Wednesday, November 14, 2018

A Three Day Affair

How about this for an amusing find when the kitchen countertop was removed?
To think that those cans have been sitting there since 1985! It is quite the wonder that the kitchen turned out as well as it did, isn't it? The funny thing is that while Herbert was hooking up the sink this afternoon, I mentioned it and he said while working in another condo, just down our street, he found the same! A beer can time capsule! The tabs were quite different and a remaining price tag read $2.99.

Before that happened though, on Sunday afternoon, Mr. Bruce decided to remove the bathroom vanity top himself as there is a huge mirror that sits atop the backsplash and he just felt better doing it himself. If the mirror were to break, he wanted it be his responsibility. Watching him do these kind of things is always fascinating because he does not do demo like you see it pictured on all of the home shows. Instead, he is very careful, taking things slowly. He began by prying off the side backsplashes.
Unlike the Formica kitchen counters, those in the bathrooms are more like Corian, extremely hard.
The photo above is such a mystery, what with the movement of his hand in the foreground, yet his hands are still in the mirror. I have no explanation. At any rate, once the backsplashes were pried off, he took a hammer to the top, breaking it up in chunks.
Once a few pieces were broken, he covered the entire mirror with a sheet, essentially putting a barrier up, and continued methodically breaking it up. Because the sink was a part of it, not all needed breaking, so once he got to that point, he lifted the whole thing and put it in the dumpster.
We toyed with the idea of replacing the cabinet, however, now that the new top is installed, it looks much more modern and we think a coat of paint will do.

On to the kitchen, Monday morning, he pried off the backsplashes in there as well.
Again, watching him do that with a block of wood behind the thing he used to pry it off, is really interesting. His method was the least damaging to the wall which will not be getting the same sort of backsplash, instead the new one will be tile all the way down to the countertop. As a reminder here's the before of the kitchen which I will update once the backsplash goes up.
Finally, 9:30 rolled around and Stone Crazy arrived!! I was dying to see  how the pieces looked as it had been so long since I'd chosen the material.
Prior to their arrival, I'd asked Bruce how long he thought it would take? "A couple of hours", he said, and when Bruce says a couple he actually means two, just as the word implies, rather than the more loose definition I ascribe to the word couple. Okay so with that established, it turned out that our guys, Fernando and Ephram worked ever so slowly, although, in the end, it looks great to our eyes.
It was not easy to keep from looking at how things were going, but eventually, the top was on, followed by the sink getting attached underneath the counter.  Here is Fernando, waiting on the glue to dry. Note the clamps holding the sink in place.
Thankfully, he vanity top went in without incident. Oh friends, how I love the look of the sink! Finally, at 3 in the afternoon, they were done. Woo hoo!
Yesterday, while I was out shopping for a good looking backsplash that is neither too busy, nor overwhelming, Herbert came to hook up the plumbing, which turned out to be quite the task. Bruce called as I was leaving Matt Manning Surfaces to tell me he was heading to a meeting, leaving Herbert to work his magic. When I arrived home, here's what I found.
Eventually, after maybe two or three more hours, he found success! Because it took so long, the bathroom faucet remains unattached, however, he will be coming today and soon we will be all up and running.

Speaking of running, I used the sink last night and am learning first hand some of the pitfalls I'd read about online. Not really pitfalls, rather differences in what I have had in the past. That square sink? It drains differently and stuff can remain in the corners, meaning I have to be more mindful about cleaning. Between my new cooktop and now sink, I am actually going to have to learn to like cleaning! Can that actually happen to a nearly 65 year old, cleaning adverse woman? Only time will tell. As to the new Silestone countertop? We are in love.

What remains of this post are some nature shots. Surprise, surprise!
Quintessential Florida, what with the Cypress trees in water and the alligator warning sign. :)

You may have heard of the lovely Angel's Trumpet plant, but have you heard of the Devil's Trumpet?
This one is from the front of the property near the raised beds that we still have not committed to using. Perhaps in the Spring? Before too much longer, as in maybe three weeks, Bruce will be looking for things to do, however, he's already making a good start on that front. This very morning, he's on his way to Apopka to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity! I can't wait to hear all about it this afternoon. The weather could hardly be any worse as it is meant to be 87 today!! Me--I would be going crazy working in that heat, however, Bruce will most likely not complain at all. We are meant to have a cold front come through any day, and I could not be any happier. Bruce seems to think I'm going through a second menopause what with all my bitching about being so hot.
A white Bird of Paradise also found on property, featuring all manner of goodness in the form of color and structure.

It has become my habit, when arising before sunrise, to watch it unfold. I love watching the lake come to life what with the ducks beginning to wander around the lake and one recent day, I saw what I thought was a tiny bird amongst the aquatic plants. Do you see it?
I've yet to figure out how to overcome the bad lighting, however, on this day I tried a trick I know and finally I had a little something to show you.
Still pretty terrible, however, at least I know that it is yellow. If I had to make a guess, I'd say it it some type of Warbler, but don't quote me on that!

Bad lighting continues to plague my efforts to get a great shot of the otters who, once again, showed up yesterday afternoon. I've yet to look on my computer at the ones I took, but I will soon and perhaps I will have something worth sharing with you.

And now to the backsplash...one thing at a time. A three day affair? Make that a three month affair!

your friend,

Gail


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