Their love story began when Barbara and Jim Rogers met in a church youth group in Santa Barbara, California, while Barbara was in high school and Jim in college. Eventually young love blossomed into engagement and a wedding 54 years ago. In 1977, … read more

September was “Curb Appeal Month,” and before we wrap it up — along with many of the summer maintenance chores — we asked our local realtors a few questions about curb appeal. If you’re getting ready to sell your home, or simply want … read more

John and Suzanne Pitts bought a small RV and traveled six months and 16,000 miles through the Western Territories of Canada and Alaska in 2013. At the same time, they were researching a new place to build and settle down for what might … read more

Outdoor living spaces for cooking and relaxing are gaining popularity in West Sound. Custom homes are being built with these spaces in mind during the design phase, while owners of existing homes are adding them when time and budgets allow. “Everybody likes outdoor … read more

The garden of Nick and Marj Masla represents the best of the lives of the Masla family. This beautiful garden is the culmination of three decades of growing a passion for flowers, creating a retreat, building businesses tied to the bounty of the … read more

In the search for a new home, the owner found one that had a picturesque but deteriorating boathouse attached to a rickety pier. Who knows how much that influenced his purchase of the home, but that bit of history from the 1930s was … read more

Terracotta pots are probably the most commonly used type of planter. Garden centers, nurseries, craft stores and any retailer that sells gardening supplies also carries terracotta planters. They are popular for their burnt orange color and natural look. If you want terracotta but … read more

This year, WestSound Magazine magazine received an abundance of creative tablescapes. The choices were all wonderful — but our tablescape judges, Linna Lawrence and Tami Blacknall, made the difficult decisions! Thank you to all who took the time to submit their tablescapes. Thank … read more

Editor’s note: This blog post is an adapted excerpt from Max McMurdo’s “Upcycling Outdoors” book, which explains the basic of good outdoor design using scrap items, and includes a variety of step-by-step projects. When you have limited outdoor space, it’s great to create … read more