You might think we’ve been sitting on our hands waiting for this long, erratic spring to settle down but be assured we’ve been keeping busy NOT twiddling our thumbs. With our February travels seemingly long behind us, allow me to update you on the house building progress.
We’ve made a few trips to PA in March and April to assist Dan and Anna with next steps. The contractors hired to install drywall did an amazing job. So, while Greg and Dan worked on plumbing (Pex) and the propane gas line (black pipe) and installed Duroc (concrete board) in the bathrooms, Anna and I focused on priming the walls and ceilings with assistance from her mom Inger and friend Tina. This enormous whole house task was made easier with a rented paint sprayer. Nevertheless, an entire weekend of spraying and rolling resulted in some very sore necks and shoulders. As usual, I also carried a fair bit of paint on my person since I tend to literally ‘immerse’ myself in the task. All told, I believe we used 40 gallons of primer that weekend.
As the premier ‘gopher’ I was also dispatched to pick up tile in the cool, edgy Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. It was early March yet an amazingly warm day with budding cherry trees and daffodils so I was happy to run this errand. Not so much on the return trip. Although Greg’s Tahoe is pretty big and handy for transporting equipment and supplies, the enormous weight of the tile load kept me from going too fast. The truck would shimmy at high speeds and I was afraid to negotiate quick stops as I crossed through Philadelphia on I95 to 676 onto 476*. I followed very large, slow tractor trailers and the cargo was delivered safely. Unfortunately Dan and Anna were at work that day so Greg and I had to unload the tile. Oh, well, more functional training. *Fun fact: I wondered how Philadelphia had come to have Interstate 76 and other highways end in ’76’. Was it to honor the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776? Internet research says not- interstate highway numbering progresses sequentially east to west (even numbers) and north to south (odd numbers). Changes were made in the 1960’s and the Philly interstate was assigned ’76’. From the website https://www.fhwa.dot.gov “it’s selection was a coincidence-a lucky coincidence, perhaps-that after years of unrelated numbering changes and a Achain reaction@ from the addition of I-79 in western Pennsylvania, 76 was the best choice”. Another highway tidbit: an efficient interstate system was championed by President Eisenhower. His experiences as a young officer in the southwest on crappy roads and later, impressed with the ability to move troops and equipment with efficiency on Germany’s Autobahn in WWII, made him realize that good highways back home were vital to defense.
We returned home while Dan and Anna continued to paint: 2 coats of ceiling paint in every room and wall paint in multiple rooms. Meanwhile, Greg began kitchen cabinet construction. We’ve had many maple trees cut and sawn from our property and stored in our barn, about 10,000 board feet I’d guess. I’m told it’s “money in the bank” by my lumberjack north country neighbors although I’d rather have gold or bitcoin. Greg built a wood kiln within the barn to dry lumber ingeniously using polyfoam insulation, dehumidifiers and (carefully monitored) heat lamps. With the maple appropriately kiln dried in advance, he began his cabinetmaking.
March and April weather in the Adirondacks can be iffy: Snow? Rain? Ice? Warmth? There’s a reason it’s called “mud season”. We suffer frost heaves and washouts on our dirt road; my beautiful black car turns brown from the bottom up. Many restaurants close for a week or two although skiing may continue. In any case, it’s a good time for Greg to be busy in his workshop. I kept busy doing retired things and also made a trip to see my Mom in Buffalo.
Another visit to the project involved more painting and utility work, but also some tiling was begun. After Hardie cement board was installed on the bath walls and the seams sealed, Greg got Dan and Anna started on the tiling of one bathroom, another leap forward in education and house progress. They finished the tiling after we left, and it looks amazing!
Greg continued cabinet construction back home. A couple trips were made to Burlington, VT to purchase the spray lacquer finish he uses (and who are we kidding? to also to visit some breweries there). We made a trip to Rochester and Buffalo again for Easter family visits and soon enough, we were on another trip to PA.
Anna had researched wood flooring options in PA but in the end they decided on brown maple hardwood flooring milled from our friend Tom Devlin’s Northern Hardwoods lumber supply in Lake George. We met Tom by chance when we were building our current abode back in 2006. We worked with him to mill the lumber harvested from our property for our own floors and cabinets. Coincidentally, he has a lake cabin across the bay from us. Greg arranged for Northern Hardwoods to source and mill D&A’s flooring. When it was ready, Dan and Anna rented a huge Penske flatbed, drove it up to Lake George, where Northern Hardwoods loaded it. Then they drove back down and unloaded it by hand, all 4 tons of it and within 24 hours so as to return the truck on time.
The wood is gorgeous with beautiful grain and knots, in 4,5,6 inch widths and most of it 8 to 16 feet long. You’ll not find flooring like this very often. So on our most recent visit, we started the installation of these beauties. The plywood was scraped of paint, glue, and joint compound, vacuumed, covered with paper and the wood stapled into place. Joints and widths were staggered randomly, particular boards were selected for location and beauty, and within 2 days most of the first floor was covered. (Sanding and finishing to be done later).
Before we left Greg prepped the remaining first floor and second floor rooms for Dan and Anna to finish on their own. The front door was also installed, replacing the ugly plywood which served to close the opening all winter. I spent some time feathering joint compound seams in the bathroom, sealing seams on shower Hardie boards, and grouted the first bathroom walls and floor. Thus another weekend was completed and we headed out for a little vacation.
Our lake neighbors Rita and David invited us to their son’s wedding in the Cayman Islands and we accepted! The betrothed couple had postponed their nuptials for two years and we were delighted to be a part of this long awaited event. We haven’t been overseas in 2 years and finally it looked like a good time to travel. So here I am, waterside, hoping to avoid sunburn while relaxing with my pre-nap Pina colada and sending you this update. Til next time, love one another!
My new reality 