A Place of One’s Own: The Ranch

This bamboo Tiki Bar was one of my favorite typing spots. Sturdy, easy access to drinks, wired for electric so I could have a radio and a tv monitor showing what was happening in front of the house.

Dr. Joe kept watch to keep cats off the typing surface.

He wasn't real good at his job.

This glass table sees much use for typing. This table still serves us at the Townhouse. Downside - it affects the visibility of things in close proximity to it.

This astroturf-covered metal table was slightly shaky, but got used as a typing table out under a tree a lot. I still have this table lighter.

And of course, the ever reliable, very portable barstool served many a typing session.

But mostly it was this leather-covered bar table next to the bar.

Inside the Ranch, this bar served as a common standing typewriter table.

Bonus: for naps, the handy 8-foot long vintage gold sofa. Super-comfy!

Often, this console stereo cabinet served as typewriter station. Bonus: immediate access to the music and best speaker positioning.

The Orange Bar often had it's own guardian, which was equally as good as Dr. Joe was at repelling the pocket tigers.

Current typing station, given that it's hot as bloody blazes outside. Again, cats compete with typewriters for desk space.

Bonus Image: The Ranch was full of cat zen.

Regional Curiousity: Houses in the old part of town are almost always set up with bowl-shaped yards to hold water, and a giant spigot that you open on schedule every two weeks that floods your entire property with 3-4 inches of water over the course of 45 minutes. Wellingtons, an irrigation key and a flashlight are important. How do you water your lawn where you live?

Updated: August 1, 2012 — 3:09 pm

8 Comments

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  1. Love the ranch, and wish I could have joined you at the tiki bar. That watering method is just weird. My wife’s hypothesis is that cats like typewriters because the typist will be sitting still for a time.

  2. Nice ranch. It looks like a great place to relax, think, and type. Then have a drink or tow at the Tiki bar.

    I too like to type outdoors. It is quite relaxing.

    Watering the lawn? The easy way … flip the switch and let my sprinkler pump go to work. It’s nice to have a well.

  3. The typing zone is really nice. The cat connection is natural given their love of shedding on anything that might collect fur. I’m jealous of your cat and tiki collection.

    As for watering, we live smack in the middle of that big red blob of hot that you might have seen on the national weather map. We’re down roughly 10 inches of precipitation on the year and it has been 100-108 for weeks. Today it only got up to 95 and it felt comfortable. We hand water plants we want to keep alive and run a sprinkler to keep an arc in the backyard alive. I run a soaker hose to keep the foundation from settling too much and the water bill is going to be hideous. The trees are dropping leaves like it is late September.

    Wow. Sorry for the bummer weather report.

  4. The cat-and-Hermes pic is priceless.

    The watering method makes sense to me — probably minimizes evaporation.

  5. Special note, in the picture with the typewriter on a barstool: To the left is a meat grinder from the 1920’s that I still use every winter to make cranberry relish by hand for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

  6. Holy crap…tiki bar typing surface? You, sir, win every single internet.

  7. The vibrant Southwest colors were great in the vintage sofa room of the Ranch!

    My neighbor built a “Tiki boat”, complete with bar. Now I’m inspired to invite myself on his next cruise.

  8. You must! and take pictures (:

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