Al Can Do

This is how it looks when a guy leaves one project for another.  He has crossed over the line of Official Old Fart because he went to Home Depot in this uniform.  Well, at least I don't have to worry about him getting hit on by cute young chicks.  Maybe.  There might be one who is looking for just this kind of working man.  You never know.

Taking out the last piece of wood so the carpet can go in on Monday.

Surprise!  He decided to replace the windows in what will be the sewing room and found a mess.

Two more trips to Home Depot, one to the building supply in Port Angeles, and the kind help of Don the Tile Guy later.  It's going to be dry and warm in the Patch now.  Do you remember why I call it the Patch?  Many years ago I took a knitting class from a delightful English woman with a charming accent and tons of yarn knowledge.  She said how important it is to have a little patch all your own to hide away and be creative.  Do you have one?  

Progress, Pilgrim

There's been a lot of action around here this week:
Jennifer and Marvin painted the new living room ceiling.

Peter finished the beautiful new fence in the back.

The brackish water in the birdbath froze solid.

The hot tub was delivered - do you marvel at this clever cart as much as Al did?

 

Chris made the blue dining room go away and replaced it with this yummy caramel.

Today will be tiling in the hall bath, electricians doing some fiddling with the wiring, and painters doing a second coat of goodness.  I'd better go shopping to get away from all of them.

Caution: Men at Work

I love this picture.  Doesn't it look like a scarecrow tipped over?

Does this explain more?

How about this?
The hole in the floor is where the tub used to be and soon will be a shower. 
Do you love the floor?  Al removed the wood that was there and it will be tiled soon.

The living room got a coat of primer so the mud will stick better when it gets plopped on later today.

The guy who invented the extension pole is probably on the hit list of the ladder companies.

Strong Men and a Truck

Saturday morning as Marco begins hauling boxes from storage to the rental truck.

Our first trip across the new span of the Bay Bridge, which seems to have been worth the wait.

The old bridge looks devastated to be obsolete.
The slow deconstruction has begun, which turns out to be another big project.
An earthquake can take out an entire section but a demolition crew must be methodical. 

Now all the boxes are in our garage, waiting for the remodel project to be completed,
but I must admit to peeking in some of them to find forgotten treasures, kind of like a kid hunting for clues to the Christmas presents. Al reminds me that we've done without all of this for three years, so another month won't matter, but where's the fun in that?

Happy Birthday, Dad

We made it!  Saturday was about four hours of loading up the rental truck with everything from storage and driving as far as Medford.  Sunday we made it all the way back to Sequim, when Al decided that he wasn't quite tired enough to sleep, so insisted on unloading the truck.  By himself!  Now the garage is filled with over 200 boxes that can't be unpacked until the project is finished, but we slept in our big bed last night for the first time in three years.  The carpenter is building a fence around the back patio so soon we'll get the hot tub (excuse me, spa) delivered and can soak whenever the muscles cry for attention.  The mudder guy will be here tomorrow, followed by the painter, the tiler, and the carpet installation.  But we need to choose tile for the fireplace and the hall bath so I'm leaving the million-photo project for another day and going shopping now.   It's our duty as patriotic Americans.

ps  Norm is 87 today.  I'm pretty sure he is wearing a colorful pointy hat over his halo, quaffing a beer and flashing that unforgettable grin.

Almost There

Here we are in San Francisco, which seems so much like home that I keep forgetting we don't live here anymore.  China was very interesting and I'm certainly glad we went, but don't need to return for a very long time.  Can't breathe the air, can't drink the water, can't speak the language, can't read the signs. Everybody in our group made it an incredible experience, we made many new friends, and we saw important things like the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors, among many other things. But it's always good to be back in the America we know and love.

Tomorrow/Saturday we will be loading up a Budget truck with all the belongings that have been in storage since 2010 and hauling everything to Sequim.  I keep reminding Al that he is almost 71 years old, but he thinks it will be "fun."   ???  So we'll make it an adventure and I'm so looking forward to unpacking and finding out what I kept that I don't care how it all gets there.

It will be a while before I get back to you with pictures of the travels, so hang on!