Unusual Life

We have about 450 floating houseboats in the Seattle area. But this is the first REAL houseBOAT that I’ve seen, beached on the shores of Mercer Island on 64.6 feet of glorious, sunny, no-bank waterfront.

Gently terraced stairs and walkway lead you down a path of beautifully landscaped grounds to the USS Manzanita built in 1908. Glorious views of the Lake and Mount Rainier Sunsets, it is a boat, but it is a house. Two levels, 3 bedrooms, two fireplaces, family and great room plus modern kitchen, deck with hot tub and a newly updated shared dock with 2 slips.

Here’s a sketch of the original boat when it was first built and still in the water.

What’s there not to love?

Not one to waste a good stump, homes made out of the left-overs of huge old-growth forests were converted to homes, tunnels, portals, shops, post offices and even bear cages. Before there were trailer parks (courtesy of Dan Bennett)

How to build a Children’s Stump House

Tunnel Tree Postcards

Stump photo album

Stump Art (from TheStumpOnline website eulogizing the beaty of stumps.) See dead stumps here.

In the U.S., where the oldest homes might be around 100 years old, it’s hard to find a decent castle. Luckily, there’s are several real estate websites, just for castles. Link via Boing Boing.

French Castles for Sale

Polish Castles

Castles in Spain