House of Rock /My Big Backyard/ the FINALE

so clearly weeks have gone by since my last post. life is busy busy and i can't seem to find the time to make a post these days!! but more honestly, so many hours went into this project that by the time it was finished and the garden was open, i was too tired to talk about it, write about it, or even think about it. i'm going to do my best to quickly top this thing off and attach some pictures.

last i left off, i was heading to the shop to begin on my instruments and turning over the painting to the volunteers. good move. there's no way it all could have gotten done without me missing work at the shop, not to mention losing countless hours of sleep. here's a few shots of painting in progress.



the reason for making the instruments was that i wanted the kids to see that you don't have to spend a fortune on a drum kit, or expensive instruments- you can make noise/sound/music on everyday objects. so i gathered up tin bowls from the dollar store, plastic buckets from all over, brass pipe, discarded cymbals, and wooden decoupage boxes from michael's..all different sizes and shapes. i was able to make some wooden drums, some bucket drums, some steel drums, some mallets out of dowels and super balls, a chime set of goblets and a discarded flag pole and some tin can shakers. along with cymbals scattered about on the walls, there is plenty of noise to be had at the house of rock.





the week leading up to opening day was a huge push for everyone. it had been raining for days on end so progress was at a snail's pace and anytime it wasn't raining the place was buzzing with workers. the 3 nights before the opening i was there at the playhouse until late....the last two as late as midnight. eeeery and peaceful at the same time.




opening day finally came and it was a mad house- kids everywhere.... banging on everything. i couldn't help but join in. it of course rained and that was kind of a drag but the kids didn't seem to notice. nearly everyone in my family was in town for one reason or another and they all came, so it was great to share my big day with them.

















by the end of the weekend i'd gotten word that a few things had been destroyed so wed. after work i went over to assess the damage. it was hard to take when i first saw all my hard work in a heap on the floor, or dangling from the walls. the worst of it was seeing the mothers just stand there while their child wielded with all his might to destroy anything that was left. first of all, this is suppose to be a learning experience, not a seek and destroy mission. second of all, what parent stands there while their kid destroys things that aren't theirs?!! maybe that should have been the "first of all".





after they all left for the day, i retrieved the broken pieces, along with my pride, and returned to the shop for a better stronger solution. forget the kids learning about making music or sound out of everyday objects. that's not on their radar and clearly the parents aren't going to make the connection or interaction with them so i'll just let it be.
i made a repeat of the bucket drums. i changed the way i did a couple of things and found some thicker buckets that i hope will hold up to the mongrels they encounter. the wooden drums i changed all together. i did a little research and built a replica of wooden symphony blocks made of 3/4in thick plywood. surely they can't break these.

early one sunday morning about 6am, i returned with help to the playhouse to install the upgrades, tighten up a few things and do some touch up painting. it was great to have the help on the paint job, but it wasn't the neatest job for sure. i also tried to drive the message home to play gently and make music by painting it on the back wall and on the drums. who knows if it'll actually work or not.

so i finished all that up and on the back side, posted a message to my son, who i can't wait to share this with. so much of my days, nights, hours, and minutes were spent thinking of him and the day he gets to come here and experience this place that i built.

oddly, after i finished, i didn't want to leave. but eventually i said my goodbyes with a little prayer that it would hold up and serve it's purpose and bring many kids joy through the sound of and act of making music.

oh- i never saw the dog again. one of the landscapers finally caught him and has since given him a good home.





it's been a little over two months since My Big Backyard has opened and i still get compliments and photos sent to me to let me know how much the kids love it....all the way down to an exhausted mother who, after 45 minutes at the House of Rock, had to drag her son away while he had a crying fit about leaving. not that i want anyone to cry, or drag, but it does my heart good to know that the kids are loving making music so much they want to stay. i'm very proud that it has turned out to be such a success.






this is john, who couldn't wait to tell me that my playhouse was his favorite.










.....and some photos of the rest of the garden. i have to give credit to stacey greenberg for these that follow. and a couple above. i snagged them from her blog. i couldn't help it- they're so good! thanks stacey. and still, there is so so much to be seen that is not included here. so i hope everyone makes it out some time or another. it is definitely for the kid in all of us.












thank you to everyone for all their hard work on such an amazing project. thank you to all who have shared their stories and photographs with me. and most of all, thank you to my loving partner jamie, who gave me more love and understanding and support than anyone could ever hope for.

house of rock 5 (breaking sweat )

my, how time flies! (i've always wanted to say that) i've gotten a good bit done since my last post. we closed the shop for the weekend of the 4th. good long one. laurie wanted to close friday and monday so we'd have four whole days to relax- or in my case, slave and give blood to my project at the gardens.

the first morning was friday july 3rd. i showed up, the gate was open and somebody was in my way. so i ask that i get by and drive up to my spot and began to realize, someone has started painting my playhouse! holy canoli! well, ha! not exactly what i said. more like, WTF??!!! so i'm looking around and there's people everywhere . completely different than my quite mornings to myself. little busy bodies everywhere. everywhere are busy bodies not speaking my language and there's paint all over my house. GREAT.

so, while i gather my things, i try to also gather my composer, thinking, there's must be for a reason for this. come to find out, someone was sent out to paint the playhouse that was being constructed and guess what? mine was and others weren't, so there you go. i'll stop there with that point.



aarrrgggh!!

even though i had made huge progress in the previous weekend and weeknights, there was still a good bit to do that i had been putting off. like closing in above the door. measuring,cutting and installing the end triangles. the last of the heavy lifting. i was nearly to the park when i remembered that i needed the trash can lid to trace for the circles to cut out, so i had to turn my ship around and go back for it. but, it was worth it. it was the perfect size. but that actually took quite a while, cutting out those four pieces and getting the half circles to match nicely. i had done this once before when i forgot to bring the pizza pan/cookie sheet. also the perfect size for the holes in the railing around the deck. someone was not too happy when i called and she had to take her waffles out of the oven to give me the pan.



i also closed in the back side of the back wall, and framed in the window on the back side.



most of friday was frustrating. one thing after another. all meant to send me up and down the ladder 999 times. people that were working with the gardens came by and introduced themselves, a man and his wife, from kentucky or something, were in town and looking around. i'm sweating, and sawing, and cussing, when i can feel something..... someone looking at me. there he was just standing there like, "ah look, there's an artist." or maybe, "look at her, now what does she think she's doing?" i don't know.... he was a nice guy. he must have stayed and talked to me for half an hour though and when your clock is ticking loudly and your friends are in the sun and pool having beer, i'm thinking he was lucky to get 5.

anyway, i can't remember where, but i heard about a dog that had been seen in the park. two actually, i think. but sometime friday afternoon, i heard the train going by, and off in the distance i could hear some howling. i'll just go ahead and say it, it's the way to my heart. really. i couldn't believe it, and it sounded really close. it was time for a break, so i took a little walk. it was late in the day so most of the people had thinned out. when i went up to the big house, i thought i saw him run away but i wasn't sure. after further investigation i discovered that, in an inset for a coke machine was two containers - one with some water and one empty and knocked over.
ah ha! i've found him.
so, the next morning on my usual stop at the circle k to load up on gatorade and such, i picked up the little guy some puppy chow. here we go...again.



the back of my car. also know as; my studio, my cutting center, my tool shed, my cafe' and my thinking cap. and now, where the puppy chow lives.

when i got to the park, the first order of things was to go to the porch of the big house and check things out. it was the weekend so it was quiet and he was still around. i got a quick glimpse of him as he darted away like i was the devil. i loaded up his bowl, gave him fresh water and went about my business. every now and then a train would go by and i'd hear him howl. i could usually tell where he was in the park and tried to keep tabs on him that way. getting a picture of this guy was like trying to get a picture of big foot! i have more than i can count and they all look like this.



every now and then i'd look up from what i was doing and see him trotting by. as the day wore on he started becoming a little more curious and would sit and watch me from afar.

sunday and monday were good long workdays. first i measured and laid out my window frames, then on to my trim. it took most all of those two days to get my trim up. not only was there plenty of measuring and cutting, it was also, specific cutting, like around a curve. not a straight line. a lot of fitting. and also, a lot of my favorite game, "pick it up, drop it"! : /

towards the end of the day, 6 o'clock or so, and after about 10 hours of work, i was relieved my day was done and that the puppy was home. i looked up just in time to see him coming back in. we both were very tired. he had been hoofing it all day, you could tell. he was looking for food probably, and i was working for lunch money. this time for his afternoon feeding, instead of going up to the big house, i make a bowl close to my house and filled it up. he immediately came around, but wouldn't come close.




i got this a few times....


but eventually, i got this.


super cute


finally i get all my trim up. my goal was to leave monday with everything completely finished. close, but no cigar. i always feel like just a little bit more and i'll be done. and that little bit is so much more. either i'm much more of an optimist than i ever thought, or i'm just a complete dip. i'm going for the first one. keep it to yourself. either way, i was close. and i could smell victory, a milestone, right around the corner.



trim on front top gables




trim inside






everyday that next week i came over to the park after work to check on things and feed the dog. it was much to my delight that my paint i ordered had arrived!! i think they've taken pity on me and offered for one of the volunteers to paint for me if i mark off the colors i want. and guess what? i'm gonna let them!! beautiful colors but now i've got to decide where to put them



the following saturday~ july 11 ~ i did my usual routine; unlock the gate, shut the gate, feed the dog, drop the tailgate and get breakfast out, get distracted and walk around to see what needs to be done, get further distracted and start getting things done, go back to tailgate for cold breakfast and gatorade.
*let me make a side note that if you're going to be working outside, or doing strenuous work- anything that makes you sweat enough to water a nation- skip the water, drink the gatorade. after my injury, i went in to see my doctor....they tried three different places to take my blood. i was so dehydrated they had to take it in the top of my hand. when i explained why i was dehydrated, both nurses, in unison, said..."oh girl, you got to drink gatorade, you need your electrolytes. girl, you know you can injure yourself when you're dehydrated like that!"

really.

so, i headed their warning and from then on out i drank gatorade everyday all day. and i do have to say, it made a world of difference. i didn't tire nearly as quickly and had much more stamina.

that saturday might have been one of my favorites. i got all the rest of the trim done and my puppy dog howled at every train that went by. he stayed close to home and even came in closer to eat. i was finally able to get some shots of him.


this made me very happy.




windows and side trim



front window with trim- caulk- and spackled- prepped and ready to be sanded



after they've started painting and all the trim is up- prep work is done- and about 4 hours with a belt sander and everything is done! on sunday july 12- nearly 60 days from the first day of work for me,( though i really only got to work about 20 of those days if you consider that it was all done outside of my day job) all construction is completed! i packed up sunday by 1:00 o' clock, came home and had a shower and cold beer with the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. after a quick rest, it was off to shop and scrounge for what i can make some instruments out of. some people have donated a few things- real instruments, which i'm so thankful for! but part of my goal is to have some things to be made of found objects to inspire the kids to think about making music, sound, rhythm, with anything. i came home with a nice sampling of random things like, various sizes of metal bowls, wooden boxes, and plastic buckets. sticks, dowels, superballs, and tin cans. we shall see!