Making progress...again!

I know, I know...too long since my last update. Lots of stuff happening at work and home. Things at work have really picked up recently which is good. I have a couple new projects designing some cool stuff.

At home, Pat and I (mostly I) have been able to cross some house projects off our list. Pat has been working hard landscaping the flower beds. This spring the tulips that we planted last fall look great.

This is my most recent project:

A car hit the wall a couple years ago and I finally got around to working on it.

 

I also finished refinishing the wall leading down the basement stairs. I really like how it turned out. I'll have to post photos next time since I haven't taken any yet.

  

Other projects that were crossed off the list: final countertops, check. Lighting above sink...check. And the kitchen backsplash...check...finally! It only took a couple days to put it up, but about a year to pick out the tile! We're really happy with how it turned out. I think it adds another dimension to the kitchen design.  

  

During all this we also had to deal with some sick animals as well. Chester had radiation therapy last winter to treat hyperthyroidism. He is doing much better and is back to his old self. He looks much better and has put quite a bit of weight back on. He still has a case of the sniffles from an upper respiratory infection.

And two weeks ago, Chelsey suffered a case of bloat. Luckly I noticed it immediately and rushed her to MedVet. I am grateful to the staff at MedVet here in Columbus. They were amazing and got her into surgery right away. Anyway, she seems to be back to normal. She gets her stitches out tomorrow. I think I am going to have a problem getting her to switch back to dry food only...

Anyway, that's about it for now. More updates soon.

"Summer" vacation

Pat and I returned from our "summer" vacation in Chile a couple weeks ago. The weather was absolutely amazing and a good change from the usual January weather in Ohio. This was our first time to South America and we really enjoyed it. My Spanish language skills are pretty much non-existent. Even though I tried to cram some "survival" Spanish at the last minute, it was only marginally effective. Pat has been studying Spanish for several months and fared a bit better than I.

We spent the entire 9-10 days in Santiago. Pat was taking a diploma course in Global Health at the Universidad de Chile's School of

Public Health. She had class all day for the week so we didn't have the time to get out of the city.

I spent my days wandering around Santiago, seeing the sites and taking lots of photos.

We found a rental apartment in the Barrio Brazil area in central Santiago. It's an older but decent area and very conveniently located to the Metro (subway), downtown and most of the tourist stuff.

Our neighborhood.

Honestly, I didn't know much about Chile before our trip. But I found it to be a very modern city with alot of interesting history, great architecture, good food/wine and extremely friendly people.

Some important government building.

Musicians at Plaza de Arames.

Santiago has alot of interesting (and well done) "street" art.

This is an excellent bakery I found on the way to the Universidad. They made a really good strudel among other pastries. Apparently, in addition to the Spanish, there is a significant German influence here.

The city fruit market district.

The Cenemtario General. Apparently, this is where alot of important people get buried, including Salvador Allende.

Pat at Santa Lucia.

We're already talking about going back again next year. Maybe we will have more time to see more of the country.

Lots of stuff happenin'...

Sorry for not posting an update for so long. In addition to trying to wrap up the last bits of the kitchen project and keeping busy at work, Pat started a new job. It's in Washington DC, so we have been busy finding an apartment and getting her settled there. Initially, she will be there five days a week and evetually transition to four days a week. Luckily, we have a selection of several direct flights into BWI or DCA so that helps keep the commute manageable.

In the mean time, we are alternating weekends, so about every other weekend I head to Washington. It's a great city and the people are extremely friendly. We are having fun getting to know the city and seeing all the sites.






After talking it over for a long time, she (we!) made the decision to join the US Public Health Service, http://www.usphs.gov/. She entered as a commissioned officer, Lieutenant (LT) rank. So now, not only do I have to bow, I have to salute her as well...
Kidding aside, it is a great opportunity and will help her with her ultimate career goals. So far she is really enjoying her job and is proudly wearing the uniform! The whole uniformed service culture is a new experience for us, but everyone we have met has been very helpful getting us acclimated. So far the transition has been a great experience.

While I was downloading these images, I came across vacation pics from Thailand still in the camera. Nevermid, that we have been back almost a year! I'll share somepictures soon. But here is a little peek of our neighbors where we stayed..

-scott

This week's project

Here is this week's project: finishing the walls in the landing leading from the kitchen to the basement.

I cut an access hole to insulate an interior wall that I forgot to do when insulating the kitchen walls. My goal is to get the walls patched and painted by this weekend and trimmed out next week. Need to get this project done!

On a totally unrelated subject, I recently came across a website about a cyclist in California hit by a motorist. His story really touched me because in an instant his life was drastically changed. Before his accident he had so much ahead of him; plans for law school and a recent engagement. Now, because of an inattentive motorist he suffers from a tramatic brain injury. Although lucky to have survived, he now lives at home and is relearning how to walk and talk.

This tragic story is all too common among cyclist. I have been riding for roughly twenty years and several times I have been told of a cyclist killed in an accident with a motorist.

Last night was the Ride of SIlence, a ride honoring cyclist killed by motorists. I decided to participate as a tribute to the cyclist in the story above and to do my part to help bring awareness to this issue.

Now, I know not all cyclists are angels. I have ridden thousands of miles, mostly for training, for many years on public roads and I have seen many irresponsible cyclists as well. What motorists need to understand is that cyclists are extremely vulnerable to cars and other vehicles. Even if a cyclist is being an idiot, is it really worth seriously injuring or even killing someone to prove a point? When you are driving, please share the road and be cautious around cyclists.

Thanks for listening.

Finishing details

Sorry for taking so long to get an update posted. The past few weeks I've been busy finishing up details in the kitchen and now that the weather is nice, getting to work in the yard. Pat and I also went to visit family over Easter weekend. The girls' egg hunt was a highlight...

Ella


Alaire

My grandfather. One of my favorite people to spend time with. His stories from WWII are amazing.

As for home-improving, I finished the peninsula this weekend. I learned that finish woodworking is quite tedious, especially if you make straight cuts and everything (the framing, in my case) else is not quite square. My original plans for the bar were quite ambitious. It included having internal lighting and a unique shelf design. But at this point I just want to be done so I simplified the design and eliminated the internal lighting. It would have been really complex to build. And since I am fabricating it from spare parts from IKEA cabinets I would end up having to make another trip to Cincinnati to buy more "wood". Anyways, I'm satisfied with the results. It's simple and I'm happy to be able to check this off the list.

I've recently crawled out from under my rock and started getting out on my bike again. It's been a few years since I've logged any serious saddle time so I'm definitely not setting any land speed records. I even removed the cyclometer so I don't have to look at the speedo anymore...too painful. For some motivation, I dug out this shot (I'm leading) from a few years ago. Now to get back in fighting shape...

Thanks for tuning in, more news later....

New Photos

Several people have commented as to the lack of new photos. Sorry for taking so long to get an update posted. So as promised here are some photos from tonight. I still have the pennisula wine rack and other some odds & ends to finish up but, we have been using the kitchen for several weeks now. So far so good!


We opted for base cabinets with large pull-out drawers instead of doors. We really like how they provide full access without having to reach into deep cabinets.

The temporary countertop is not holding up very well. I used a water-based urethane to seal the MDF. I learned it does not repel water. I suppose I should have thought that one through a bit better... It is severly watermarked, but will do until we get get the new countertops.


We unpacked most of the kitchen stuff this past weekend. It looks like we have massive amounts of storage with all the drawers and wall cabinets, but it was surpisingly easy to fill them up.

Chester likes the heated floor...

Pat enjoying her new cooktop...


The penninsula is still a work in progress. The cabinets are pulled out in this shot so I can glue the upper trim piece in place.


So that's it, let me know what you think. In the future, I will be more regular with my updates. I'll try to post at least once a week, more frequently if I have anything interesting...which is unlikely.

Quick update

This weekend I worked on some of the small bits that are still not finished like painting some door trim, caulking baseboard gaps, shelving in the closet, etc. Nothing too exciting just those last minute details.

This week I will try to get the penninsula finished up, but I will be really busy at work so I'm not sure how much I will be able to get accomplished.

Looks like we will have to make another IKEA run to pick up some more drawer pulls and small bits that we are short. Maybe next weekend.

More pics soon.

Time off for some fun

Met my brother Dave, for a few days of skiing and boarding in Breckenridge this past weekend. He was in Denver for a medical conference, so I cashed in some frequent flier miles and flew out on Friday evening to meet him. We rolled into Breckenridge a bit after 1am.
Pat was great and really encouraged me to go. Even on Valentine weekend!


Dave


As you can see the weather was beautiful.

On the way up to Peak 9.


What a view!

This was my first time boarding in Colorado and it was a great experience. Definitely in another league than the corn fields of Ohio.

We have water!!

We finally have running water in the kitchen again. It's been just over seven months since we have had a functional sink in the kitchen.

The plumber came today and finished the connections to the sink, faucet, disposal and DW. He also made the connection to the gas cooktop as well. So we can now cook in the kitchen again! I still have detail work to finish up, but I was able to get alot done in the past week or so.
I fabricated and installed the stainless backsplash this past weekend. Eventually, I will tile the wall around the SS. I still haven't made a final decision on the tile yet. I'm considering glass tile or a subway tile. Color is another story too, but I don't expect to get to this until after we have our final countertop installed anyway.















Last week, I sealed the IKEA Numerar beech butcher block countertop with three coats of Waterlox (original formula). I hope three is enough because although it creates a beautiful finish the stuff really stinks. It has been curing for over a week and we can still smell it. If I had known it was so stinky, I would have used another finish. Anyway, I really like how it turned out. After if finishes curing (4 weeks or so), I want to sand/buff it to get it smoother. It seems to have raised the wood grain in some places.

I built the temporary countertop for the penninsula and the phone nook (not shown). I still have trimwork to finish on the penninsula. That's on the list for this week.


Also on the list is installing all the cabinet pulls, getting the microwave vent ductwork fabricated (it needs to be custom made), some detail work on the closet, and touchup painting. Then next week I take off for some snowboarding in Colorado with my brother....can't wait.

It's a kitchen....almost!

It's starting to feel like a kitchen now! I think I'm finally in the home stretch. My goal the past week or so has been to get the cabinets and countertop installed so we can have the sink and cooktop hooked-up and have a functional kitchen again. I've forgotten what it is like to have a normal kitchen. Pat has been able to do amazing things with just a microwave and a rice cooker, but she is ready to have a kitchen again.

The past week or so I have gotten the cabinets, appliances and butcher block countertop installed. Finished the under-cabinet lighting and connected the circuit for the floor warming system. It was a relief when it worked.... Oh, and the sink and the faucet were delivered.

We have been trying to finalize our decision for the countertop: granite or concrete. We like the creativity concrete provides, but the time involved to make it will mean at least another 3-4 weeks without a kitchen. So we are also considering going with granite, but it's a bit out of our budget and the low-cost pre-fabbed slabs have their own issues as well. So in the meantime, I made temporary countertops from MDF to use until we make our final decision.

Before the final coat of polyurethane.

So now this is where things stand today. Hopefully I can get the plumber here next week to finalize the plumbing and hook up the gas to the cooktop. I bought a piece of stainless steel to use as the backsplash behind the cooktop. I'll start fabricating it this weekend. Then I'll be working on small details and will turn my attention to finishing the penninsula. Almost there!