MOVIES!!

I've done a little editing of the time lapse videos.  Here are two that take a few pics every day at noon.

See the post dated 12/8 it's newer than the one below

Finally a new update

We've been remiss at updating the blog.  I guess there's too much going on.  Anyway, here are some new pics.  The outside is 99.9% done and we have moved to the inside work.  Laura will post inside shots soon.  Rich

Moving inside!!

Please welcome my incredibly beautiful granddaughter Norah Maria Hillstrom into the world, and into our family. My daughter Mary and her husband Karl are overwhelmed with joy at her adoption. They've had her with them since she was 15 minutes old, and have been savoring their parenthood every waking (but not sleeping) moment.

Well, we've finally taken over from our builder! The gutter and garage door went on and that was it for the outside except for some painting, which will have to wait until spring. I spent Thanksgiving Day planting 150 bulbs in the slope outside the front door, which will be our signal to start up outside again.

We've completed most the the framing of the walls, and got the bathtub and fireplace in place in our bathroom. The shower is just around the corner from the tub, and someday we'll enjoy the view while we scrub, and hope the neighbors across the river won't notice. The plumbers are nearly finished with the rough-in, too. I forgot to tell them to keep the wall space open above the sinks for the medicine cabinets, so they had to redo part of it. oops.

Check out Rich climbing down from the "bachelor bed" we built above the stairwell! It'll be a cool place for an extra guest to sleep, and someday our grandchildren can play in the indoor tree-house.

My son Pete was home for a week and did hard labor for us, chopping wood (I wish I had a picture of that!) installing the foil insulation between the joists for the in-floor heat, and helped with the wall framing. He and I also installed the first pieces of drywall around the basment kitchenette.

My big project was acid-staining the floor of the basement family room (future guest apartment for friends and family) and you can see before and after pictures here.