Hanging Sheetrock

July has been hot and busy so far.  This month the interior work began in earnest.  The sheetrock crew started hanging the gypsum wall board on Tuesday the 2nd and boy, did they ever make a mess.  There was dust and scrap pieces of wall board everywhere.  They began hanging the sheetrock on the ceilings and worked their way down the walls.  For the most part they worked in pairs because no single person could have held the board overhead and fastened it into place without help.  There were also men working singly marking the electrical boxes and cutting them out with an electrical tool much like a router.  In about four or five days they had every wall covered and filled the dumpster and another small trailer with their scraps.  

Upstairs Game Room and Alcove

Brenda and I spent several hours cleaning up their mess in hopes of staying ahead of the ever increasingly cluttered house.  I doubt it will make any difference in the final outcome, but it makes us feel more involved.

Then beginning on July 8th another sheetrock crew which specialized in Tape, Bed, and Texture began their work.  Some of the workers had stilts strapped to their legs so they could work on the upper reaches of the walls.  

The outside corners of the walls have been curved to soften the look.  The walls were lightly textured to resemble an orange peel.

Looking through Dining into Family Room

There was also a young man approximately 10 years old named Diego who was the son of primary contractor working on the lower portion of the walls.  He was adept at covering the nails and screws.  One could tell it wasn't his first day on the job.  We complimented him on his work and appreciate the effort he (and his father) are making.

The north end has been completed.

The brick and stone work is also progressing outside.  About one quarter of the exterior is now covered and both of the chimneys are finished.  This week the work on the interior fireplace stonework will begin. 

The stone wall on the front bedroom, as well as one on the garage, master bath, and master bedroom, has a buttress.  It has proven to be more difficult to build than originally imagined.  Many of the stones had to be specially cut and ensuring the stone face is showing on adjacent surfaces takes lots of planning.

There will be a short wall of stone wainscoting surrounding the house on which the brick will sit.  The areas around the front and back porches have been completed.

This week more stone work will continue, both inside and out.  Hopefully the bathroom and utility cabinets will be delivered and installed.  Next week the trim carpenter will begin finishing the doorways and windows, and install the moulding and stairs.

There is also painting and staining to be completed before the flooring and fixtures are installed.  While there has been steady progress, there is still a lot to be accomplished before this house is our home.

The house as of July 14th

In other news, our sister Valerie came for a visit over the Independence Day holiday.  We had such a relaxing, fun time showing her around the area and hope she will return soon and often.  Then we left for a quick visit to Calgary for a family reunion with all Brenda's Canadian relatives.  We enjoyed the cooler weather and attended the Calgary Stampede.  All in all we had a great time  - we laughed lots and ate a bun or two, don't you know.

Visitors, roofing, and important safety tips

Quite a few friends and family members have visited recently and even more are planning to stop by in the coming weeks. Erin and Jeff came up for an overnight visit the first weekend in May.

Jamie surprised Ashley by coming down after church to spend Mother's Day with her mom.  Cullen and Todd also drove all the way down to spend time with family.

It is always a treat to watch the grandchildren interact with their uncles.  

This weekend Mike and Nelwyn Walker joined us for church in the Corsicana Branch and then spent the rest of Sunday and Memorial Day with us.

We loved the conversation, the wonderful spring weather, and making plans to attend each of the four temples in Texas.  We also appreciate their help cleaning up around the house.  It is hard to tell from this photo, given the size of the scrap wood pile, but we four made quite a dent in the mess.  We removed all the plastic, Hardie boards, and metal from among the lumber waste and stacked some of the reusable boards for later use.

The day after the painters finished staining the cedar trim and painting the Hardie shingles and facia boards, the roofers began installing the metal roof.  The roofing panels had been sitting in unopened crates on the property for several weeks.  They will install it in phases working around the stone masons and bricklayers.

We were surprised to find the roofing contractor's crew working on Sunday and again today on a federal holiday.  We would rather they spend time with their families instead of working so hard on our house.  But they said they work whenever they can because the weather is likely to become wet or hot at any time.

This photo shows how well the roof and painted trim match.  Shortly after taking the photo I noticed they were both very close to the color of my Jeep roof.  I didn't plan to coordinate my house with my automobile, but I suppose when you find a color that suits you, you stick with it.

The white (grey) metal trim along the edges of the gables will eventually be covered with a piece of charcoal trim which will match the roof.  

And finally, I'd like to pass along a safety tip.  I have been installing some of the low voltage wiring in our house which will be used to transmit internet and television signal throughout the house.  Occasionally I've been able to use some of my power tools.  Oh, how I love using power tools.

Sawing down a tree with a chainsaw, or drilling through a wall header (in this case), is thrilling.  It really is.  There is such a sense of accomplishment when someone like me who is so far outside his element can complete a task with his own hands.

As I was selecting photos for this blog post I ran across this one Brenda snapped of me stand atop a six foot tall step ladder in order to drill a hole through a board which was about ten feet up a twelve foot tall wall.  I don't remember doing this, but the photo is undeniable.  Please, please do not try this at home.  Leave this dangerous feat to the trained professionals.

A Spontaneous Campout

This week Erin and Jeff called to invite us to join them at the lake to camp for the night. The weather was ideal (70 degrees, sunny, no wind and no clouds) and I didn't have to be 'on call' for my Reserve assignment until noon the next day so Brenda and I decided to join them.

We arrive just before sunset and couldn't believe how still the lake was. It was a sea of glass.

Unfortunately, that still water was horrible for Jackson's fishing efforts. He tried Cheetos, Rice Cakes, dog food. Nothing seem to entice the fish to bite his hook. Still as the saying goes, "The worst day fishing is better than the best day at work."

Probably the greatest challenge of the campout was always watching Miss Harper - now that she's quite the walker. Here Erin and I are snacking on crackers, cheese and turkey and enjoying the sunset.

Brenda and Harper went for a walk to check out the area. I promise the sky is really that red; nothing was PhotoShopped in this shot.

Early the next morning Erin and Harper snuggled for a while. Isn't she beautiful even after a night sleeping on a dock and without any makeup. Erin looks cute also. ;)

The water temperature is still below 60 degrees and too cold for me to be getting in. Hopefully within a month or so it will have warmed up enough for another great summer of water sports and family events. There'll be plenty more opportunities soon!

Our grand-daughter was born today

Erin and Jeff had a daughter born today and Jackson has a sister.  They've decided to name her Harper Elizabeth Nydegger.  She weighs 6 pounds 9 ounces and is 19 inches long.  According to Brenda who is there in Austin, TX helping care for Jackson, she looks just like Erin did when she was born and is crying vigorously - which is a good thing.

My first thought is one of gratitude to our Heavenly Father for his goodness.  His love for us and for all His children is manifest in His blessings.  The trust He has shown by granting Erin and Jeff the privilege to have another child in their home is not misplaced.  Similarly, the love He has shown Harper by providing such loving, righteous parents is without bounds.

Visiting with the 'rents

Brenda and I returned from California last Monday evening after spending the weekend with her mom.  Betha lives in Danville, CA on the east side of the Bay Area near her daughter Barbara.  Even as she approaches her 84th birthday later this month, she remains very active.  She reads incessantly, teaches English (as a second language) to several women in her group home, and attends church.

On Saturday we drove to the Pacific coast to visit Muir Woods.  The woods contain some of the last remaining old growth redwood trees and are protected as a National Monument.  I have been visiting Brenda's family in the Bay Area for almost 30 years and have long wanted to see them but had never taken the time before last weekend.

We were in awe of their size and grandeur.  Some of the trees have survived for millenniums and are 20 feet (or more) in diameter.  When one considers the history of the world that has occurred since they first sprouted, our short lives seem almost insignificant.  And yet, we can be so much more significant than a tree.

The weather in northern California was spectacular.  It is always a treat to get away from 100 degree temperatures and high humidity in Texas, even if it is only for a long weekend.  Additionally, we were also able to visit with Brenda's brother Raymond, her sister Barbara, and her niece Jolie.

On Wednesday morning Brenda, Todd and I flew to Mississippi to visit with my parents and relatives.  It was the first opportunity we've had to visit there since last December when my brother Robert died.  It had been too long!

During the four days we were there, we stayed up 'till the wee hours of the night playing card games, talking, eating, and laughing.  To my surprise, my father hung in there much longer than my mother.  Every now and then we'd catch him (along with my nephew Tyler)  on the couch, checking his eyelids for holes.

I believe anytime we can manage to get a 16 year old grandson to sit on the back porch with his 77 year old grandfather, listening to his sage advice and stories he has told dozens of times ;) ... that's a good thing. 

Here my mom Mimi, my nephew's wife Amber, and Brenda are spending time together.  During the visit there were many such small groups spending time together.  One time it might be my sister-in-law Valerie, Brenda and me looking over her house plans for the home she is beginning to build.  The next time it might be various cousins or my Aunt Bitsey playing Nerts or telling one another about their workday.  

Regardless of the faces in the photos, the result was always the same - this week was a time for renewing the sense of family we all share.  We all came away from the visit strengthened by the knowledge that we are as close as a hug and only as far away as a phone call. 

Keeping in touch

We love our family. We enjoy spending time together. We celebrate our birthdays, our anniversaries, our accomplishments ... our lives. As our family grows larger and moves farther away from the home we've all shared, we will use the tools available to remain close and maintain the sense of "family".  

During our lives the world has changed dramatically. We've moved from homes centered around the family with parents and children living together to, in some cases, parents living and working apart and communicating by electronic means. Today we email, text message, iChat or Skype, and yes even blog. We Twitter, we join online social networks, we argue with total strangers via forums.

As a member of the Baby Boom generation with Generation X children and Generation Whatever-Our-Grandchildren-Will-Be-Called arriving annually, we can either lament the change or embrace the opportunities. As Patriarchs and Matrons of our families we should probably choose the latter because it will allow us to continue our span of influence regardless of the distances between us.

We have decided that a good way to keep in touch with our family is through this blog. We have two wonderful examples in our daughters of how to create interesting blogs. They manage to document through photographs and stories events of their very busy lives. Similarly, we hope to publish various family events so that we can maintain a close feeling for one another.