All the drywall is now hung and taped, with the first round of “mudding” complete. It makes the interior look more like a house and less like a barn.
Outside, the siding continues to go on, having reached the front of the house.
After the drywall is done, next comes the installation of the in-floor heat and then pouring the concrete floors.
Looking down into the living room from the loft
The insulation has been installed in the house, and drywall hanging began today. Meanwhile, the siding continues to go on. In addition, we now have electricity in the building.
Drywall hanging has begun. This is the study.
The women’s march passes through downtown Langley.
It wasn’t D.C. (where daughter Katie and granddaughter Sophia marched) or Chicago or L.A. or Seattle, but people gathered in the little town of Langley here on Whidbey Island for a local version of the women’s march.
The lady who put out the call for the local march thought she might get 50 people. Instead, hundreds turned out on a sunny and surprisingly warm day. I heard one estimate of 1,200 but it might have been more. The march stretched for blocks. Continue reading
Quite a bit happened on the house while we were gone for two months. All the wiring — electrical and low voltage — has been completed and passed inspection. The window and other exterior trim is mostly in place, and the siding is going on. The insulation is supposed to start going in later this week.
Siding going on the back of the garage. That’s not the final color.
Exterior trim has been added around the windows.
Wires everywhere: electrical, low-voltage, and heating
A pile of siding
Annika and Sophia with the Christmas tree at the Williamsburg museum. Note the treetop ornament.
Between Christmas a New Year’s we took the granddaughters to Colonial Williamsburg. We spent four days seeing as much as we could. Robin and I had been there before, but not for many years.
Sophia and Annika seemed to enjoy it, especially the various tradesmen. The girls asked questions and paid close attention. Usually we had to tell them when it was time to move on. We also visited the governors’ palace and the museum. I calculate that we saw about a third of what there was to see.
We started at the Visitors Center, where we watched the movie “The Story of a Patriot,” which is said to be the longest-running film in history (almost 60 years). Filmed in Williamsburg, it portrays a fictional planter who is elected to the House of Burgesses and interacts with various founding fathers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. The acting was a bit wooden and the protagonist was played by Jack Lord (who didn’t say “Book ’em, Danno” once). Still, it was fun to see members of the House of Burgesses sitting on the same benches in the Capitol where we later sat. Continue reading
Our electrician has returned to work, so things are moving ahead again. We also did a walk-through with the “low voltage” guy (security and audio visual) and will have a follow-up with the electrician next week. Siding should start going on in the next couple of weeks.
All windows and doors are now installed.
All the windows and doors (except the garage doors) are now installed on the house. The rough plumbing has been completed and the septic field is done. Work is under way on ventilation duct work and additional rough carpentry. The well should be dug soon. Continue reading
The view of Haystack Rock from our rental house in Cannon Beach
In the last two weeks we have made two quick trips to Oregon. The first was a journey to Cannon Beach to complete our celebration of Robin’s mother’s 90th birthday. We rented a nice house right on the beach that accommodated the whole gang. Unfortunately, the weather was chilly and rainy, as it often is on the Oregon Coast. But we had we had a nice spot from which to watch the weather pass by. Continue reading
Work continues apace. The fireplaces are now roughed in, solar panels have been installed on the roof, and the electrician has begun his work.
Worker up on ladder installing solar panels
Whidbey Sun and Wind truck at the house
Solar panels on the roof. You may have to look closely. They’re on the main roof, behind the tree.
View of the Mckenzie River from our cabin
Last weekend we made a quick trip to Oregon for a birthday celebration and a wedding.
Our first stop was Forest Grove, where we celebrated Robin’s mother’s 90th birthday and sister Karen’s 71st, with a nice dinner at Karen’s house up in the woods.
The next day we drove farther south to the banks of the McKenzie River for the wedding. We stayed in a nice little cabin at Cedarwood Lodge right on the river. It was quite peaceful and relaxing, and we had great views of the river. Continue reading
See Más America 