USA – Co-Geeking

For Hobbit-y Holidays

August 12, 2026April 5, 2026EppuLeave a comment

In a hill, in the ground, there was an earthen home. Not a nasty one, of course, but comfy and cozy, as Hobbit holes are wont to be.

Situated in Middletown Springs, Vermont, United States, these two cabins or cottages were inspired by Hobbit houses. The owners, Cynthia and Pepper, call them The Hobbit House and The Spring House, and painstakingly turned them into a dreamy destination, a true home away from home.

Airbnb Middletown Springs Hobbit House Door

In their own words:

“Circa 2941… of the Third Age to be exact. A time marked by the rise of Sauron and his eventual defeat during the War of The Ring.

“We wished for a space, not from a century ago but an age away… but our fantasy was not found so we decided to build it ourselves. We focused on the artistry of old world and added all the modern conveniences to weave the best of both worlds together. … We, the owners, spent over 6,000 hours on the design/build to make this beautiful dream come true. Completed in 2018 with all modern conveniences which seem to disappear among the period decor, this cottage transports you to a simpler time.”

All the details and rooms have clearly been thoroughly thought-out, including the lighting:

Airbnb Middletown Springs Hobbit House Entry

Modern bathrooms are disguised reasonably well:

Airbnb Middletown Springs Hobbit House Bath

Since Hobbits are all about food, the cottages have their own kitchens…

Airbnb Middletown Springs Hobbit House Kitchen

…and there is also a pub / bar (= dining room?) (for guests only, not open to just anyone):

Airbnb Middletown Springs Hobbit House Pub Bar

Sounds like all four seasons are considered in the meticulous landscaping in front of the cottages:

Airbnb Middletown Springs Hobbit House Red Door

In addition, there is a pond!

Zillow Middletown Springs Hobbit House Pond

Wow! (Please go and see more photos; I’ve merely scraped the surface here.)

While I could do the interiors, the outdoors would take so much effort for me to achieve. Not to mention the amount of care and maintenance required, after you’ve finished the build, for a holiday let. Kudos!

Found via Home Tours & Other Stuff on Tumblr.

Images by Cynthia and Pepper via Airbnb and via Zillow

In Here highlights interesting spaces created by our fellow geeks all over the world.

May You Have as Restful and Relaxing a Thanksgiving as Possible

November 25, 2020October 15, 2022Eppu

With this awesome geeky Perler bead wreath, I wish our U.S. readers as restful and relaxing a Thanksgiving as possible under the circumstances.

Minted Strawberry Aki Perler Bead Geeky Xmas Wreath

May the writers’ room have an exceedingly boring 2020 season ender in store for all of us. The world sure could use a respite from the coronavirus.

Stay safe!

Image and tutorial by Aki at Minted Strawberry

Announcements from your hosts.

Quotes: Any Man Who Judges by the Group is a Pea-wit

July 29, 2020July 25, 2020Eppu

We’ve been watching some Lincoln documentaries and movies plus various Lincoln-adjacent media recently. This LOL-worthy moment comes from the movie Gettysburg:

“Any man who judges by the group is a pea-wit.”

– Sergeant Buster Kilrain in Gettysburg by Ron Maxwell

Context: union soldiers Sergeant Buster Kilrain (pictured) and Colonel Chamberlain were having a discussion on the racism that Black people experience. (Apparently this Kilrain is an invented character.)

Well, he put it concisely and politely!

I can’t say I knew much at all about the U.S. Civil War, but during this Lincoln spell of ours I have learned much, including about Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine, and feel very co-proud—their resilience at Little Round Top really reminds me of the Finnish Winter War. Go, small northern states with obstinate, resourceful populations!

Image: screencap from Gettysburg (1993; directed by Ron Maxwell, based on the book by Michael Shaara, screenplay by Ron Maxwell)

P.S. In case anyone’s interested, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a surprisingly good bad movie.

Serving exactly what it sounds like, the Quotes feature excerpts other people’s thoughts.

Quotes: You Shall Not Follow a Majority in Wrongdoing

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020Eppu

As most of you probably know, there are currently multiple protests against racism and police brutality after the killing of George Floyd in the U.S. that have spread worldwide.

I have so many things to say, but I’ll spare your eyeballs because there would be a FUCKING INCONCEIVABLE ABUNDANCE OF EXPLETIVES. But if there’s a pared-down version I want to say to my fellow white folks, especially if you’re a Christian, it’s this:

“You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; […] you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice.”

– Exodus 23:2, after The New Revised Standard Version of The Bible

I was brought up Christian and my grandfather was a policeman, and I cannot fucking fathom how many white people are apparently fucking fine with police essentially executing BIPOC or attacking peaceful demonstrators without any consequences.

If you believe you are a Christian, especially a white one, especially one working as a police officer, there’s only one side in all of this that you can possibly take.

For example, if you think it’s acceptable to

…throttle a man to death on suspicion of using a counterfeit bill,
…force your way into someone’s home and indiscriminately start shooting,
…knock an old man down without provocation or walk by while he lies on the ground unconscious and bleeding,
…lob smoking paint canisters at someone just standing on the porch of their home,
…make a false 911 call to accuse a random bird watcher of threatening you,
…order someone out of their home and immediately shoot them dead,
…pepper spray someone straight into their face when they are standing with their hands up,
…raid the wrong house and shoot a child with a submachine gun,
…ram non-violent protestors with a van,
…shoot a pepper pellet at a non-violent person from a truck as you are already leaving,
…shoot and kill someone through their home window for playing video games,
…shoot at a noisy party, killing someone,
…target and attack journalists who are covering a demonstration,

then you are a part of the problem. No ifs or buts.

If you are a police officer and said yes to any of the above, you are, in actual fucking fact, a member of a violent cult and an oathbreaker, and belong in jail.

(No, rioting isn’t okay, but I do understand a little where all the anguish and rage is coming from.)

Comments are closed. This is not a subject that is even supposed to be under discussion.

Here there be opinions!

50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

July 17, 2019July 14, 2019Eppu

July 20, 2019, is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission—the spaceflight that landed the first people on the Moon.

Ben Feist, a software engineer and historian at NASA Johnson Space Center, and a team of other experts put together a website for Apollo 11 video, audio, and pictures of the astronauts and mission control.

The site consists entirely of original historical mission material, with data and audio restored plus transcripts corrected. There’s video, too, and views of the Earth receding and Moon showing up in the viewscreen, various details from the lunar surface, and support teams back home. And a whole host of additional data.

How cool is that!?!

Image: screencap from the Apollo 11 in Real Time website by Ben Feist

In Making Stuff occasional feature, we share fun arts and crafts done by us and our fellow geeks and nerds.

Quotes: You Can Be Warm and Vulnerable with People You Trust

March 6, 2019October 15, 2022Eppu

Some power reading on gender and power, especially at Anglo-American financial companies:

“My Kleiner colleagues said that I sucked the air out of the room, that I ‘wasn’t the warmest person.’ Now [after leaving] I’m told the opposite. I’ve thought a lot about how I was accused of being cold and unlikeable at Kleiner. Looking back, maybe I was. But it wasn’t because I’m a cold person. It was because I needed to have my guard up all the time. You can be warm and vulnerable with people you trust, not with those who you know are trying to keep you down.”

– Ellen Pao

I can attest from personal experience, even if not in the same environment.

Pao, Ellen. Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change. New York: Spegel & Grau, 2017, p. 259.

Image by Eppu Jensen

Serving exactly what it sounds like, the Quotes feature excerpts other people’s thoughts.

Chance to Watch Coverage of InSight’s Mars Landing

November 23, 2018November 18, 2018Eppu

On Monday, November 26, 2018, NASA Television is bringing coverage of InSight’s Mars landing to a website or social media near you!

From NASA’s press release:

“NASA’s Mars Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST Nov. 26, and viewers everywhere can watch coverage of the event live on NASA Television, the agency’s website and social media platforms.”

There are a few pre-landing broadcasts, and on the landing day, coverage will start early in the morning. The landing itself is expected to take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. EST, with post-landing news conference to wrap up the event.

Wow, sounds incredible. Even though the cameras are “only” inside JPL Mission Control and the mission itself will be covered by audio “only”, it’s the closest I can get to experiencing touching down on another celestial object. I will have to make time for this!

Found via File 770.

Image by NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Thanksgiving Break

November 21, 2018March 1, 2026Eppu

Time for the annual turkey day!

We will not be eating this handsome fella from our back yard. 🙂

We don’t necessarily get to see the turkeys displaying every spring, but often we do. It’s always such a sight—incredible birds in so many senses.

Happy Thanksgiving to our readers who celebrate!

Image by Eppu Jensen

Out There is an occasional feature highlighting intriguing art, spaces, places, phenomena, flora, and fauna.