The Call of the Wild

05 February 2010

Near Telluride, CO

This necktie has been irritating me all day.  It's the first thing to come off the moment I’m thru the front door.  I slip on a pair of old Redwing boots and grab the duffel bag that’s been sitting by the door.  Gus is already waiting with his leash in his mouth.  He loves these trips.  No fences, no people, no rules.  I load our things into the old Woody, and we're off.  Twenty minutes outside of Telluride, and the radio turns to static.  The only thing keeping us connected to civilization are the tire tracks in my rearview mirror.  The passenger window is cracked, allowing the smell of pine and snow to envelop the truck.  Each mile up the mountain, Gus becomes increasingly anxious.  He knows how long this trip takes, and recognizes that we should be there by now.  We come to a stop at the cabin, I open my car door, and Gus is over my lap and into the snow in a flash.  I don’t see him again for hours.  I never know where he goes, and he never offers an explanation.  A bark at the door, and this wild animal is ready to come inside to warm himself by the roaring fire.      

1.  Swiss Alps Ski Chalet, by Axel Vervoordt

2.  Photo by Paul Costello

3.  1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Woody

1.  Our Chocolate Lab, Gus

2.  Ice Fishing, Photo by Paul Costello

3.  Vintage Snowshoes

1.  Caribou Mount

2.  Swiss Alps Ski Chalet, by Axel Vervoordt

1.  McAlpine Booth & Ferrier

2.  Swiss Alps Ski Chalet, by Axel Vervoordt

3.  Iron Industrial Cauldron  

1.  Ralph Lauren's RRL Ranch

2.  Pair of Vintage Scottish Plaid Blanket Pillows

1.  Early 20th Century Glenwood Wood/Coal Burning Stove

2.  Amelia T. Handegan, Inc.

3.  19th Century French Copper Cookware

1.  Swiss Alps Ski Chalet, by Axel Vervoordt

2.  Wild Boar's Head Tureen by Jean Paul Gourdon

1.  Amelia T. Handegan, Inc.

2.  Loro Piana Quilted Cashmere Moccasin Slipper

1. & 2.  Amelia T. Handegan, Inc.

3.  19th Century Khotan Carpet with Pomegranate Motif


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So Mod Giveaway!

In celebration of our last post, Ski Lodge Mod, Bubble & Squeak and Ask Patrick are giving away this über sexy Erich Ginder "Ghost Antler" Coat Rack to one lucky subscriber.  Come on people, this is a $310 giveaway!  This hand cast resin and acrylic deer antler coat rack is the perfect companion for your mod cabin.  And, if you don't have a cabin, no worries.  These horns instantly turn any apartment or McMansion into an alpine retreat!  


Two Simple Rules for Entry:
One:  You must SUBSCRIBE to Bubble & Squeak.
Two:  You must COMMENT on Ask Patrick's "Ski Lodge Mod" companion post.


The links above will take you to where you need to go.  Please note that you must subscribe to Bubble & Squeak the blog...not the facebook page.  All current subscribers to Bubble & Squeak need not subscribe again, but you still need to COMMENT on Ask Patrick.  The winner will be announced on January 31st.  Simple as that.

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Ski Lodge Mod

While most of the country is enjoying an unusually warm winter, we at Bubble & Squeak are yearning for the dreadful blizzard-like conditions that keep us draped in fur and curled up next to a roaring fire waiting for the spring thaw.  After all, just before winter’s solstice, we spent the weekend chopping and stacking our fire wood in preparation for that old man’s frigid grip (Yes, we own an axe!  And yes, we chopped our own wood!).  So, while we’ve been praying for the snow to fly, our good friend Patrick J. Hamilton has answered our plea by sharing with us his über mod cabin deep within the alpines.  In true Bubble & Squeak fashion, Patrick has also written an amazing story to accompany his vision.  So grab a glass of whisky, take a seat on your bear skin rug, and let Patrick's dream warm your soul.  

1.  Partick J. Hamilton

2.  An Austrian Alpine Cabin

1957. Or 1978. Or 2011.

Somewhere in the woods

Outside, snow. Smooth, even, pale blue where it hides from the full moon, the pines and birches painting stripes and bars across the powder. Only a pair of ski trails cuts through the shadows. Inside, the slow crackle of fire whispers a deep response to the laughing clink of ice in low glasses of amber. Around us, wood grain and slow curves. The firelight dances across the room, jumping through the quiet darkness from stainless steel to satiny varnish across slabs of wood to his eyes. He runs his hand through the deep fur below us. “Skål,” he says, toasting nothing. And everything. Our glasses touch.

In the night air, a scatter of embers rises with the fire’s smoke, crisscrossing with shooting stars and the first flakes of a storm that will tuck us in tonight and cover the trails that lead here. Tonight, tomorrow, just us. There will be time to break into headquarters later in the week, between storms and blizzards, when the snow will once again erase all our secrets.

1.  Blue Monday, Antarctica, 2007, by David Burdeny

2.  A Glass and Steel Cabin in Winter Park, Colorado

3.  Ultima Thule Bowl Designed in 1968 by Tapio Wirkkala for iittala

 1.  Contemporary Cabin in Aspen by Atelier AM

2.  Volcano Coffee Table, Chista

1.  Marble Candleholders, Design Within Reach

2.  Line Wine Bar, Design Within Reach

3.  YAMAZAKI Whisky, 18 Year Aged Single Malt Whisky

1.  Nicky Dobree

2.  Neal Coffee Table with White Marble Top

1.  Le Lodge Park Hotel, Megève, France

2.  Egg Chair designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, Design Within Reach

1.  Intarsia Shawl Sweater, RLX by Ralph Lauren

2.  Vintage Skis

1.  Aeris Stainless Steel Fireplace

2.  Nicky Dobree

3.  Birch Logs

1.  Long Horn Lamp, Shades of Light

2.  Nicky Dobree

3.  Mongolian Lamb Pillow Covers, West Elm

In between chopping wood and cups of hot cocoa, we hope that you find time to check out and subscribe to Patrick's blog, Ask Patrick.  Patrick is also a frequent style contributor on Apartment Therapy where his skillfully curated house tours are becoming something of a phenomenon.  In addition to being an interiors blogger, writer, and interviewer, Patrick is an accomplished designer in his own right. He is the winner of the ApartmentTherapy.com first annual "Smallest Coolest Apartment Contest," and winner of the Bloomingdale's "Big Window Challenge". Patrick's interiors have also appeared everywhere from the cover of Florida Home & Garden to the pages of Ladies Home Journal.    

  
Patrick, a very special thank you from Jim and Erik!  When we finally wake from our whisky slumber, we hope the snows have not melted, so that we may spend more time in your winter dream.  Thank you for the memories!

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