It was raining this morning when we got up, having done so for much of the overnight with thunder and lightening so loud that several folks were awoken, including my husband. I, on the other hand, slept right through it even though Bruce claimed that it shook the whole building. Thus we are not playing pickleball this morning giving me the perfect time to play catch up with our project which looks like this now!!!
Normally I would not show off the finish, prior to the work that went into it, but what the heck, there is always a first time for everything. The base, still brown will be painted blue after the floor instalation.
As a reminder, this is what it looked like when Mr. Peck went to work.
Never do I take his mad skills for granted! When last we met, he had made the whole box apparatus that sits atop the low countertop area. Abutting the joint with a small piece of molding where the new box is, he next primed everything. I cannot tell you how different those four inches make everything feel!
At the same time he worked on improving the quality of the corner medicine cabinet before he begins making a new door this week. Woo hoo, the paint is going on!! Indigo Batik is the Sherwin Williams color and the finish is satin. (FYI--with no covers on the fluorescent lighting the colors in the photos taken in the bathroom are not what they will be when the project is done!)
For this project I've gone to more stores in the last few weeks than I have in months, including several trips to Sherwin Williams because after buying the initial sample, I returned for semi-gloss paint which in the end was not the right choice. As well I made multiple trips looking for hardware for the cabinets, including a fruitless trip way out on Sand Lake Road to Richelieu, only to discover that they had moved near Mercy Drive on the opposite side of town. Eventually I found what I thought would be nice at Lowes, but try as I might, the type of hinge we needed was unavailable in the color I was seeking. Well, let's just try spray paint, shall we? Although not an exact match, we've now learned it is close enough.
Next step was tackling the doors and drawer fronts, or more accurately, sanding them with way more patience than I possess. Thankfully, Bruce has enough for both of us! He set up a station out the back door,
taking great care as he always does.
With about seven hours of sanding complete, he primed the everything, leaving them to dry inside.
After leaving them to harden overnight, he applied the first coat in hot and dry weather. Oh yes, it's been in the mid 80's already!
I love seeing the process almost as much as the finish to tell you the truth. Especially how Bruce can dream up processes, including using all those clamps. That said, I've always been fascinated with inventing, and this is one small invention making the work more efficient.
After one coat of cabinet box paint, he did some major sanding before applying the finish coat.
Wednesday morning the fellow from Stone Crazy, our countertop fabricator, showed up right on time to make the template. Well, that's what we were expecting however, his method was decidedly different than the plastic full-sized one they made for our kitchen top only about two years ago. He brought in this:
I've already forgotten what he called it but I think, and don't quote me on this, it makes some kind of laser for measuring. Here is what his screen showed just before leaving.
Marcello was a very nice fellow who we also learned was a basic X-Ray tech before going to work for Stone Crazy. To clarify, a basic tech is one who is licensed to work in a physician's office, but does not have the training for hospital work as I once had. I kept that license up for probably 10 years after not working, finally realizing I was never going back. Crazy in hindsight, but that's what I did. The top should be here in about two weeks.
Bruce hung just the one pictured door allowing me to see how the hinge looks, leaving the rest of the doors to cure in the sunroom until such time as the remainder of the demolition takes place and whatever plumbing work that needs to be done.
Herbert has confirmed that he will be here Wednesday morning, a confirmation that we do not take for granted as he is so busy he sometimes overbooks. Yesterday afternoon Bill came over to play pickleball followed by seeing the project, and although he is not the fan of color that his Mother is, he gave a thumbs up on how things are progressing.
That overnight storm I mentioned above will be remembered around her for a while because something super crazy happened at the same time. A person rammed through the community front gate,
speeding of course, and from what we know, turned around by the tennis court, (not pictured on the left) and went back out the way they came, running over the gate in the process and leaving a tire behind.
We have the best maintenance guys ever now, along with our office staff who came in to manage the aftermath. Henry is towing it away in order for people to be able to arrive without incident.
Whatever would possess someone to do such a thing is beyond me. You'd have to imagine the guard was pretty shook up watching it happen.
In other complex news, oh my, seeing this Tabebuia tree for the first time from the court the other morning, I knew I had to get a better look, stopping by the front pool for a close up.
Speaking of patience, I am always amazed at the patience of shorebirds that stay stock-still, waiting and watching for a fish. While I watched this Great Blue Heron,
stare at the water, until he didn't,
coming up with a pretty good sized fish. Another mystery is how the heck they manage to swallow them whole. I understand their necks expand but it still seems mysterious to me!
Sorry the telephoto lens wasn't quite long enough, however, I hope that you get the idea just the same.
Oh my goodness, another day, another sunset, made a little more special by the presence of a sun dog. A sun dog, what the heck is that? For an explanation, click here.
Those clouds ushered in the current front that brought a rainy weekend, far better than what a lot of our fellow countryman are facing this winter weekend. Actually while I have been writing this the sun has appeared, much to my delight.
There are loads more steps to come which I will document as they happen, allowing me to reminisce in the coming years about the work that went into creating, what we are hoping, will be a beautiful space.
your friend,
Gail
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