The Living Room Project

The barn project is pretty much done so we’re on to the next one. We’ve decided we need a home office more than a living room. This is the wall we’re working on before we started. The only thing missing is the beat up love seat.

We ordered Kraft Maid oak cabinets to store all our office supplies and to create a work space. Our goal was to match the oak on my roll top desk. With my printing business and Mark’s landscaping business we were in need of space. Greg wanted to install them. The cabinets arrived 9-17-2012.

We got very lucky in that Mom and Dad decided on the spur of the moment to come the Saturday before. I think Dad was itching for a good project. Greg and Mark did the lion share of the physical component and Dad was the consultant. Much to my surprise and delight the install was completed by the end of the day on the 18th. Dad turned 84 in July and is still going strong.

Below is the almost finished project. This morning Greg and I picked out the knobs and handles for the cabinets. We still need to get glass on the center doors.

I have always had a love affair with granite. We got a very good deal on the sample below. It’s called Black Galaxy and has flecks of copper throughout and sparkles when the light hits it. The template for the counter will be measured on the 25th with an install scheduled for October 4th.

We have decided to go with hardwood flooring so next we have to get some quotes and get that installed. Emptying out the rest of the room and setting up work areas for the interim will hopefully happen next weekend. As with any project its always nice when it’s over.

Back to School

We took Em back to school Thursday morning. She had to be there by 7 a.m. so we were on the road by 4 a.m. It was dark for a chunk of our journey but we were able to enjoy some beautiful morning views. This panorama was taken after we dropped Em off. There was a really neat cloud cover as we headed into town.

This year Em is in a townhouse with 5 other girls. It’s pretty small on 2 levels. Below is the little kitchen. Opposite that is a small living room.

Below is the stairs for the lower level.

 

Em is sharing a room with another girl. It’s pretty tight for two people and didn’t lend well to configuration. At their age they’ll be fine.

This is the front of Em’s townhouse. They are on the first floor. It’s hard to believe she is a junior. Where does the time go.

August 2012 Update

Thursday the 2nd, Greg and I went to the East Coast Classic Drum Corp Show with Derek and his girlfriend, Leah. It was a fantastic show. It was warm, in the high 80’s and these kids ages 21 and under competed in full uniforms. Truly amazing.

The group above and below is the senior Boston Crusader's. There are a few groups that you can play in when you age out but they do not compete.

This group (above and below) is the Jersey Surf as you may have guessed from New Jersey. We really enjoyed their enthusiasm. They came out in all blue and when they started they had the yellow on. We never saw them get them on. They were so smooth.

It was amazing to watch the moon rise while the kids performed.

Each performance was around 15 minutes and speed with getting the groups on and off the field was part of the scoring.

Color Guards are like professional dancers and acrobats. You really have to go to one of these shows to understand the level of commitment. Derek and Leah walked around during the opening senior groups to watch the competing groups warm up. Leah was struck with how quiet all the kids were. There was no talking or fooling around. These groups compete on the world class level and are extremely disciplined.

You may remember that Derek was a member of the Spartans last year and competed in Indianapolis. He really enjoyed it and would have liked to join a World Class group this summer if he hadn’t aged out. I think he’ll always enjoy going to these shows. It works out nicely that Leah enjoys them as well. She teaches the color guard at a local high school.

The above group is one of two groups that is all male including the color guard. Not one rifle or spinning sword was dropped.

This group is from PA. They are the Cadets and won this event and the World Class in Indianapolis last year. The program they did had a Christmas theme. We really enjoyed it. They were flawless.

It would have been neat to get an aerial view because some of the formations they made were bows, and various Christmas scenes. They were my favorite.

 

The last group on were the Boston Crusaders'. They were hosting this event.

Now for a garden update. I’ve been really struggling with my squash this year. I’ve watered and worried over them but the fact of the matter is the sun is not that great in this location.

My tomatoes are doing great and I have tons of green tomatoes. Hopefully soon I’ll be picking vine ripened tomatoes.

As an experiment I decided to grow some squash up on the deck. The sun is much better. As you can see by the photo below, taken today, these are much more successful. I think next year I’ll grow more on the deck.

My flowers are happy on the deck too.

General Updates

Hayden Landscape Services has added another piece of equipment. Mark bought a brand new commercial 51 inch Scag mower for the bigger lawns he has. His next goal is a dump trailer.

The weather today was incredible. We paid one of Mark’s buddies to come and do the roof. Mark doesn’t like heights and I didn’t want Greg working so hard. There is just a little bit more to do which will hopefully get done tomorrow. Then Mark and Greg will be able to do the finish work like install the windows, finish the trim, make a door and build shelving for inside.

On a more serious note Derek hadn’t been feeling very good this week. On Wednesday he discover this bull eye on the back of his arm. Thursday morning I took him to the doctor and he is being treated for Lyme's Disease. The second picture is how the spot looked yesterday and today it is almost gone. He’s on a 2 week course of strong antibiotics and goes back to the doctor when they are done for a follow up and to see if he needs to stay on them for a month total. Lyme’s Disease is a huge issue in our area and in many places. He was having flu like symptoms, chills, loss of appetite, stiff neck and headaches prior to treatment. He is feeling much better now. For me the scary thing would have been if he didn’t have the bull’s eye. We may have not realized what was wrong and left untreated Lyme’s can do long term joint damage and many other things.

Shed Progress

Time for a shed update. Above Mark rented a stump grinder to prepare the area. As you can see by the pics below its coming along.

The picture above and below are from this weekend. It’s been tough for the guys to find the time. It’s either raining, too hot or they have to work. Greg took most of the 4th of July week off. A lot got accomplished. Above he’s cutting out the windows. There are 2 on each side. Below he’s putting on some trim. The roof will be the trickiest and the most worrisome for me. Greg has made scaffolding. The barn is 12 x 16 with a loft area. To be continued…