What started in 2004 as complete absolution to remove carpet from the house, came to a conclusion in 2010 to remove all tile as well. When all carpet was torn out and replaced with carbonized thick bamboo boards in 2004, using the best materials the marketplace sells, the love affair with bamboo began. But hey, don't drop stuff on it! Bamboo is hard but dents. I never put bamboo in the kitchen. Why? I did both baths and there's potentially more water sloshing on floors in there (it never happens).  Kitchens just seem to need tile, right? Or so I thought. That was tradition. But then, newsflash, I am not a traditionalist at all.  And then sadly I began to hate my beautiful porcelain...

To all Team in Training participants: Green Box Homes is a long time friend of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in San Diego and has participated with LLS for many years on many levels. Now we will be helping Team in Training athletes with fund raising.  For any real estate client you're responsible for sending to us, we are donating 15% of our side's commission upon close of escrow to your campaign.  At closing, will mail a check to the director of LLS in San Diego for your fund raising, who is aware of our program and ready to see it implemented!  If your current program is completed, we can send it to LLS on behalf of a future campaign for you. Returning as an alumni...

I have a feeling the end of Kodachrome will pass with relative quietness, which is not acceptable.  Films ending in the word "chrome" signified the finished product was a positive image.  The film was technically called "color reversal film."  Think Fujichrome or Kodachrome. Once developed, each little positive image was typically put into a cardboard sleeve and became a 35mm slide.  Kodachrome was/is famous for its warm yellows and oranges. Fujichrome for its crisp blues and greens. As a photographer who shot both, I used to keep them straight by the colors of their box....Kodak's orange and yellow boxes were warm, Fuji's green and blue boxes were cool.  Sometimes I tried to figure out...

Kerry was in New York City this week and was able to shoot a few quick videos for the blog. There are two new videos, bottom right, that were shot at the site of the World Trade Center with construction under way. The third video is of the former Burlington Coat Factory, site of the future Islamic Cultural Center.  Please feel free to view all three in the bottom right by scrolling through the videos on file and clicking once, or double click the box to open up a new YouTube window. And as soon as Kerry gets over the bug he caught while traveling, he will create a guest blog post on his findings and what's going on in downtown Manhattan. Feel better soon, Kerry! Here's a link to...

A great American has died. Robbins Barstow died at 91 years of age in Hartsford, CT on November 7th of congestive heart failure. Don't know him? That's too bad.  I didn't know him personally either.  Although employed throughout his career as the director of professional development of the Connecticut Education Association (the teacher's union), his passion was as a home movie maker, documenting every aspect of his family's life for decades.  Thankfully, home movies are cool again, and old home movies have a special place in this country. Not just for their cringe-factor, but for showing us ordinary people doing everyday things in American history. Mr. Barstow rises above the ranks of...

There is a lot of talk about the iPad and I haven't purchased one for a single reason: AT&T.  I was a customer of AT&T long before it was called that ~ back when it was PacBell, and before that when it was Cingular. Never have I had worse phone service, but because I resist change when it comes to my phone, I hung in there. For like 8 years. My experience consisted of routinely losing important calls and being unable to make a mobile call from inside my house. Finally I joined my husband's Sprint account, kicking and screaming as I recall. And WOW, instant change. Terrific network coverage, great call service, great everything. Then the invention the iPhone caused a great buzz in my...

The city of San Diego has purchased the old Woolworth's building on University in North Park for $1,950,000. The property was built in 1949 and like all good F.W. Woolworth Company stores, it had a basement with prominent stairs leading down. Over the years the building has been a lot of things, but nothing significant. In my opinion the best development opportunity in the city of San Diego right now is with this property. The city is not selling the building but seeking proposals from developers to repurpose it, bearing in mind historical preservation of its appearance will be required.  My guess is that some creative uses will be submitted and probably he/she with the deepest...