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

Condo associations are real 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 which gives extra flow through ventilation,
while retaining privacy.

All things considered, it is spectacular!

The centerpiece of the living room is this pool table.
I've been spending a lot a time playing pool these last few years,
and you can catch up on the action at my pool blog
"Diary of a Pool Shooter" - The Adventures of Fast Mikie"

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...

Entertainment Center
Pioneer 43" plasma HDTV (#PDP-4340HD) driven by Dish network Satellite system,
plus TiVo-like DVR, Pioneer DVD player, Sony VCR, Sony CD player, and Sony AM/FM Receiver.
The cabinet is an original Double M design,
executed in solid cherry by Armstrong Woodworks.

The Kitchen.
Appliances include Bosch stainless steel dishwasher,
Dacor microwave and Dacor electric range with touch control
(no moving parts).
The refrigerator (see photo below) is out of the photo to the right.
The cabinets are cherry.

The framed Smithsonian print shows the 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa, V-12,
of which only 19 were built,
and one of the loveliest shapes ever sculpted into moving metal.

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 refrigerator is one of my favorite toys.
May I present: the new SubZero model 650G, (7' tall, 3' wide) with a glass door,
which offers the ultimate proof that the light DOES stay on
when the door is closed.
It also gives the kitchen that homey "7/11" convenience store ambiance.

Here's a photo of the computer system wall of my office. The neon Waco Airplanes sign (8' x 1.5') was hanging in Mikie's Fun House #2 (the airplane hangar in the desert), and has been waiting for a couple of years in storage to be the center of attention here at Mikie's Fun House #4. The prop is from my European Biplane Tour. After returning from that 3 month adventure it had absorbed a bit too much moisture and got itself out of balance and needed to be replaced. That was just fine with me, because I always wanted to have one of these awesome props for my wall. The dual Dell 30" monitors for my computer systems are the best computer investment I have ever made. Behind the monitors are three framed items: The center frame is photo of my first open cockpit biplane, taken on the day it was completed by the factory... the first time it was rolled out into the fresh air. The flanking frames are engineering drawings of the Waco YMF-5 (the one I flew). Just inside the office, to the left of the entry, is the hidden prize, a large Grandfather clock. To the right, out of the photo, is a window to the ocean view.

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

The Guest Bathroom.
The stone is filled Travertine, in 12" squares,
set diagonally on the floor, and stacked on the walls.
The shower curtain rod is solid cherry.
On the wall, just above the loo (Toto, with no-slam lid),
is one of my favorite paintings:
Hylas and the Nymphs by JW Waterhouse.
(click the link for the painting detail and story behind it)

The sink in the guest bathroom,
Notice the uniquely shaped faucet,
which I was talked into by the plumbing fixture counselor.
I still can't decide if I like it.
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.

New bed, bookshelves and cabinets custom designed (by Mikie himself, of course) for the latest Fun House,
and executed in solid cherry by Armstrong Woodworks, Carlsbad.
The foundation of the bed is a cherry cabinet with drawers for additional storage.
The cabinet at the foot of the bed is a Chinese design,
constructed entirely without any metal staples, nails, or screws.

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 master bedroom features a huge (7'H x 9'W x 2'D) solid cherry armoire,
(also built by Armstrong Woodworks)
topped by the model airplane collection.
The ceiling fan, with the biplane wing blades, (how could I resist?)
is the Kitty Hawk model by Emerson, with custom stained glass light fixture.

To the right of the armoire is the exercise area,
featuring my multimedia treadmill.

Check it out:
30" Dell wide screen TV/monitor
which is connected to the DishTV feed
so I can watch all the pool videos on TV
which are automatically recorded
so I can play back anytime later.
The monitor is also connected to the
Windows Media Center (under Vista)
so I can get any pool videos on the internet too.
And the PC (HP) has DVD, DVD-HD & BlueRay
so I can put up any of the
videos in my pool library.

The treadmill itself is a Vision Fitness T9450HRT.

Overhead is a padded Everlast pull-up bar.
To the right side of the treadmill, on the floor,
are dumbbells of various weights,
and a scale that gives readouts on
body fat percentage, metabolic age, etc.

The shelves hold all sorts of remote controls
for lights, heat and fans.
Also, water, telephone and notebook
to record progress.
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
which I have been an inspiration
for the last 25 years.

The monitor is on a movable arm
which 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.