Michael's First Official Post

OK....everyone has been requesting that I post and I agree, I should...so here it is!!

Well, I love this Bungalow, I always wanted a Bungalow and the more Bungalow-ey I found Bungalows to be, the more I liked them. I think that I drove our Real Estate agent to tears trying to find this one but it's finally ours and I couldn't be happier about it. Especially because it happens to be my dream house, plus, I have Heather running around inside of it, so that just makes it extra incredible.

So, that's a good start. Everyone should know that I am a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and that the Prairie Style of Architecture is something that I have always thought was classic as well as classy as well as really practical.

So this Bungalow, as well as thousands of others is not perfect, but that does not detract from it's Bungalowly Goodness. In a sense, it's imperfections are homey and charming and with a building that was erected in 1922; to be expected. That's the whole point of buying the vintage stock of Chicago. You want a piece of that, you know what you're in for, and you are glad that what you end up with is unique and one of a kind.

I have the same affiliation with classic cars. You may curse them for not starting but when they are running and you are cruising down the road, you realize that the experience that they offer is unparalleled with anything that was built today. It's a visceral experience that you can't forget that somehow makes your life seem more rich than it would have been had you picked the normal thing.

And, so it goes, I love classic sports cars, vintage Saxophones, guitars, organs, amps, mixers, tape machines, microphones and houses. I like the low tech and grit that these things provide in the high tech world I live in.

So, not so difficult to understand. This house has a thousand stories. The people that stopped by that lived here told a few. They confirmed some hunches and disproved others; it was all a fascinating process. So, when you buy a place, you sign up for an Odyssey of sorts, you never know where you will end up. You are stuck with it good or bad, but with a place like this, even the WTF moments make you smile as you peel back the layers and discover what lies beneath the facade.

Now, we have a great frame and a canvas that is worthy of many artistic impressions. We have made a few tentative starts, always checking with the spirit of the house to see if it matches the original ideals. We may extend into Neo-Classicism as we customize this classic ride into a low-rider of a house that we seek to unleash upon the streets of Albany Park. However, we both agree that we are going to keep this Bungalow true to it's nature. It's strength lies in a time tested design.

Jeff, a long time friend of mine made an excellent analogy: "A Bungalow is like a Fender Stratocaster, try as you might, you can't perfect the design any further." "It was designed right the first time, you can't make it any better than it is."

So, I'll join in the fun as we go here, I have been working on this earth ship as Heather has been posting - you've only seen a small sampling of the pictures. This place is so ripe with experiences that I can honestly say, "you will have to visit to get it", but some of the more interesting parts we will post. Hopefully, all of you will stop by and see what we have been blogging about.

Right now, I would love to post about what is happening in the house next door. But that, is for the next post. Don't despair, I have pictures.