Verde Camp

… and while we’re on the subject, the Austin American Statesman did a very nice piece on Carrie and I, featuring Verde Camp back in February. It happened really quickly… one of the fun parts was getting to meet one of their staff photographers, Alberto Martinez, and getting to know Lori Hawkins who’ve both been doing good work for the statesman for a lonnnnnng time.

We were pleased with how the article turned out, and it highlighted some of the best parts of Verde Camp, namely that we’re a great alternative to a normal hotel and that we draw in diverse and interesting folks looking for a more ‘Austin’ experience. We’re definitely happy about the local coverage… about a third of our business comes from Austinites and their families, so it’s good tell folks our story.

More coming soon!

Summer has finally peaked, temperature-wise and is on the slow descent down to the cool breezes of fall. Every year about this time, many Texans start looking ahead to cooler weather, football season, and ACL, but we’re not there yet.. it’s still nice and Toasty.

Verde Camp is featured in this month’s Hotlist (get it!?) in Austin Monthly Magazine. We’re in with some other heavy hitters like Tyson Cole’s Uchiko (aka Uchi 2) and Willie Nelson, so we know we’re doing something right. Check out page 32 of the August Issue.

Big stuff’s coming down the pipe for Verde Camp, but I wanted to start off with this mid-winter update. And here we go….

We had a great holiday season here at Verde Camp, thanks to everyone that has come out and stayed with us so far. The winter and specifically January is traditionally a slow month, but we’ve had a slew (a slew!) of Traveling Dignitaries™ from some wayward northerners that filled in the gaps. Did I mention that we love Canadians!? We love Canadians! I’ve yet to meet one that I don’t like! What’s up Winnipeggahs!! Canadians are seriously the nicest people in N. America.

Here’s a fact based on emperical data that I’ve collected over the course of a year: Canadians know more about live music in Austin than 98% of most Austinites. FACT.

Speaking of cold weather .. predictably, our Texas weather can’t decide what to do. Today, we’ve got highs in the 50′s and 60′s which means bust out the flip flops and barbecues…  while a few days ago it was in the 20′s. We officially had a pipe bust in the Bomber due to ice, which was a little bit of a wakeup call… It’s all fixed now, of course… and we’re wiser for it.

Did someone say chili? We finally got a chance to redeem the Verde Camp team’s ‘no show’ from last year’s Jo’s Coffee Chili Cookoff. This year in 2010, we came out and showed ‘em how it was done! Our chili (a recipe born on the Guadalupe River 20 years ago.) focuses on the chili itself, not a whole lot of fixins like some of the other contestants. (We did enjoy the La Condesa hot chocolate however.. or was it Mulberry? thx guys!) We did not come in first place (24 Diner), and we did not win the showmanship award which DESERVEDLY went to the Hyde Park Bar & Grill‘s Chili con Carnies, but neither did all the other contestants like former SF alum Batter Blaster and hometown fav Solar Powered Chili Team, so I’m still feeling good. Team Verde Camp was stoked nonetheless. Plus I got to meet Liz Lambert‘s assistant and a friend of Verde favorite Hugh McCloud‘s. (Stay tuned for more on Hugh and SXSW)

That’s all for now.. I’ve got more news, but I figured I’d wait a couple more months to tell you about it. (kidding!)

You may not know this, but at one point in our lives, Carrie and I owned and operated a fine art gallery in San Francisco called BASE Gallery. It was a thrilling 6 year experience and we had many intriguing shows, some amazing artists, and (if I do say so myself) some AWESOME opening parties.

Well, guess what? We’re at it again. Except this time around we’re in Austin and we’re going use our houses at Verde Camp to highlight some rising talent. We’re calling the shows Arty Parties, and you can find out more information by going to the Arty Party section of the site. The long and short of it, though, is that we’ll be bringing in artists, having them stay with us, hanging a show in their house, and then throwing a party around them!

Our first show is on September 19th, from 7-9pm with artist Pat Phipps. It’s going to be fun so mark your calendar. We’ve got some local businesses to pitch in, so it should be some fun!

Now you know. Don’t be square.

My head is buzzing .. ACL Fest is coming and we’ve been booked up for months. With this lineup, though, you can see why. I’ve got the Hotel St. Cecilia, Hotel San Jose (hey guys!) and some other local guest houses calling to see if we have space available. This tells me that not only is Verde Camp starting to be out in the community consciousness, but that we’re starting to have some local public trust. Which is just .. well it’s awesome.

And then yesterday, we got some great news that the legendary Apartment Therapy site gave us a fancy writeup on their interior design oriented site.  I’m just looking again on the site and it looks like we’re in the Top Post area. Not sure what that is, but Carrie and I couldn’t be more proud …. Thanks to Adrienne Breaux for da kine words.

All this, plus what’s coming up! We’ve hooked up in a nasty (filthy! dirty!) relationship with Domy Bookstore / Austin and bringing you a very special fine art showing of artist Pat Phipps‘ new work. We’re bringing it all together in a show we’re calling the Verde Camp Arty Party on September 19th here at Verde Camp. We’re putting Pat and his family up in a house and throwing a party at him! Come to the opening and bring a friend.. With any luck this will be an ongoing event.

… just feeling the love is all. Thanks to our lovely guests who continue to prove that Verde Camp is a good idea.

Billy Gambill and Brian Cross are the guys doing the heavy lifting (and heavy breathing) on painting the trailer today here at Verde Camp. These guys are making it happen on our new addition to the Cloud House, and they definitely know what they’re doing. They’re both part of the Austin Filmerati, working on big and small budget films shot here and around Austin. It’s awesome being around these guys.. great stories about the different film sets they’ve worked on.

What are they painting? a 1949 ‘Spartan Mansion’ trailer, also known as ‘the mansion,’ ‘the green muse,’ ‘big green,’ ‘Hulk,’ ‘Shangri-La,’ or ‘the dog house’ depending on who you ask. We’re pushing a 100 degrees today, so this job is no joke. We’re going with a mix of Camo Green and Khaki automotive paint… and the color is turning out great!

We’re going for a WWII era feel, complete with Nose Art and a Pinup Girl of some sort… we need a good name to put on the side though.  “The Green Muse” and “The Verde Vixen” are all we’ve come up with so far.. If you have any ideas let us know!

Just wanted to give a big huge congrats to Marla Akin at the Michener Center for Writers. Marla was recently mentioned in the Austin American Statesman as having organized a perfect week for visiting writer and guest lecturer Ian McEwan, who made Verde Camp his “second home.” We couldn’t be happier about this.

The McEwans came on a recommendation shortly after their friend and Booker prize winning novelist, Peter Carey and his wife stayed with us for a couple of weeks (also visiting Marla and the Michener School). Peter was a delight to have around, and I really think they got into being Austinites!

More recently, Mrs. Akin brought Pulitzer prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin and his wife Paula to Austin. Apparently the poetry reading he gave brought the house down, and the discussion afterwards has inspired another generation of artists.

Marla, we thought you and the Michener Center deserved a Blue Ribbon prize for not only keeping Austin on the national map, but making sure that your visiting writers have a better more true Austin experience. Thank you and congrats!

Michener Center for Writers – Statesman article about Ian McEwan’s visit.

While it’s highly irregular, Verde Camp did manage to have at least one wayward Austinite who was interested in actually camping during SXSW. . Fun times!

Yeehaw! (image by j chapman)

We’re finished with the house remodels! We did it! My great grandpa used to tell me that when it feels right, sometimes you gotta just let people know! Check out some photos of the newest addition.

The Journey. So far, it has been an amazing and epic road we’ve travelled. Like most projects of this sort, the journey has been hilarious, scary, ridiculous, treacherous, and fraught with complications. And yes, completely rewarding. I know more about residential housing permits, how to seal a bathroom basin, the difference between a ditch digger and a licensed contractor, and what it really means when they say ‘the shit rolls downhill’ (don’t ask). I used muscles I haven’t used in years, and sweated like a man in August, and you know what? It was GREAT. I’m thinking about leaving the UI world behind all-together!

The People. We have encountered an amazing variety of characters not unlike the ones in the Mos Eisley: from villainous, treacherous, acid-spitting, greedy bastards to the kindest most talented and skilled Wookie-humans. Did I let bastards get me down? … sometimes. But when the going got tough I was thankful for our friends, our family, and our understanding neighbors who (mostly) had our backs.

The Houses. The best part, of course, was the resurrection of these amazing 1930′s ‘tiny texas houses’ which were surely doomed. We’re very proud of the results and I sincerely hope you’ll come check out our hard work.

Next up: Landscaping (oy!)

The Postcard

Just a little update on happenings here at Verde Camp.

Super excited to have SXSW interactive folks flowing into town. People from all over the world show up and everyone’s in a great mood, happy to share information, etc. It’s a great time to see old friends and make new ones.

Being in the tech industry myself (inventor and co-founder of Dipity.com, and my design & UI/UE consulting business Built By Robots) the interactive side of things is particularly fun for me. Fellow geeks, and Burning Man brethren Beau Smith (@Beausmith) and Robin Anderson (@tecgirl) will be staying with us. Stoked to catch up with them. Also want to mention Jason and his crew from Zinc Roe who have an addtictive Penguin Shuffleboard game out on the iphone. Nice work guys.

I’m looking forward to hearing Hugh McCloud (@gapingvoid) of Gaping Void speak at the conference, if I can sneak in. I wonder if any Crazy Deranged Fools will be there? We were lucky enough to have Hugh stay with us a couple of weeks ago. Great conversationalist who appreciates a good margarita (as do I). He even gave us a mention in his CDF list and subsequently on his blog. Thanks to Josh Dilworth (@joshdilworth) for introducing us.

We’re 99% finished with our last remodeled house here at Verde Camp.. so I’ll be posting pictures very soon. I’m very happy with the way it turned out. If any Austinites need remodelling references. I’ll be happy to steer you to the right folks (and away from some wrong ones. snap!)

OK. My blood sugar is low now.. gotta get a taco  -BJ (@bjheinley)