One Step Closer

Well, today Dave nearly got the guest bathroom finished. That is until a snafu popped up and then another and another. Here is the most recent photo of the project. By the end of the day we did have the knobs on the cabinet, the hand towel rack and TP dispenser installed and, drum roll please. . .ta-da!!!! Running water in the sink.

So what were the issues. Oddly they all centered around the sink and its faucet. The space between the sink and backsplash is really tight. We didn't know how tight until Dave tried to install the faucet.

Problem 1: That thingy that always sticks up behind the faucet that you pull up and down in order to stop up the sink? Well, the granite guy forgot to drill a hole for that thingy. He only drilled the holes for the hot and cold pipes. Arrrgh! Not to worry, he admitted his mistake and will be by to fix it.

Problem 2: There wasn't enough room to secure the faucet to the countertop from the underside using the standard parts. Arrrgh! So the parts had to be modified and even then carefully threaded on in the tight space available.

Problem 3: The hot/cold handles are square in design at their base, a nod to the arts and crafts/bungalow architectural style we love so much. The problem is the space issue again. This time the square corner of the faucets just barely hit the backsplash everytime the faucet is turned on. Arrrrgh! The solution? This time it may be a bit more difficult to solve. We could:

• Cut the 2 cm thick backsplash lengthwise making it somewhat less than 2 cm thick at the cost of about $200.


• We could give up and switch the faucet out for one with rounded handles. Problem here is that all the other accents, towel racks, TP dispenser, etc. are all matching that way.


• We could machine the spot where the faucet hits the backsplash leaving a small concave spot in the backsplash just large enough to allow for the handles to clear.
  

At this point we are going for the 3rd option. We thought the spot was so insignificant that with a high-speed carving tool we could create a small concave groove just deep and wide enough to allow for clearance and no one would ever be the wiser. Tomorrow we try it. Cross your fingers.

Spring Break in Britain

Leslie just returned from her Spring Break trip to visit the kids over in Britain. She was anxious to pay another visit to Bristol and spend some quality time with Nick and Kate. She also managed to visit with Nick's folks, Ray and Liz and they took a swing down into Cornwall where they visited with Ray's brother and sister-in-law and with Nick's Grandma Abbott (the other lives in Enfield near Ray and Liz).

Leslie visted the village of Cheddar in Somerset, did some cheese shopping, visited a local cave and spent some time in London shopping with Kate. They visited Harrod's and walked about London passed the Globe Theatre, over the Millenium Bridge and paid a visit to the Tate Gallery of Contemporary Art. They attended Evensong in St. Paul's.

Here a few photos of the trip. More to come.

Nick made what I understand was a fabulous Toad in the Hole, a classic English dish made of sausages and what we Americans might consider pancake batter. I am waiting anxiously to have Nick replicate this fabulous looking meal here in Bellingham. . .if I can find sausage anywhere as good as can be found in Bristol.

Kate walks arm and arm down a Bristol street with a likeness of movie actor Cary Grant who was a Bristol native.

Leslie happened to be in Britain on Mothering Day, the British equivalent to our Mother's Day. Here are the flowers she received from Nick and Kate.

Kate and dad-in-law Ray mugging for the camera.

A photo looking across the Mellinium Bridge towards St. Paul's.

Kate and Nick nearing the top of their climb in the moors in Cornwall. What a great looking couple!

Leslie and Kate reach the peak of their climb in Cornwall on a rare beautiful (sunny) day.

Its Been A While!

I haven't written a new blog entry for some time. Sorry about that. It has been a wild couple of months with a lot of other items on the agenda pushing my blogging duties to a distant back burner.

I have managed to take a few photos due to my new backpack which allows me to keep my camera with me at all times. The photo on the left was taken off the back deck of our home. We have had more snow this year. Mostly it stays a short while and then melts off. Over the years I have taken several snowy photos from this exact same position, but this scene was too good to pass up. More photos as I go along here.

Meanwhile, the work on remodeling our top floor bathrooms continues. It is nearly at a halt right now while the fabricators cut the granite countertops for the two bathrooms. Meanwhile, both rooms have working showers and toilets, new linoleum and paint. Once the countertops are installed, hopefully this week, the sinks can be plumbed and the faucets connected. After that it is mostly detail work and hanging art. In hind sight these projects were terrible ideas to take on during the school year. The good news is that they are almost done and will be ready for summer company. I'll take finished photos when the job is done and display them on a future blog.

Here are the other recent photos. The one on the right and the left were taken at Hillcrest Park in Mount Vernon, Washington.

This one was shot on a school playground also in Mount Vernon. It is the simple geometric figure of a bicycle rack with its shadow at an interesting angle.

Bathroom Remodel Update

The remodel is now underway full blast with our man Dave on the job everyday now and making real progress in a short time.

In just the past three days he has the new Marmoleum down, the new cabinet in place and the new toilet is attached to the floor. Tomorrow the water will be connected and it will be a fully functioning toilet. The fancy new toilet seat doesn't have to be lowered in place. Just get it started and it slowly lowers itself. Whoa!

The cabinet is a beautiful pecan colored hardwood. The doors and drawer fronts will go on next week. The granite countertops will be measured so the undermount sink will work and our Craftsman style faucets of brushed nickel will match the new retrofitted accents in the shower and tub.

It won't be long and we'll be hanging the art and opening for business. One of the new art pieces can just barely be seen in the photo above on the right. More about it in future blogs.

Notice the wall color. A bit bold but as this room come together it is really growing on us. The color comes from the palette of colors used in Frank Lloyd Wright's (our architectural hero) Falling Waters home. So we are thrilled to have discovered the paint company that sells it.

New Photos Out and About Bellingham

Used my new polarizing filter to take a few shots around downtown Bellingham. Then I imported the raw files into Photoshop Elements 6 and did some manipulation of the originals. Here are the results.

UFO's? No, a contemporary chandelier in a downtown office building.

_______________________________________

Quist violin's store window invited this shot.

_______________________________

The Flatiron Building (what I call it anyway). Shot into the sun with the polarizing filter, then some fun manipulation using the filters in Photoshop.

________________________

My wife getting her hair cut. Norman Rockwell with a little twist!

_____________________________________

A heavily filtered photo of Vancouver jazz legend, Mike Allen. Make a good cover for his next CD?

Do I have a lot to learn, but what fun looking at the world up close and personal and trying to create something beautiful or interesting or bizarre. Having a blast in Bellingham!

________________________________

My Review of Nikon 52mm Circular Polarizer II Thin Ring Multi-Coated Glass Filter

I just purchased a new filter for my Nikon D80 from a great NYC company called Adorama. Read my review of this product below and learn a bit about how it works.

Adorama Camera

Nikon 52mm Circular Polarizer II Thin Ring Multi-Coated Glass Filter

Nikon 52mm Circular Polarizer II Thin Ring Multi-Coated Glass Filter

Great product!

michaelgc Bellingham, Washington 2/21/2009

5 5

Pros: Easy To Use, Clear Optics, Firm Mount, Strong Construction

Best Uses: Lens Protection, Color Correction

Describe Yourself: Photo Enthusiast

Bought this filter after spending days agonizing over which polarizing filter to buy and where to buy it. I'm really glad I gave Adorama a try. Very professional salesperson, didn't try to sell me more stuff to pad the order. Friendly, quick process. The order got all the way to me in Washington state in only a few days.

As for the filter, it came down to economics and my personal level of sophistication with all things photographic. I love taking photos, trying to be artsy while doing it and I love using technology to manipulate my pictures to make them better using Photoshop. I do like how the filter makes otherwise dull skies pop and water seem more translucent. I am sure there will be many more opportunities for me, through experimentation and reading how others use this filter, to make my photos even better.

()

New Guest Bath Remodel Underway

After shaking our heads at it for years and then doing remodels in other spaces around the house, the front deck, the back deck, the kitchen, the downstairs washroom, etc., etc., our sights have now fallen on the room at the top of the stairs.

The toilet has been removed, the old cabinet and sink, the backing of the old linoleum is being removed and then we will essentially have a bare to the walls rectangle to work with.

Our old buddy, Dave Ivey, the mastermind of almost every other remodel project in our home, is back on the job and ready to do battle once again.

In a couple of weeks he will begin by retexturing the walls which had been smoothed out by the previous owners so wallpaper could be put up. We want to paint so back goes the texturing. Then we will lay down a base coat of paint, probably a coat of Kilz, which will resist mold and mildew, a big problem up here. Then we decide on the color and paint the room.

When that is finished, Dave will move back in to lay down new linoleum. We have spent quit a bit of time on this decision as one might expect. However, we have had our eye on Marmoleum for some time and finally settled on a color. It isn't tile but we decided that the house isn't worth the expense and then there is the upkeep and cleaning of tile. So, no to that.

When the Marmoleum is laid, Dave will install the new Toto toilet, a low flow toilet with E-Max flushing that reduces clogs. The salesperson told us she had seen it demonstrated with a tennis ball. Go figure!

We purchased a custom made cabinet from a local cabinet maker in a craftsman style. The counter will be granite with an undermount sink and an 8" faucet set. We also plan to replace the bath/shower hardware to match the new sink hardware. Otherwise the bath/shower will remain unchanged as it still looks and functions great.

Finally, new towel racks and the room's art back in place will complete the look.

As we got started on this project it occured to us that the master bathroom could stand a little help as well. And we do have Dave's attention. So we've decided to replace the counter top in there, install a new sink and faucet, new linoleum in the shower/toilet area and to replace the toilet with another Toto like the one in the guest bathroom. Finally, we'll replace the hardware in the shower as well and we'll have a minor remodel done in the master bath as well. The master bath really isn't in bad shape except for the items I mentioned so we should get off pretty easily on that project. No new cabinet as the old one is really nice and the sink area of the bathrrom has new carpet.

Ultimately, we wanted to get that guest bath done in time for a visit from our in-laws who are coming in July. They'll walk into a very nice new bathroom when they arrive and it will look great when other guests come by or stay the night.

With these rooms redone we will pretty much have our home remodeled. We have done so much to it, inside and out are pretty much fresh and new. Now to keep it that way! Ah, the joy of home ownership!