Stars of the Schertz 4th of July parade (in a downpouring rain)
Sister Shanna and OSHA Babe painted the kitchen
Mary Ann visited from California
Kitchen bead board next to freshly painted wall
Stair trim painted
Would you believe that Hulk Hogan stopped by to help?
The "Metabo-ed" bead board
For the week ending July 8, 2007
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Let's lead with this week's visitors.
--Mary Ann, from Campbell, CA, was in town and worked us into her full schedule visits. She's a beloved elementary school teacher at the Campbell Christian School and church friend made during the 3 years we lived in San Jose. She is in the middle of her summer break and is visiting friends along the way from California to Texas and back. If you think that we are busy, you should check her agenda. She and her Toyota Corolla are covering thousands of miles and Mary Ann is visiting nearly that many friends.
--Sister Shanna came on a mission during the week of the 4th. She and the OSHA Babe attacked the kitchen with patriotic fervor and painted the walls a bold color. Big Sis has experience bringing houses back to life. She has even suggested bringing a crew of her cronies to help with painting the walls and trim in the entry, parlor, and dining room after the woodwork is prepped. Do you think that San Antonio is ready for her and her rowdy friends?
2. We did take time off to celebrate the 4th of July. The first picture above is of our patriotic daughter-in-law, Katy, and sister, Rachel, riding in their award-winning float during the Schertz community parade. The umbrellas were needed because of a steady rain that fell all morning. It is fun to be in a place where the 4th is still celebrated with 90+ parade entrants that included girl scouts, boy scouts, firetrucks, ambulances, businesses, local community politicians, little Miss San Antonio pageant participants, churches, tae kwon do teams, and umbrella-toting, rain-soaked spectators. God Bless America!
3. After a day off on the 4th, it was back to work. The kitchen painting was completed. That really put the pressure on me to finish trimming out the bead board around the granite and backsplash. It's amazing what new paint and caulked trim did for the appearance of the room.
4. We finished the painting of the trim around the stairs. You probably can't tell from the picture that there are 3 coats on it. It sure looks better than before.
5. OK, OK! That is not really Hulk Hogan helping out. (But don't you think that the moustache and goatee have a Hogan-like effect?) While OSHA Babe was out getting her hair cut (she looks maaaavelous, by the way), I was using the Metabo Paint Remover on the bead board in the butler's panty to prep the walls for painting. Paint chips were flying, I was sweating, and progress was slow. After the room was Metabo-ed, I hand scraped the beads in the bead board. There's nearly 10 hours of "love" invested so far with more to come. I'm starting to develop an attitude about the butler's pantry. (Egad! Maybe I have become the Butler but just don't realize it! This gives new meaning to the Clue storyline of "The Butler did it with the knife in the pantry.")
NEXT STEPS:
1. We need to get the Butler's Pantry painted. The bead board needs to be sanded before painting. The sheetrock walls need to be painted. The last small section of the ceiling needs to enclosed, sheetrocked, textured, and painted. The built-in cabinet in the Pantry needs to be sanded and painted. The doors need to be put on the built-in cabinet. The swinging door needs to be refinished. The floors need to be done. But other than these things, we're just about done.
2. More help is on the way! Kathy, a long time friend from Dallas, is coming to SA for a few days of labor and some visiting. (She and hubby, David, are accustomed to hard work. I believe that they have produced over half the Christmas plywood yard decorations, e.g., Santas, elves, sleighs, reindeer, etc., used in North Dallas since the 1980's.) Even after reading the disclaimer - "CAUTION! BEING A FRIEND OF THE BROCKMANS COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR LEISURE TIME! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!" - Kathy is choosing to come for a couple of days.
3. Blogging will be sparse for the next month because the upcoming 4 weeks are heavy with travel. The travels will nearly take us from sea to shining sea. (No, Donna, this is not another "Name That Tune" contest.)
--A California trip is on tap to celebrate the birth of Michael Benjamin, visit with friends, and attend the baby shower for Jeff and Heather's arriving bambino.
--The morning after we return from CA, we plan to get in the truck for a thousand mile trip to Atlanta to close on the sale of our condominium. From Atlanta, we may stop in Alabama and Tennessee to visit OB's aunts and uncles. One of the aunts has offered OB some family furniture that will not only fit the time period of this old house but also bring back memories of childhood visits to her grandfather Johnson's house. "This Old House" is becoming "This Old Home."
--Oh yeah, I nearly forgot. The day after we return from the Atlanta, OB's sister and hubby are scheduled to arrive for a week in San Antonio. (Haven't you two read the Disclaimer?) Although the official word is that they that are coming for a visit, the real skinny is that they are are motivated by their margarita on the Riverwalk prize that was awarded after winning the Life is Good in Tobin Hill blog "Name That Tune" contest several months back. Seriously, we're looking forward to your visit -- and the 14 hour work days that are planned.
