Its electric!

Last weekend Steve and I managed to pick out just about everything that we needed to. From towel bars to tile...even door knobs! We picked out our bathroom tile by visiting just one tile shop for 15 minutes...how's that for efficient?!?

As Steve said, the windows were installed last week just in time for tropical storm Hanna to test the house for water-tightness...we had a few failures! I think we had 3 leaking windows and 2 leaking spots in the roof from new vents. We're glad to find the leaks now and not after drywall goes up.

We had a delay in the electric work last week. Apparently the original electric subcontractor showed up for one hour one day, nailed in a couple blue boxes (which Steve could have even done) and left! So Baltimore Green Construction had to find a new sub, Milton Electric, who we've heard great things about from other people around the city! They started this week and have been running wires like crazy! Progress is a good thing!


....for those of you that know the story of Steve's last encounter with working with electricity, yes, that is a screw driver in his hand but don't worry, these lines are dead for now!

Let there be light

The windows have been installed and the house no longer feels like a cave.





The next step is to pick out paint colors for the exterior portions of the windows as well as the cornice and trim. We are pretty sure we want black for the windows, but haven't made up our mind on the front door and cornice yet (which will be painted the same color).

Our view of the park has returned!

HOUSEboat GUESTS!

There seems to be an alluring quality to the idea of boat-life that has drawn several out of town guests to us. Our guests fall in love with boat-life after just 5 minutes sitting on the top deck watching the sun set over the city with a drink in thier hands. Its unbeatable! Their love wanes a bit when they see the boat's bathroom and hear the captain's rules!
Labor Day Weekend brought my sister, Andrea, and brother-in-law, Mark, to us from Columbus, Oh. We had a great weekend! Very relaxing. Andrea and Mark also live in a nearly 100 year old house so their weekends at home are usually spent on home projects but they quickly made the adjustment to the "contract-it-out" mentality Steve and I have. We didn't do much other than sit around and drink, play cards, and party-hop around the neighborhood! Good living...


As for the happenings at the house, the electric work started this week and the windows were delivered and are sitting in our living room ready to be installed! Steve and I need to make some decisions about door knobs, tile, etc. Can you believe door knobs are something you have to decide on?!?

Spoiled Rotten

There's one member of this household making out like a bandit because of these home renovations....Ferris B!. We can't leave Ferris at the house while the workers are going in and out, we can't leave him on the boat during the day due to marina policy, he's not welcome in either of our offices...so Ferris goes to day care at his Nana's, our neighbor one block up, Beatrice.

Beatrice, like any good Nana, spoils Ferris rotten! He spends most of the day in the park with her while she walks other neighborhood muts, she gives him wet food mixed with his kibble (he turns his nose up at his dry kibble at home now!), she gives him table scraps, and she's still learning that she can't leave anything at nose level with Ferris around (so far he's gotten her coffee, yogurt, and beer!).

Election Season

There's been so much discussion about people, REAL people sitting down around their kitchen table (unlike Mr. McCain we have only one) at night and wondering how they are going to make ends meet. Marisa and I are no different, by God we don't even have a real table, just a card table and three matching chairs and one that does not.



What is this country coming to?

Just kidding MOM!

Mom, did you really think we would add another pet(s) to this household? Patterson & Parker were found in our beautiful park by a staff member of the neighborhood restaurant, which could not keep two stray puppies because of health code and no one would be there overnight.

Our neighborhood association has a weekly walk on Wednesday’s nights, Citizens on Patrol. We meet at 7 and walk till 8. It is a great way to keep an eye on the hood and catch up with neighbors and friends.

We were all having drinks and dinner afterwards at Three (restaurant) when they mentioned finding the puppies Wednesday afternoon. We quickly mobilized and brought them to our house (what is there to damage?), washed them up in the basement utility sink, applied tick and flea treatment and then let them get a bite to eat. They are cute. We think they are part beagle and basset or entirely one or the other.

NO we (Marisa & I) are not keeping them (show me a boat big enough for two adults and three dogs). We all took turns holding them so that we could send similarly devastating photos to our parents showing more pets, still no grandkids! Thankfully a neighbor's brother and his wife offered to take them for the night and get them to the vet the next day.

Hopefully we will see these two little guys around our neighborhood. Great job everyone getting these guys cleaned up!

Coping

Sometimes you just can't explain what stress does to you, and maybe a home renovation is no different. We are approaching two months of no home and tonight I found two signs of hope and patience in Patterson Park and just exactly what I need to get through this: meet Patterson & Parker. I think they are mix Beagle and Basset Hound, definitely brothers, and Ferris is a great older brother!

Marisa is out of town for a business trip but I'm sure once she meets these two she'll be happy to have them as much as I do.