What I've been doing in my SPARE time

I didn't paint ALL this. But I "painted" a lot of it. (I don't paint so much as slop)

BTW this is the 1898 caboose

No moss on my...stones

This is not something that has actually taken any time. It's just a blatant appeal for sympathy. I picked this up about two weeks ago at the hardware store parking lot. Don't you just love people that can't drive well enough to back out of a parking space without hitting something? And then not leave a note.
3 out of the last 4 Saturdays have been spent uncovering this 1860's passenger car. It is close to being ready to be moved, probably early May.



The remodel is done except for the shower curtain rod and attaching the handheld shower.

An erupting volcano in Iceland changes our dinner plans

So we are having a couple over for dinner along with his sister, b-i-l and niece. They are visiting from England. We thought to invite another couple who are friends in common. He is English and she French. So that is 9 for dinner. With the addition of a card table we can all fit together. We just received a call that the sister of the 2nd couple, is visiting from France along with a grandson. They were supposed to leave early today, but their flight was canceled due to ash from the volcano, so they will be dining with us also. More the merrier! However, now there are two tables apart from each other.

Rail car recovery

More progress. We're inside now, but outside demolition is delayed by permit issues.


We cut into the false ceiling to see the clerestory. The oval ended space is glass painted over. It's covered on the outside by roofing. It will be awhile before it sees the sun, but this hasn't been seen for many decades.

A sad Easter

This was not a great Easter. We have a neighbor out at the coast who is very lively. She's considered the unofficial mayor. She had recently started talking about selling her house and moving south to be with most of her friends in the desert. We were mourning her possible departure already.

For Easter, she made reservations at another neighbors new restaurant for a bunch of us. On Friday she said she wasn't feeling well. On Saturday she said she probably wouldn't make it to the lunch. When we got back from lunch on Sunday there was a phone message that she had driven herself to the hospital.

We all drove in to see if we could help. She had woken up to find herself very jaundiced. Initial tests show a mass on her Pancreas. This is NOT good. She has since had further tests but no results in yet. I can't imagine any good outcome. She was resistant to filling the prescription for vicodin. We insisted she fill it. She's taking it and still reports a 9.5 on a scale of 10 for pain.

This is just SO sad and unfair. I worry that she will never have another "good" day, and that her time may be very short. She will be missed by many.

Further remodel progress

So today was the day for new carpet in both bedrooms. Not too exciting to look at. I spent much of the time weed whacking cape weed, and when I took a lunch break I came in to find this scene. My lunch is on the other side of this mountain. Hunger is the mother of innovation and I eventually tunneled under the table into the kitchen and had lunch.

They were finished about 1:30 and I left about three. As soon as I got into cell phone range, I got a message that the granite guys were enroute. Back to the house.
The other progress was made on Tuesday, when the floor went in the bathroom as you can see. Today I noticed the installers grouting skills leave something to be desired. There was grout on the door, grout on the shut off valve for the toilet, holes in the spots where the grout was supposed to go. I'll have to address that tomorrow
But the granite looks nice, and allows the plumber to come tomorrow to finish his work.

A new day a new railcar

Like a butterfly emerging from it's cocoon, or appropriately on the day before Easter Sunday, an old wooden passenger car, possibly as old as 1860, has additions torn from it to reveal itself, and begin a new life. (after years of restoration to come)

More remodel progress

Today was the electrician's day. New vent fan, new cover for light in shower, several new outlets, new light for new cabinet, and a "toe kick" heater/fan.

Meanwhile, I've been replacing towel racks,shelves. New roller shades in the bedroom. A chunk of plaster got knocked out during the installation of the fan, so I filled in the hole. Tomorrow a 2nd coat and primer hopefully for the painter's last day (Saturday?)

Contractor is on jury duty. I may have prejudiced him by quoting Marge Simpson, "Kill 'em all and let God sort them out!"