Just One Further Tease...

Walked by 523 this morning and the big dining room wall of rock was mortared! It's absolutely STUNNING. Looks like an old wall from a chateau in France. I'm thrilled with it and those of you who will live there/see it will love it too! Beams arriving today or tomorrow and the cabinets & GORGEOUS marble countertop will be installed within days.

It may be even BETTER than I'd envisioned, if that's possible!

Thank you everyone who has made that possible with your hard work and QUALITY craftsmanship!

This & That

I found this little boy outside Aldrich's really chowing down on a piece of watermelon. I spoke with his mom and she told me that his name was Denver & that it was his birthday. He would barely stop his devouring to talk about his birthday and his watermelon. Kids LOVE Port Townsend as there's so much to keep them in a state of wonder from simple walks to classes ranging from the arts to marine life. Such an idyllic life for them and the best part is, many of them realize it.

And I forgot about this little clump of violas that I found on a walk recently. It is growing right out of the middle of an asphalt driveway. Determined to be showy while it lives and it is! I admire it every day I walk by and continue to be amazed at its beauty in the middle of such starkness.

The interior photos will probably stop at this point since there isn't a huge difference day to day, although cumulatively it obviously has changed. Barry & Shane are hard at work on the tile work, the gutter guys have been on the roof installing, more insulation was added today, the painter continues to prep and the guys are working on trim around the doors & windows. The fireplace is now installed and mortared. It looks fabulous. I ordered carpet on Saturday only to find out today that they don't have enough of it at the mill so they're going to have to make more for my job so it will all be from the same dye lot.

I went to Sequim today for the usual end of the job items that always pop up - door stops, toilet seats and even a garbage disposal. They're so quiet these days! It can barely be heard - thankfully! On the way back, the "elk crossing" signs were flashing along Highway 101 as a warning to all the motorists rushing along. It led me to remember one dark night in Vail where Sam, Jason & I had just arrived at the Stollport quite late. We jumped in "Wookie" our Jeep that lived in the parking lot while we were away and headed to the house. Out of nowhere an entire herd of elk/moose/SOMETHING HUGE "cantered" across the road in front of us. I slammed on the brakes and we started counting them in the headlights. As I remember, we lost count at around 28. It was so startling and today I watched closely the entire journey back just in case...

I'm continuing to pack up as the guys are coming tomorrow to move the heavy stuff out of here for me. So I'll be living out of a suitcase until I leave on Friday. But that's not a huge problem in the scheme of things, is it?

I'll be away for awhile so I won't be posting. When I resume, I'm changing the blog. So if you're a Google "Follower" or have contacted me as I discussed in a previous post, then you'll be on the list for the new version if you're interested.

Thank you for reading about the house's journey. Many of you have sent me such complimentary private emails and I've been gratified by your interest. The house will be incredible - I just hope the life inside will be as well!

Lili

Only In A Small Town...

would you go to the orthodontist on a Sunday. My 15 year old permanent retainer waited until I was in PT to fail. The local orthodontist makes his own appointments & he offered one on Sunday. Needless to say, I was floored but when I arrived, he'd already seen a previous patient & had another waiting when I left.

My morning walk today included the downtown loop. It's a longer route than my usual stroll and I always swing through the marina as a part of it. The Relay for Life was winding down at Memorial Stadium and downtown was full of people enjoying the incredible weather. Today, I saw a sign you'd probably only see in PT - I'm posting a photo. What you can't see is the word "wood" around the corner of the box.

When I finished my walk I went by 523 and was surprised to see the garage door taking shape. I had been told it would be installed on Tuesday - what a pleasant surprise! I met the installer - who is also PT's new interim school superintendent after 20+ years as superintendent in a town on the west coast of WA. I also "met" his son (well, only his hand behind the door...) who was helping him. I'm posting a photo of the door, which I believe really helps polish the overall look of 523. And when the hardware is added, it will look even better.

Tonight was such a gorgeous evening that after looking at chandeliers online for hours and talking to some friends back in Dallas, I set out for an evening walk. I must be getting thicker blood, as I saw some people out with their jackets on but I only needed my light vest! I'm posting a photo of the darling pooch waiting for his human at Aldrich's - a daily sight and never unappreciated for its preciousness!

I'm off here - awaiting "Mad Men's" premiere.

More tomorrow...

The Marina

Seems I don't always escape the building process even on weekends. Since I got back so late yesterday from Seattle, I met Pete at 523 this morning so I could empty out my car which was crammed with items for the house. Got to see the fireplace up close and the many interior doors which were hung while I was on the road. Got the upstairs carpet ordered today along with an area rug for the dining room and I had to wait my turn! That's fine with me - it means that there are other buyers in town & that's great news for all. Of course, it was Farmers' Market as well and what a STUNNING day for it. I woke up to sunlight & it's just now starting to fade at 9:00pm.

Tonight, I walked downtown to meet a new friend, Stephanie, and her two sons who were skating at the town's skate park. Joseph & Daniel are great kids and even more than tolerated a friend of their mom's watching and asking a lot of, probably, ridiculous questions. The last time I was on a skateboard they had metal wheels & it (of course it couldn't have been the "driver") caused my second broken arm when I was flying down a hill and a stick got in the way. See - I've not always been so cautious in life! I've wisely steered clear of them since but it's amazing what kids can do with a skateboard these days. Stephanie & I walked over to the marina and gabbed for quite some time, during which I took tonight's photo of the boats in the marina at about 8:15pm. The sun was so gorgeous on the water & if you look very closely (sorry, it was taken with the iPhone!) you can see Rainier in the middle of the photo.

I'm already packing for my move out of this temporary housing and for my trip to Dallas next week, which can't come soon enough for me, blast furnace or not...

Seattle

What a BEAUTIFUL day it was in Seattle today! Sunny, warm temperatures greeted everyone & I do mean EVERYONE.

I'm posting a photo of the GIGANTIC cruise ship that was taking on passengers as I was headed back to the ferry. Around the corner, but unfortunately out of camera range, were two "normal" cruise ships. Without exaggeration, this one appeared to be at least five times as large as the other two. Later saw it going by PT in the Strait of Juan de Fuca - heading to Alaska?

More tomorrow...

Beehive of Activity

That's what 523 was today. Loren & three of his men finished the preliminary rock work while Barry & his son, Shane, arrived to start the tile work in the bathrooms. I'm posting a photo of Barry (one of the funniest photos yet for the blog) and of Shane (his Owen Wilson-double son) hard at work. Then it was "old home week" with Greg, Patrick & Mark back again. They trimmed out the windows today and installed the newel post for the stairway. Had no idea that newel posts were secured from beneath the floor. Lots of trips under the house today - the result of a coin flip? What a dance they did with that level - it was extremely accurate at the end, however, as usual. Greg & I measured for all the closet components which I will order in the next couple of days. Chris dropped by with the granite hearth for the living room fireplace with his usual humor. Don, the painter, dropped by momentarily to coordinate with Pete since the sheetrockers are now out of the way. This is a SMALL house & with all these workers swarming (and me standing in the way at times), it gets a little tight although they're always so courteous.

I had to run downtown today - something I can go a couple of weeks without doing at times. I forget what a different world it is just below Uptown as that's where I usually always am. They're simply two different worlds and Uptown is self-contained enough to eliminate the need to go there (well, except for the Rose Theatre...) The ferry was disgorging passengers who then flocked to Water Street to be greeted by shops, food, street musicians and stunning weather. Today had a sax player on one of the street corners & Thursday nights feature music on the dock with rotating groups to entertain locals & visitors alike. I'm posting a photo of the ferry arriving - it reminded me that this ferry will soon be gone. It was loaned to the Port Townsend/Whidbey Island route from Pierce County when a routine inspection a couple of years ago determined that the old ferries had to be pulled IMMEDIATELY. The first replacement ferry - the Chetzemoka ("fine young man") - will be arriving soon with the second in 2011. The Chetzemoka is already undergoing trials in the Seattle area to check its seaworthiness as we "speak".

I'm also posting two photos of what I found when I drove up one of my many visits to 523 today. The deer in PT must be taking fertility drugs since several of them have twins this season. At first, I didn't see the other mother & thought the visible one had TRIPLETS. Not true. Just two moms out with their twins for a "leisurely lunch" from the garden of the neighbor across the street. And what an incredible garden it is!

No post tomorrow - Seattle time again. Somehow I'm not as excited as the last time I went there. But then, it's a different reason...

A Slower Day

thank goodness! Not as much accomplished, but still hurtling toward the end, which is now in sight. Today, the sheetrocker finished the last of his work, the painter arrived for priming & the rock guys were back to continue. I'm posting a photo of every one's favorite room which is now "all white". A white coat of paint really opens things up again. I had thought that the house might be "dark", but so far it's not which is a wonderful surprise.

I'm posting another photo of the strange fog that sometimes presents in PT on such a sunny day. You can barely see the mountains on Whidbey Island above the line of fog. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the wooden boat with its three sails into the picture. It was so picturesque.

If you've been reading the blog and are not a gmail "follower", please write me to let me know. I'm going to be changing the blog soon & will need to contact some of you to let you know my plans for it. Please use "lglast@yahoo.com" for an email contact.

More tomorrow...