yeehaw. Gunna gets me one of them thar barns

I'm excited to show you the progress of the barn/studio!!!

Are you ready for it??!?

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Yes!

A patch of grass.

Absolutely nothing has happened yet.  Gene and I have been working on the new front porch addition to the house.  (I have to stop calling it a deck, because it's really a porch).  About 3 weeks ago, we were trying to work on it, cussing.... sweating.... growling at each other.

It was then that this sudden realization struck me like a ton of barn boards.  We couldn't even make tiny progress on this porch, there was NO WAY we were getting this barn done.

None.

I stopped talking about it.  Stopped telling customers that the studio was "on the way" and "this summer".  I was frustrated.  The required budget tripled to make it happen and I just had this dead sinking feeling that I didn't have enough.

Not enough strength.

Not enough money.

Not strong enough marriage.

(that's sarcasm for those impaired).

Finally about a week ago I said to Gene.  "Yeah, that studio isn't happening".

{insert look of shock and horror on his face}

Ok, I really wasn't expecting THAT.

I relayed my concerns and I think somehow that lit some kind of fire under him.

After much discussion, we realized that this was a project that we couldn't take on ourselves.  If we did, it would involve someone quitting their job and that's not happening. 

It also might involve a whole bunch of marriage counselling.

So Gene made some phone calls, we talked to a guy that frames up buildings all the time.  We MIGHT be back on track to make something happen. 

Or that's the plan anyway.

We're hoping for a building that will be framed up and wrapped by winter.  Probably no inside finish work done.  For sure, probably no plumbing done. 

So in the meantime, it's still a little "pie in the sky" but to placate myself, I decided to create an illustration of what it migh look like.

{I'm standing in my driveway.  Chicken coop on the right, road on the left}

I think th is is a fairly accurate representation.  Well, less the doors and windows that look like they were manufactured by MS Paint.

I are a fotoshop mastur.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

This is it.

This is my dream studio.

A couple days ago, Gene and I went down to nose around our neighbor's house.  He's building a garage there and when the wind is just right, we can hear him cussing over a quarter mile away.

That takes some serious skill.

We loved his set up, and was asking him lots of personal questions like, "How much will this cost?" and "How much concrete is in there?" and "That mole on your arm looks kind of suspicious. Want my dermatologists number?"

He was really helpful and gave us his catalog where he bought his building kit from.  Later I was looking at it, and when I saw the little barn, I literally gasp.

"This is it!"

"It is?" said Gene.

"Yep.  That's it."

Every time I think about a studio, a barn keeps popping into my head.  I just keep thinking "gee I wish I had a barn" but stupid me had never put 2 and 2 together to actually BUILD ONE.  It fits my brand perfectly (the chickens will look right at home).

Those doors will be on the other end of the building where the garage will be.  This end, the doors will be replaced with some huge windows for my (mostly) natural light studio.  North windows baby, all the way.

Inside, you'll have off the the right, the "kitchen" when you first walk in the door.  Don't get too excited, it really won't be much of a kitchen when we first get it going.  Just a hole for a kitchen.  There'll be a cute little bathroom complete with shower.  Then a staircase.

A staircase to what?

Only the upstairs shooting space/music room.

Oh yessir.  Gene has been dreaming of a music room for years.  I've been dreaming of his musical instruments not being in my house for years.

We have a symbiotic relationship.

Outside will be an outdoor studio space.  Fun props, lots of tall grasses.  Flowers (if the chickens will let them live), benches, chairs, etc to sit on and for the chickens to poop on.

It will be awesome.  Don't expect perfection the first year out.  My goal is just to get a hole that I can shoot in through the winter.  It might have bare concrete floors.  It might not have a workable bathroom (eek!) but it will be MINE!

Someday, if we ever decide to move - and that's a big if right now - it will be a wonderful space that someone else can put their kid into, or their mother-in-law.  My property value just went up $30k.

Alright, if everyone that reads this will chip in $1.00 toward the studio, I'll have $7.00!

Who's with me!?