Wrapping Up Work on the Miami Mansion

Early this week I discovered I could finally put all my weight on my left leg. Bliss. Life is better with two working legs. It gave me the opportunity to ramp up the rehab exercises. Not to complain too much, but I feel like a caged bunny. I want to get back to cycling. If all goes well, I start rambles (easy riding, no chasing) on the bike next week.

Having a month off cycling has helped with finishing the Miami Mansion. Particularly the time-consuming items like arranging for custom stuff.

In a small place, everything is in view and must be coordinated and pulled together. We needed urban and polished, and often ready-made things weren't to our taste. For many of the things we needed for the Mansion, the simplest solution was to find fabric and have a workshop do some custom pieces for us. One thing we have in abundance in our area is specialty fabric stores and custom sewing workshops. For example, we found some great black shantung. We got the right look for our bedroom alcove by having the bed's box spring upholstered, then added a matching tuck-in coverlet and shams. Plus a few accent pillows (which match the ones on the sofa in the adjoining living alcove). At any rate, it looks good.

Still to come is the new TV and all the stuff that goes with it. We love movies. So we're having a very big (90-inch) TV installed. Now the issue with putting something like that into a 600 square foot home is that it has to be carefully integrated into the living area. It has to take up almost no floor space. Since it (by its size) automatically becomes a focal point, it needs to look good when it's not in use. Our approach is to make it into a huge piece of wall art. We hired a local company, and Friday we OK'd their design for the installation. It will all be finished in about a month.

I can't wait for this year's Amgen Tour of California and Tour de France...