Creek site. Go check it out – it’s well worth the visit.

Here is Tyler’s article:

Timber Frame Home Designs – Eternally Beautiful Homes

Timber frame homes are making a huge comeback all over the world. Modern technology has ensured that several flaws which were inherent with timber construction have now been addressed, making this a viable alternative to block construction today. Continue reading “Timber Frame Homes – A Guest Post from Hamillcreek.com”

Happy Thanksgiving from With the Barretts

A day to focus on those people and times that bring you happiness – the things for which you are grateful.

A day to share, if not in person, then at least in spirit.

From pizza and tea (it doesn’t have to be turkey and dressing)

to quiet contemplation of gratitude

to breaking bread with loved ones in elegant style

the Barretts wish you peace and joy and a multitude of reasons to be grateful – today and always.

Dan & Debra

8 Things to Do in Sitges, Spain from AlltheRooms – With a Bit of Lagniappe from WiththeBarretts

I received an email from the lovely folks over at AlltheRooms. They had seen our post about Springtime in Seville (which you can find here) and wondered if we were familiar with Sitges, Spain. It so happens that we are.

A charming, beautiful seaside town just south of Barcelona, Sitges really should be on your itinerary for travel in Spain.

The AlltheRooms blog put together a post about The Top 8 Things to Do in Sitges, a couple of which I confess were new to me. I didn’t know that they did up Carnaval in Sitges, for instance. And I wish we had known about Museu de Cau Ferrat when we were there. House museums are our favorite, and we would have paid it a visit, for sure. I guess we’ll just have to go back.

So, go check out The Top 8 Things to Do in Sitges on the AlltheRooms blog.

Then, come along With the Barretts for a bit of Sitges lagniappe: Continue reading “8 Things to Do in Sitges, Spain from AlltheRooms – With a Bit of Lagniappe from WiththeBarretts”