The renovations continue here with an expected end date some time in August. In the meantime, we get to see the fascinating transformation of our house, as well as meet some very interesting trades people. Decisions/choices are very nearly finished, with only a bathroom mirror and some closet hardware still in the offing (I think, though I may have missed something yet).
We've watched as our 1950s home with its maze of hallways has transformed into a very open concept kitchen/dining/living space with a lot of cupboards (for us), and until recently, we watched through plastic. Not anymore. Now the rooms have basically joined and I can travel from the back of the house (the 2011 addition) to the front without going through the basement or around the outside of the building--really handy to get to the main bathroom! And I can watch the ongoing face lift without the 'fish tank' filter of plastic. Very cool.
We've watched as our 1950s home with its maze of hallways has transformed into a very open concept kitchen/dining/living space with a lot of cupboards (for us), and until recently, we watched through plastic. Not anymore. Now the rooms have basically joined and I can travel from the back of the house (the 2011 addition) to the front without going through the basement or around the outside of the building--really handy to get to the main bathroom! And I can watch the ongoing face lift without the 'fish tank' filter of plastic. Very cool.
One of many lighthouses along the way So how have we managed to keep sane amid all the noise and dust? Partly, it's just fun to see this all take place. And partly, we've gone away.
We spent a week up at Mike's parents' place, now aka The Family Cottage. And most recently, we spent a week in PEI on a bike trip with our friends Tracy and Kevin. When we left, the workers had just started to prime the walls (literally, just started. When asked what time we'd be up on Wednesday morning, we informed the painter we had an early flight and had the alarm set for around 4 in the morning. To which he replied: "Is it OK if I show up around 4:30 to get started then?" He likes to finish his work early so as to give the other workers time to get stuff done too without everyone tripping on each other. The drywaller had taken more time than anticipated, and I guess the painter wanted to hurry things along. Seeing as we'd be up anyway, and then gone, we had no objections to this early start and left the painter with roller in hand as we headed to the airport). When we returned, we had a new floor (except for the tiles), paint on the walls, kitchen cupboards, and open access to the whole joint! As well as a sneaky cat who kept finding his way through the rafters so that he could 'visit' all the people and their work (we've since found his escape route and now he's back in the sequestered basement with his brother).
While work continued here, the four of us had a wonderful time in PEI. Mike and I flew out while Tracy and Kevin drove with our bicycles, and then we reversed the procedure on the way home, giving each of us a little road trip. We spent two nights in Summerside and four in Charlottetown. The first day, we road part of the Confederation Trail--once upon a time the railway that ran across the island, so fairly flat--and then some of the roads up to the coast and a lighthouse or two. The roads didn't have the Trail's consideration for flatness, so we went up some inclines. Kevin let me know that "this is the biggest hill" more than once :) Around 75-80 km round trip. That might not sound too bad to an experienced rider (or perhaps terrifying to a newbie), but keep in mind that I only got my bike in April, and hadn't ridden much in two or three decades. My longest ride prior to this went 43 km. Thankfully, my co-riders were very kind and considerate, keeping to a pace I could match.
Most of the rest of our rides stuck to various parts of the Confederation Trail (plus a multi-use trail on the north coast), and it only rained one day, but not enough to dissuade us from our journey. We ate a lot of seafood, deep-fried stuff, and rich sauces, including a full lobster supper in New Glasgow, many cups of seafood chowder (to compare which tasted best), and local brews and ciders. We went to Summerside's Lobster Carnival and an authentic East Coast Ceilidh in York--The Shenanigans, which turned out as more like a talent show for the elderly than the fiddle-fest we had expected--had some tea leaves read in Long River and saw the sights around the centre of the island; got in some good workouts and laughed a lot, and generally had a great time.
We spent a week up at Mike's parents' place, now aka The Family Cottage. And most recently, we spent a week in PEI on a bike trip with our friends Tracy and Kevin. When we left, the workers had just started to prime the walls (literally, just started. When asked what time we'd be up on Wednesday morning, we informed the painter we had an early flight and had the alarm set for around 4 in the morning. To which he replied: "Is it OK if I show up around 4:30 to get started then?" He likes to finish his work early so as to give the other workers time to get stuff done too without everyone tripping on each other. The drywaller had taken more time than anticipated, and I guess the painter wanted to hurry things along. Seeing as we'd be up anyway, and then gone, we had no objections to this early start and left the painter with roller in hand as we headed to the airport). When we returned, we had a new floor (except for the tiles), paint on the walls, kitchen cupboards, and open access to the whole joint! As well as a sneaky cat who kept finding his way through the rafters so that he could 'visit' all the people and their work (we've since found his escape route and now he's back in the sequestered basement with his brother).
While work continued here, the four of us had a wonderful time in PEI. Mike and I flew out while Tracy and Kevin drove with our bicycles, and then we reversed the procedure on the way home, giving each of us a little road trip. We spent two nights in Summerside and four in Charlottetown. The first day, we road part of the Confederation Trail--once upon a time the railway that ran across the island, so fairly flat--and then some of the roads up to the coast and a lighthouse or two. The roads didn't have the Trail's consideration for flatness, so we went up some inclines. Kevin let me know that "this is the biggest hill" more than once :) Around 75-80 km round trip. That might not sound too bad to an experienced rider (or perhaps terrifying to a newbie), but keep in mind that I only got my bike in April, and hadn't ridden much in two or three decades. My longest ride prior to this went 43 km. Thankfully, my co-riders were very kind and considerate, keeping to a pace I could match.
Most of the rest of our rides stuck to various parts of the Confederation Trail (plus a multi-use trail on the north coast), and it only rained one day, but not enough to dissuade us from our journey. We ate a lot of seafood, deep-fried stuff, and rich sauces, including a full lobster supper in New Glasgow, many cups of seafood chowder (to compare which tasted best), and local brews and ciders. We went to Summerside's Lobster Carnival and an authentic East Coast Ceilidh in York--The Shenanigans, which turned out as more like a talent show for the elderly than the fiddle-fest we had expected--had some tea leaves read in Long River and saw the sights around the centre of the island; got in some good workouts and laughed a lot, and generally had a great time.
And one last thing that kept me busy right before our trip: publishing my latest novel! Exclusive to Amazon for 90 days, The Forgotten Magic is now available in Kindle and as a paperback. I will release it to all other vendors in October, around the time I plan for its official book launch--some time after the renovations are complete. A sort of Wine & Cheese Book Launch/Come See What We've Done To The Place party :) Can't wait for the Shenanigans!
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