...point and COUNTERpoint

Well, here is Pablo and companion installer, fitting in the new countertops. I'm glad they were able to get the side counter all in one piece. They worked quickly and neatly! And this stuff is heavy! The Big Guy also installed the new exhaust fan over the stove. Next on the list is the floor. I've picked out the style and pattern, it's been measured and now we just have to wait until it comes in. Right before the floor is set, however, we have to get the kitchen door, since there will be a variation in height with the new flooring. The hardest part is last, picking out the tile for the backsplashes. Lookin' good!

...in with the new

Well, here's my guy, Bob the Builder, installing the new cupboards. The craftsmanship is awesome. It only took a few hours. They sure went in a lot easier than the old ones came out! I like the storage over the refrigerator, but my favorite part of the new cupboards, is the last two pictures. I wanted glass doors, to open the kitchen up a bit. My original look was a simple 6 pane square look. However, I learned along the way to listen to Bob's suggestions! And we ended up with a unique look, totally ours!

I love my new corner with the added cupboards and counter space!

...window to the world

Apparently, not the neat job I anticipated when installing a window. This is why I am not a contractor! Bob and the big guy worked hard to get it to look like this!

And now we have a view! Window frame in the near future.

...going, going, gone

Here's the latest on what is happening around here. Notice, I have food and utensils all over the place. (Notice, you know who, will not give up his cheese and PB crackers, despite being loaded with salmonella!!!) I can't find my spoons. And sawdust everywhere! What a joy. The Big Guy has been very busy, but needed some help this morning with some heavy cupboard demolition. Thank you Mr. B.

I get to use power tools!

A new VIEW!

...what lies beneath

Here is a sneak peek at our new kitchen light fixture! I think it's called the shabby/chic/make do/austere look! I think it will catch on!

This tells you how long it has been since we've seen the actual original wall! Libby wanted her name on the wall too!

We suspect that this picture was drawn by our four-year-old number one daughter, about 1979. Or else it was a visiting Mayan....perhaps a long lost clue to the universe!

Here is the corner, minus wallpaper and tile.

And here is the same corner; finally primed.

I have no clue how long the stove has been in this position before we moved it; I did not take a picture of the floor! As you can see, the formica on wall is disappearing, slowly but surely. I can't believe people put formica on the walls!! Maybe I'll try something new on the walls....like...paint?

...and heeeeeere's Bob

Well, here is my main man of the hour, Bob the Builder. Bob is doing all the woodworking for my new cupboards. He and I don't always agree, but that's part of the fun! To be honest, however, he knows far more about what he's doing, than I do! And I usually end up compromising some way.













And here is "Pup", Bob's companion and helper. He carries the wood around! He's a chow mix and very, very friendly!

Here's the layout, pretty much to scale as to how the kitchen will be, you see the back of the sink cupboard, which will be under the window; and to the back you see the new cupboards which will be on the corner that never had any built-ins.







Here is the corner cupboard with my BREAD BOARD! I love this pull out feature. I've been using the one I have forever; it comes in so handy. This one is exceedingly heavy and as smooth as glass! There will be pull-out shelves behind the doors.







And here is the counter where the sink will go....somewhere in there. We are moving the sink ten inches to the left, to accommodate the refrigerator to the right. Bob is making all my drawers very deep, 'cause I have so much stuff!





Next....What lies beneath!

...bye bye old kitchen, hello dust!

Just as all good things must come to an end; so too must old kitchens give up their linoleum and formica and make ready for the new! And, I'm talking REALLY old here. Everything in the kitchen is original to the year the house was built, 1958. And we've been stuck in the fifties ever since!

This corner is is being torn out completely and the refrigerator will be there instead. (Can you get enough of that yellow formica?) However, to give it due credit; this formica has withstood unbelievable stress over the years and come out looking like it did in 1958. It has had hot pans and firey pot holders thrown on it, been used as a chopping block and step stool, suffered through years of canning and vegetable prepping and has maintained. I wonder if there is such a durable product like 50s formica anwhere in the world today.

Here, for example is our lovely combination of wall formica (yes, we actually had the SAME formica on the wall), plastic tile, and our ever so lovely linoleum! A lovely combination! The subtle mixes of grays, yellows, golds, reds and whatever else is showing, certainly makes a statement, does it not?

Here is a closer look at the actual flooring. Notice the bright red splotches of color spattered throughout? Sort of reminds you of blood-spatter, doesn't it? Well, actually, there was a time when number one son fell and cut his chin on the "big wheel". Remember those? His aunt Judy was visiting at the time and actually got down on her knees to wipe up the blood, until she discovered it was part of the floor!








Coming next, meet BoB the Builder.

...ewwwww....accident...really!

Yes, I saw the dead skunk in the road on the way to the store. I think the poor thing had just expired. I always feel so badly about roadkill...if they would just learn to use crosswalks.

Anyway....I have in my mind that on the way back, I have to remember the skunk, because it is at the turn at the HS and you can't see it. Unfortunately, there I was, rounding Reno, melting ice cream cone in hand, jammin' with Morrison and the Doors (c'mon baby light my fire) when...BUMP. Yikes...(and other expletives). Maybe it won't be so bad.

10 seconds later this gawd-awful smell is spewing from my car. I pull into the garage and five minutes later pull out again, because now, the whole house smells like skunk. I cooked with garlic tonight (lots of it) and now I have a garlic-skunk smell all over the house. Yummy. Well, the car is out tonight and it's too damn hot to open the windows, so the A/C is just recycling garlic and skunk odors. Ain't summer grand?

...home

Well, Katt finished his blog today. He's been so busy unpacking and sharing his adventures with Duncan. We had a wonderful time and are most thankful for a safe trip. Not quite the same here, but we're all together. Maybe Katt will continue his blog...he may not travel as much anymore, but I'm sure he can find some adventures around home. Pictures of the trip are here, but only for a short while.

http://www.photoshow.net/jbroadtrip

...back again

Wow...been awhile, but like the proverbial old penny, emphasis on old, back again.

Actually, I'm starting a temporary blog for our Arizona trip, Katt is writing it. You can check out www.kattstravelblog.blogspot.com for his take on our "adventure". At least, I keep telling him it will be an adventure. Hopefully, I will be able to grab some of those WiFi things out in the desert there and be able to post. Hmmm....I don't think we're too far from Area 51....I might end up grabbing something other than the WiFi thingies. My girl friend told me to head to Sedonia AR. She claims it is the center of some weird, magnetic, portal, black hole experience or something. Yeah, well, we'll just see! Hello, Mr. Serling!

...new york, new york

Here She is...Lady Liberty. Even after visiting Ellis Island, it is hard for someone like me, who has enjoyed the priveledge and freedom of this land, to imagine what the immigrants went through to get here. One third of the children died before they ever saw Her. Women and children flocked to this country, carrying a few items, sometimes with only the clothes on their backs. Men came in hopes of finding work and sending for their families. The pictures and journals at Ellis Island reflect not only the hardship of their journeys, but the hope and desperation of a new life. I am humbled at the strength and courage of the people who gave up everything they owned to find passage to a new beginning.
Times Square during the day and
Times Square at night. This place just bustles with activity and you can find the best hot dogs here!






















The entire Times Building is surrounded by these wonderful lights. I new I had to have this picture. I couldn't help thinking of the "Three Days of the Condor" scene where Redford threatens to turn his information over the Times...we were right there!

Of course, no trip to NY is complete without seeing Harlem and the Apollo!









This is Engine 54, right on the corner of our street, 48th Street and 8th Avenue. This engine was the second one to respond to the WTC on 9/11. There were 15 of 18 men on duty that day, and all responded. Not one firefighter made it home that night. They have a lovely display of their pictures on the wall (no pictures allowed.) You can see where family members bring little momentos to tack onto the wall. The men who man the station now are so very young. They would no more get back from a call, when another one would come in. They were constantly in and out of the station. Getting out and onto the street was a major accoplishment in my book. I think firefighters in NY are like their brothers all over the country; however, they certainly know the severe consequences of their jobs when they lost 343 men in just a few hours on 9/11. Dedication and pride at its best. Believe it or not, this was the part of the trip, seeing these men respond as often as they did, knowing their history and dedication, which moved me the most.

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. I actually thought it was Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons! They had one portion of the play where the Four Seasons made their debut on Bandstand. Overhead, you saw the actual footage of the film, below you saw the actors mimicking the movements exactly in sync. It was awesome!

What's a town without chocolate?

Flowers are the best bargain around and little shops are found on just about every street corner.

Our hotel, a lovely clean building and only a short walk to Times Square.

What a wonderful town!!! We're making plans to return already. I never dreamed I could possibly even like, let alone fall in love with a city. It is an amazing, delightful buffett of people, taxi cabs, hotels, ads, colors, sounds, smells and shopping. The town has more history than one can even imagine. From Lady Liberty, standing in the harbor, to its cornicopia of Broadway shows, it never stops. It is a city of people, people and more people. Over nine million. It has over 40,000 cops (more than the number of troops we have in Afghanistan.) The NYFD answers 300 fire calls a day. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it.

And I got the answer to a most queried question....Who is buried in Grant's Tomb. Actually, it is General Grant and his wife, Julia.