It was a wonderful Autumn here at Liminal Feats. Several projects were completed, though none were closer to my heart than our long anticipated Kitchen Renovation! For years the Missus and I have been planning and dreaming about getting this job done. We finally pulled the trigger in September. Major work was done by mid-October, when we moved out of our temporary outdoor kitchen, which served us well during the mild Fall weather. Momma and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. The new kitchen has changed the way we live and feel in our home, and we are grateful every day for the opportunity to have made this happen. Thanks also to Meg Reilley for the awesome pics!

This job officially launched early last Spring, when Carrie-Welles (Project Manager extraordinaire) located these classic, 1950's, Cadillac-Pink, metal cabinets on the ol' Craigslist. These became the anchor around which we planned all the other design elements. While the layout had been worked out over years of head-scratching and chalk 'n' talks, the pink created a really fun and unexpected dynamic for us to work with. We chose features like stainless steel and commercial flooring, softened by Black Walnut butcher block and vintage accents to create an antique/industrial hodgepodge that suits us just fine.

Aside from some critical help moving the Gas Line downstairs (Thanks Brandon!), some painting (Thanks Duncan!), and the installation of the flooring, all the work on the kitchen was done in house, mostly by Poppa, but with lots of help and support from CW and Burl. Opening up the East wall was the largest and trickiest maneuver, and fortunately, it went off without a hitch. The cabinet and countertop installation should have been straightforward, but since nothing in our 1920 home is level or square anymore, there were challenges everywhere. None proved insurmountable, although some bad words may have passed my lips. Meanwhile, Mama tirelessly searched for and selected all the perfect appliances, fixtures, and finishing touches.

Despite a few unexpected difficulties such as venting the hood, discovering paint colors that didn't react with the pink cabinets, or getting the dishwasher to fit perfectly (which it does, thank you very much), the job went very well. It was lovely to spend my time working on improving our own home, putting our love and creativity into work we can appreciate every day. Our collaboration and teamwork improved tremendously during this project. Lots of lessons came from many mistakes. Lastly, though I enjoyed our process very much, I'm glad to have it behind us!

Since completing the kitchen, I've been back outside building forts and designing new adventures. There will be lots more to share soon. In the meantime, stop and see us for a cup of tea. Happy New Year everybody, and many positive wishes for a peaceful and prosperous 2018.

Since the beginning, it has been the goal here at Liminal Feats to make Backyard Adventures available to more and more folks. It is in this spirit that I am working to develop a custom built Tree-Fort that can be installed in two days, and for less than $1500. This Fort will be simple, sturdy, minimally invasive to the tree, and above all, safe and fun for kids (and adults too!). Ideally, families will be able to participate in the design process, and potentially in the installation as well. It seems to me that empowering kids with a few basic construction principles might give them a greater sense of ownership once the job is done.

I was recently given an opportunity to bring a prototype to reality, and was very pleased with the results (seen above). The sweet family that hired me has four young boys who were eager to help out and get busy playing in their new fort! Things ended up taking a bit longer than planned, but I was happy to spend a little extra time on this new product. A few moments of head-scratching allowed me to get more than a few bugs worked out, which will streamline the process later on.

I have confidence that the $1500 Tree-Fort is a possibility. This number speaks to me, because it puts a well built Tree-Fort within reach of ordinary families. Maybe they got a little tax return, a Christmas bonus, or a generous gift from someone. Perhaps Grandma and Grandpa want to add some adventure for the Grand-babies. Either way, this Fort starts out as a basic model. There are no frills except the ability to add on later, and to personalize with flags, toys, furniture, you name it. Combine that with the infinite possibilities of a child's imagination, and suddenly you've got yourself a spaceship, a submarine, a castle turret, or a Fortress of Solitude: whatever suits the game at hand.

So to the Trees! Adventure on!