As I stripped sheets from the bed this morning and headed to the washer, recently-heard remarks by Admiral William H. McRaven came to mind. Sharing his 36 years of experience as a Navy SEAL at a university commencement, he gave graduates ten pieces of advice for changing the world. The very first one... If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. by Hinsdale Design-Build Firms Normandy Remodeling All those years ago, on his very first morning in basic SEAL training, his bed was inspected by instructors—Vietnam veterans looking to see if his corners were square, covers pulled tight, pillow centered under the headboard, and extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the ... Keep Reading...
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Field Trip Friday #8: New Old House in the Country
Believe it or not, school will be in full swing again around here next week, so this is our last Field Trip Friday. I hope you've enjoyed them. Today's field trip takes us to a beautiful valley in East Tennessee—Dumplin Valley—and to one of the oldest farms in our county. Only a mile-and-a-half from the little farm Renaissance Man and I own, the Brotherton Farm is part of the land settled in 1785 by William Bradshaw and Richard Rankin of Pennsylvania. Finding two fine springs, the pair set to work building a small house each, cutting logs to sizes they could handle. They then worked a 2-acre plot for each man; clearing, fencing, and planting their crops. Only then did they return to a nearby county to ... Keep Reading...
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Field Trip Friday #7: The DeGolyer House at the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden
Welcome to the weekend! Today's field trip is actually one I took back in the Fall, but I only showed you the "Fall-ish" parts then. Today you get to peek behind that gorgeous door! Built in 1940, the 21,000 square foot DeGolyer House is an amazing example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Everett DeGolyer was a very successful petroleum geologist who worked extensively in Mexico, so it's understandable why he and his wife, Nell, had a love for the style. Of course, "revival" styles tend to get interpreted differently by different people. According to DeGolyer himself, his home was a Beverly Hills architect’s idea of what a Texas oilman thinks a Texas hacienda ... Keep Reading...
