Sorta Done

The electricians have to come in and work their magic, but otherwise, the bathroom is done.

I can't go in until tomorrow afternoon when the floor tiles will be set, but here are the best pix I could get from outside the door.

Bathroom Update, 3/27/10 @ 2:00 p.m.

Here's where things stand right now.

The bad tiles are up, and a coat of paint is down.

I've begun working on the door and the floor vent.

Another update is coming at the end of the day today.

Bathroom Update, 3/26/10

Today was tile day one, and more mud work, too. Plus a fair amount of sanding.

Our crew chief, Tony, and his sons kept talking about how beautifully the colors all worked.

They're back tomorrow to grout, and probably paint. I told them to just let themselves in--I'm gonna try to sleep in until around 9 or so.

Bathroom Update - 3/25/10

Well, early this morning, the village's inspectors FINALLY signed off on the fixes we had to do before even beginning any real installation, so the fun work began immediately.

They installed the tub, put the soffit vent for the fan in, then hung the cement board and the dry wall. Then they taped and did the first round of mudwork, and put in the base layer for the tile floor.

What you see here, in order, is the first view on walking in the door of the window and the right side of the tub, then the left of the tub and the sink pipes, then the ceiling, and finally the floor.

Another Bathroom Update

Today was once again taken up with trying to overcome Oak Park village inspectors' objections.

The plumber was there first thing in the morning, putting in the fixes that had been ordered.

The electrical inspector got there early, and passed us. Yea!!

Our crew chief, Tony, put in the insulation and the vapor barrier on the exterior wall around the window.

Then the plumbing/building inspector came, and found things that the first plumbing inspector hadn't noticed--including ordering us to fix one of the fixes the first inspector had ordered.

He also showed us that the stuff our contractor used called "Fireblock" had in its fine print a warning that it was "flammable." That had to come out and concrete go in instead. Go figure that one.

So, tomorrow the plumber comes back for 30-45 minutes, and then the plumbing/building inspector comes in right after that. If we pass both of those, then the serious work begins immediately.

Bathroom Update

So we failed our building and plumbing inspections, slowing work while those issues are taken care of. That work is being done today, with a plumbing reinspection set for this afternoon, and the building reinspect probably tomorrow morning.

Here are a few shots showing where we were at the end of the day yesterday--tub framing is in, the glass block window is done, and the medicine cabinet frame is in place.

Welcome Spring, and Happy Birthday Glenn

Spring arrived in Chicago today, and of course this is what we got.

But, it was Glenn's birthday party, so that made everything great.

Marlis cooked: her famous stuffed pork chops, green beans, and acorn squash. Plus, the always amazing three-layer cake.

It appears that Miss Lori might have had one too many celebratory beverages during the course of the evening.

All Gone!

Dammit Jim, our bathroom...it's...gone!

And good riddance, too. Even this looks better than before.

Bye, Bye, Bathroom

Work finally began on our main floor bathroom today. Here are some shots of the work in progress.

Home Again, Home Again...

Today we came home--through Nashville (pictured), Louisville, Indianapolis, and into Chicago.

The rain held off, mostly, and we got in at around 5:30.

I was feeling a little better, after taking my zinc tablets all day long.

Tomorrow, bathroom remodeling fun begins!

Sewanee, Extras

Here are a few more pictures of Sewanee.

The first is an interior shot of the new chapel at the theological seminary, formerly Sewanee Military Academy.

Next is an exterior of St. Luke's, the chapel of the old seminary, where Dad gave his first sermon: "True Grit and True Grace."

Third is the sledding hill--the view is from the top across from the bookstore. Our house, the Tennessee house--is near the bottom of the hill on the right. When we got tired of sledding, we would just take one final run, and turn in our driveway and sled up to the back door.

The final shot is of the new refectory and All Saints' Chapel behind it.

Sewanee, Part 2

Friday morning we lit out for Tennessee, under the threat of more bad weather, and we soon got it. It poured on us most of the first half of the day--all the way through Atlanta. It finally let up around Chattanooga (pictured this time).

And the farther along the day went, the more sniffly I got and the more I started coughing. By the time we got to Kevin and Pat/s, I was pretty much sick as a dog--again!

But, we all made the best of it. They put up with my blowing my nose, groaning, and coughing, and I put up with everyone else's infernal cheeriness.

We had a good time Friday night, and a good meal of venison chili. Then Saturday we got up and went exploring into Kevin's and my history.

An ealry stop was the two houses we lived in when Dad was in seminary. We lived in the right half of the first one, and the top half of the second.

Then we went into the university library, where Lori persuaded Kevin and Pat to get library cards, which they did on the spot (maily for the extensive video collection).

Next we went by the elementary school, lair of the infamous Miss Esther.

Then we drove down the mountain to Cowan, so I could take a gander at my first junior high school.

We had lunch back on the mountain, then we all took a nap in the afternoon.

That night, I begged off the planned dinner party with Kevin and Pat's friends, Charles and Catherine. I had no energy at all, and was coughing my fool head off. Lori and I want to meet them, but this didn't seem like a good time for anyone to do it.

I crashed that night at about 9:30. Lori, Pat and Kevin stayed up a little longer to visit.

Spring Ball, Part 4

At Thursday's game, rain was a constant threat. The probability was 90%, so we didn't think we'd get the game in. But, we went.

It turned out that the hardest rain we got was before the game, so we wandered around under the grandstand, checking out souveniers and eating lunch.

This time, we bought a shrimp poor boy and the crab cake sliders (2), and split them. You go to the stand, order them, and the chef prepares them for you. They were both quite tasty.

The ballgame itself saw zero rain. No one scored until the bottom of the 7th, when the Marlins picked up a run. They got another one in the bottom of the 8th, and the Cards went into the top of the 9th down 2-0. Then they broke through for 5 runs--mostly on a string of doubles down the left field line, as Florida insisted on playing its left fielder way off the line.

The Marlins came back with a run in the bottom of the 9th, and had two runners on when the game ended.

We left town at 4:15, and the rain hit immediately, slowing us down. We got about 35 miles north of Jupiter, and then hit a traffic jam caused by a wreck that had us sitting still or barely moving for an hour. Once clear of that, we made slow progress due to very heavy rain.

Finally, about 130 miles from Jacksonville, the skies cleared and we could sail again.

We got back to Bonnie and Lee's house at 9:50.

We're leaving for Sewanee at around 8:00 tomorrow morning--we're supposed to be dealing with rain and storms all the way there.