Flash of Beauty ~ In case you have wondered

One of my favorite places on the planet is a spot called Loblolly Bay. On Loblolly Bay is a restaurant – Flash of Beauty. And it is in every way one can imagine.

So it is from this spot that I took the name for this group of posts. Which includes photographs taken by The Girl.

Please note the sign. Flash of Beauty. Loblolly East.

So you might think that the colour is a bit off. Yes and no. The beauty of this place also resides in the light. Which is different. Or so I recall.

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Flash of Beauty ~ West Coast

And about this picture. How I love these trees. Reminds me of so many places I adore. And of hidden gardens. To add to this. This is the garden of friends of the dearest sort. So very much on the list of places I adore. Kisses to you for all your kindnesses to The Girl.

I have recently ordered a copy of The Walled Garden. Leslie Geddes-Brown. Which received mention on a blog which is currently my favorite. A Bloomsbury Life. For a variety of reasons which many of you will be able to sort out quickly.

http://abloomsburylife.blogspot.com/

 For the Record. The top two photos have been edited. Lightly. The bottom three are SOOC (straight out of the camera).

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It was a very busy day (2)

Basement. The basement framing is done.

One view of what will be the family room. Three windows, No real risk of hitting our heads on beams. All good.

This was a bit of a misunderstanding. I wanted a built in cabinet. It was understood that I wanted a cupboard. Can be fixed very easily. In here will go all the things related to watching movies and such. DVDs. My old record collection etc.

Taken standing in the open area of the basement looking down towards the door to the family room.

Taken standing near the bottom of the basement stairs looking towards the guest bedroom in the basement. Those who may be staying with us take note. Not to worry about the water. A small leak in the basement wall. I have been assured that a fix is in the works.

Taken standing in the central open area of the basement looking toward the stairwell.

The following pictures really don’t belong in this post. But I do like the upstairs landing so very much. So here it is again.

I am working at imaging the railings in. Soon I hope.

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It was a very busy day (1)

Framer Guys were back. Glen Eagle Homes. Wow. 

In the design of the house there were a couple of issues where all you could think to say was OOPS. The major OOPS was the junction of the secondary roof line and the staircase windows.

 

I can’t remember what ran through my head when I first saw this – but it wasn’t good.

Yesterday, using Tim’s design, the Framers rejigged the roof and eliminated this problem.

Here they are at 7am. Cutting back and reshaping the roof line.

Voila!

Also the garage. That was a smaller oops. The original window design on the second floor was too small to accommodate the original house windows and we didn’t catch this in time. So yesterday larger holes were cut and the upstairs windows were installed in the garage.

 

Now it looks like this:

And this.

And yet another repaired oops. The bathroom window on the first floor. Where my porch is. Two problems. It had been situated in the wall so it was impossible to place a course of brick between the window and the wall. Not good. And a bigger problem still. When you opened the door to the porch there was a good chance you would take out the window (were the window to have been left open). As in goodbye window.

Tim fixed this last week by moving the window over. Like this.

And then the stairs

You can’t see much unfortunately. All covered up with plastic. But still. They’re in.

Framer Guys will be back Monday. For an hour or two. There is some duct work upstairs which still needs to be boxed in and the stairs. And then that’s it for framing. Cue LOUD CLAPPING.

Oh yah. Also yesterday. They framed up THE WHOLE BASEMENT. Done like dinner. One bedroom. One bathroom. Furnace room. Storage room. And a really really nice family room. Pictures to follow.

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Friday Update

You may remember the good news and the bad news. Funny that. Kinda of how it goes. Hand in hand. Happy? Sure? Okay we can do something about that.

KABOOM.

Gotchya

• Amazing Framer Guys are back. Lumber was delivered when Lumber Guys said it would be delivered. Amazing.
• Today Framer Guys will fix the roof, frame the basement, frame up duct work and maybe even get to the garage windows. We’ll see. If not all today then Monday.
• Electrical. Well. The good news is that we don’t have hydro poles stretched down our street. Which means our trees are full and majestic and there is nary a sign of those hideous amputation jobs that hydro crews perform on majestic trees because those majestic trees  have dared to grow too close to hydro lines. It is all good. But there is a catch. Always a catch. We are currently in a holding pattern over Los Angeles waiting to hear whether it is possible to have a 200 amp service in the house. Because you see there might be some digging involved. And we don’t even want to think about the cost of that. Really. Not at all.
• We await electrical inspection. Which can’t get done until we know about that digging. 
• After that, whatever that is, we are almost there. Final round of checks on what goes in the walls. Insulation party. And then the Drywall Guys come. I’m going to wait on the digging part before I say YAY. OK?

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Out of the mouths of babes

It might surprise you to know that in this house we watch My Big Amazing Reno for fun and recreation. Really. There is such a show. This is where seemingly normal people take small houses and triple the square footage and build kitchens the size of football fields and install tennis courts of granite .  Typically these projects tend to run 2 to 3 hundred thousand OVER budget and take four times as long as scheduled. Typically disasters on the job site  come like waves on the shore. It is amazing to me that anyone is left standing at the end. They all seem to be smiling.

But we know better. Reality TV. Right.

http://www.hgtv.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=233780&Category=MZ

All good fun.

I think I know why they make these shows.

Haven’t figure why we watch them. Kinda of like moths to the flame. But we won’t go there.

Last night we were watching one of these transformations. 3,000 square foot split level into 6,000 square foot tudor. You think I’m kidding? I swear it’s true.

The lady of the piece says in frustration, “Its been months and months and months – I am so tired of this!” Or something similarly poignant.

The Little Girl turns to the TV screen. ” Geezz lady – try YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.”

My children are actually very funny people.

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One step forward….

I am very careful these days never to cast my gaze forward more than a week. It is too too much to even consider.

This week has not been bad:

• Mike the Amazing Duct Guy came back and finished off the last piece of missing duct work. This is good news. They do have to come back after the basement is framed up to finish wiring etc etc.
• Gas guy ran all the gas lines. Except for the fireplace in the family room. Of course. Natch. This one has to be done by Fireplace Gas Guy. Of course. Natch. Later.
• Main staircase went in. Really. Pictures to follow. Although what can ya see really. Covered with plastic etc. No railing. Having said all this. Stairs are IN. Which means I can call Railing Guys and see about getting this on the road.
• Electrical is slowly crawling forward.
• Basement lumber is on its way. Framer Guys are to be back tomorrow to fix the roof on the west side, recut garage windows upstairs to fit the old house windows, frame up duct work and basement. Yay.
• On the subject of bricks. We don’t have enough. So Tim and I were at a Brick Yard yesterday. Two minutes before it closed. Looking for a brick that could be used for the chimney. Think we have it.

Pictures will follow.

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Flash of Beauty ~ Weston Farmers Market

The Girl took the market pictures yesterday.

One of these things is not like the other.

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Small victories

Yesterday was a good day.

• Guys Who Cut Holes in Walls with Diamond Drill Bits came and cored out all the holes in the brick for the vents. YAY.
• Major talented Brick Guys came and had a wee consult/chat about mortar and chimneys and such. Upshot is that we need to find another brick for the chimney.  We will do this and then about a week from now they will come back and start by taking the old chimney down and putting up the new one. We’ll use the old brick from the chimney on the house. Because apparently those 2400 bricks notwithstanding WE ARE GOING TO NEED EVERY BRICK WE HAVE. Apparently. Major talented Brick Guys are going to do the mortar matching. And they get that I am not of the close but no cigar school of thought. If it can be done they will do it.
• Bricks were power washed. This is in aid of the above mortar matching.
• Trellis came down on the front and side. Will be repaired and go back up in the Spring at which time I will plant climbing roses etc.
• Inspections happened for plumbing and HVAC. Passed. YAY.
• Monday Gas Guy is coming to run gas lines and do hook ups.
• Tuesday Electrical Guy is coming to put in new service and dress the box. Then electrical inspection can happen.
• Monday or Tuesday Stair Guys are coming to install main staircase. OK. Now I start to cry.
• After Stair Guys are finished Framer Guys are coming to finish framing.
• Then framing inspection.
• Kitchen is coming along very nicely.

YAY.YAY.YAY.

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Weston Farmers Market ~ August 2009

Don’t suppose I could suggest to them that they get some of those cute little chalk boards they use in France and Germany and well – everywhere but here?

Ontario carrots. Which would look just grand in the cold room.

Delphiniums Blue. I do hope I have enough light for a bed of these.

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