And the Paint Goes On

The decision was made to use the holiday weekend to

finally get some paint on the house.  The weather will be

getting cold up here soon so a little protection was in order.

Mike came over two days out of the weekend to give

Bill and Paul help and moral support (as well as all of them

drinking a few beers).

With the primer on either side of the center it was really apparent

how bad the center looked so they decided to put the scaffolding 

up just in case the weather holds for another couple of weekends.

Cait helped with this until she got a face full of dirt (from the inside of one of 

the pipes).  We're very excited about how good at least one side looks.

Paul did remind us that there are 7 more sides to go - I chose

ignore that comment and just gaze strait at the front of the house.

Chimney and Fireplace

Last weekend Paul patched the hole in the chimney 

where the stove pipe had once been.

We used the mortar that Mike had used in his

glass furnace - now it's good to about 3000 degrees.

Bill and I had a long discussion (argument) about how to use a beehive

oven.  We couldn't find the flu but I knew you had to build a fire

right in the oven to heat it up.

I pulled out a piece of tin in the front of the arched door and found the flu.

There was probably 80 years worth of dirt, soot, leaves and I'm assuming

decomposed critters in the flu.  It fill almost an entire trash barrel but was all

worth it (even though cleaning it out was kind of disgusting).

Saturday afternoon I built the first fire I'd seen in this fireplace since sometime

in the 1970's - Bill had never seen it lit before.  We were impressed with how

much heat this one throws.  Good thing, the room is huge.

The goofy frogs on the mantel are something I made for the garden a

couple of weeks ago - figured they can wait until next spring.

Away for a Week

There is no more peaceful spot for Bill and I than
Lake Winnepesaukee.

We begin each day on the dock.

And end each day on the boat.

Most of the Weekend Off

Everyone got comfortable on the beach while Bill went

back for chairs. We were one of the first boats on the lake

so we got one of the very few beaches available.

Cait's always up for having her pic taken.

Buddy needed some sunglasses.

Manda got ready to shoot Ashley and Cait on the tube.

This was Ashley's first tubing experience and she wanted

it documented.

She got the hang of it after a few spills.

Enjoyed the views.

And took a few more spills.

Cait got a little too much sun.

Of course we had to get something done on

the house before we left so Paul finished

taking down the shutters.

I think Manda was just waiting for him

to fall.

Now it's ready for scraping and painting.

Priming, Cleanup and a Little Gardening

Paul priming the ceiling June 28th. The next day they

cleaned the whole room out and replaced the plastic

drop cloth. Then a finish coat was put on the ceiling. The

walls were primed as well.

Bill's looking a little happier about the whole project.

This is what I did all day Saturday - a garden restoration project.

After years of mowing the lawn with no edging the whole

thing needed to be dug up. Now I have to move some

bulbs and plant some new things (always my favorite part).

Another view.

These are my tomatoes and peppers - not bad for an impromptu

spot. They like it there and it's pretty well protected

from the hail storms we've been getting.

This is the resting spot this year. We love Dad's adirondack

chairs and the garden is pretty nice as well.

Electricity and Alcohol

Bill and Paul decided it would be a great idea to

wire in a switch and light (at 11:30 pm) even though

we didn't have a light to put in the box.

They also tell me not to worry about turning off the

breaker because the switch is off.

Yeah, right.

Takes two of them to figure it out though.


Bill likes the look of the hanging switch - he thinks we
should leave it like this - easier to find in the dark.

Paul seems to like the idea as well.

I'm not so sure about the switch.

But I'm equally unimpressed with the fixture.
But it works.

I did go home the next day and order fixtures

for the room, that way I wouldn't have to look at this.

Taping Finished

Paul and Mike finished taping and mudding the room on June 14th,

now onto sanding.

Paul needed a little toast to finish this phase of the job -

of course Bill couldn't let him drink alone!