Week Five!

We're in week five of the construction project, and now we're gettin' somewhere.

The granite has been installed in the kitchen.  Once the new tile is up on the backsplash, we're done in there except for some electrical work:

This picture really doesn't do justice to the granite.  It's really interesting.  There is actually black in it in several places, and over by the sink there's an area we're calling "the ink spots".  Next to the stove, there's a place that looks like splattered paprika.  We'll probably keep trying to clean that up for a few weeks until we get used to it.  And, it has sparkly spots all over the place.  It's really better than we expected.

Now, the bathroom is shaping up:

There's the new vanity, and the medicine cabinets are partially done.  They'll have mirrored sides when we get finished.  As an afterthought, we've decided to put granite on that ledge next to the tub (underneath the heat register).

And, the shower tile's in.  Obviously, we're now missing a wall (glass brick, being installed next)  and perhaps some fixtures would be nice.  It appears that we're just a couple of days behind schedule, but we're down to little stuff and everything should be done in a week or so.  Stay tuned!

Beloit Autorama 2012

Every year, Beloit, a small town in Wisconsin, hosts the "world's largest one-day car show":  The Beloit Autorama.  The show is held in a park right next to the Rock River and it's a real treat to attend.  Over 1250 cars are shown, and when the weather's good, the car show fans come out in droves.  We've actually missed the past two years due to rain, but this year it was sunny and 75...perfect.  TRIKE TRIP!!  We needed to get out of the construction zone with its dust and destruction, so we drove around Wisconsin killing bugs on Saturday afternoon and spent the night in Beloit.  The Holiday Inn Express is made for motorcyclers:  when we got there, they handed us a beer.

You can tell you're in Wisconsin when all the motorcycles are Harleys.  Here's Gordon, parking in the Garden of Harleys:

It pays to get there fairly early to watch the show cars arrive.  Some people arrive when the show opens, set up a chair, and sit there until the parade finishes before they walk around.

 



Preservation Park, right next to the river, is a beautiful setting for the event.

This is really a big show and takes up the whole park.  The giant crane in the middle of the area is for the sound system.  Fifties and Sixties music blasts out all day, occasionally overridden by the announcer who's found lost cellphones and lost parents.

Three faces of evil:  Sad face, Sleepy face, and Happy face...

 

Gordon found a 507-cubic inch V8 trike.  Good thing it wasn't for sale!

A good time was had by all.  We walked around until we were worn out, then rode home and handed ourselves a beer.  Now we're back to the dust and destruction!

 

Starting To Shape Up

The cabinets have been delivered and set in place.  Demolition Dave (the carpenter who tore the house apart in the first place) is now doing the trim work.   

Above, the new island and the coffee bar.  The picture below shows the new cabinet in the laundry room.

...And the medicine cabinets are being installed:

At this point, the measurements have been taken for the granite countertops and they will go into production.  We're taking this opportunity to do some of the painting, and next week the new shower will start to go in. 

The Handwriting Is...

...on the wall:

Brian, the Project Manager, wants the electrician to know EXACTLY what to do.  We're betting that Brian's mother cleaned a lot of crayon off the walls when he was a kid.