Mikie's Fun House
Version 4.0

The Fortress of Solitude. The Epicenter of Good Vibes. The Hedonist/Hermit's Hideaway. The Most Serene Monarchy of Mikie.

"Observe the marvels of my world" said the wise man. "You can not trust a man if you don't know his house." from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The sense of Place draws me as near to the beach as possible. For 25 years I rented homes directly on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. I rented because 1. I never saved enough for a down payment to own 2. I always wanted to keep my life free of long term commitments and 3. any place I wanted to live (oceanfront) was way more than I could afford.

As a result of the sale of my software company, I was finally able to buy a place of my own. But I put that off until I burned through a lot of the dough on depreciating toys like Ferraris and airplanes. But those stories are told elsewhere, this is about my home.

Now at last I have become a home owner instead of renting. And with ownership comes the ability to make a home more to my liking than would be allowed by a landlord. For instance, a homeowner can move, or remove, a wall, and install new plumbing, lights, appliances, windows, and paint. Such simple improvements can make all the difference in the overall enjoyment of a Home.

Hermits, by definition, spend a lot of time At Home, enjoying their Solitude. Therefore, everything I've done with Mikie's Fun House #4 is done with the idea of enhancing the Home experience,
so that every moment spent At Home is a moment of extraordinary pleasure.

Supporting this outrageous goal, my ideal expression of Home is subdivided into these elements:

(That's my old Waco biplane, "The Spirit of Adventure", flying over the beach in Del Mar)

Condo associations are restrictive on what you can do when you remodel, and one of the big things that you can not do, is to change your front door in any way. Everyone's front door has to look exactly the same. Boring.

But Mikie's Fun House needed a special front door! After much thought, and years of planning, my cunning scheme has finally borne fruit.

My original front door remains intact, just as the home owners' association requires. However, I have constructed an additional front door, about 8' inside the original front door, which stays open when expecting guests. The space between the two doors, an area of about 5'x8', creates a vestibule to welcome those people who are privileged to be invited to the Fun House Click here to see video of the Vestibule Experience

Visitors are welcomed into this private space filled with plants, water, candle flame, and soft music from hidden speakers. A padded bench encourages the visitor to sit and remove footwear and stow their shoes out of the way in the woven baskets provided.

The stained glass image is a custom original design by Tamara at Cast Glass Images of San Marcos, CA and perfectly crafted by Michael, the owner and artisan extraordinaire.

The door itself is made of solid cherry, and a one-of-a-kind creation by the awesome craftsmen at MZ3D Custom Furniture Design & Production Inc. , with special thanks to the owner Roberto Mendez, whose extraordinary skill is at the highest level.

It's a "Dutch" door, whereby the bottom and top halves are operable independently, so the bottom can stay closed while the top remains open. Notice also the transom that gives extra flow through ventilation, while retaining privacy.

All things considered, it is spectacular!

The centerpiece of the living room is this

Also notice the hammock (from Exotic Hammocks) on the balcony. Time spent lying in a hammock is not subtracted from one's lifespan, I am sure of it. If I can stay awake while relaxing in the warm afternoon sun, it's a great place to ponder the meaning of life. I recommend "Hammock Therapy" to everyone! This hammock is slightly angled so I can watch TV while lying in the hammock, through the open sliding glass door separating the living room from the balcony.

At the Fun House, even the power of the sun can be controlled, via the electric awning by Sun Master. This smart awning automatically retracts when the wind gets too strong, yet it is completely push-button controlled for maximum enjoyment, and protection from excessive sun, rain, dew, etc...

Notice the Solatube skylight, by Brighter Concepts. The added light makes a major improvement. The mirrors under the cabinets also make the kitchen brighter, and feel a lot roomier. To the right in the photo is the new front door, with stained glass panel.

*the yellow is "Yellow Brick Road" by Behr
and the white is Aeroplate 2 Semi Gloss #628001 by Frazee

The counter top is Travertine slab, cut and fitted by Frank Sciarrino, an old world artist with stone. He did a lot of work on the Fun House in the desert.

All of the cabinetry, and even the shower curtain rod, is solid cherry, built by Armstrong Woodworks in Carlsbad.

The painting over the bed is the Waco open cockpit biplane I owned, when I was adventure-flying the USA and Europe for 7 years. For more detail on this painting, click on my art page. The models on the shelves are, from left to right, P-40 Flying Tiger, Sopwith Camel biplane, Ferrari Daytona, Ferrari 330 P4, Ferrari 250GTO, Red Baron's Fokker Dr-1 triplane, and the F-4U Corsair.

The frames on either side of the monitor show the final standings on two of my undefeated seasons (2005 and 2007) to serve as additional motivation. In the frame above the monitor is a modified quote from Og Mandino's Greatest Salesman in the World that have been an inspiration for the last 25 years.

The monitor is on a movable arm that swings out 90 degrees so I can watch from bed.

I think I'm close to treadmill perfection. Maybe the next step is to build a shelf for all my pool trophies.

The entire shower area is done in a very light ivory/taupe Italian Crema Marfil marble. The 18" squares are set diagonally on the floors and stacked on the walls. It's very nice stuff, and I got a great deal on the material. The same material is used for the floors in the entry, hall and kitchen.

I am Nature's greatest miracle.
Today I begin a new life.
I will greet this day with love in my heart.
I will laugh at the world.
I will be master of my emotions.
I will live this day as if it is my last.
I will multiply my value a hundred fold.
I will persist until I succeed.
I will act now.
I will pray for guidance.

It has been my daily meditation for more than 20 years.

Gaze above, if you will, at a lovely sight indeed. This is the place where I have spent many pleasurable hours. Some special nights I sleep here, to the sounds of the surf, while watching the stars drift through the sky. I have solved many of the world's problems here, and then I go to sleep only to forget the solutions when I wake up!

Historical Notes

On August 29, 2003 after several months of completely remodeling this Del Mar ocean view condo, and in a brilliant display of planning, teamwork, and delegation, Mikie's Fun House #3 was moved to #4. Within 48 hours (surely a new world record) everything was packed, moved, unpacked, put in place, pictures hung, and most importantly, all cardboard boxes were gone.

Carol handled everything from MFH #3, I directed arrivals into MFH #4 and installed the webcam and weather station, son Mike helped install the computers and get the new DSL line up, 4 professional movers supplied the grunt work, Lana helped with unpacking, and Teresa did the final cleaning. Congratulations and many thanks to all!

Learn more about: Fun House Versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 and The Littlest Fun House (prototype)