Finally

Just about the last of the paint is on the cabinets. There is a little bit of touchup to be done, but I am satisfied for the most part.




I'm pretty sick of painting cabinets at this point. It takes patience and a steady hand even with a face full of fumes. Soon enough I'll get back to painting walls.

We stopped by Builder Appliance Center to pick up the microwave and enjoy their customer party. Their showroom is really impressive, as are the options out there these days. For anybody in the appliance market, I highly recommend working with Rebecca Blue, she knows her stuff.

Everybody around me is getting sick, I hope I don't get it too.

A Study in Colors

I am almost out of the woods on the cabinet painting, the good news is that I am finally getting the hang of it so if anybody wants to paint cabinets I can tell you how. I like the color which is good, there's no going back now!

You can see the counter top "accent" that is still to be painted and the last five doors are primed and ready to be painted. I should be able to paint the hinge side tonight, hang them Thursday and get the face painted and everything complete (except the touch up that is inevitable) by Friday evening.




Keely will get back into the painting mix when we switch to the latex based paint for the kitchen walls and trim. It is less likely to strip her of her education.

Here's a color I don't like:



I didn't expect it to really snow overnight! Sorry Deb, welcome to Colorado in a week . . . Dempsey enjoyed it fully though.

Up next for the kitchen . . . more paint! We will paint the walls to match the butler pantry and paint the trim and new door. Thanks again to Joe at work for help on getting the temp door together with a cutout for the cat door. I fully expect to come home one day to find Dempsey stuck half way in/out, that photo will be posted for sure (Brian, if you want to photoshop that one in advance I will post it).



According to FedEx, we should see the pot rack tomorrow. There will probably be some bribes offered up for labor assistance to get this item installed.

On the riding side of things search for my post on riding in the basement.

Pictures

Everybody made it back safe and sound from Thanksgiving. I'm never eating again, until my next meal at least. The time has come to provide some more proof of time consuming activities.

There is indeed a wine refrigerator in the butler pantry and it has wine in it. I need to get some sort of rubber pad/mat to elevate it a hair and isolate it because it does vibrate some as it keeps our wine at the ideal storage temperature of 55 degrees.



Keely has been involved in the process even though I poo-pooed her painting skills . . . there's nothing that can't be sanded out, even floating dog hair, thanks Dempsey.



We made it off the couch to get to the beach at least once. It was lovely.



Brian's worst nightmare is coming true already. I heard this clown talking about getting a new bike for the holidays from Mum and "the Popster".



Our worst nightmare continues. Every time we make progress on the house we add to the debacle.



But there has been progress in the kitchen. The rest of it has been ripped apart to be primed and painted. The uppers are painted with minimal touch-up required and our new glassware (as well as some of the old) is put away.

All good things must end.

It is just about time to move on from here. Good thing, it is getting cold in Charleston, what the hell? At least we get to go back to warm, sunny Denver.

The week ended with the same sloth with which it began. There was much sitting around until the very end with the exception being a short walk on the beach before heading out to the airport.

There was one final batch of biscuits which came out the best by far. They were fluffy, layered, golden brown and delicious. I finally got the hang of the self rising flour that was snuck into the house without me knowing it. It was probably a blessing in disguise since the baking powder my parents brought along was older than I was.

Well . . . back to Denver, I'm never eating again.

Run Away!

Thank goodness for aerobic capacity and sea level. It allows me every year to run a semi-respectable 5k for the Turkey Trot. I stuck to the usual plan of trying to spot the high school runner (they always seem to love to wear racing flats for a race on the beach) and following for as long as possible. I selected correctly this year and followed the leader out of the pack and hung back a little more than in years past, hoping to avoid the pains resulting from an activity I don't consider normal or usual. In the last mile I saw 3rd place coming up behind me out of the corner of my eye and picked up the pace for a few hundred yards to hold onto 2nd place.

Running isn't my forte and I don't think I really like it that much. It makes me hurt in new and unusual ways, inside and out.

Keely's flight was early of all things, but I made it to the airport on time, even got in a couple chapters of my latest read The Year of Living Biblically. So far I have found it both entertaining and educational. Did you know that if you get into a fist fight with a guy and his wife steps in and grabs you by the balls that you are supposed to cut her hand off? It says so in the bible, check it out for yourself.

Laziness resumed as soon as we got back from the airport. I baked biscuits, drank some coffee, sat on the couch, prepped pumpkin for pie, sat on the couch, ate some cheetos, sat on the couch, read some magazines . . . on the couch. I hope I have the energy to eat Thanksgiving dinner.

The Inner Sloth

Since getting to SC yesterday morning, I haven't really moved far from the couch except to go to the kitchen to bake batch one of biscuits. This whole baking at sea level is throwing a kink in my game. I'll have to practice again tomorrow morning.

There are plenty of bike paths on Kiawah Island, but I won't be riding on them. I will get in a few running efforts prior to the annual Kiawah Island Turkey Trot and I should have plenty of repeats for lighter lifting exercises, one fork at a time.

Keely is in Denver still working away and enjoying the snow and sub-30 degree temperatures. She'll be joining us just in time for the Thanksgiving extravaganza at High Cotton in Charleston. We'll have enough time for a few walks on the beach before heading back to the arctic climes of Colorado.

Unfortunately I have no pictures to upload at this point, but I'll add those in later. I'm getting tired, I better take a nap, but before I do, quit your bitching Joey, get out and climb some more! We're only trying to make you stronger, most people have to pay a coach for that.

Crack that whip!

Gotta love the rides where you get to torture friends. Brian and I dragged Pinkerton on the loop of doom off to the south of Golden Gate Canyon. It is a route we have both ridden once before, enough to know what pain was hiding around each bend in the road as well as the lovely views and whatnot. I forgot or blocked out a couple of the sections on the dirt just beyond Robinson Hill Road and there were a few spots where we all thought we were at the top only to find another short, steep pitch in front of us. Joey said he wanted to ride with me this winter, I wonder if he'll take that back any time soon.

House work continued this weekend with cabinet painting a-plenty. We did take the opportunity to be lazy on Sunday though. Somebody has to hold the couch down right?

I leave tomorrow for Thanksgiving on Kiawah Island with the majority of the fam. Keely has to work and can't join until Thursday, but she gets there right in time for the good part, the eating. Over the past couple years we have strayed from trying to cook Thanksgiving dinner in a rented house with appliances neither reliable nor familiar. This year we'll be going into Charleston to High Cotton and let them do the cooking. The only problem will be deciding what to eat . . . here's the menu.

Dempsey will spend Thanksgiving with Coach Kendall, although not a paying client, I expect results!

A Dog at Sunrise

The camera isn't sensitive enough to catch the reds and oranges in the eastern part of the sky this morning when I took Dempsey to the park. I guess the time change is ok sometimes . . . just moments like that.

The plot thickens in the kitchen. I made the bold step of starting the cabinets in the main part of the kitchen. We cleaned off a few years worth of kitchen munge, cleaned again with trisodium phosphate, cleaned again, sanded lightly, cleaned again and then primed the uppers. The first shot gives you the before/after in one image. Again, this is just the primer which is more of a blue-grey than the final color "deep caviar".



Here you can see the original faces of the cabinet.



Once it is all put together (cabinets painted, walls repainted with the updated RL chamois color, florescent lighting removed) I think we will have a space with more warm, inviting tones. Of course there will be some countertop updating in the kitchen as well. I should be able to finally template the top in the butler pantry this weekend and get my pour scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving.

Before making myself stupid on paint fumes last night, I hit up GB Fish and Chips with Brian, Joey, and Chad. Nothing like a few pints and some fried food to get the motivation rolling! It seems like the pre-Gates redevelopment renaissance is hitting my part of South Broadway. There are new restaurants opening and a good display of investment in the hood.

More Detail

Last night I played junior trimmer and counter top installer in the butler pantry. I now have baseboard, all four pieces. Thanks again to Joe for help with cuts at work and tips on coping base to fit correctly.



I have my melamine on order for making the form for the concrete counter top. I plan on templating tonight so I am ready the moment it comes in. Speaking of things coming in. I got word from the shop that the new time trial bike is in. Thanks to some Eastern European thieves I will be riding this next season.



I'll be selling the Zipp 606 wheelset if anybody wants it, adding a Zipp Disc and a set of Nimble Crosswinds. If anybody is bored enough to Photoshop me up a picture of the bike as to be completed . . . nah, I guess I can wait a little longer to put together the full picture.

Taking it off

Let's start with the butler pantry.



The masking tape was successfully removed after priming and painting the shelves. They are now being used to the fullest . . . notice the overly large box of goldfish, they will be gone by the end of the week.

Just like the masking tape, my leg hair was not so delicately removed this weekend. I hit up Wax in the City for my semi-annual, off season leg hair removal. It allows me to be lazy and not shave for a while, but still keep that oh so smooth cyclist look. Whitney did a great job and I only cried a little.



I'll leave the owner of the arm below anonymous, but another satisfied customer . . .

Next Steps

The project continues and we are about to approach the two week mark. I still say good progress has been made. After meeting up with Matt, Craig, and Jafar at Pasquinis I got back to the pantry to put a primer coat on the shelves. I didn't really want to touch the cabinet just yet for a couple reasons, a) washing thoroughly with Trisodium Phosphate is required and b) more washing and sanding is required after that. I think Keely and I will tackle the cabinets together. I also wanted to get a feel for how the oil based paint applies . . . smoooooth.



The true color of the cabinets/shelving will be about two shades darker. This should give you a good idea, it is the second one down on the left:



Of course, keep in mind the color on the screen isn't the true painted color either, but you get the idea . . . blackish, greyish, brownish . . . something "rich" . . .

I hope we can get a good deal of it done this weekend because it is supposed to be warm and we can leave some windows open. Oil based paint stinks.

Whoa . . .

Black grout on white tile is always a frightening process. I missed out on the picture before sponging the first time. Most of the white tiles looked slightly blackish at that point. All in all, I'd say it is coming together pretty well.



I was able to pull the base cabinet out of the basement last night after cleaning up the grout. I should be able to set it in place, shim, and screw it to the wall. My melamine is on order at work, but I need to install some cleat and put on a 3/4" plywood subtop before I can template for the concrete counter top. Speaking of which, my book and instructional video by Fu-Tung Cheng, the original concrete counter top guru, should arrive at the library today. I don't think it will be possible to gather too much information on this one before getting started. The good news is if you screw up the pour, you are only out $14 for some Quikrete.

What a Weekend

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . I'll start with the unnecessary, but humorous apology to Chris Horner. You don't suck, you are still cool, and we don't hate you. I was talking to Craig Walker on the phone, you just happened to make eye contact at the wrong moment.



We escaped the house yet again yesterday afternoon to hit the USGP Cyclocross Race up in Boulder. I have to say that Boulder Parks and Rec. really know how to make good use of their space, sucking all the fun out of spending a nice, sunny Sunday afternoon out and about. The entire crew (minus Craig Walker) was ready to grill when the police came by to let us know that a Parks and Wreck employee complained about an unapproved grill in an unapproved location. The policewoman was friendly enough, pet Dempsey without getting bitten, warned us that there was a $300 fine at stake and let us carry on grilling in the parking lot, far, far away from the race course.



Boulder Parks and Rec. . . You suck! No apology to follow. Nonetheless we had a good time and Dempsey got plenty of activity, attention, and small dog lovin' from Chad's new pup.



Keely and I also escaped the house Saturday to attend Derek and Lisa's wedding. It was lovely and everybody was happy and smiley. We clean up pretty well for an occasion, Keely much more so than I.



Meanwhile, back at the house, earlier that day, we set the tile in the butler pantry. Keely set the tile and I made the cuts . . . don't we look like we know what we are doing?




After the cross race, John came by to help some more and after a bit of wrestling with the shelves, we got everything in place. I'm pretty sure the shelves will be holding the house up.



Please take note of the level sitting on the shelves, it was used in the process, everything but the house is level and square. I got up in the attic to attach the threaded rod up above to make the shelves structurally sound.



In the end . . . it all worked out.



After much spectating Dempsey said, "I'm taking my balls and going to bed."

Tah - (dah?)

More progress . . . always well marked by a fresh coat of actual paint instead of primer. A couple shots of the newly painted room.




As I stood there with brush in one hand, coffee in the other, in my boxers, Dempsey had nothing to say.



Almost everything we wanted to get done last night got done. The wonderboard is sitting in a bed of thinset and screwed to the floor, joints mudded and taped. The walls are painted and the ceiling has gotten another 5-8 coats of primer. someday we'll be ready to paint it white. The tile is purchased, picked up, and ready to be installed. Keely and I are meeting Rus at the Damascus Grill for lunch today to borrow his tile saw. My sheet of MDF for the shelving has been ordered and as soon as it shows up, I'll be able to make my cuts at work on the table saw. The end is near . . . dah?

Progress

I am almost threatening to appear to look like I know what I am doing with this home improvement stuff. Chad Headlee was impressed with the quick turnaround so far, from demo to getting things put back together and he's in the construction industry . . . wait a minute, so am I! We joked about my background in production housing and that yes I could get this project done in a short period of time, but it would only last just beyond the standard one year warranty for interior finishes. We'll see.



So far I have torn out the old pantry, hung drywall, taped and prepped the walls, primed, fixed my mistakes (the ones I really cared about, some will be behind the cabinet and some will be considered "character" like on the old walls.), and cut/dryfit my wonderboard.

Tonight the room will get paint, the ceiling needs a bit of tender loving care, but it will get there. Keely got in on the act now that we are past the phases that could chemically make her forget how to be a doctor. We picked out a color for painting the cabinets, that will be an adventure.

With Keely being on vacation this week and done with her latest round of testing, Dempsey as gotten some extra attention. He had his eyebrows waxed and his nails done.



Gotta love the drowned rat look some fluffy dogs get at the groomer. The next shot makes him look like a total pansy . . . this was confirmed Halloween night when he didn't bite a single kid and let them take all my precious candy.



This weekend will see more progress on the pantry but we will also escape the house for Derek and Lisa's wedding, the big cyclocross race on Sunday, and a much needed cocktail hour at the week's end.

Quick editors add . . . never forget to check all the woot.com sites, you never know when you might miss something you really need but don't, like this.