Well, just when you thought there weren’t enough residents at the Erwin House… along comes Frodo.

Welcome to our new neighbor, a juvenile Eastern Screech Owl, Frodo (who we named this evening while drinking hot cocoa on the deck) arrived this morning, much to my imminent surprise. I had just returned from dropping off 7yo at school when I looked up from the dash of Winona (my minivan) to see Frodo sitting atop our jogging stroller handle. I literally rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
I immediately emailed the neighborhood listserve to find out what the deal was. What kind of owl is this? And what do I do about it? Since vicious chows and ferrel cats often run amok in our neighborhood, I was worried about this little guy’s safety.
A glut of replies filled my inbox (along with the daily 200 or so emails I get regarding the Violet Crown Festival), and we eventually purchased an owl shack for our wee guest.
Along with Trixie and Piper, I am pleased to welcome Frodo into the Erwin Family. What a wonderful surprise!

Two small boys.
One baby.
One puppy.
One kitty.
Soccer.
Piano.
Two jobs.
Freelance architectural renderings.
One start-up door company.
And…

This is the 5th year of the Violet Crown Festival. We went to the 3rd as a date. We went to the 4th as husband and wife (9 months pregnant). This year we go as Co-chairs.
To be fair, Christiane is chairing and I am mostly baby-wrangling during meetings. But I am doing all the graphic design and the web site.
So locals, mark you calendars (May 5) and we’ll see you there. It’s going to be a great time.

Many hands make light work.
If you live in the Crestview/Brentwood area and want to help call Angela Lee Ward (512) 452-1366.

Set-up (8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.)

Two-hour shifts for various duties, from selling tickets, t-shirts, and drinks to monitoring moonwalks, children activities, and the dunking booth. You name it, we’ve got the volunteer opportunity for you! (11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m., 1:30 - 3:30 p.m., 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., and 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.)

Break down (begins at 7:30 p.m.)

This is the glass that goes in the first Crestview Door. It’s really cool to start having the physical reality of the company. But, boy is it a lot more work than I thought.
I ordered the glass about a month ago. In the first week, they made 3 not 5 pieces. In the next week they made two more, but broke one. The next week they remade the broken one with the wrong size and color spacer. The one in the photo has a tempered logo on it. I had requested no logo and a certificate to prove that it is tempered for the building inspector. So, one more week.
Getting the wood has been equally frustrating. It’s been an uphill battle to get the high quality wood I need. Lots of skepticism, “You know that’s gawna be expensive.” Nobody returns phone calls or has email. Most detailed communication is done by fax and I don’t even have a land line.
I had really anticipated that each door would require about 10 phone calls. About two calls to each of these. I’m running more like 10 calls each.
1. Customer
2. Glass company
3. Mill
4. Carpenter
5. Shipper
Still, it’s absolutely worth it. I had no idea how great I would feel about my customers. My anticipation to see the first 4 doors finished is immense.

I’ve wondered where the Grover design came from. No design happens without history. Either it is a reference to an older design or a rejection of it. I think the Grover is a reference, but I’m not sure what to.

On a recent trip to see family in Fort Worth, I spotted this door on a 1925 house. This was a nice neighborhood in the 20s and 30s, (still is) and the doors tend to be v-groove, not stile and rail. Many of the doors have geometrically designed inset windows. This one has a veneer and design similar to the Grover with craftsman style sills under each window.
Somewhere between this design and the Grover is the Great Depression and World War II.

We welcome Piper to the Erwin House. We got her about 2 weeks ago, and she has doubled in size going from fluff ball kitten with a hobby-horse run to fearless jumping adolescent cat with hints of the graceful adult to come.
She plays gently with the baby, reserving her claws for me and the dog. She follows the boys around adoringly despite the risk of being scooped up by the neck (or foot).
And she saves the best snuggles for people with cat allergies.