Some semblance of a real home

I'm grateful to have couches to sit on and a piano to play music.

(ahh, home sweet home, where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.) The end; la fin; Owari.

Kitchen update

1. Running water in the sink;
2. Gas line for cooktop partially installed;
3. Counter for dishwasher partially completed;

We have a dishwasher, not installed yet.

And an old shelf, not refinished yet.

Sheetrock for the second floor hallway.

We have hung sheetrock in the second floor hallway. There was some prep work that needed to be done before it could be hung, mainly cleaning bits of plaster off the lath.

(Who are those masked men, Elders Hurst and Ti'i of course. They have been a great help.)

I love the look of sheetrock, it makes everything look better.

Every job needs a foreman. I have been replaced by Akuto. Notice how closely he is inspecting my work.

Dining Room Table

We found this table at a consignment store. It had stains and scratches.

We started to remove the stains and scratches by using very fine sandpaper.

We also cleaned the table legs and the chair upholstery.

(Great legs, eh)

Help with moving the old sink out

The new sink is up and running. What a joy it is to be able to wash the dishes in the kitchen.


(Yes, the plumbing for the drain is complete.)

Elder Hurst and Elder Ti'i came over to help so I had them remove the old sink.

Thanks for the help elders.

Fourteen and counting!

Today is fourteen years with my best friend, my wife, my eternal companion, my love. Thank you for sticking with me through all the good and difficult times. I am looking forward to many, many, more years together.

Almost only counts in a game of horseshoe.

After nine months we almost have a kitchen sink. All that is left to do is hook up the water supply and drain lines. We are only days from having a kitchen sink so we can wash the dishes in the kitchen. The cooktop is almost complete, just need to do the countertop and run the gas line.

(The top is hammered copper. We want the copper to discolor to create a more rustic look.)
More to come!

Progress continues on the second floor

Do you ever feel like you are running from place to place putting out different fires? Well, sometimes I feel like one project gets placed on hold to begin a new project. However, I needed to utilize the volunteers efficiently. Elders Hurst and Ti'i have helped us with different projects such as sanding and painting, etc. Tuesday they helped with putting up a portion of the second-floor ceiling. I am grateful for their assistance, it made the job go much quicker.

(Elder Hurst is on the ladder, Elder Ti'i manned the drywall lift and helped to push the drywall in place.)

(Yes, I helped. I was on the other ladder.)

Thanks Elders for a job well done!

Thankful for little conveniences

Sometimes we fail to appreciate the little conveniences that we have until we have to do without, then when faced with that situation your only choice is to rejoice or pout.

You might ask yourself what has this to do with house restoration? I lived in Japan for two years and I did not know how much I would appreciate flushing toilets until I lived without one. The same is true about living without a kitchen. We have been living without a functioning kitchen for nine months, which means washing dishes in the bathroom sink/tub and cooking in a makeshift kitchen in the drawing room.

We are getting closer to having a normal kitchen, but it has taken some time. Chris wanted a certain look but we could not find the counters that she wanted so we have resorted to making them. It has been fun, and it's great to see it coming together.  (Yes, we have finishing touches to do, but it's getting closer to being completed. As for the angles, they are not simple 45 and 90 degree angles. Ahhh, more suspense, what will it look like when finished with its countertop?)

But...progress is greatly appreciated and we have placed some of our furniture in the library.