Yet another link in the chain of events

My Deck project is coming along very well. I found oil based paint today at Sherwin and Williams. They bought out Parker Paint of Tacoma, where we had purchased paint for decades. I had used Parker Paint's Marathon Black for my railings and posts; now I have changed horses, as when SW bought out PP they stopped production about 3 years ago. The weather this week is suppose to be great, so I hope to get a lot of painting done! Wish I could clone myself and get more done, but alas...
one of me will have to be enough.

Photo updates....

I got the roof on the last section over the garage.

Then I got the 8' section on the side deck done. So I only have one super small section on that side to finish.

I was working on cutting my tall post on the west side of the garage so I can put a decorative cap across all of them. I plan to put hanger in the 

This is our apple tree in bloom. We get large crops of apples each year for this ole tree. below is our pear tree. It, too, bears bountiful fruit, but only every other year.

If you look closely you'll see much paint is peeling. So in my future posts on this project I'll have it freshly painted.

Another link in the Chain of Events

Well, it's been 10 years since I wrote the blog "Chain of Events". Yeah. You guessed it. I'm STILL not done with the railings and posts on our huge deck. How big is it? Well, it's three different areas. One is the length of our house on the west side. It runs 8' x 65'; then there is the lower deck at 15' x 25 and lastly is the deck over the garage at 25 x 25. The work I did over 10 years ago was called into question when several posts rotted. They were not pressure treated and I shouldn't have reused them, but at the time it seemed like a good idea. This past month Todd and I worked on replacing all the rotten posts— there were seven. That is out of 32 posts.

This is looking from the lower deck towards the deck over the garage. The two posts at the top of the stair will sport a torii when I'm done.

The landing for the back stairs that started the rebuild. Now it has been totally rebuilt and has all new support posts.

This is the view down the west side of the house. This is the 8' x 65' walkway, ipe wood deck. I still need to make several more "roofs" for some of the rails. And of course, paint all the new wood when the rains quit.

This is a better view of the posts at the top of the stairs, which when finished will be a torii. A torii is a Japanese Shinto shrine gate that marks the transition between earth and the spiritual. Our upper deck is a spiritual, refreshing space where we entertain friends, read and grown flowers, tomatoes, peppers and other plants.

This is a panoramic view of the upper deck, lower deck, side deck and the shoji screen off the kitchen to block the view from the lower deck of the hoarder neighbor's yard.

What do you do? I don't mean the laundry, or balance the checkbook, or take the kids to school... I mean when you can do what you want to do, what do you choose to do? Is it because you love doing it? Is it an obligation? A duty? Chances are you are younger than I. It took me years, no decades, to allow myself to have time for me. When I was a young mother I would occasionally attend an international calligraphy conference, but by and large I did the day in, day out, stuff I mentioned above. I thought time for myself was drinking wine with the girls, but I was wrong. It was fun, but it wasn't feeding my soul... that part of me that needed nurturing to give me confidence, the pleasure of making something, and time to be with myself.

I have learned that I love being social with friends. They are fun. Interaction is fun. Going out to dine or to a sporting event, movie or a dance is fun. What I needed to replenish my creative reservoirs was self understanding then feeding it. Sometimes Life is so noisy we can't hear ourselves think.

Whatever rocks your boat is what will feed your creative reservoir. Because you love doing it, time will pass quickly, the outside world will disappear for awhile. You'll be in your 'zone'. It takes time for us to learn how to turn on that 'zone'. How to use it and enjoy what we reap. It does take dedication for the 'zone' to happen. Ask yourself questions... then answer them truthfully. Then grow. We all change some of us change because things around us and out of our control change; sometimes it is us who is changing from within. Embrace change and use it. 

A Saturday Spent with Karyn

I awoke this morning to the cheerful voice of Karyn, our daughter. She and I had planned a day of bonding over a project. She wanted to make some things from our grape vines. I thought that sounded better than the Huskies vs Standford at the UW, so told hubby to ask someone else and he could have a fun time and so could I. It was a wonderful day of sunshine and moderate temperatures; so we began by trimming about 65% of the vines we have. It took us several hours. Then we stripped off the leaves and began working on making shapes. I wanted to make a pumpkin shape. I wrapped the vines into a circle, then squashed the circle down to look more like a pumpkin. It was a great day. You know the kind, where you are together long enough to naturally bring up topics. We talk casually of many things and nothing at all. It was such a perfect day.

I vacuumed out my kiln. I need to fire my "coral" piece once more. It is called coral because the strips of glass are placed randomly across each other; they're fired once; then you add more where they seem to need it and fire again— this is the step I'm on. The last step is to slump it over a form. The form I've decided on is a stainless steel salad bowl I've had for 45 years.

Renewing My Efforts at Blogging

I was reading up on warm glass tips. One of the contributors to the tips is a wonderful artist, named Cynthia. Cynthia wrote a blog for a long time. Now she isn't, but after reading what she wrote, I'm back to try it again. She said that blogging is a good way to keep studio notes. That your photos and descriptions of your steps and work makes a great way to reference your work. So I plan to write about my glass ventures and other things that I experience in life. It will probably have a lot to do with owning rentals and working at them. Family and gatherings of same and of travel. I do love to travel.

Stay tuned for my sentential blog on my life and times.

In Like a Lion Out Like a Dog

It was hard to come home and immediately get into the swing of things, "Tacoma Style" after 20 weeks working in Spenard. I was used to doing what I had to do and answering to no one. Now at home there was my hubby, as loving as he is, it is someone else to consider in making plans. Alaska was a lot like being in the military. You know your job and do it. Get up work ; go to bed and do it all again. I had a wonderful time, because I love my sister and enjoyed what we were doing; but at home I had a social schedule that I didn't make; I had to think of someone else's schedule when planning when to eat; I needed to "communicate" ideas, finances, etc. It took a full month and then some to wear the harness of a "team" player. Thanksgiving came quickly and Christmas time was one me before I knew it. One of best things was I hadn't put away my Christmas dishes before I left and so it was great to use them longer. After Christmas 2011 I got the dishes put away in early March. But I didn't get the tree, garlands, candles, and other decorations put away until late March. I did manage to take on a few challenges in my artistic life.

I signed up for a magnet exchange through the Warm Glass Board. Every person who participates makes a magnet for everyone else. I chose to make mine glass that looks like rocks in the water. They turned out nicely and then I wrote up the description and made it on a card that fit the glass and tied it with red mizuhiki. It was a nice presentation, if I do say so myself. The other thing I did was sign up for "I am an artist" class held by the Artist Trust. It was a workshop where I gave an elevator speech about what I do in 2 min. I worked on my portfolio and am still working on that. But it gave me a big push and I got business cards printed and did some design work. Gathered ideas for packaging and worked out more of my goals. I have people who like the magnets and want to purchase them, so hope to sell some. I'm never sure how to price things like that. I was developing how to do it for the exchange, and now I have folks interested; how much do I need to charge for my time? That almost always stumps me. I need to keep the price low enough that people will want them, but enough to cover costs.

I spent this past week working at a rental with my helper, Todd. He's a nice man, who is really a wonderful cook/chef. He is conflicted with his profession because he has had issues with managing vs being the one who cooks. He likes the money of managing, but the misses the kitchen work. So he has not found a good fit yet. That has been my gain. He is a very likable person, positive, upbeat, capable, honest and prompt. All things I value in someone who helps me. He helped me to replace a toilet and refrigerator. First I had to find one that would fit the small space; finally found one, and after a trip across the toll bridge to Gig Harbor found it was too tall; so then had to shorten the cabinet to put in the too tall fridge, which necessitated cutting down the cupboard doors, shortening the cabinet by 4 inches and then putting it all back together. Meanwhile we took the toilet out, replaced it with a tall toilet that's non-clogging; however the floor around the toilet is a bit uneven and it has a bit of play. So we had to shim under the edges to help it not rock at all. The tenants are very large, 400 plus pounds each and there have been a number of issues with the toilet, which I believe relate to their weight. We got it in with little issue; then the water feed line was too short and the tank sat almost 4" from the wall. With the weight of the tenant compromising the water chamber seal was not an issue, so I had to build a support for the tank to the wall which I did with a 4" x 4" piece of pressure treated wood screwed to the wall and capped with a smooth board that would act like a shelf that spare toilet paper could be put on, or other products. I was never so happy to leave there as when we finished. Why? Because the nicotine is so thick in there the water supply line to the old toilet which I used to size the fittings, was so brown it made the silver wrapped line look bronze. The refrigerator was the same thing. When talking to them I began to cough, and had a hard time stopping as the smoke was so thick. This apartment would be charming if they didn't have a potty chair, wheelchair and layers of stuff around the living room. It was pretty gross. But I can understand the wheelchair that you had to walk around, but the potty could have been draped with a cover and that would have seemed better. There were options that would have made it seem much more attractive. But I'm not living there. So I'll fix it up when they leave, but until then... it is how they live. Not me.

The weather creates a lot of discussion, since it is always raining. We have had only one day, the news caster said, that could be classified as mostly sunny. It is hard to get excited for spring when it feels like winter. The high was 49°F when normal is 58°F. Then the wind starts up and it feels like 32°F! There will be a lot to do when the weather does improve. I have a deck to build on a duplex and I need to get the same building painted.

No rest for the weary. But I suppose that doing projects is what makes having rentals viable. If we had to hire all the work done, we couldn't afford them. I don't know how much longer I can last doing it though and without Todd's help, when he goes back to managing a kitchen, I'll be back to square one... trying to find someone to help me who is honest, reliable, and capable. Not easy to find.

Tomorrow the month is over. I am very happy that I have rowed 5,000 meters for 25 of March's 31 days. I posted them on the Concept2's website. I also signed up for the challenge of rowing from March 15 to April 15. I plan to continue rowing at 5,000 m/day. There are days when it is all I can do to get them in, but when I'm done I feel better about myself. I need to keep at it and building up my resolve. It is good for my health and mental wellbeing to continue. I have met a woman, named Karen Upright, who is a rowing buddy to me. She's younger, but has some health issues right now with her rotator cuff. So I'm actually rowing more than she. The motivation provided by Concept2 has been a boon to me, too. Which was a surprise to me. I didn't think I would be motivated by a certificate, but I was. When I began my rowing I was a few pounds heavier than now, but now I believe I'm more toned and have more muscle. I'll see how I feel on April 15, when I finish this next challenge. On ward, and I hope, down ward.

Well, the title was "In Like a Lion, Out Like a Dog". I chose to make the analogy to the oft quoted spring ditty because the weather we have had has been so awful. Windy. Cold, Rainy. And because I've worked hard at rowing. Hard with rentals. Hard on my glass... like a dog. Woof.

The Lost Summer 2011

I left to help my sister a couple of months after my last posting. I helped her make her mobile home into a more livable space. We had building permits and moved waterlines, electrical, gas, structural walls, cabinets and all the fixtures. I've covered this in several other posts and don't want to rehash it here. What I want to say here is that when I left I thought I was going for three weeks and it turned into 20 weeks. It was time I had not planned to use how I did.

In life we can make a lot of plans, but how they turn out can be far different that what we think they'll be. I thought I was helping my sister. (And I was) I didn't think much of it when we didn't finish— in construction things rarely get done on time. So when I had to make various extensions (5 in all) it was done light heartedly. We'd joke about whether or not I'd get home before it snowed.

Down deep in my soul I knew that my sister needed someone as an advocate for her. If she did not have one there would not be rhyme nor reason to how the project was approached. So while we worked on it every day, except three, we had time together to share and to talk. It was the most time we'd spent together since we were children. We see life differently. Even though we were both brought up by the same parents our lives are colored by our experiences and in that our lives differ quite a bit.

I have felt resentful and protective of my younger sister. When we were children I would think that she got all of our father's attention. She was snappy with verbal skills and clever. I felt that she was so "lucky". As we got older her bond with our dad was strong, but with our mother she was always at odds. This put Mom more in my camp. Pam, my sister, would give our mom a run for her money. She'd not call in when late, she'd forget to tell her where she was going, she'd argue about things. I know it was hard for Mom, but you know when you want something you don't have you start to obsess about getting it. Mom was clearly fond of my even temperament and willingness to please; but I craved Dad's admiration and what I usually got was a two hour lecture on being more responsible.

It might help if you knew that our dad was loath to spank (tho he would). He would lecture us. It wasn't over quickly like a spanking. No. We had to listen to him pontificate on topics like being responsible. IF you were not showing enough deference he would start on that topic. How we needed to be more mindful of why he was taking this time to instruct us, and it was our responsibility to listen attentively and reply with the right responses. There were times I'd want to laugh, sometimes I'd feel like crying, but mostly after about 45 minutes I'd be bored out of my skull. It is hard to fein interest when you want to have your dad just leave you alone to brood. There were times that I told him a lickin' would be a lot less bother for both of us. But I think perhaps that's why he did it his way. He knew it hurt more to have to listen.

All my time with my father was not spent listening to lectures about how I should behave. Sometimes he'd tell tall tales. He was a wonderful storyteller. He taught me to use his table saw when I was about 9 or 10. I'd tie flies with him at his bench in the basement. We'd work on his car together. We even went on a back country fishing trip together with a bunch of men. It was so memorable for me. He told me from the time I was old enough to understand that I could do or be anything I wanted. In 6th grade he even went to my teacher and said that he wanted me to have the opportunity to be in the architectural drafting class and not the shorthand class (I had cried that I didn't get drafting). Then he took me to get an engineering scale, made me an aluminum T-Square, and made me my own drafting board. Yes, he was empowering — long before many men were open to the idea. I felt that I could do anything, and do it as well as anyone of either gender. So I've always wondered why Pam didn't feel this same way. Maybe Dad treated us differently. Maybe I got the "tuff love" and she got "laughs". What I used to think of as being on the outs was perhaps for me building my character in being independent. Because I think I am fairly independent. My sister is still funnier than most people I know. She can make me laugh very easily. I don't feel jealous of her any more. I believe our father gave us each what we needed. Pam is thoughtful to a fault, caring, funny and a bit on the quirky side. I am independent, curious, self motived and content in my life and also perhaps a bit quirky.

So when I went to Alaska I went to do work that I knew I could do, for sister I love, with skills acquired from an early age onward, with the support and blessings of my husband. It is so good to feel that he supports me in the things that I do. Even when unplanned. Even when it costs more money. Even when it means more time away.

The summer was lost, in that I wasn't home experiencing it with my husband and daughters and friends, but I found my sister. It was such a blessing.

27 February 2011

Today I worked pushing a heavy ball up hill. The "ball" was cleaning my basement carpet, which got wet when the washtub the washing machine drains into overflowed, flooding the basement carpet. I feel like I spend a lot of my life making up for things that should not have gone wrong, if I'd been paying attention... like the wet carpet. There is a lot to pay attention to in life.

I'm not saying that I'd change my issues for yours, but that they exist is the complaint that I have. Why didn't I notice that the rags from cleaning the duplex had been used to wipe up the plaster spills? The plaster clogged the drain. I had thought the towels had only been used with paint and clean up. My failure to shake them out while putting them in the washer was critical. I doubt the next time, I have cleaning rags from working at a rental, I'll simply put them in the washer.

Now I have a meeting tomorrow for AWE. Handing out the promotional pieces. And then Wednesday I'll be working on an "international costume" for Rotary 8's Auction next weekend. They have chosen an international theme. It is semi formal or wear clothing from another country. My grandmother is from near Sand, in Rogaland, Norway. While the bunad I'm putting together is not authentic, it will do the job of representing my nationalist roots on my mother's side. (My father's side is not so clear and is rumored to even have Nez Perce). Mom's family is very clearly Norge. My sister, Pam, and I visited there in the summer of 2009. It was a wonderful experience to meet our cousins and to see where our grandmother was born, lived and worked. We loved the stories of her and the times she lived in. Very hard life… which is why she immigrated to the USA. She indentured herself to a wealthy family in Minnesota and worked as a housekeeper to pay off the ticket they paid for. Then she married my grandfather, who came from around Oslo. His family name had been Petersen, but he changed it to Strom because he was told there were too many Petersens! For that matter Grandmother changed her name from Aas to Larsen… because she was told Aas was too much like ass, and in America that was not a good thing. Too bad she just didn't change the spelling as her cousins did who went to the east coast. They changed the spelling to Awes. I thought that was very interesting.

February Ends 27 Feb 2011

February started ordinary enough, but now it's been snowing and very cold. The trees were starting to bud and this cold isn't good for them after they start to bud. My trees were not that far along, but for those that were early this could be bad news.

Todd helped me prune the pear, apple and cherry tree and cut back a vine maple that I allow my westeria to use as a living trellis.

I have cleaned up a bit in the garage from working at our rentals. And this weekend and until I feel I'm done I will be steam cleaning the basement rugs. It's only two weeks until my beading weekend with friends, so I need to get the place squared away.

We will set up our temporary studio in the basement. We will be five for sure and perhaps two or three "drop ins". I have 8 foot long tables that we will use. Two to a table with all the beading tools, gear, supplies, lights, books, etc. It can be a bit cool, but with all of us down there it should be pleasant enough. We'll listen to music and do wire working. I made a byzantine bracelet two years ago and last year a jens pend pattern, both in sterling. The price of wire is getting so expensive, so I won't even be able to work in silver.

Winter 2011

The winter has been wet. I've not been working on the deck or my house in general, instead I'm working at our rentals. I spent October, November and December renovating and making ready three places for renters. I had to some extensive work at one... the tenant had four cats and a dog! We had allowed the dog and a cat, but one cat became four... heaven only knows where they came from. So the apartment had been used hard, but more than that it stank! Ever had a bad smell you needed to get rid of? I ripped out all the carpets and padding.I had to use every trick I knew to get the odors out: used vinegar to neutralize the urine. Then later sealed the wood with an oil-based sealant. Together they all worked. It took weeks to get the place cleaned up... but it sure looks nice now and it doesn't smell. (Thank goodness) I also removed some of the old dark paneling and then replastered the walls. Replaced the florescent light in the kitchen with a curving track light with 6 halogen fixtures. It helped update the kitchen. I also had to replace the old appliances, so I got all black ones. That also helped the kitchen look more current. I can't afford stainless steel for my rentals, but the black really looks good. So it's onward...

For the first time in over 7 months all the rentals are filled. I am pleased that they are not just filled, but filled with really great tenants. Now I hope a few months go by without emergencies.

I did have to replace a doorknob at one rental, because someone tried to break in and they trashed the knob set. I like all locks in a residence to have one key, so I had to take the lock in to be keyed. As I had purchased a set of locks from Home Depot and it was one of them, and new, I took it in and they rekeyed it for free. Good thing cuz money is tight with all the expenses of getting three places ready.

No Summer Yet 2010

This summer is not really summer. We have had less than a week of good summer weather. Mostly it rains, and today is typical — rain. So the wood that is clean and ready for me to re-mill can't be done as it is leaning against the garage in the rain. I don't cut wet wood... to heavy and messy. So I'll work a bit more on the "roofs" for over the rails.

I have lost (misplaced? I hope) my camera that I bought last year for my trip to Norway. It's a great camera, a Canon. It is preventing me from taking photos of my work. I've got to tear this house apart and find it! I hate being so rushed that I forget where I put things. I had it the day of the Adobe User Group summer picnic, but when I got home and had to unload everything it got lost in the confusion of unloading. Darn!

Chain of Events

In 2000 I looked out the window of the kitchen and thought, our deck is looking "worn out". We should replace the decking. Then there were a few small leaks in the structure under the decking that is the actual roof to our garage. So I decided I needed to replace that before I could rebuild the deck. So if you haven't guessed already the deck is over the garage with a galvanized metal roof under it to protect the garage contents... so I asked a contractor for a bid to replace the decking with a waterproof decking. It was about $8000, so thinking I could take the boards up and repair the metal for less I dismissed that bid. (would have been done years ago had I gone with that bid!) I called several sheet metal shops and found the price of sheet metal had soared since I put in my system. So I spent a few weeks checking out other sealants and found one for mobil home roofs that was just right. It sealed holes and added a layer of roofing tar with aluminum on top of that. So I ordered it and began the restoration of the existing roof. I hired a nice young man to help me. He was a good worker and it took us about two weeks to get the roof resealed and as good as new. No leaks. Good drainage.

Now it was time to replace the decking. As the joists were 24" o/c I could not use thin 1" boards to span that distance. I was locked into 2" thick wood. So I opted in for cedar again, but bought 6" instead of 4" this time. I liked the look of hidden fasteners and so opted for them on this rendition of our deck. (Besides it was a great opportunity to purchase a biscuit joiner.) So my helper and I used Penofin to treat the wood before installing it. All wood. All sides. After cuts too. We were careful and got 98% of the decking done. I needed to get the edges with the flashing done when summer was over.

2001 summer begins and I do a little work on the flashing and edges, but think that I need to repair the lower deck (off the kitchen door) and the stairs need to be rebuilt connecting the upper deck over the garage to the lower deck off the house. I need to do that before I can flash that area. So begins another demolition... removing an old structure and repairing older rotten wood. Under this deck is a structure of our previously installed but now removed hot tub. So removing this involves "sistering" some 2 x 8 joists and taking out two huge beams that supported the weight of the hot tub. (thank goodness for boyfriends of our daughters...) I got it done with the eager help of Chris. Replaced some deck boards and was good after staining both decks for another summer.

2002 summer arrives and the stairs that lead from the garage to the lower deck are dire need of repair. The stair boards are weakened after 20+ years and needed a rehaul. So I set about replacing the stair supports and treads. This job was difficult. Cutting the 12" wide wood with notches that were square and cut straight was a chore. I had much more respect for the original carpenters. But after two weeks of laying out, cutting... buying a new piece of wood and doing it again. I finally screwed the last tread down and was pleased with the sturdiness of the whole thing. But the posts were looking very poorly. The 6 x 6 solid cedar posts that had been installed in 1979 were cracking, checking, rotting, and needed to be replaced. So while I was rebuilding the stairs I went out to replace the posts... $10/foot for 6 x 6 posts!!! No can do. 32 posts each 4' long. So I opted to wrap 4 x 4's with 1 x 6 cedar for the substantial look of a 6 x 6 post. Our home was built in 1903 and has large posts where they put posts (10" x 8") so 4 x 4's would look out of place with the substantial look of our home. Each post is now costing $4 for treated 4 x 4 center and $6 for the 6' x 6" x 6" wrap. I decide I can cut down some of the old posts that aren't in bad shape and use them for the centers of some of the posts and do that. So as summer draws to an end I have the upper deck without railings now and the posts being built by me.

I haven't mentioned that we own rentals and now it is time for them to interfere with my work around our home... when a tenant moves out and faced with recarpeting I decide to refinish the floors instead of carpeting. We tear out the carpet and find linoleum over the old fir floors. It has ruined the fir flooring so I decide that oak flooring is about the same as having carpet pads, and carpet laid and then having to clean it and replace it in 3-6 years depending upon the tenant. So I order the wood and begin to lay new oak floors in our rental. I buy the unfinished wood, because I don't want the edging that is in the finished floors... it is a small "vee" between each board, a place for grit to get into the wood. I opt to install the flush faced wood and finish it myself. I hire a fellow that owes me money (rent) and he lasts about three days! What a wimp. It is like he has to macho out on everything. I show him how to hit the nailer with the mallet, and he hauls off and smashes the "%&#$" out of the nailer... jamming it. That takes me awhile to fix. He lifts wood with his back not his legs, he carries as much as he can, not a sensible load... I tell him to work smarter. It's about finishing not showing me what he's got. Like I said three days and he's burned out, used up and flat on his back complaining to me that I caused his problems.

Aside: Do you ever wonder about the people that always seem to have bad luck? I used to. I know several. One is this tenant and after three days working together I know why he has bad luck. He doesn't listen to anyone else. He knows best, until he doesn't like the results then he looks around for someone to blame. I have come to the conclusion that these types of people will always get these results until they "man up" and take responsibility for their own actions. Okay, woman up too. I'm not much for the gender specific terms... I use man to mean "human kind". I'm three times his age and I'm making it day in day out. I don't over do like him; I take it easier and I work with my mind and my body. It's just that the old body is wearing down. So I can't rise up when down with the ease I once did. Thus the need of helpers who can grab things, get up and get things, etc. The best helpers come with the attitude that they can learn something... whether they are 17 or 47. I know that I too enter work with that attitude. I can learn how to do something, or leave knowing what I already knew. Life is short...learn all you can when you can. So when it comes to helpers, avoid the braggers. The ones that ask questions and listen to answers are great picks.

2004 summer comes quickly on the heals of 2003 after working on the floors on one side of the duplex, it is decided to refinish the floors on the other side. Our daughter lives there and is in a hurry to get her side looking good and begins the process of removing the carpet, and quarter round molding... but while the floors on her side are not covered with linoleum they are missing wood in areas where huge floor heaters once hung down into the basement. The fir in the floors is old growth fir. Straight grained. So I can't find any here and trek off to Portland to a man who re-mills old wood and buy $300 worth of fir... about 8 sticks... expensive. Get it back here after discussing the face size and the thickness of the wood, find they don't match!!! I should have put my tape on it, but was assured it met my specifications. So I had to re-mill it with my table saw... cutting a 1/16 of an inch off the tongue and recutting the groove for it. Well, it fit then. So I took up about three rows of flooring and wove the new wood in, using a mallet to drive the new wood 8-10' and then letting it all bow until the last piece was in and then pressing down until it eased into place. I am very pleased with how nicely the whole floor looked when done. Thanks to Elizabeth's help on the floor it looks great.

In 2005 with the floors behind me, the deck still in limbo another rental opened up with lots of damage. I was so disheartened... but had an idea to make the unit better than before. I'd take a small room off the master bedroom that had a sink and nothing else and make it a bathroom for the master bedroom. I'd also redesign the kitchen... taking out the 6' sliding door and putting in a 5' French door. That would give me an extra foot for kitchen cabinets. And that is where this blog began originally... I was finishing a years worth of work. I had closed off a doorway in the old bathroom, built out a wall in the master bedroom and then build the new bathroom. I had ripped out the old cabinets in the kitchen and ordered new ones custom built to the space. It came together very nicely too. While it did take a year, it was in part because I do most of the work myself and there are still other obligations that I need to keep. I do hire helpers and with this project I had three. Two hs friends helped demo the bathrooms; and another helper helped paint the entire place. I had the plumbing, wiring, sheetrock, painting and flooring to put into three spaces... so it took time.

Meanwhile back at our deck I'm thinking I want to get into warm glass, that involves a kiln. And that needs a "home". So I think that if I redo our lower deck I can put in a gutter system like over the garage to keep underneath dry and put my kiln under that deck... thus finding a "studio space" in otherwise lost space.

Now you see how my mind works. Slowly turning over things. Not finishing things because the plan is ever evolving and not quite done... so now I am to the point of enclosing under the lower deck for the kiln... the year is 2006 and I am off for the summer to San Diego to attend UCSD for the summer and spend some time thinking about what I want to do with my life and efforts. I want to make my life stand for something. Not just be here.

by 2006 my mother decides that she needs full time help and hires my sister, Pam, an Alaskan caregiver, to come be her caregiver. This affords me the opportunity to see my sister often and to enjoy time with her. I leave the end of June and return in late August. No time for the deck. I return committed to work on building myself a space and getting on with this direction in my work from sandblasting to warm glass fusing and slumping. I apply in late winter to the Pillchuck Glass School and am accepted on a scholarship for the July session. So summer of 2007 I'm off to Pilchuck.

As the summer of 2007 unfolds I am caught working on the lower deck... the deck boards are off and I have jury-rigged a walkway of boards. One must be like a high-wire walker to navigate the entire place. In April I fly to Dayton Beach to adopt a dog, we name him Rusty. He is a pure bred Tibetan Terrier, also known as Dhoki Apso... they are the larger breed that Lhasa Apsos were derived from. I prefer the Tibetan name, so I always refer to him as a Dhoki Apso. He is so forlorn. He's not be socialized and left in his kennel for long periods of time. It takes about three months, but as summer arrives he is coming into his own. His coat is filling out and his personality is showing through. Best of all, he loves Jim, my husband. They go on long walks and Rusty loves to ride in his car with him. While I'm at Pilchuck Jim will care for Rusty alone. He'll do the brushing of his long double coat; feeding; walking; everything. Rusty is a quick study and did well in Doggie School, earning accolades for obedience and learning. He's on his way to being a "wonder dog". But there are times when he seems lonesome. Oh, well. Summer brings my family to Pilchuck for the only open house of the year. It coincided with when I was there. That was nice. So Mom came up and sat and watched lots of activity. She saw glass poured into sand molds; glass being blown; and all manner of finished glass work. She walked with the aid of her four wheeled walker and was wonderful. This was in July of 2007. We didn't know then that in a month she'd die. She was frail, but game for the adventure. When I got home I began staying with Pam and Mom at Mom's house. So needless to say the deck is getting no where fast. At 2:15 AM on August 15, 2007 Mom passes away in her sleep. It is sad, but the outcome was known for months. Now for the next three months Pam and I work on clearing out the house and getting it ready to sell. As fate would have it, it is also the popping of the real estate bubble in the NW real estate market. So we lose several thousand dollars by the timing of putting it on the market. We try to sell it ourselves to save the 10% that we'd lose listing it, but in the end decide that the commission is okay and sell it in two weeks. At a time when nothing is selling. That speaks to the good condition of her place and our good pricing. I decide that I've got to get the deck done in the summer of 2008 as I need a place to put my kiln. And under the deck is where I've decided to put it. So I begin again to research materials for the roofing under the deck.

Summer of 2008 comes with a wonderful surprise. Our good friends Jeff and Susan give us the mahogany that was their deck, as they are replacing their deck. I grab it up to use on our lower deck. They had used hidden fasteners and I plan to do the same. I just need to figure out how to make under it water tight without spending a lot of cash. I decided that a good awning fabric at was weather tight would be a good material. I measure and order what I think I need. It weighs 300 pounds! That's a lot of fabric and more than I needed, but using fabric instead of sheet metal is much less expensive and it is so workable. I begin cutting the fabric and laying it between the joists. I then cover the top of the joists with another layer of fabric that lays inside of the first. This will allow water to run off the deck boards and down the fabric into the trough I create from the fabric between the joists. (I feel that I am on my way to getting a space carved out of unused space.

I mention to my hairdresser that I want help and she offers up her son, Scott. Scott is a great kid. He listens, offers well thought out ideas and is prompt. He is the ideal worker and I'd write him a glowing recommendation any day. He comes to help me work on this deck. We are walking on joist edges, and he is kneeling on them as we attach the fabric and lay the top layer over the joists. Then the salvaged mahogany is routed for use with the hidden deck clips and we are on our way to getting the deck up. Meantime, I have another deck down the whole west side of our home. This deck needs to be demolished to rebuild too. I had purchased Ipe wood in 2006, that I had stored on the upper deck for two years while I waited to begin the deck. I was originally going to use it for the lower deck, but the mahogany helps me out and I have enough Ipe to replace the front porch plywood with Ipe. So I work on the lower deck in 2008 and get ready to rebuild the side deck the next summer.

But before I can rebuild the side deck I want to change from concrete post supports to a foundation. My reasoning is that I can pour a legal foundation and use it for any remodeling we might do in the future. That way I only have to do it once. Have you ever looked for a good concrete worker? They are hard to find, and I didn't find one either. I broke my own rules by paying him before the job site was clean. He left me two days of work... breaking up dumped concrete piles, forms, rebar, I had Scott working cleaning and hired one other person too. The guy was a flake and I'd never recommend him. He talked out of both sides of his mouth. So in the end while I could afford him, he gave me the job I paid for... half assed.

But once the wall was in I rented a concrete drill and placed the 4 x 6 post supports down the newly poured foundation wall. It's a nice clean look. I'm pleased we did it. I get the 4 x 8 beam up and soon the 2 x 8 joists are attached to the ledger and resting on the beam. Now it's time to lay the Ipe. Instead of using the biscuit joiner method, I use a different type of clip and need to pre-drill each piece before nailing to it.

Now the chain of events is set. You have seen that the job of rebuilding our three deck areas took a lot of planning and several years. Now I am embarking upon the final stage. I am working this summer to get the railings done. Yep, it's a long time in coming, but I'm to the finishing stage. I have re-milled the 2 x 4 cedar into balusters for the railings. I have cut down the 2 x 6's for the cross supports for the balusters and am gluing up cedar boards for the roof.

Well, I generally try to think about my work before I do it. I decided to glue two full sized board together, then when dry I'd rip off half of one of them, to get the right dimension. Well, this idea was half baked. I did one set (each pitch of the roof). But when thinking how I'd cut off the part that was too long I decided that it would not work well. So I set up my saw to rip the 1 x 6 roofing cedar in half length-wise and was pleased with the results. I cut a 45° angle down the middle of the bisected wood; and put a bevel on the outside edge of the full size 1 x 6 that way the rough edge of the wood was left as the edge of my roof. (The beveled edges gives more surface for gluing and helps the seam be more likely to not warp, as there is overlap.)

So you're caught up with my chain of events leading to where I am now. I am working to finish railings with an Asian feel by August 7, when we host a large deck party.

Time...

tic, tock, tick, tock, tic...

the clock never stops moving. Seconds pass, then minutes, days, weeks, months, years... fleeting. I began this blog in the summer of '06 it is now '10. Where did the time go? It doesn't feel like like I've been absent from this post for four years! Yet, I have. I have projects that are still not completed, and new ones that are begun. I think I'll change the title of this blog and take up where I left off... as what I said in '06 is as valid as if I wrote it today. I still feel the same way about things... so I'll see how this goes. Are you ready? I am.

Squid

In preparation for my summer of self discovery I am still trying to tie up loose ends. It is very hard to finish up with some projects. They keep growing.

When I lived on Okinawa ('60-'63) I was a teenager. I would go to the village and shop and hang out. One day I saw a bunch of kids enjoying some treat. I wondered what it was, but the language barrier prevented the exchange of information, so I was given a piece of an orange strip. It resembled an orange petis (gummy bear type candy). Everyone watched me with much anticipation of my reaction. I took the obligatory bite and began to chew. It was dried squid! My saliva mixed with the dried fish and it became larger. The more I chewed the large it got.

From that time to this I call projects that seem to look "tasty" or sweet, but turn into something like "gum on your shoe" as SQUID. The project gets larger and larger, is not fun or even profitable. It looked okay before you began and now it consumes your time and energy.

Well, my "loose ends" have turned to squid. I had hoped to finish up several projects by the middle of May. Then I moved the goal to the beginning of June. Now I only hope to be finished in time to leave for LaJolla on June 23!

Summer in the Sun

Okay, this is the summer of my contentment. I am focusing on me. If you don't know me you may think, "what's the big deal"? I guess I'd have to say that most of my 36 years of marriage have focused on my family. In the beginning my husband, Jim, and I were alone for five years and did lots of fun things, but when our daughters came along I believed that being there for them was more important than anything else I could do. I still think it is a paramount goal, with the exception: that you need to take more time for yourself so you can replenish your creative and inner spirit to be able to give back more.

I think that I was not so much virtuous, as ignorant. My mother was a very selfless woman and role-model. She sacrificed for us. I think now that it was a generous but not necessarily healthy attitude. To this day she has a hard time just being frivolous. If I could help her in any one thing it would be to worry less and just enjoy -— whatever it is. Her example was/is a model worth emulating. Many young people would do well to take a page from her book. She is not given to spending money unnecessarily and so has money when she needs it.

I grew up in a home that prized taking care of one's possessions. There is no need to replace something if it is working and if it is working take care of it to keep it working. Improve it with maintainence. Paint it. Shine it. Upgrade it. and eventually replace it, but by and large the need is only created after much delay of the aging process. I have had repair people tell me to just get a new one, the parts and labor cost more than a new "whatever". It is true, too. But the old one is made of metal. It has lasted two decades and with repair will last two more. The new one is plastic. Is designed to be replaced in five years. So when our daughters were born we had a couple of sayings: "If it's not yours leave it alone." "If it is yours take care of it."

If only nations would live by these simple platitudes.

Okay, so back to summer. This summer I am going to San Diego. I am going to focus on ME. I am going to swim, exercise, sketch, kayak, design webpages and explore CSS. I am going to meet new friends, visit new places, miss my husband and family and NOT do any dishes for 9 weeks! I am going to get up early (6am), my usual time was 9am and get moving. I am going to put effort into being what and who I feel I am on the inside. As an artist it is hard to express myself when I am always interrupted by things that need to be done. There's family, friends, and work. I'm not saying that these are always an interruption to my life, but it seems that until this summer I have only had rare occasions of time in lots of two or three days. But now I am going to think about what I want to accomplish when I get home in August.

My friend Irene has warned me to wear a good sunscreen, so I am using a physical barrier, not a chemical one. I just ordered Ti-Silc, which she recommended. When I get home I hope not to be much darker than I am now. When I lived on Okinawa in the 60's I was as brown as a coconut husk. Now I have spots on my skin and rosacea (which some say happens because of excess sun when you're young). So if you're young, cover up and save your skin.

Because I am going to be close to the beach I hope to try my hand at sand sculpting. I'll try to post here some of my efforts.

But for now I am finishing up at the rental. I am doing the laminate; new doors, built a new bathroom off the master bedroom and now hope to find a nice tenant.



You can see that I have closed off the old pocket door to the vanity area off the master suite. This vanity area is now a 3/4 bath with a glass shower stall.


I built the new 3/4 bath using the vanity area and three feet of the master bedroom about 6 feet long. I'm sure the extra toilet and shower are worth the 18sf. as the bedroom is about 180sf, so it's only 10%... a fair trade off.

The kitchen had very inferior cabinets in it. They were literally falling off the walls. They were installed by the builder in the 1970's and were not much better than cardboard. The cabinets we've installed are quite nice oak hardwood. I had to take out the 6' sliding glass doors and put in a 5' pair of French doors to gain a foot so I could add more cupboards. In essence I doubled the space. Here is a working image of what was (after the cabinets were torn out) and the new added ones.






I used laminate that is dark: black, brown, tan with some white. It is a faux granite. I put an oak trim on the edge to match the cabinets. The dishwasher which will go where the vacuum is will have a skin to match the cupboards, too. I put the laminate up under the cupboards to make cleaning easier and to give a uniform look.

With this said, the work is almost done. The preparation for my summer is beginning. Finishing existing work is the first priority. Now to find a couple of boxes to pack linens and study stuff in. I will ship it ahead of my departure.

This ends my first web log of the Summer of '06.