Jack and I are doing well here in Tucson. We're still working on the Project of the Century here on this cottage. We have the "stone" installed around the front, as of Saturday, and it's looking great. I will post photos when I have the final touchups done. I have to do a little "carving" and touch-up painting where the miter joints were cut.
The deck is what we've been working on for the past couple of days. While the foundation for it is made of regular wood, the decking itself is Trex -- a composite product made of 95% post-consumer recycled plastic and sawdust. It is creating a really sleek and beautiful deck and the deckboards are 80% installed.
Today we also got part of the low-voltage lighting installed. As with everything, it took some trial and error to get it all to work, but I think that it's working now. We have it on a dusk to dawn sensor so that there will be light when we need it. I will have solar lights around the front, where I have plenty of sun.
The skirting is part the rock stuff and part is siding like on our cottage -- a sort of cement board. I hate the stuff more than I can really describe. It weighs a ton, is long and cumbersome, and if you lift it wrong, it breaks. To cut it, requires practically a Hazmat suit -- hearing protection, safety glasses, and a dust mask. And all of this in 100+ heat. Urf. I cannot wait till we are all done with that ucky stuff. We are done with the part of that that's on the deck, and the part that's around the north side of the cottage. We still have to do around the south side and the west side.
We've been taking good care of ourselves -- taking frequent breaks, drinking more Gatorade than I thought a person *could* drink, going out for healthy and delicious lunches, and going for a dip in our pool after the workday is done.
So how hot is it? Yesterday and today were 104. It's been over 100 during the day since Memorial Day, with a day or two with high in the upper 90's. That actually feels noticeably cooler. It's so hot that, even when metal objects are not in the sun, they still feel VERY warm. When anything is in the sun, of course, it is blazingly hot, and that includes skin.
It's also dry. The dew point has been in the negative numbers. Yesterday's was -11. What that means is that you can have a big jug of Gatorade with ice cubes in it and the outside is DRY. Towels air dry in an hour. And we do go through lots of lotion. I love it here!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Project Progress
Jack and I are still progressing nicely with the deck and skirting for my new cottage in Tucson. We have the foundation of the deck built, the steps finished, the OSB boards installed around the perimeter of the cottage and the deck, some of the faux stone installed on the front of the skirting, and about half the deck Trex installed! Woo hoo! Yeah! I can actually walk out my french door and stand on something solid!
We continue to have little adjustments to make, due to things being unlevel when we assumed that they would be, learning curves for these new materials (the faux stone mostly), and things that we have to order which take longer to arrive than we think that they should. But it looks great and I'm well-satisfied with our progress. My design, Jack's engineering, my materials control, and both of our prowess with the power tools -- formidable!
The weather's been fine. While it's quite warm these days (over 100 for about the last week, with high 90's for 3 weeks now), we stay well-hydrated, take some breaks, and pace ourselves. We have stopped guessing when we'll be done, but are hopeful that we make it back to Michigan before the snow flies there!
We continue to have little adjustments to make, due to things being unlevel when we assumed that they would be, learning curves for these new materials (the faux stone mostly), and things that we have to order which take longer to arrive than we think that they should. But it looks great and I'm well-satisfied with our progress. My design, Jack's engineering, my materials control, and both of our prowess with the power tools -- formidable!
The weather's been fine. While it's quite warm these days (over 100 for about the last week, with high 90's for 3 weeks now), we stay well-hydrated, take some breaks, and pace ourselves. We have stopped guessing when we'll be done, but are hopeful that we make it back to Michigan before the snow flies there!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
A Dry Heat
... and what a heat it is! Jack and I are still in Tucson, still working on my deck and skirting for my cottage, and, as the temperatures climb, we are experiencing a heat-related adventure! Actually, it's not all that bad. We've been very careful to stay well-hydrated, we try to work out of the sun as much as we can, and we take frequent breaks!
Here are some pics! Jack working on the steps:
Me using the framing nailer:
The deck beginning to come together:
More wood to be converted into decking:
Here are some pics! Jack working on the steps:
Me using the framing nailer:
The deck beginning to come together:
More wood to be converted into decking:
Today, after a long day of cutting and applying siding to the deck and laying our first bits of Trex onto the steps, we dined at New York Pizza and then went to DQ! It doesn't get much better than this.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Trip to Iowa
Jack and I just returned from a nearly 2-week trip to Iowa. There, we stayed with Jack's daughter and son in-law and went to grandchild events. The first was Matthew's play -- The Music Man. He's 12 and in 6th grade and I know you're thinking, "Ok.. a middle school production... how good can that be?" Well, it was great! The lines were delivered flawlessly, with feeling. The songs were sung with emotion and no off-pitches. Matthew as the high voice in the barbershop quartet was engaging, funny, and fit right in with the group of talented young singers. What fun!
We also got to go to two of his baseball games which, while not entirely successful, were still fun to watch. Oh, and we got popcorn!
Katherine was in her first-ever swim meet while we were there, too. This was an intra-squad meet, just to show them what swim meets are all about. I'd never been to a swim meet before, and found it interesting and entertaining.
We went on a short stay-cation, driving all of 20 minutes to the Grand Harbor Resort on the Mississippi River. Our room had a splendid view, looking right out at the river, the bridge, and barges that went past. While there, we took the children (Katherine, Matthew, and K's friend Lexi) to the waterpark. The following day, we went to the Mississippi River Museum, which is fantastic. This is a Smithsonian project, and is a world-class museum.
During the 12-day stay, we had some "dumb time," too. I learned how to do Ken-Ken puzzles and got pretty good at them. We watched plenty of HGTV, taking advantage of the fact that they have it and we don't!
The flights were uneventful and pleasant, actually. This was notable for me, because these were the first flights that I'd taken since fall of 2007, right after Michael died. And these were the first flights for me in a long time when I did not feel anxious at all. Yay!
Progress is happening on my cottage projects! We now have supports up for about half of the skirting. We now have most of the deck posts vertical. There are beams in place for most of the deck. Oh, and did I mention that my driveway is full of wood?
Weather is holding out for us. We enjoyed a very nice cool day yesterday, with a high of 75. Clouds attenuated the heat a bit, though skies were mostly clear and lovely.
Jack fixed us a great dinner last night -- Panko-encrusted tilapia, corn on the cob, baked beans, and mixed vegetables. I think that he's doing dishes right now. :)
We also got to go to two of his baseball games which, while not entirely successful, were still fun to watch. Oh, and we got popcorn!
Katherine was in her first-ever swim meet while we were there, too. This was an intra-squad meet, just to show them what swim meets are all about. I'd never been to a swim meet before, and found it interesting and entertaining.
We went on a short stay-cation, driving all of 20 minutes to the Grand Harbor Resort on the Mississippi River. Our room had a splendid view, looking right out at the river, the bridge, and barges that went past. While there, we took the children (Katherine, Matthew, and K's friend Lexi) to the waterpark. The following day, we went to the Mississippi River Museum, which is fantastic. This is a Smithsonian project, and is a world-class museum.
During the 12-day stay, we had some "dumb time," too. I learned how to do Ken-Ken puzzles and got pretty good at them. We watched plenty of HGTV, taking advantage of the fact that they have it and we don't!
The flights were uneventful and pleasant, actually. This was notable for me, because these were the first flights that I'd taken since fall of 2007, right after Michael died. And these were the first flights for me in a long time when I did not feel anxious at all. Yay!
Progress is happening on my cottage projects! We now have supports up for about half of the skirting. We now have most of the deck posts vertical. There are beams in place for most of the deck. Oh, and did I mention that my driveway is full of wood?
Weather is holding out for us. We enjoyed a very nice cool day yesterday, with a high of 75. Clouds attenuated the heat a bit, though skies were mostly clear and lovely.
Jack fixed us a great dinner last night -- Panko-encrusted tilapia, corn on the cob, baked beans, and mixed vegetables. I think that he's doing dishes right now. :)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter
Easter was blessed and wonderful for us. I had really missed Easter (and Christmas) in the time that I was married to Michael, because he and his family didn't celebrate those holidays. Easter, in particular, was one that he did not like.
For us, we went to our church's sunrise service at 7 am, and then to the pancake breakfast afterwards. Next, while I was at choir practice, Jack went to get Mary and took her to her church and came back just in time for our church to start up at 10. Our choir sang and the service was good.
After church, we went to get Mary and she took us and Joe and Kay to the Sheraton's buffet dinner. We enjoyed a sumptious feast with good conversation. Mary shared many memories with Joe and Kay. She's been friends with them for over 60 years!
Today was a bit back to real life, with Jack and me working on the materials list for the deck, and going around pricing things. I'm beginning to rethink doing the entire deck in Trex, after pricing that stuff. Lowe's offers a single 20' 2x6 at $50. One board for $50. And, of course, I will need many boards. ;) I'm thinking about making just the octagon part in front and the steps out of Trex and doing the back part with plywood covered in dark carpet. Many people here do decks with plywood covered in carpet; they hold up well, and people are happy with them. That would save me a few hundred bucks, which I could use for solar lights on my deck posts! :)
For us, we went to our church's sunrise service at 7 am, and then to the pancake breakfast afterwards. Next, while I was at choir practice, Jack went to get Mary and took her to her church and came back just in time for our church to start up at 10. Our choir sang and the service was good.
After church, we went to get Mary and she took us and Joe and Kay to the Sheraton's buffet dinner. We enjoyed a sumptious feast with good conversation. Mary shared many memories with Joe and Kay. She's been friends with them for over 60 years!
Today was a bit back to real life, with Jack and me working on the materials list for the deck, and going around pricing things. I'm beginning to rethink doing the entire deck in Trex, after pricing that stuff. Lowe's offers a single 20' 2x6 at $50. One board for $50. And, of course, I will need many boards. ;) I'm thinking about making just the octagon part in front and the steps out of Trex and doing the back part with plywood covered in dark carpet. Many people here do decks with plywood covered in carpet; they hold up well, and people are happy with them. That would save me a few hundred bucks, which I could use for solar lights on my deck posts! :)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Earth Day
Today is not only the day before Easter, but it's the day after Earth Day! I celebrated Earth Day, along with probably 15 others from our church, helping to spruce up the grounds. My task was trimming mesquite trees, cutting off dead palm fronds, and reshaping a palm "bush." No one I know back in the midwest or the east is doing THAT today! :) I also helped Jack and some of the guys in raking and shoveling gravel. We left the grounds looking fine, if I do say so myself.
After the cleanup detail, Jack and I went to the Pima County Fair. I believe that I ate less at this fair than ever in the history of my going to fairs. We had a battered and deep-fried half zucchini (shared), a small bag of kettle corn (shared), a beef stick, and 2.5 bottles of water.
The fair was fun, as always, with its share of people trying to relieve others of their money in various ways. We escaped with buying just our parking ($5), entry fee ($16), and the food (total of $12).
I'm enjoying my new cottage very much. The loft bedroom is wonderful -- comfortable and cool at night. I know that I'll like it just as much, if not more, in the winter! I'd been a little concerned about the size of the kitchen, but it is more than adequate for li'l ol' me and the infrequent and unfancy meals that I fix here. The back room -- my hobby room -- is just perfect, too. I am truly appreciating having that bit of space in which to stretch out with my hobbies. :)
We have finally ordered the material for the skirting. We are getting Faux Panels and click that link to see what it looks like. They should be in, in about 4 weeks. By then, we'll have the backer up for them and be ready to put them on! Yay!
It's getting more and more quiet around the park now, with all the less hardy snowbirds taking off. I'm rather enjoying the peace, though. Jack and I have gotten into a fun routine of sharing lunches out and dinners either out or at home -- his place or mine.
We are enjoying time with Mary (Jack's mom), too. We've been taking her to church and on various errands. She loves to shop and so do we! She is getting along well at her retirement community, has many friends, likes the food, and even takes part in an exercise class there.
We've been seeing many bunnies around here, and I'm not sure but whether one of them may be the Easter bunny! We'll have to wait and see.
After the cleanup detail, Jack and I went to the Pima County Fair. I believe that I ate less at this fair than ever in the history of my going to fairs. We had a battered and deep-fried half zucchini (shared), a small bag of kettle corn (shared), a beef stick, and 2.5 bottles of water.
The fair was fun, as always, with its share of people trying to relieve others of their money in various ways. We escaped with buying just our parking ($5), entry fee ($16), and the food (total of $12).
I'm enjoying my new cottage very much. The loft bedroom is wonderful -- comfortable and cool at night. I know that I'll like it just as much, if not more, in the winter! I'd been a little concerned about the size of the kitchen, but it is more than adequate for li'l ol' me and the infrequent and unfancy meals that I fix here. The back room -- my hobby room -- is just perfect, too. I am truly appreciating having that bit of space in which to stretch out with my hobbies. :)
We have finally ordered the material for the skirting. We are getting Faux Panels and click that link to see what it looks like. They should be in, in about 4 weeks. By then, we'll have the backer up for them and be ready to put them on! Yay!
It's getting more and more quiet around the park now, with all the less hardy snowbirds taking off. I'm rather enjoying the peace, though. Jack and I have gotten into a fun routine of sharing lunches out and dinners either out or at home -- his place or mine.
We are enjoying time with Mary (Jack's mom), too. We've been taking her to church and on various errands. She loves to shop and so do we! She is getting along well at her retirement community, has many friends, likes the food, and even takes part in an exercise class there.
We've been seeing many bunnies around here, and I'm not sure but whether one of them may be the Easter bunny! We'll have to wait and see.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
More furniture moving
MORE? Yeah. Only this isn't for me. Our good friend John has decided again that he's going to move back to Colorado and sell his Tucson cottage. Well, this time he seems serious, because he sold Jack his furniture! The furniture that Jack had will then go to John's, since he wants to sell it furnished. The stuff that he had was just far too good to "toss in" with the sale of a $14K cottage.
So we spent part of the day hauling furniture out of Jack's cottage and out of John's, and then new stuff into Jack's. We will hang onto John's new stuff till after he has his carpet cleaned tomorrow. :) He'll be leaving then for good on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Other things continue apace. I've taken more things from 206 down here and have just a few things in the cottage and a few in the shed to bring over. I have organized my two sheds here so that I can easily find things. When the people all get back in the fall, I'll have a patio sale and unload more things -- nice things, mind you -- just things that *I* don't need. ;)
So we spent part of the day hauling furniture out of Jack's cottage and out of John's, and then new stuff into Jack's. We will hang onto John's new stuff till after he has his carpet cleaned tomorrow. :) He'll be leaving then for good on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Other things continue apace. I've taken more things from 206 down here and have just a few things in the cottage and a few in the shed to bring over. I have organized my two sheds here so that I can easily find things. When the people all get back in the fall, I'll have a patio sale and unload more things -- nice things, mind you -- just things that *I* don't need. ;)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Goodbye, Trust Market
A long time ago, in a land far, far away, AT&T won some legal wrangling against Verizon. In the end, the government ordered some groups of Verizon's customers to be taken over by AT&T. These people were termed "The Trust Market" and I was among them.
What this meant was that AT&T was to take over our service, was to replace all our phones and my MiFi with AT&T things and then they were going to be our provider. In the meantime, and this was nearly two years, I could not just go into a Verizon store and get answers about my account. No one had any access to it, because we were *The Trust Market.*
Well, this did not amuse me. I have not been a Verizon customer because they are a giant and they forced me to be with them. I've been a Verizon customer since they were a "whoozzat" company. I have stayed with them for many years, because I like their service.
So, after numerous postponements, The Day finally arrived. This was the day that AT&T's devices were to be activated. That Day .. was today.
I awoke curious, so I tried to call Jack on my Verizon phone and got a message that my phone no longer had service. So I tried the AT&T phone and was told that IT didn't have service.
So this afternoon, Jack and I went hopefully to our friendly Verizon man. He is Roy at the Pantano/Broadway Verizon store. He was helpful in listening to our situation and in getting me on the phone with a guy from Verizon who knew another guy from Verizon who might be able to help. Manuel from the WinBack Department (yes, really!) was my guy.
It took the better part of 30 minutes, I'm guessing, to get it all squared away, but the offshoot is that I am again a Verizon customer, I am no longer part of a Trust Market, I have the same plan, the same devices, and they all WORK! Thank you, Manuel! Thank you, Roy! And thank you, Verizon! Here's to another bazillion years of working together!
What this meant was that AT&T was to take over our service, was to replace all our phones and my MiFi with AT&T things and then they were going to be our provider. In the meantime, and this was nearly two years, I could not just go into a Verizon store and get answers about my account. No one had any access to it, because we were *The Trust Market.*
Well, this did not amuse me. I have not been a Verizon customer because they are a giant and they forced me to be with them. I've been a Verizon customer since they were a "whoozzat" company. I have stayed with them for many years, because I like their service.
So, after numerous postponements, The Day finally arrived. This was the day that AT&T's devices were to be activated. That Day .. was today.
I awoke curious, so I tried to call Jack on my Verizon phone and got a message that my phone no longer had service. So I tried the AT&T phone and was told that IT didn't have service.
So this afternoon, Jack and I went hopefully to our friendly Verizon man. He is Roy at the Pantano/Broadway Verizon store. He was helpful in listening to our situation and in getting me on the phone with a guy from Verizon who knew another guy from Verizon who might be able to help. Manuel from the WinBack Department (yes, really!) was my guy.
It took the better part of 30 minutes, I'm guessing, to get it all squared away, but the offshoot is that I am again a Verizon customer, I am no longer part of a Trust Market, I have the same plan, the same devices, and they all WORK! Thank you, Manuel! Thank you, Roy! And thank you, Verizon! Here's to another bazillion years of working together!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Photos of the New Cottage!
Slowly, but steadily, we're making progress on the projects around my new cottage. Jack got some concrete blocks cemented in today, and I got another carload of stuff loaded up at 206, driven here, and offloaded. Most of it is put away now.
I got the Fit serviced this morning. Its "oil life" indicator was down to 15%, and that means that it's time to get it changed. It takes awhile for it to get that low, too. Last oil change was in Big Rapids, and so that was September or before. When I first arrived here, I took it to my dealer, and they told me that I needed to wait for that 15%.
Ok! Here we are. New photos of the new digs!
Here is the delivery guy unwrapping the front. The doors are not even on yet!
Notice .. no flooring yet, and all the building stuff everywhere. I was NOT living here yet!
Fast-forward to today. Here's Jack working on the concrete footer for the deck:
And here are some interior photos, with explanations. You have to click the pic to see the explanations. :)
I got the Fit serviced this morning. Its "oil life" indicator was down to 15%, and that means that it's time to get it changed. It takes awhile for it to get that low, too. Last oil change was in Big Rapids, and so that was September or before. When I first arrived here, I took it to my dealer, and they told me that I needed to wait for that 15%.
Ok! Here we are. New photos of the new digs!
Here is the delivery guy unwrapping the front. The doors are not even on yet!
Notice .. no flooring yet, and all the building stuff everywhere. I was NOT living here yet!
Fast-forward to today. Here's Jack working on the concrete footer for the deck:
And here are some interior photos, with explanations. You have to click the pic to see the explanations. :)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Busted
Yep... my sister finally busted me for not writing in this blog more. And she's right. I will repent. I will blog more. My camera is still at my old house, so I can't take pics tonight, but I'll go and get it tomorrow!
I love this cottage more every day. Change is difficult, and moving is difficult on so many levels, but this is a very nice move for me. The little loft bedroom is working out great. With the windows open, I get this amazing air blowing just right, and so, even on the nearly 100 degree days that we've had, it's nice and cool at night.
The kitchen is smaller than the one I had at 206, but I am really enjoying it. The peninsula takes the place of the island I no longer have, and it gives me plenty of counter space. While I have not yet baked a pie in this kitchen, I hold out hopes that it'll serve nicely for that.
Jack got the footers for the deck front poured on Friday, just in time for our big cooldown. On Saturday, we awoke to rain and 47 degrees -- perfect for going to the Home Show! We spent several hours there, perusing the aisles. Big show with many, many booths. It's not the Indy show, however, with its actual custom home built on the premises!
After the show, we came back to my cottage and got our feet up in the recliners, TV on... and the doorbell rang. John and Carlene, friends of ours from Big Rapids, were here with Smania's (other friends from BR who winter in our park). John and Carlene winter in Phoenix area, so this was just the 2nd time that we saw them this season. We all went out to Mimi's for a delicious dinner and some fun conversation and catching up.
Today it was a bit warmer and we got to see the snow left on the Catalinas and Rincons after this cold & rain down here. Church was good. Pastor Bruce is leaving our church to pursue a new venture in California. While I'm sure that it'll be fine for our church and that Bruce and his family will be happy there, I'm still bummed about that.
My voice lessons and practicing continue to be lots of fun. I am up to 12 different exercises now, and I get a new song every week. While sometimes it sounds like I'm hollering or shrieking, mostly I sound ok... to me! LOL! Marcia swears that she's going to make me a star.
I love this cottage more every day. Change is difficult, and moving is difficult on so many levels, but this is a very nice move for me. The little loft bedroom is working out great. With the windows open, I get this amazing air blowing just right, and so, even on the nearly 100 degree days that we've had, it's nice and cool at night.
The kitchen is smaller than the one I had at 206, but I am really enjoying it. The peninsula takes the place of the island I no longer have, and it gives me plenty of counter space. While I have not yet baked a pie in this kitchen, I hold out hopes that it'll serve nicely for that.
Jack got the footers for the deck front poured on Friday, just in time for our big cooldown. On Saturday, we awoke to rain and 47 degrees -- perfect for going to the Home Show! We spent several hours there, perusing the aisles. Big show with many, many booths. It's not the Indy show, however, with its actual custom home built on the premises!
After the show, we came back to my cottage and got our feet up in the recliners, TV on... and the doorbell rang. John and Carlene, friends of ours from Big Rapids, were here with Smania's (other friends from BR who winter in our park). John and Carlene winter in Phoenix area, so this was just the 2nd time that we saw them this season. We all went out to Mimi's for a delicious dinner and some fun conversation and catching up.
Today it was a bit warmer and we got to see the snow left on the Catalinas and Rincons after this cold & rain down here. Church was good. Pastor Bruce is leaving our church to pursue a new venture in California. While I'm sure that it'll be fine for our church and that Bruce and his family will be happy there, I'm still bummed about that.
My voice lessons and practicing continue to be lots of fun. I am up to 12 different exercises now, and I get a new song every week. While sometimes it sounds like I'm hollering or shrieking, mostly I sound ok... to me! LOL! Marcia swears that she's going to make me a star.
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