Come late August we will be converting the current retreat room we built above my garage gallery/studio into a short term occupancy room for Golden Rule supporters from afar--and random style-appreciative members of the public--when they come to town. Although our goal is to some day be able to afford to turn this room into an artist residency, in the mean time we're going to give this a try. It has always been my dream to run a bed and breakfast that functions as an art gallery, so this will be a beta test on the small scale. If you or anyone you know needs a place to stay while visiting after August 2011, let us know! We are not 100% sure on the rates, except that each month's cumulative earnings must equal at least the $600 of rent it would earn if rented on a month-to-month basis. We do plan, however, to offer a 20% discount to all Golden Rule FaceBook fans for sure.

Two summers ago we began DIY construction on this previously unfinished space and the garage gallery below it. We removed the pre-existing structurally unsound loft and reinforced it to code. We sent the old fir floorboards through a planer to make them shiny and new and then used them to cover our fresh insulation. We installed skylights, new floors, and put in one sheetrocked wall below, plus a glass door, and a super shiny polished cement concrete slab. It's pretty hot, especially in the summer and when you turn the space heater on for 20 minutes. And it's pretty cold in the winter with a small leak in the rainy months, but it's pretty-pretty, and a very peaceful space upstairs and a very productive space downstairs. I wish I could afford it as my own! Regardless, collaboratively building this room is one of my hugest accomplishments in life for reasons I just now realized: as a child I was promised a garage live/work space that never materialized because the garage was occupied by my mom's hoard.