two teams at work

I will bet my bottom dollar that not everybody had this going on in their front yard today.

Or even some of this.

You see, we have a few projects going on simultaneously. One project is The Bridge and the other is The Road. On days like today, they cross paths.

-and when I say "cross paths", I mean literally. Both crew were crawling all over our corner of town this afternoon. They all brought stuff that made lots of noise. As a matter of fact, when my piano tuner showed up at the front door looking rather bewildered and ruffled, he was wearing these. Really, it was that loud.


Here, the paving guys are doing their thing. These curbs are pretty industrial.

From my front steps, I watched as this nifty ( and probably 60 ton) machine formed them. It was like those plastic squeeze things that you put play-dough into.

Way cool.

guys playing with large machines

I am sorry if photos of large machines are not your particular cup of tea.

But that's all I've got right now. At this present moment in time.

The crew is now ripping up my road. They already ripped it up to install sewer lines in July.
They ripped it up in August to install gas lines.

Last month, they ripped it up again just for the fun of it.
No. They had a reason, I'm sure. I am just not aware of it.

Now they are ripping it up to put a new road down. Then, in the spring, they will rip it up ONCE AGAIN because this layer is temporary. Just to get us through the winter.

I have a theory. I suspect these guys are ripping up the road merely so they can run heavy equipment and make noise.
As a matter of fact, on Halloween I spotted some of the very same guys going door to door with their orange vests and hard hats on.

Totally kidding. But my point remains: these guys love to dress up and play "construction".

When night falls (which is does an hour earlier now) they blare airport-quality spotlights
and keep finding stuff to do.

This is not the road crew. This is the bridge crew. But they are all cut from the same crazy cloth.

"Hey guys. I know what. Let's pour cement before we quit for dinner. So what if it is 5:17 pm and dark?"

This last quote was imaginary. But I truly heard them hooting and hollering with glee mere moments ago. I am not making this up.

gettin' 'er done

Over the course of the last ten days, much has happened here at our old stone home. I bring you this update as proof. But instead of describing each photo in detail, I am choosing to do something different.

Without the fortification of protein, carbohydrates, liquid (mostly in the form of coffee), and sugar, these photos would not have been made possible. So I give you, in short form, a list of what makes these men get up & do what needs to be done:

1. Chicken & Biscuits

2. Apple Fritters

3. Shepherd's Pie

4. Ham & Swiss Cheese on Wheat

5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, warm from the oven.

-oh and coffee. I have found the spacing of every three to four hours to be of the utmost benefit.

Notice that in most of these shots, the work crew is not present? It is because they are inside eating.

I also egg the men on by reminding them that when I have a NEW & COMPLETELY EQUIPPED KITCHEN, there will be a lot more from where that other stuff came from.

Stop on down to the stone house at the foot of the bridge to gawk at our new addition anytime!

sights

Around this time of year, some people decorate their yards with fake graveyards, inflatable frankensteins, dancing ghouls, witches who have met their fate by bashing into trees, and spider webs.

I don't go for any of it, actually.

But I think the green kayak on wheels goes quite nicely with the gray stone, don't you? I think of it as my tribute to the season.


The real action is taking place around back. Here, the decking for the addition is being installed.
Soon we will be able to get to the back door without doing a tippy-toe dance.

And that won't be much fun, will it?

Here are the boards ( on the right) upon which we perform the tippy-toe dance.
It's all the rage.

All kinds of action takes place around here, making me feel guilty for relaxing on the leather couch with a warm computer.
-But someone needs to document all of this. Right?

These are sights you don't see every day.

I told you so.

keeping up with the project

In an attempt to keep up with all the progress around here, I bring you these photos.
In an attempt to stay humble about all kinds of things, I bring you a view of our side yard. What a mess!

Around back, things look much more hopeful. The perfectly parallel boards, the exciting smell of fresh-cut lumber, the sound of nail guns echoing off the back of the house, and the jolting rumble of the generator every ten minutes or so.....all of it is my bliss.

These kids know how to do stuff. I keep them well-fed and Hubby keeps them busy.
As for keeping themselves amused, they do just fine without parental input. Here, Ben is attempting to squirt me with some type of liquid fixative.

What a darling child.

Here is the scope of the project: family room to the left. Guest room, office and full bath to the right. The kitchen wall will be opened up to the addition, leaving lots of room for the antique general store counter which will be an island for food prep and dining.

Compare this view to this view. We have come a long way!

cement-walking

We were spooning soup into our mouths, watching the crew do their thing from the warmth of our kitchen, when we realized that the men were actually slogging along in the fresh cement.

I grabbed the camera and hopped down to the foot of the bridge to see this interesting sight.

It was funny.
I think that guy dropped something into the cement by accident.
I hope it wasn't a camera.

kitchen plans and wishful thinking

Understatement:I have been thinking a lot about the new kitchen.
Full disclosure: I have been obsessing about the new kitchen.

It's not like we have a deadline for any decisions. We don't even have a general plan for when major remodeling events may take place. The accepted time frame for completion could even stretch into spring. I try not to ask questions. Instead, I go to the computer and google "kitchen designs", "kitchen cabinets", "kitchen islands", "storage solutions", "flooring"....etc etc etc.

Here is my wish-list:

-lower cabinets will have drawers, not doors.
-upper cabinets will be open shelves. I am designing them to be in the style of a step-back cupboard (lighter and smaller items on top; heavier items in apothecary jars on bottom).
-an extra sink (prep sink) will be near the dishwasher
-the island will be a re-purposed general store counter which is sitting in one of our barns. Underneath the island will be shelving for large pots & pans, casseroles, cookie sheets, and platters.
-the flooring will be 4" width pre-finished maple. I think.
-the counter-tops will be either reclaimed black slate (extreme wishing here!) or formica which looks like black slate.
-a lower work station will be installed for bread prep, cookie rolling, etc. Here I would definitely want real slate.
-the main kitchen sink will have a river view...and a large bay window for potted herbs, etc.
-the pantry will be a re-purposed cabinet (Eddie Bauer) that will be perfect for dry goods and canned goods.
-we already have the double oven (yay!) and a five-burner gas stove-top. I am very happy to return to gas cooking after having electric at the last residence.

There may be space for an antique or re-purposed cabinet/hutch if I find the right piece. There will be plenty of time to scout for such a thing at local auctions.

There. I feel better having written all about it.
It should hold me for the time being!