Kitchen Remodel, Week 4 and Thanksgiving with Sharon

Cabinets installed.  Bottom drawer on the left had to be modified to allow for the gas pipe to the cooktop.  They made an ingenious modification.  Great guys!

 
Eric was back to install the crown molding, it's stunning.

Meanwhile John is downstairs installing the flooring.  The bottom five steps are in and I'm loving it!

The sewing room is almost back together and I've been working AND rolling the chair all over the room.  How nice it is to have that horrible plastic pad gone.  Drop a pin, see the pin, pick up the pin.  That's how it's done!

Then we get a call from the granite people.  The backsplash I ordered (months ago) is backordered for three months.  Would I like to come in and look at other options?  Well, let's just see.  The other options were in the same color tones as my first choice but were linear.  The other choice was in different tones  but the same pattern.  When we laid it against the granite along with the surrounding quartz it looks even better than the original.  And it's available immediately.  Sometimes problems turn into great opportunities.

On Wednesday we left for Sharon's in Green Valley.  Arizona has great highway signs!  My all time favorite remains "Be the kind of driver your dog thinks you are" but this one did tickle my funny bone.

Sharon is good medicine for me.  She is a gracious hostess and a good cook.  She greeted us with Cadillac margaritas and Build it Yourself Taco salad with giant mounds of carne asada.  Gary was in meat heaven!

We joined Sharon and Pluto for many walks and had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.  We enjoyed a bottle of Joseph Jewel Zin (thanks Marcia for helping make that happen) and used Sharon's mother's Seder glasses.  Why didn't I take a picture of our table?  Unknown.  Trust me, it was both lovely and delicious.  But here we are toasting.  We made a new tradition based on Lori's insistence that she had a new mantra.  Yes, Lori, we used it often and frequently!

On Black Friday we decided to have a picnic at Lake Patagonia.  Sharon had been there 30 years previously and she wanted to check it out.  When we arrived we had to use the "facilities" rather urgently.  I was shocked to see how very nice they were.  Flushing toilets, well stocked and the brick walls were nicely decorated.  It was squeaky clean.  Impressed!  Wouldn't find that in California.

The lake is lovely and full of ducks.  Sharon will be back as it's only an hour away.  Unfortunately they do not allow dogs near the beach, so she has nixed the idea of staying there, but another picnic is definitely in her future.

We came hone by way of Nogales.  I had never seen the wall (except on TV) and wanted to see it.

Here it is crossing a hillside.

And here it is in your face complete with Constantine wire.  Not a bit friendly.  We did not cross as Gary didn't bring his passport.  Next time.

We drove home with a short stop in Tubac (one of our favorite places), to check out our favorite shoe store.  And surprise, they were hosting an outdoor vendor market.  I ran across this:  It's supposed to be a holiday center piece, and will become this year's Nativity-pocalypse

What started out as a one time joke many years ago has evolved into a holiday tradition.  I'll go downstairs and find our nativity set and place the Baby Jesus on the "dinner table".  Yes, Lori inherited my bizarre sense of humor.  Don't judge me, Lori started it!

And we also found some cute shirts.  

On Saturday we drove 2 hours (each way) for lunch at the Gadsden Hotel in Douglas.  Sharon is quite the history buff and wanted to visit the five famous old hotels in Arizona.  I've now made it to four of them.  The Gadsden is also a haunted hotel.  It was purchased, several years ago, by a couple who specialize in restorations and it's lovely.  It sits at the border directly across the wall from El Chapo's estate.  And the border patrol has discovered multiple tunnels from Mexico into Douglas complete with ventilation and lighting.  During Prohibition one tunnel led into the basement of the Gadsden Hotel!  They had a full functioning speakeasy and bordello downstairs.  

The lobby is simply beautiful and is beginning to look like Christmas.

Stairs to the mezzanine level.  Back in the day, Pancho Villa was drunk and rode his horse into the hotel and up the stairs.  On the 7th step, the horse missed and chipped the marble.  They didn't fix that :)

Typical of Shon, my first stop is the ladies room.  Isn't it simply lovely?

We enjoyed a very nice (and very inexpensive) luncheon in the newly restored dining room.  

A beautifully restored tile mural from 1929 tucked into a corner.

Then the owner, Anel, took us on a tour.  My boots were suede so not in need of a polish.  

This is the haunted room, Room 333.  Someone had left the door open and the ghost (which often appears in photographs) was not available.  Still it was a fun visit.

Then Anel took us to the basement.  This is the speakeasy.

And the bar.

This cash register belonged to Anel's uncle who owned a car repair shop.  When he learned that she had purchased the hotel, he determined that this would be a perfect gift.  She was thrilled and found someone to oil it up and make some repairs.  It works perfectly!  They had to significantly reinforce the shelf as the register is very heavy.

She has stringent rules for cleanliness and I was more than six feet away when I asked her to remove her mask.  She a cutie and a hard worker.  You can't see the colored lightbulbs above her head.  Six different colors signifying which of the prostitutes were on duty AND available that evening.

This was the Madame's bedroom.  

One of the tunnels to Mexico.

Just a few blocks away from the hotel is the border.  

It was such a fun visit with Sharon.  Haven't seen her since July when she came up to cook my birthday dinner.  I didn't realize how much I missed her.  Can't wait this long again.  I'll be back in January, after the remodel is finished.

Today, Monday, is the start of Week 5.  The oven and cooktop were delivered.  The guy cut the hole for the electrical and pulled out his measuring tape.  Oven outer width is 30", hole is supposed to be 28.5".  It is also 30".  Call cabinet people, owner gets on the phone and tells me there is supposed to be an insert that the installer hasn't put in yet.  Oh, and if there is a fee for the appliance people to return to install, just let me know and I'll reimburse.  THAT'S the right answer!  Eric, the installer, will be here tomorrow to put in the insert.  Oh well, more adventures in kitchen remodel await!

Kitchen Remodel, Week 3

 

We are making excellent progress.  Some of the prior kitchen cabinets installed in my neighbor's work room.  I wanted to recycle as much as we could.  He (Roger) is very pleased.  Waiting on Patsy to find the inside drawers which inadvertently went to her house.  Snags happen.  Roger's wife, Jan, provided one of the very best prime rib dinners I've ever enjoyed.  And Robin joined us (another great neighbor who's husband, Michael, is working at expanding Van Nuys airport).  Yes, we like our neighbors very much!

The lower level master with carpet and baseboards ripped out.

New flooring.  Can't move the furniture around until the baseboards are installed, hopefully this afternoon.

The contractor, Fergal, and his helper Travis.  Fergal is straight out of Ireland and feisty as they come!  He's great fun to argue with.  He doesn't miss a detail, so glad to have found him.  Thanks to our realtor, Nancy, for the connection.  

Carpeting ripped out in the lower level "great room".  It's a lovely room that we never use, but the cats enjoy hanging out here, they have their very own fireplace which I've used once when it was very cold and I simply couldn't warm up and big screen TV (don't tell them we haven't hooked it up), and a small wet bar and fridge.  They feel spoiled indeed!

New flooring, late in the afternoon.  That's not a white patch, it's the sun streaming in through the windows.

The contents of my sewing room sharing the workout room space.  This room has a padded floor that will not be replaced.

Sad sewing room.

Happier sewing room, once baseboards are re-installed we'll both be happiest!

Most of the cabinets are installed.  The last thing will be the drawer and door fronts.  Look at the lower right hand area.  That patch is where the lower L used to be.  By removing that part the kitchen feels like it doubled in size!  On the right (not pictured this time) is the new pantry.  

On the left is the double oven with vertical dividers above.  Next to it will be the fridge.  In the corner will be drawers as I don't care for Lazy Susans.  Once everything is installed I'll take you on a trip around the kitchen.

This is the new hutch.  It is where the pantry and tiny hutch used to be.

And by removing the wet bar/peninsula it truly opens up the space.  The living room furniture will move back about 2-3 feet which will significantly open up that space.

Granite/Quartz man was there this week.  He made templates for the surfaces which  will take about two weeks.  Here's a sneak peek at the island..... it's GORGEOUS!  And yes, we will use every inch of it!  All surrounding surfaces will be a very soft solid sage green quartz, virtually indestructible.  The back splash will be complimentary multi-colored glass.  

Every day we are one more step closer to a happier kitchen, happier Shon (which equals a happier Gary), and less neurotic cats.  Well, hopefully less.  

Kitchdn Remodel, Week 2

We're sitting around the table enjoying morning coffee, Mikey is soaking up the sun -- he loves this time of year because the sun comes in his favorite window.  And then the door opens up and THEM arrive.  Mikey spends the remainder of the day under the bed.  He does not like THEM.  

It's been a relatively quiet week (so far).  We've had a fair number of workers, but they have been here in ones and twos instead of a pack.  Drywall hanger guy is different from corners, tape and texture guy.  Interesting that this subspecialty is so specific.  Fergal (contractor) is very exacting about who does what, and if it isn't done to his liking it's redone.  

Couple of minor issues yesterday.  I was looking at the kitchen window and noticed the white cord coming out of the drywall.  Yep, that's for the under cabinet lights.  But where's the cord that used to be on the other side?  I take a picture and text it to Fergal, "Shouldn't there be a white wire on the other side of the window?  Roger, corner, tape and texture guy, is due here any minute."

Minutes later I get a response.  "Yes!  I'll send Travis!"  Who arrives with a grim look on his face.  He tells me that he called Sam (who installed that side of the drywall) and asked if he had pushed the white wire into the insulation before putting up the drywall.  Sam replied in the affirmative.  Travis not pleased.  It was a five minute fix and Travis leaves.  Enter Roger the tape and texture guy.  

 

This odd looking man is a true artist.  The original texture is very nice and I couldn't fathom how he would duplicate it and have it look seamless after it was painted.  I couldn't fathom it because I'm not an artist, but he surely is. With just his large spatula all the bumps and swirls flow; he said it was not easy to learn but over time it got real easy.  

Little hutch is gone along with the peninsula.  I don't miss either.

The new island will be enormous!  The pair of three stacks will go in the new hutch.  So exciting.

Tommy is sound asleep as the banging and drilling continues.  

We discovered a few problems (to be expected) and resolution is in the works.  Electrician arrived on time and is moving some of the outlets (oops) and Eric has arrived to continue installing the cabinets.  Eric is awesome, everytime I point out an issue his response is the same, "No problem, I can fix that." in the same calm tone.  These guys are awesome!  Installation continues.........