When I think of houseboats I think first of course of Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle. Then I think of my friend Kent, who came home one day to find his houseboat half-sunk in the Potomac River. Whatever. They are still fun to dream about. Check out this post to see four on the market in the bay area.

I am still laughing about this $28,000,000 house that FreshHome just tweeted about on twitter. It is SO gaudy and hilarious (though I sure would not mind having that view!). Linking to the full post made my day:

It reminds me of this quote:

“Isn’t my house classic? The columns date back to 1972!” – Cher, Clueless

That sofa – I recently read this book called Some Girls: My Life in a Harem – it was about one of those ladies who went over to Brunei to “entertain” the sultan. I imagine this sofa would be perfect in the harem ladies’ quarters. By the way, it was really well written, I appreciated the author’s total honesty. However, I’d now like to redeem my reading choices by letting you know I’m currently reading Freedom.

Thanks to Maya of VisuaLingual for tipping me off to this fantastic house that is a total steal. I grew up very close to this house, and my good pal Jennifer Jowaisas lived right down the street. I had never seen it before. It was the personal home of modern early modern architect Ray Roush, and it’s in Anderson Township, Ohio (a Cincinnati burb, about 10-15 minutes from downtown). Roush served as a mentor to Michael Graves, who later wrote the forward to a book about Roush and his colleague, Carl Strauss.

This house seems to have gone into foreclosure and is on the market for $135,000. The original realtor, Susan Rissover, would love to see it preserved so much that even though it is no longer her listing, she is making people aware of it on her website. It is a wonderful modern preservation opportunity. While Susan took these pictures in 2007, she went back to check out the property a few months ago and discovered that it had been vandalized, which makes us both sick to our stomachs. While it wasn’t anything that sounded terribly expensive to fix, original fixtures were stolen or damaged. To learn more, check out cincinnatimodern.com. Oh, and P.S. Susan lists the pros and cons of the house, and from spending a lot of time in the area as a kid, I can tell you there are big scary snakes on all around Five Mile Road. I don’t know if any of them were poisonous, but they are big, and they made me avoid going outside at Jennifer’s house as much as possible.

The last remaining residence still standing in L.A. by Greene and Greene is for sale. Standing technically within the city boundaries, that is. Sorry the picture is so small; I can’t seem to find one anywhere online that is not Lillipution. The Lucy E. Wheeler House was built in 1905 and it’s on the market for $775,000. If you’re interested, check out all of the details here.

Ah, Jane’s loft. Richard and I used to catch glimpses of her from his place at Block Lofts across the street. I’m bummed she’s leaving town. Now her loft is on the market. She took like three or four lofts, bought them all and had it turned into one residence. For those of you around Atlanta who don’t know, it’s in Poncey-Highland, on Ralph McGill right near 2 Urban Licks and The Beltline Bridge.

I am very jealous of Jane’s Thornton Dial collection. I wonder if she had to do with the siting of his public sculpture a few years ago. It’s right up Freedom Parkway just a few hundred yards. Thornton Dial’s work is what originally turned me on to self-taught artists, and now I’ve fallen WAY down that rabbit hole, though he remains firmly WAY out of my price range! If you want to see more shots of the loft or find out how to rent it ($10,000/month), or own it ($4.5 million), click here.

There is something a bit Jane Fonda’s Workout dated about this loft, even though it was just built ten years ago; I’m not sure if I could change it though! I don’t understand the light pink with her art collection, and I’m not crazy about all of that brushed nickel or stainless steel or whatever the heck it is on all of those railings and track lighting fixtures. Doesn’t it seem like an opportunity to do something much more creative there? Something sculptural and unique, especially going up the stairs. However, the location, views, fireplace, and library shelves with the ladder are fantastic. I wouldn’t say no if someone decided to give it to me.

All photos by Nathan Martin, from janefonda.com