Looking Out

Today I’m posting a slightly different point of view. The supporting boards in the hallway are now down and I was able to walk out my front door into the addition. It is still a step down, because the subflooring has not been installed yet, but I was able to wander out past equipment. I took pictures showing what my views would be once I’m living in the new part.

from old front door – orange scaffolding is approximately where the powder room will be

I really like the bedroom view, toward a really pretty stand of trees. The only downside to this is the orientation is to the east, so I’ll need curtains to sleep late.

bedroom window

The living room door will face the old shed and Sharon’s flowerbed around it, and a large bed across the driveway. This will be a great and changing view as flowers vary by season.

front door and window view

The view out my hallway door and window will be toward my parking space, as this is going to be the door I use most, near to kitchen for hauling in groceries, and just convenient to the parking spot. I hope to have this as kind of a mudroom, as there is also a door across to the back yard.

from hallway, door and window toward parking spot

The view of the living room gives a nice feel for how long a stretch I’m adding – about 45 feet from old front door to new front door. (The cats will love racing that long distance.) This picture also gives some sense of height. I will not have any ceiling to block this view to the top.The crew is still filling any gaps in the foam with spray foam and trimming back. It will look so good once the plaster is covering all of it.

standing at new front door, view tall ceilings and down hallway to old front door

OMG! What a vacation house.

My siblings, their spouses, and I spent the last week in Madison WI area after my brother’s Ironman race. He finished, but had to walk too much of the marathon portion, from leg cramps. He was not satisfied with his time, but he completed the course. Wow.

Dale at approx mile 75 of 112 mile bike leg.

We rented a house in Cambridge, right on a tree farm / bird sanctuary. Joe Arrington (owner) took us for a tour on his atv, showing what they do for growing oak and walnut for lumber. They also have ponds and meadows for attracting birds and animals. His family and employees all have homes on the land, and a couple of empty places they rent. This is the nicest one we’ve been in.

fireplace in living room – very high ceilings!

We have found for a family like ours, four bedrooms (and five when our mother was with us), with sufficient bathrooms and a living space where we can all gather is so much better than hotel rooms. We’ve had a large place with screened pool and hot tub in Orlando: a house in a traditional summer community on Lake Erie with beach and great yard for lounging; a pretty house in the mountains outside of Asheville in autumn; a smaller group of us rented a renovation in-progress B&B (so the owner let us have the whole place) in our home town; a condo in Key West. The Oak House is one we want to find an excuse to go back to visit.

kitchen, sink and dishwasher behind to left. The double doors across are for a walk-in pantry.

Dining room, gorgeous table, screened porch beyond.

The kitchen was huge and inviting. We actually cooked in more than going out to eat. The dining table was beautiful, made in their workshop. I would love to have one like it. We had great weather and spent quite a bit of time on the screened porch.

Checking out the screened porch.

We all enjoyed our visit to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo. There were a number of shoppers for the Duluth Trading Co in Horeb, city with a troll theme. Madison is a very attractive city. We also took a day to visit a recently widowed cousin just north of there. Mostly we just talked a lot and caught up with each other’s lives, as usual. Of the seven of us, I’m the only one indifferent to cheese curds, and we tried appetizers in a few places.

Sarus crane, largest flying bird, at 6 feet tall. Could not get a decent picture in sunlight of this impressive creature.

Getting Ready for Weather

Irma is coming, and we expect some rain and maybe strong winds, no matter which direction the hurricane turns. The crew is midway through getting the connector between the old and new domes completed. They are scurrying to get enough concrete over the steel mesh and rebar, then plan to put plywood over the window and door openings. That section gets water backed up while it is still open to rain. On my back patio I’ve been storing large items that I ordered ahead for the plumbing. They will move those into the dome shell, to keep them safe. I am really glad they took down a large dead tree while they still had the extended forklift, it could have hit either Sharon’s house or mine if it fell in those directions.

more work on connector hallway

Since the connector between domes is very custom designed, it is taking the crew a while to make sure it is properly fitted. It is a series of 5 panels, bottom 2 vertical, next 2 leaning toward the center, and top is a flat piece, but they are giving it a bit of an angle from front to back. This is also uphill to downhill, so any water runoff will go away from the house. I’m finally getting the feel for how the hallway will be between the domes.

working on hallway

I’m actually leaving this weekend, not because of the storm, but for a family get-together. My siblings and their spouses and I try to have a reunion every couple of years. A week is just right, and we pick different places each time. This year is Madison WI because my brother is in an Ironman race this weekend. That still awes me. We have rented an amazing looking house through VRBO. I’ll post pictures after I get back. It is so nice to have all under one roof and be able to be up at odd hours talking and let other go to their rooms. I think the only unhappy family members are my cats, and they don’t suspect I’m leaving them until I get out the suitcase.

Sharon will be here to feed my cats, and she will be whelping the first litter for her Goldendoodle, Dani. I’ll encourage her to post about the puppies, including pictures. They are so cute and entertaining after a month of age.