What I did for Summer Vacation

Waiting for school to get out for the grandparents is easily as frustrationg as it is for the grandchildren. The day finally arrived and we left to pick up our oldest son and the 2 grandsons. The anticipation kept us alert as the round-trip drive to Maryland was event free.

James was a little wound up

Dalton listening to his music

Good puppies

After going over the river and through the woods, we arrived at Grandma's house just past bedtime. Saturday motning meant a trip to the flea market so that the "Yanks" could try some boiled peanuts (a delicacy here in the South). Teeka loves peanuts so she got to finish the bag after the visitors declared that they tasted like lima beans. Returning to the house, Grandpa boiled up some of those great shrimp that he caught last fall. As you can see, there was one happy eater of those little critters:

A day or so later we visited Fort Matanzas and Fort San Marco. Both of these fortresses were Spanish defenses for the city of St. Augustine. Because it ws the first day of summer, the normal fee to enter Fort San Marco was waived. A pleasant surprise indeed.

Dalton and James posing with period actor at Fort San Marcos

After a few tries and a couple minor repairs, we were finally able to get on the water where Dalton could not seem to get enough fun.

Can you say Yee Haw?

Poor James decided that the bouncing was a little rough and only took a single turn.

The highlight for all was a trip to Cape Canaveral and Merrit Island National Wildlife Refuge. There we were able to see many birds and the elusive alligator. I think my heart still races and my ears are still recovering from the whoops and hollars.

Pink Flamingo Herd

Every time I look at this picture, the theme from Jaws comes to mind. Daaah, Dum..

Running after the little fishies.

The last picture, and the result of the biggest squeals, is this guy who crossed the paved road in front of us. Only Dalton asked to get out to pet the critter?!?

Some of the pictures were pretty hazy. This is what happens when lightning lights forest fires that pesrsist for weeks. Most of the smoke was from the fires in Okeefenokee Swamp. Let us hope tht they will soon be extinguished.

The Kitchen Project

I made the mistake of thinking that as I was basking in the ease of retirement that I should somehow do something productive. Furrowing my brows and thinking very hard; I decided that I should do something to ensure a continuous flow of the delectible Lemon Meringue Pie. Aha! I shall modify the kitchen for the Chief Cook! What a plan I had. The current kitchen had a lack of cupboards and counter space.

Original kitchen toward sink and stove.



Original kitchen to left of stove. Note the wall cabinets used for storage on left.


Off to the various improvement store we went to find the bargains to do the job. Preparation began with the removal of 2 layers of wallpaper, curtains, and hole patching.

Click on picture to see the hole repair just to left of doorway.

Cough, cough..lots of dust is fun. Unless you have to also clean it up..

Click to enlarge to see all the dust behind coffee pot.

Moving the electrical box up on one wall and making a new one on the other wall. Too bad the the builders of this hoouse used rulers, meter sticks, cubits, and hand spans (in no particulat order) to arrange the studs. My borrowed stud-finder was also confused. Taking the plunge, with the saw, we cut out the area for the box.

Existing switch on right, new electrical box squeezed between 2 studs on left.

Having cabinets on the way and 2 sheets of granite selected for the future countertop, a soft citrus orange was selected to be the color of the new area. Soon enough I was remembering all the reasons why I do not like painting.

Painting trim and ceiling. UGH!

Note to the readers: One-eyed painting is not for amatuers That is why I like the paint that cleans up with water...

The phone rang with the news that the cabinets had arrived. It was time to attach the trailer and pick up the packages..

Stack of packing material from new cabinets.

Installation was a breeze on Saturday (Glenn;s day off, he thought). Thank you Glenn for the help.

Corner opposite sink with new base cabinets.

It being Saturday, there had to be a break in the action so Bear could take his final test in class to graduate from puppy school.

Bear in a mug shot with his diploma.

My best friend and helper on the projuect. Wait a minute, what about all the parts you ate?

Unscrewing clips under the cabinet with my ever-present helper.

Ok, now back to the action. Monday morning brought the measurement for making the countertops. This was followed by a trip downtown for a pre-op visit to the hospital. Tuesday morning, Brittany called to ask if they could install the countertops on Wednesday. WOW! We had not expected them to be done until Friday or Saturday so this was a bit of wonderful news. Fewer days with the good stuff in boxes.

Junk from cabinets on the dining room table. It has totally hidden the transmission I was rebuilding.

We awoke early on Wednesday to remove the old countertops and install the new dishwasher in final preparation for the crew coming at 1 PM.

Old countertops have been removed.

The installation team arrived on time and went straight to work. They were true professionals who knew how to do the job with little talk. They both really enjoyed their work and the company they worked for.

Installing the first piece of granite.

In less than 4 hours, their job was complete. The final effort was to be done the floowing day with the plumbing reconnections.

Granite installed. Sink is on left.

View down the counter from dining room.

New cabinets opposite sink.

Reading  the intructions so that I do not install the faucet upside-down or anything, I completed the plumbing task.



Who would have thought that the drain/screen was a separate part of a sink? And who would have thought that it would be so expensive?

Moving items back into the kitchen and istalling the new ceiling fan completed the project. A very, very, busy 7 days.

New brushed nickel fan installed.

Coffee pot and microwave on new countertop.

And with the last picture, I believe I will go get me a fresh cup of joe...

PS: I have just realized that I am dieting so the rewards will wait until sometime in the future. I am not sure that the memory of this will outlast my innate ability to get into trouble so there is no guarantee that I will ever get a reward.