Lopaka Lounge

Before arriving in Bisbee, Ray and I decided it would be best to rent a place until we got settled in.  We found a rental house right in the center of the historic Brewery Gulch area of Old Bisbee.  At first, it was great fun being right there in the middle of all the local bars and crazy bikers but after a short time, we realized that we’d rather live near Bisbee and not in it.  It was kind of crowded and noisy.  The worst thing was that Bisbee is in a canyon, it gets dark early and you can hear every single thing from revving Harleys to domestic disputes. 

We started looking at the outer areas of Bisbee but nothing seemed to speak to us.  I had secretly desired to find a remote area and build a custom home.  Ray didn’t seem to keen on the idea but after months of looking at overpriced fixer uppers, we started exploring the outer regions of Cochise County.

One day we got a listing of all the available vacant land in the area and just hopped in the car.  We looked here and there for quite a while.  We finally pulled up to this lot and something just struck a chord in both of us.  There was something about this place.  It just had a peaceful vibe to it (not to mention that it was 16 acres with a well and electricity).  As we were walking around, I noticed something sticking up out of the ground.  I reached down and pulled an old rusty horseshoe out of the dirt.  I showed it to Ray and told him that it was a sign and that I was going to keep it.

He said it would be stealing.

I told him that I would just keep it on loan for good luck while we put an offer on the land.  He made me promise to bring it back if we did not.

A few days later, I was driving past the property on my way back to Bisbee from Sierra Vista.  We had put in an offer on the land and I was still waiting to hear about a job with the county.  I was really stressed out about everything so I stopped the car and got out.  While I was walking around the property wishing for a sign that everything would come together, something on the ground caught my eye.  I looked down and found another horseshoe!

I stole that one too.

A short time later, we got the property and I got the job.  It just seemed like that natural thing to call our new homestead, “Stolen Horseshoe”.

Inspired by mid-century modern and Santa Fe styles, we went for what I would call southwestern contemporary fusion.  We took an existing layout from our builder, Walston Custom Homes and modified the hell out of it and as far as I’m concerned, we totally designed our home.  Ray was instrumental in getting this done.  The house would not be what it is without his hard work and discipline (especially when it comes to exterior color)

See the making of Stolen Horseshoe and some interior shots.