I have many talented friends...

1. Poo takes amazing, candid photographs.
2. Free Samples can do taxes using long division.
3. Fingers could organize a herd of cats.
4. Orange plays a ridiculous guitar (although he's very bashful about this, and will probably throttle me for even mentioning it...)
5. Pants paints beautifully.
6. Beef's soup is out of this world.
7. Both Susie and Belly can dance like they're on Electric Circus.
8. Sleeves is a beautiful writer.
9. Hurr_ah is the best customer designer I know.

Out of all my friends, though, I'd have to say BSB is the most talented.

When we first started our "hanging out" so to speak, he lived in a hovel down the street from my apartment. Being a Contractor with his own business, he was kept busy improving other people's homes--additions, renovations, garage-mahals, etc. Although I'd heard about his legendary skill, I'd never seen his handy work myself.

Then a few summers ago he built a bunky at his parents cabin.

From the ground up.

Without a drawing, beyond the one in his head.

While he had an assistant at the time, the work was primarily his--from the design, to the construction, to the finishing touches. To this day, I'm blown away when I pull up to their cottage get-away and see this brand new building blending perfectly with its surroundings as though it's been there the last 100 years. What blows me even further away, is that he's built by hand a structure that  (2012 notwithstanding...) will still be kickin' 100 years from now, long after me and my career-esque contributions have faded into the abyss...

BSB has since turned his attention to his own home which I've come to love as if it were my own. Both he and Fingers have put so much love and effort into it, it's simply unrecognizable: they did away with walls, built a brand new kitchen, installed a second floor where before there was none, and a finished basements with *gasp* (working) closet doors!

*wink*

Up for sale and ready for a new owner, this is one house I'll be sad to see go (where are we going to have our Cinco de Mayo parties now!?) But while I'm playing the little black rain cloud "pining" for the coziest house around (excuse the pun...), I am proud as a parent at how hard the two of them--in particular BSB--have worked. His skill truly amazes me.

(although I still wouldn't call him to refinish my antique chest... *wink*)