Modern Home

Driveway Refurbish

I had a tar-and-chip driveway that was installed over 9 years ago. It was showing its age, and I’ve lost my constant battle with weeds that seem to find a way to grow back in sections every year. So today, I had a new one installed.

It started with the crew from Keystone Tar & Chip Paving first removing all visible vegetation, re-defining the edges along the lawn, leveling and grading the entire length of the driveway, then compacting the graded surface using a 5-ton vibratory combo set of rollers. They then applied a vegetation preventative on the compacted surface, and proceeded with the main job: two individual layers of chip seal consisting of first, hot liquid asphalt (or tar) at the rate of 1/2 gallon per square yard, followed by crushed limestone gravel (or chips) at the rate of 1 ton per 500 square feet. After each coating, the 5-ton vibratory combo rollers went over the newly applied layer for further compaction while workers manually fine-raked and brushed for an even surface. All these in about 5 hours.

They also gave me tips on what herbicides to use to prevent weed growth, and further enjoy the new driveway for at least the next decade.

Live Edge Bench

Also got this live edge walnut bench delivered this past weekend. A great match for the dining table for when additional seating is needed.

"Expanding" an Area Rug

I did some furniture re-arranging in the living room, largely repositioning the sofa and the Eames lounge chair/ottoman. That threw off the overall symmetry and placement of the pieces relative to the “area rug” under them, and the overall space in general.

The solution was to “expand” the rug by placing five additional FLOR tiles to one end of it. That’s the beauty of FLOR tiles arranged as area rugs — flexible enough in terms of size and placement, and compatible enough in terms of style and color even if you didn’t plan for a larger one (with different-style tiles) in the beginning. I’m pretty happy with the result.

New Plants in Old Containers

[16 May, 2026]

Every year, I buy flowering, if not colorful, annuals that I plant in several old containers in my Japanese-inspired rear courtyard. This year was no different, except that I bought a bunch of perennials instead. I guess I got tired of pulling out old plants and replacing them with new ones every year. In addition to saving money, it also gives me back a lot of time that I can spend on another “favorite” task every spring — pulling weeds and errant grass amongst the permanent ground cover in the courtyard.

Additionally, I also re-built a 4-year old succulent pot that’s been adorning my indoor dining table. Easy-maintenance and quite resilient, these succulents should be good for another 4-5 years, I reckon.

New Clock

Just recently got this new two-sided classic-style analog wall clock from Dulton, a well-known Japanese homewares manufacturer and seller. It would be the latest addition to my growing collection of iconic and interesting timepieces. In case you couldn’t tell, I am fascinated with unique and oversized clocks. Big time!

Rocking the Landscape

[18 May, 2024]

The rock beds along the house’s front walk have settled and I spent the afternoon ferrying literally over a ton of ‘Alabama Sunset’ stones and raking them in level with the concrete walk. It was quite a workout, but I think worth the effort in the end.

Christmas Trees Are Up!

It’s that time of year - Christmas trees went up the day after Thanksgiving!

Fall at the Homestead

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and for me, provides the best light and colors to take photos of the house and its surroundings. Here are some from a cloudy day in late October.

Buff, Polish, Shine

It’s that time of year: a total clean up treatment of my concrete floor. First, a buff with the Oreck orbiter. followed by a thorough vacuum, and finally, 2 coats of Zep’s High Traffic Floor Polish. For that shiny, glass-like finish!

Another K BBQ Weekend

Another Korean BBQ this past weekend, this time, with Jeremy, who, back in his JBAD days, was part of the awesome design team that worked on my house. He and his wife also brought over everything needed for an evening’s worth of old-fashioneds.