Blog Debut for visitor Hazel and hubby, Dennis (not pictured) who were in SAT for business, Spurs game, and visit to Brockman's B&B
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OSHA Babe likes the new ice maker
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Bo's Door Refinishing Assembly Line
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Before Refinishing
During Refinishing.
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After Refinishing
Ask OSHA Babe for her crock pot recipe for Door Knobs. Don't know how they taste, but they look great
Can you tell which door plate is the "before" one?
FOR THE WEEK ENDING November 18. 2007
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Who says we don't have this house restoration on a precise schedule? It's November and what else would be more timely than having the Air Conditioner repaired? Yep, that's right - about $1300 worth of coil replacement, 60 ft. of copper line replacement, new freon put in, and some cosmetic work to make the job look professional. Since moving in, we have had the upstairs unit serviced 3 times to replace freon that had leaked out. We decided to do it right this time and found a good contractor who had worked on our neighbor's house. He thoroughly isolated the leak to the coil and high pressure line and then replaced both. It's working great while the outside temperature is in the 70's. We'll see when it gets hot again.
2. Water Works is not only a property in the game of Monopoly but also a theme around here recently. A couple of weekends ago, I put on my plumber's hat and connected a water softener system. I did wait until we did not have overnight guests to take this project on because it does involve cutting into the main water supply line that feeds the entire house. If something were to have gone wrong, I wanted it to be only OSHA Babe and me who had to trek to the gas station to take care of business. (Have you been in a gas station restroom lately? Yuk!) Well, it went nearly flawlessly - PTL. If you plan to do some plumbing and haven't heard of "Shark Bite" connectors, call me.
.....OSHA Babe said, "And while you're at it, how about hooking up the ice maker? After all, it is November." Yep. We did that too. OSHA Babe is shown above getting a glass of crushed ice to cool things off.
3. We keep progressing on refinishing the doors. You can see "Before", "During", and "After" pictures of both doors and door hardware and see why we're excited about how this is working out. After getting one of the interior doors done for about $300, I came home and did a door inventory. We have nearly 30 doors in the house. Do the math (30 x $300) and that would be a lot of money to have all the doors done by someone else. So, I put on my door refinisher hat and began the process. From the pictures, I hope that you can tell that we're doing a very good job. A young man is helping and learning along with me. Right now, there are 5 doors in the Brockman Door Co. assembly line. Do the math.
.....The front door is still being worked on at Acme Lumber. They are turning the 100+ year old door into a showpiece. In addition to refinishing the door, we're paying to have them build a new frame, buy and install a new lockset, and install the entire assembly when it is all finished. Although I can refinish a door, I did not want to take on the other parts of getting this done.
4. The floors continue to be a dilemma. The floor guy, Frank, is taking care of some important family business and has not been able to get this job done. We really like Frank and the great job that he and wife, Lynn, did on the upstairs floors. Hopefully, things will be settled so that he can begin after Thanksgiving.
5. The Historic Designation process for our neighborhood (Tobin Hill) took another step forward recently. The San Antonio Zoning Commission voted unanimously in favor of the proposal to rezone Tobin Hill as "historic." The next, and hopefully final, step is a vote by the City Council. Our council person has indicated her support so we are anticipating passage of the proposal. However, I haven't heard the Fat Lady singing so, it ain't over yet.
6. We did have visitors. The first picture in this entry is our friend Hazel from Dallas. She and hubby, Dennis, are work and church friends from Houston, St. Louis, and San Antonio. (Guys, it's getting close to 30 years worth of friendship.) We were in their home in the Chicago area on September 11, 2001. They have visited us in Mexico City and San Jose, CA. Dennis is on my "Short List" of work heroes. He was instrumental in our getting the opportunity to work in Mexico City. Also, he positively affected my repatriation 7 years later when we moved from San Juan, PR back to San Antonio. Not only has Dennis been an inspiration to folks who have worked with him at AT&T/SBC, he is the human who inspired the Energizer Bunny. To this day, I don't know of anyone who keeps going and going and going like Dennis. When he dropped Hazel off for her Blog Debut, he was moving so fast that the camera shutter couldn't even catch him.
.....We did also have other friends and family come through town. Friend Mary Dean from New Braunfels came by and offered encouraging words about the progress that is being made. Uncle Joe and Cousin Nettie were in San Antonio for a doctor's visit and stopped by. While OB and Nettie went shopping, Uncle Joe and I played a round of golf at the Brackenridge Golf Course. I finally found someone who I can out drive on the golf course. Never mind that he is in his early 80's. We enjoyed the time together. Aunt Gene and hubby, Bill, were in town recently. She called when OB was out running around and the A/C repair guy was here. She suggested taking a rain check for their next trip to San Antonio. We will look forward to that.
NEXT STEPS:
1. We have lots of doors to refinish. All it takes is time or money. We will even try to get the door on the bathroom before your next visit.
2. Stay tuned on the floor refinishing. OB wants to have it done so the 9 ft. tall Christmas tree she bought last season will look good in the entry way.
3. There is always painting waiting. (That nearly rhymes, doesn't it?) Work on windows and trim is always lurking.
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