Photo Intensive Post Ahead!

Good afternoon my wonderful readers. Another busy day at the Peck household, although today's man count is only five. Four, for most of the day, with Daryl, Phil's son-in-law, showing up an hour ago. You do remember Phil from the cast of characters don't you?

Danny arrived early with a helper to do the window removal and install. By the way, I mentioned the truck in the front yard for the weekend in my last post---

Well, obviously we lived with it, however, for not too much longer. Within a few hours the windows should all be in place. Here's how it's unfolded:

Danny using both a small crow bar like tool and a super duper utility knife to ease the windows from their fastenings, both caulk and metal frames.

Here is Danny and helper with the first one removed. Note the pool water color. Amazing that there has been no filtration for nine days now. No one seems to have an explanation for that.

Saturday the guys worked more on the bed that you see, removing the last of the palms. Bruce, dear one that he is, filled the plumber's trench, and raking the area so it looks like nicer dirt than it did.

You will also note the color of the old windows in the above shot. While showing Angela the sample she expressed concern about how dark it appeared. I told her I was pretty sure the old windows were gray as well and so they are. As you can imagine this is an expensive project we're having done. Knowing Bruce and I as you do, you may be wondering about this. Well, you have a right to wonder, I certainly would if I were you. Although the windows were tinted they were very thin, uninsulated, and non-tempered. Furthermore, as it turns out, Danny discovered all sorts of places where they were not secured nearly as well as they should have been. So, the new windows are all of what the old windows were not. Not to mention they are thick, thus Mark and Tom are building a sturdier windowsill and framework:

Here they are cutting the old sill away. More years ago than I can remember Bruce added this as purely a decorative touch which served us beautifully with the thin (3/16") windows. Heavy duty windows require heavy duty framing! Danny assures us that the room will be so much cooler with the EV coating filtering out the blazing afternoon sun. Great news as my utility bill arrived in today's mail. Happily it was a touch under $300 this month!

Here's a view of a few of the windows installed from the inside:

 And from the outside:

Right about now you might just be curious as to how they either remove, or install this size window. I sure was, although Bruce already told me they probably use suction cups. Who was I to doubt him? Actually, I never doubt Bruce, but being the curious girl that I am, I was anxious to see it for myself. Maybe you are too?

Danny and helper as they prepare to remove the window. Click on the photo if it interests you to better see the large suction cup just under the A of the ladder frame.

As I was heading out to get the mail I saw a young man with a wheelbarrow full of bags heading across the front yard. Daryl arrived to drain the pool and clean up a little more around the pool.

Actually, I was a little sad to see that water go because it was the only bright spot in an otherwise sea of brown and green! I see out my office window he's in the pool right now with a shovel, and some five gallon buckets, removing debris left from the deck removal. On the plus side, that's one step closer than we were to a beautiful new back yard. I can hardly wait!

Nancy commented that she liked the new bedroom paint color. Our first compliment! Truthfully, when I opened the paint can I was not a happy camper at all. Telling Bruce it looked like baby poop, I was prepared to just paint one wall to see how it looked once dry. Checking on me a little while later, he questioned my continued painting. Turns out it didn't look like baby poop at all, or at least what I remember it to look like. It looked just fine after it was dry. Mostly as I wrote previously, the room is now fresh and clean. Clean as in all the dust from under and behind the furniture is gone! Although there was dust behind pictures, at least I didn't find what my friend Sandy found one time behind hers--termites! As I recall, she said she kept straightening the picture until one day she took it off the wall and saw what no homeowner ever wants to see.

The market was busier but not your blogger. Sales continue to drag. If I were a quitter, this summer would have convinced me to call it quits. Alas, I am not.