Nov. 28, 1915 - June 15, 2012

June 17, 2012 12:09 am

By Len Barcousky/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

G. Edmond Mariani would tell his daughters he was down to his last 35 cents when he and their mother started the masonry restoration business that still bears the family name.

"He said he would never allow that to happen -- to be that poor again," daughter Charlotte M. Amatangelo, of Scott, recalled.

Mr. Mariani, the co-founder of Mariani & Richards, died Friday at his home in Scott. He was 96.

He was the son of the late Giusto E. and Stella Gambogi Mariani. Born in Pittsburgh's Friendship neighborhood, he grew up in East Liberty.

Mr. Mariani was a graduate of Peabody High School and Duquesne University. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, entering as a private and rising to the rank of major. As part of his service, he was sent to study statistics at Harvard before being assigned to military bases in Florida.

He and his late wife, Josephine, started Mariani & Richards in 1950 with limited funds and limited knowledge of the masonry repair and waterproofing business, according to their daughter.

"He always said they got on a streetcar and rode down to the Carnegie Library to research French drains," Mrs. Amatangelo said, referring to the trenches that carry water away from structures.

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Obituary: G. Edmond Mariani / Founder of masonry restoration business

The cherry-wood cases are freshly stained, curing in a row, and other pieces of Don Normans latest big project, a custom kitchen island for a Lake Stevens home, are lined up nearby.

Hes set to deliver them today to the job site. Once this is done, doubtless another project will come up, like that long-delayed kitchen table restoration waiting near the door.

These woodworking jobs would provide a fun challenge for a man 20 or 30 years Dons junior. Yet, one might be surprised that a man of 82 is still this involved in the woodworking business. Then again, thats Dons way.

His wife Barbara would love to see her husband hang up the businessId rather he retired and did the yard, she says.

But Don loves the smell of sawdust. His adult life, and a good part of his teens, were spent in and around woodshops. After more than six decades, he still finds satisfaction in something crafted with his own hands and tools.

A northwest life

Dons local history and talents have earned him recognition as the Fall City Days grand marshal for 2012.

Don and Barbara have lived in Fall City for 25 years.

Their life together dates back to their teen years in the Bellingham area.

Barbara, maiden name Brys, grew up in Ferndale, Wash., living on a dairy farm in her teens. She didnt care for farm life. Don was the son of a college engineer; his mother was a seamstress and draper.

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The work of his hands: Craftsman Don Norman is Fall City Days marshal

14-06-2012 14:47 Have water damage from a flood? Have mold growth in your home or business? Call Gold Coast Flood Restorations at 888-373-9243 in San Diego, CA. Gold Coast Flood features expert water damage repair, 24 emergency flood service, mold remediation, applied structural drying and a trustworthy A+ Rating with BBB. Read lots of happy customer reviews and testimonials on Yelp

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Gold Coast Flood Restorations / San Diego Water Damage Repair Company - Video

In a tweak on perspective, the central corridor is wider at one end than the other, with a double herbaceous border, recently refurbished by a local garden adviser, Virginia Worsley, running down its length. Edged in catmint, Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant', the flower colours warm progressively towards yellows, oranges and reds as the beds widen, and at the cool end, there is a particularly good blend of white-spired eremurus and verbascum, lemon thalictrum, coral-tinted macleaya, and spiky, silver-leafed cardoons. This concludes in a typical atmospherically charged, architectural flourish by the Bannermans a rustic temple made of oak, its pediment filled with antlers shed by the park's herd of ghostly white fallow deer. Oak obelisks carry the rustic theme down the borders.

'You can tell the Bannermans have been in here, too,' Lord Cholmondeley remarked as we got to the conservatory at the other end of the corridor, gesturing inside to another classically inspired feature: a fern and tufa-encrusted grotto fountain with water spilling from giant clam shells. In the adjacent compartment, devoted mainly to orchids, which come into the Hall as they flower, a carnivorous butterwort (Pinguicula) provided the gothic counterpart it lures and consumes insects by means of sticky, glandular leaves.

From here, the outer circuit walk takes you past a narrow, diamond-patterned box parterre, punctuated by clematis-hung tripods, backed by wall-trained apricots, peaches and nectarines, and filled with seasonal bedding. This includes tulips and wallflowers for spring, and in summer scented-leafed pelargoniums, chocolate cosmos and the conservatory heliotrope 'Chatsworth', whose heads of pale violet flowers give off a very potent aroma, flavoured somewhere between almonds and warm rubber. 'I absolutely love peonies,' Lord Cholmondeley declared, as we passed under the pergola of Japanese and Chinese wisterias, and came upon large beds of pink, crimson and white varieties, interspersed with lilies (scented white Lilium regale and 'Pink Perfection'), which is a trademark Bannerman touch, and accompanied by Japanese anemones.

Following one of the two secondary axial walks, you are led through a formal orchard 'I wanted to do something like this after going to Villa Cetinale [near Siena; one of Italy's most beautiful gardens, restored by the late Lord Lambton]' consisting of phalanxes of plum and crab apple trees separated by panels of pleached limes, with a grid of mown and rough grass, infiltrated by blue camassia and white Pheasant's Eye narcissi bulbs.

The Rose Garden beyond is huge. 'The design was taken from the ceiling of the White Drawing Room in the house, and we surrounded it with wavy yew hedges so you get views in and out.' The mass of flowers is provided by various categories of rose from once-flowering, old-fashioned shrub varieties; modern, repeat-flowering bushes such as 'Iceberg', pink 'Strawberry Hill' and red 'L D Braithwaite'; ramblers such as 'Crimson Showers', blush white 'Cecile Brunner' and 'Veilchenblau' (aptly described by someone as the colour of old bruises), and 'Little White Pet' are grown as standards. In the middle, amid cushions of lavender, are 17th-century Italian statues of gods and goddesses, with steps down to a sunken fountain pool, constructed by the Bannermans with tufa and flint, and ringed with pots of hydrangeas. It is a sumptuous ensemble, and beautifully managed by the head gardener Mhari Blanchfield and her team.

The other axial walk takes you first through the remnant of an old apple orchard, whose fruit is juiced to make cider; then under a new apple tunnel, underplanted with lily-of-the-valley and cleverly arranged in succession according to flowering time, so that in spring there is a ripple of apple blossom down its length; then through a small avenue of white 'Tai Haku' cherries, accompanied by box-edged beds of alternately dark and pale purple irises; and finally out into a croquet lawn, with niches in the surrounding yew hedge for double-headed Janus statues named after the Roman god who looks to both past and future. 'A bit disconcerting, as if someone is always watching you.'

A whole series of smaller gardens flank this walk, including patterned herb, vegetable and fruit gardens, the last presided over by a splendid soft fruit cage, the design of which was taken by the Bannermans from the dome of the nearby stable block. It is in the decorative paved enclosure beyond that Sybil Cholmondeley's initials appear in the swirls of box hedging. Shaded by umbrella-shaped plane trees, they surround a linear pond and tufa fountain.

But it is the fountain in the grassy Laburnum Garden next door that really has you gawping, for bobbing on top of the water jet is a real, live plume of fire. Sorcery surely? 'Actually, it is fuelled by gas, which travels up through the jet of water, rising as the water rises. It is especially lovely at dusk.' Designed by the Danish artist Jeppe Hein, it is one of the most mesmerising pieces of modern garden art I have ever seen, and is part of a series of contemporary artworks that Lord Cholmondeley has commissioned. I particularly liked the Full Moon Circle of Cornish slate by Richard Long, directly opposite the front door of the house, which is framed by newly installed avenues and plantations (inspired by the 1720s estate plan). Their crisp formality contrasts well with the sleepy pastoral setting of park and estate, which is grazed by picturesque British Longhorn cattle, and run organically skylarks, barn owls and English partridges all thrive here.

The restoration of the Houghton gardens is being tackled with great imagination and gusto. 'I am not yet a practical gardener like my mother,' Lord Cholmondeley said. 'But I can see myself becoming one.'

Houghton Hall is open until September 30 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays (houghtonhall.com)

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Restoration man: the story of Houghton Hall

RANDOLPH A car restoration business that prides itself on quality work has a simple goal helping people drive their dream.

Steve Gursky Jr. and his wife, Molly, own Driven Restorations, located at their rural Randolph home.

The Gurskys moved to Randolph from northwestern Wisconsin a few years go when Molly had a job change. A graduate of Wyotech, Steve said hes been working on cars since he was 8 or 9, and working on them professionally for about 12 years.

Driven Restorations will work on projects big and small, from a frame-off restoration to minor repairs and does almost everything in house except upholstery and machine work on engines. Driven Restoration fully document projects including photographs and videos so the owner can see the process.

The Gursksy said they try to stay with local suppliers as much as they can.

Steve said he takes pride in his work, and considers each car he works on to be an advertisement for his business.

People really notice the details, he said. Its all about the details.

Molly said a project can be restored back to stock, or customized with performance parts.

The Gurskys said the car scene is a lot bigger in this area than it was in northern Wisconsin. Steve had worked for an auto body shop on restoration and collision projects. He said hes not going to get rich working on restorations through his current business.

You have to have a passion to do it, Steve said.

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Car restoration business helps people drive their dream

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The people at Ryland Homes and its construction partners will be putting on their volunteering hardhats this summer when they join Habitat for Humanity in building a new home in Savage, MN. The effort is a part of Habitat for Humanitys nationwide Home Builders Blitz 2012, a partnership between Habitat affiliates and Americas building community. The focus of this years initiative is to use the talents and abilities of professional builders for the construction or restoration of over 200 homes in 100 different communities around the country.

Twin Cities Habitat is estimating that Ryland Homes will contribute $145,000 worth of materials and labor, and have waived fees on the project in Savage, which is currently underway.

There are a number of similarities between Ryland Homes and Habitat for Humanity, said Mike DeVoe, Division President of the Twin Cities Division for Ryland Homes. Both Habitat and Ryland are dedicated to providing homeowners with quality homes that not only provide a fantastic place to live, but that keep maintenance and energy costs down, too.

Habitat for Humanitys Home Builders Blitz began in North Carolina in 2002. Since that time, Habitat has partnered with builders nationwide to construct more than 860 homes. The Twin Cities Habitat affiliate builds and sells 60 homes per year to low-income, working families. The affiliate also provides assistance to 140 qualified low-income homeowners in completing essential repairs to their current homes. Under this plan, homeowners repay a unique 0% interest mortgage from Habitat and also complete extensive homeownership training courses and hundreds of hours of sweat equity as volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.

For 45 years, homebuyers have trusted Ryland Homes as a new homebuilder for truly livable designs, great neighborhoods, outstanding quality and a commitment to complete satisfaction in their new home. With a dedication to building homes that are energy-efficient and a better value to their customers, as well as a national strength rooted in local focus, Ryland Homes and its dedicated team prides itself on a day-to-day commitment to the customer.

For more information, please contact Diane Morrison, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, at dmorriso@ryland.com.

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Ryland Homes Announces Plans to Build a New Home in Savage, MN through a Partnership with Habitat for Humanity

13-06-2012 11:55 Follow us for daily tips and more: Allen visits the beautiful Capital Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, and talks to Chuck Magill, hotel marketing director, about the incredible effort that went into restoring it back to its original glory of grand Southern luxury. Have any questions for P. Allen Smith? Leave your comments and questions below! Practical tips for style, comfort and sustainable living from designer and lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith. Allen dissects style and function to reveal the tips that will take your home and garden to the next level. More from Allen: More home tips: P. Allen Smith is an award-winning designer and lifestyle expert and host of two public television programs, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, P. Allen Smith's Garden to Table and the syndicated 30-minute show P. Allen Smith Gardens. Smith is one of America's most recognized and respected design experts, providing ideas and inspiration through multiple media venues. He is the author of the best-selling Garden Home series of books published by Clarkson Potter/Random House, including Bringing the Garden Indoors: Container, Crafts and Bouquets for Every Room and P. Allen Smith's Seasonal Recipes from the Garden. Allen is also very active on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Allen's Blog and YouTube as well as on the new eHow Home channel debuting January, 2012. His design and lifestyle advice is featured in several national magazines. Learn ...

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The Capital Hotel | At Home With P. Allen Smith - Video

14-06-2012 13:55 What is the difference? How can some people make a massive investment in a building and it still not be a home? We explore some different language for how to transition your house into the treasure of being a home!

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House vs Home by Arthur Burk - Video

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. As firefighters battle blazes in New Mexico and Colorado that have forced evacuations and destroyed hundreds of structures, the U.S. Forest Service chief is renewing his call to restore forests to a more natural state, where fire was a part of the landscape.

Experts say a combination of decades of vigorous fire suppression and the waning of the timber industry over environmental concerns has left many forests a tangled, overgrown mess, subject to the kind of super-fires that are now regularly consuming hundreds of homes and millions of acres.

The Forest Service is on a mission to set the clock back to zero and the urgency couldn't be greater, Tom Tidwell said. The plan calls for accelerating restoration programs everything from prescribed fire and mechanical thinning by 20 percent each year in key areas that are facing the greatest danger of a catastrophic fire.

This year's target: 4 million acres. The budget: About $1 billion.

"We need to understand the conditions we're facing today," Tidwell said. "They're different than what we used to deal with. We're seeing erratic fire behavior, more erratic weather."

In southern New Mexico, a lightning-sparked fire raced across more than 37,000 acres in recent days, damaging or destroying at least 224 homes and other structures in the mountains outside of the resort community of Ruidoso.

Officials say the Little Bear fire, which has scorched 58 square miles in the Sierra Blanca range, has been 40 percent contained and firefighters will continue building lines to contain the fire Thursday. But they note that sunny, dry weather will result in more active fire behavior and an increase in visible smoke.

Hundreds of residents have been evacuated but some have begun returning home.

The Colorado blaze, about 15 miles west of Fort Collins, was still spreading. It had burned 78 square miles by Thursday, destroyed more than 100 structures, including at least 31 homes, and forced hundreds of people from their homes.

More than 1,300 firefighters have been working around the clock to build containment lines and protect structures from the fire, which was 10 percent contained.

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As massive fires hit Colo., NM areas, Forest Service chief pushes urgency of restoration

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A combination of decades of vigorous fire suppression and the waning of the timber industry over environmental concerns has left many forests a tangled, overgrown mess, subject to the kind of super-fires that are now regularly consuming hundreds of homes and millions of acres.

As firefighters continue to battle massive blazes in New Mexico and Colorado, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell is renewing his call to restore forests to a more natural state, in which fire was a part of the landscape and in many instances was far less destructive.

The Forest Service is on a mission to set the clock back to zero and the urgency couldn't be greater, Tidwell said. The plan calls for accelerating restoration programs - everything from prescribed fire and mechanical thinning - by 20 percent each year in key areas that are facing the greatest danger of a catastrophic fire.

This year's target: 4 million acres. The budget: About $1 billion.

"We need to understand the conditions we're facing today," Tidwell told The Associated Press in an interview. "They're different than what we used to deal with. We're seeing erratic fire behavior, more erratic weather."

In southern New Mexico, a lightning-sparked fire raced across more than 34,000 acres in a matter of three days, damaging or destroying at least 224 homes and other structures in the mountains outside of the resort community of Ruidoso. Hundreds of residents remained out of their homes Wednesday.

The Little Bear blaze has scorched 58 square miles in the Sierra Blanca range and containment stood at 35 percent after crews used a two-day break in the hot, windy weather to build miles of fire lines and conduct burnout operations.

To the north, smoke from a fire burning in Colorado was blowing into southeastern Wyoming and smudging the skies above Cheyenne on Wednesday. That blaze, about 15 miles west of Fort Collins, has burned 73 square miles, destroyed more than 100 structures and forced hundreds of people from their homes.

More than 600 firefighters labored to build containment lines as air tankers and helicopters focused on protecting buildings from the High Park fire.

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US wildfires fuel urgency for forest restoration