Michael Guilfoil

The Alaska Almanac

Frugal is cool. Less is, like, way more. There's even a book called "Shabby Chic."

Runners in the YWCA Bloomsday training group stretch their legs before an evening run on Wednesday. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Pen in hand, Jan Kruger reviews a work in progress at a light table in her studio. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

1. The Salish Lodge & Spa overlooks 270-foot-high Snoqualmie Falls. Photos courtesy of The Salish Lodge & Spa 2. The lodge's new $1.4 million spa features soaking pools and Japanese decor.

1. Cynthea and Timothy Cunninghamm lived next door to the Marr House for eight years before they were able to purchase it. Photos by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Timothy Cunninghamm converted the Marr House's former dining room into an office. 3. Kirby House 4. Waverly Place Bed & Breakfast 5. Eastern Washington University's Showalter Hall auditorium and lobby 6. Lincoln County Court House

U.S. consumer confidence and stock markets are up. Interest rates and gasoline prices are down.

With a little instruction, ski-skating is almost as easy as in-line skating. Photo courtesy of Silver Star Mountain Resort

Picture a "wild West" tourist town the size of Colfax or Priest River, bathed in sunlight and blanketed with fresh powder snow. Now add 1,600 snowmobiles lined up and ready to rent, plus another 1,000 passing through on their way to nearby playgrounds.

1. Spokane Parks and Recreation Department's Mike Aho still has snoeshoes he made more than 25 years ago. Photo by Roger Ames/The Spokesman-Review 2. Two snowshoeing enthusiasts make their way along a trail at Idaho's Sun Valley. Photo courtesy of Sun Valley

1. Montana dude ranches offer more than dusty trails and li'l dogies. Some feature alpine meadows and gourmet meals. Photo courtesy of Nine Quarter Circle Ranch 2. Appaloosa ponies, Saturday-night square dances and "gymkhana" games on horseback distinguish the Nine Quarter Circle Ranch. 3. Riding the range with real cowboys fulfilled the lifelong dream of Freddy Smits and his wife, Marianne. Photo by Michael Guilfoil/The Spokesman-Review 4. A stay at the Lonesome Spur Ranch includes a visit to the area's badlands. Photo by Victory Bjornberg

1. Hotel Lusso guests can choose between an elevator or the historic Whitten Building's stairway. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Patrick Katz and Jason Choate wheel sculptures into a room off the Hotel Lusso's lobby as workers scramble to ready the hotel for Monday's official opening. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

A staircase wraps around the living-room fireplace of this South Hill bungalow, which was built around 1910. Photos by Douglas Keister 2. This alcove in David and Carol Blomgren's bungalow is completely open to the rest of the living room, yet it retains some of the intimacy of a separate room. 3. This contemporary fireplace in a new Spokane home captures the spirit of the American Arts and Crafts tradition of using random-shaped river rock to express natures's beauty indoors.

1. Pounding out affordable housing. Dia Hadley, local executive director of Habitat for Humanity, and homeowner Denise Otradovec, right, discuss details in Spokane's 50th Habitat house. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review 2. They look out a second-floor window. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Contractor John Roehm received the Spokane AIA chapter's Master Craftsmanship Award, an honor that hadn't been given since 1954. Photo by Michael Guilfoil/The Spokesman-Review

1. Construction supervisor Holly Millar does some last-minute tidying up at the straw-bale house before rushing off to a charity luncheon earlier this week. Photos by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Visitors can peek at the home's straw through a window in a living-room wall.

Contest judges, from left: Marsha Rooney, Walt Carlson, Dave Nelson, David Wang and Sue Ellen Heflin. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

1. Above, multiple forms and colors help soften the mass of this 6,300-square-foot home. Photos by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Left, architects Nancy McKennon and Gerry Copeland in the kitchen-dining area.

Exposed timbers replaced low ceiling and fake brick. Photo courtesy of Jon Sayler

A complete remodel didn't obliterate the home's charm. Photo courtesy of Archie Oestreicher

1. Above, a 21-foot-high ceiling gives the Whitesitts' living-dining area a roomy feel. Photos by Michael Guilfoil/The Spokesman-Review 2. Left, the 16-by-48-foot house is built on concrete piers, minimizing excavation costs.

Owner-builder John Larkin designed the stairway as he welded it in place. Photo by Michael Guilfoil/The Spokesman-Review

1. From bare studs to beautiful finishes, the restoration is nearly complete. Still to come: reproduction wallpaper to hang above the dining-room wainscot. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Above, Juliana Scham and Mark Mansfield relax - finally - outside their restored bungalow. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review 3. Left, 10 years without occupants left the home in near ruin.

Retired educator Floyd Lee finally found time to build a classic garage next to his South Hill home. Photo courtesy of Floyd Lee.