Building on the Bluff

Two Posts In One

2011-12-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hi to all our friends and Merry Christmas! I have pictures to share from our last two trips to the coast hence the title of this post.

Cliff has been getting a lot done on the inside of the house, mainly the great room. He has installed all the window trim on every one of the seven large windows. It hasn't been painted yet but it did cover up the rough wood framing so it looks great. He also installed the kitchen sink including the plumbing. And the kitchen backsplash. So let's get to some pictures!

This is the west facing wall. Nice wide window sills for the cats to birdwatch!

North facing wall. Nice window seat, don't you think?

Running water in the kitchen!

Here is our backsplash. Lovely glass tiles.

And now we move into the main floor bathroom. This is the travertine tile in the shower. It's not finished yet...next trip!

Last but not least, we had an amazing thing happen. One Saturday afternoon I was napping downstairs in the master bedroom (not amazing, normal) and Cliff was working upstairs when he heard a bird fly into one of the windows (also quite normal unfortunately). He walked outside and saw a hawk lying on the deck under the kitchen window. The hawk wasn't moving and it was cold and raining so Cliff picked it up thinking to keep it warm. The poor thing was stunned. It's head was bobbing and one eye was turned up in its socket. Cliff didn't think it was going to live so he didn't wake me up to see it. He just held onto the poor thing and it started to recover a bit. So he kept it in his hands, keeping it warm. After 10 or 20 minutes it seemed fine but wasn't making a move to get free, just seemed content. It was about this time that I woke up and came upstairs to find Cliff holding a hawk and was able to take the pictures. Just after I took the pictures it moved a little in Cliff's hands so we went out onto the deck. Cliff knelt down and opened his hands. The hawk hesitated for several seconds, we both thought it was not going to be able to fly away, but just then it took off, flew straight away from Cliff and then flew back around over the deck and just a couple of feet from Cliff, and then he was off and soaring. We watched him fly away across the bluff and land (hopefully) in a tree. I told Cliff it was a fly by thanking :-)

When we got home Cliff did some research and found that it was an adolescent sharp-shinned hawk.

Well that's all for now folks. I'll let you know the next time we have some progress to tell about.

Our Microwave Drawer

2011-11-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

A little here, a little there. That's our philosophy about finishing this house and we are so thankful to be making any progress at all!

We bought our microwave since the countertop one we had been using died on us. It's very cool and our first appliance! Here it is closed and opened.

After installing the microwave Cliff headed outside to begin a big painting project. In preparation for installing the deck railing he had to paint the facia and posts. He's doing the priming in these pictures. It made such a difference just to have them painted white as opposed to pressure treated wood.

Now that the cabinets are painted we emptied out our make-shift pantry where we kept everything from dishes to food to zip-lock bags. For someone who loves to organize (me) it was a real treat! Here are a couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure.

I'll let you know when there is more to see. Thanks for looking.

Painted Cabinets

2011-10-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

As we left for the coast last weekend we were excited to see the cabinets all painted white and the anticipation grew as we got closer and closer! When I first walked into the house and saw all the white I was stunned at how white it all looked! The cabinet doors and shelves were spread around the living room where my brother (our painter) had left them at our request so Cliff could install them himself (saving a little money). It took a day or so to get used to seeing them white after more than a year of seeing them as unfinished wood. I had the same reaction at the change after the walls and ceiling were painted.

The cabinets look beautiful and now we are so excited to get the backsplash up because the contrast is going to be amazing. Here are a few pictures....

This is the cabinet where the microwave drawer will go and also the area for cookie sheets, etc. before the door was put on.

This is the corner cupboard with lazy susan inside and deep drawers for pots and pans. The range will be to the left.

Here is the pantry without doors, and yes, those are pull out drawers!

And here it is with the doors on and adjusted.

And last but certainly not least (how could it be least when it's so long?!) is our window seat and bookcase.

Cliff spent some time installing cabinets in the garage over the weekend as too. These were salvaged from a lab that was being demolished on one of his jobs. I ask you, could they be a more perfect color for a house on the coast?

Along with the excitement of making progress in the construction we were blessed with a magnificent day on Friday. It was warm and sunny all day! Fall has always been the best season at the coast and last weekend didn't disappoint. There wasn't a breath of wind coming from the north to cool the day down and that is very unusual. While Cliff was working hard installing the garage cabinets I was lounging on the deck enjoying the sunshine and a good book. There was one tense moment when a spider threatened me but other than that it was great!

Until next time then........

Window Seats, Walls and Grandkids

2011-09-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Hi to All,

We have some exciting things to show you, at least from our standpoint! We have paint on the walls and ceiling. We have an awesome and exceptionally long window seat. And most important of all we have a new granddaughter.

We have been to the state of Washington and back and also to the coast and back just in the month of September. With the month not even half over we're tired already!

So here are the pictures starting with the coast and finishing up with the grandkids.

This is our awesome window seat and bookcase. It was built by Jim Millen of Millen's Woodworking in Castro Valley. It will be painted white along with all the cabinets.

This picture is just to show our ceiling color. It's called Light Khaki and I love it. It will really pop with the white crown molding up.

Cliff and I were so happy to be able to put up our hallway lights. It's been very dim going down the hall or trying to see into our makeshift pantry at night. We love the lights but realized that we need clear bulbs so the seeded glass shades are properly seen.

This is the bathroom on the main floor. I wanted a blue bathroom and here it is. Cliff is installing the medicine cabinets which I love! I was so thrilled to see them in place!

And here's another picture of the ocean but I couldn't resist because of the pattern that the foam was formed into overnight. I think you'll agree that it's amazing what God has created and sustains for our enjoyment.

And now on to the grandkids! First up is our new granddaughter Elise Jean Trzeciak. She's a tiny thing only weighing 6 lb. 5 oz. at birth but she has gained that back and more. I was calling her the teacup baby but I think she's already outgrown that designation.

Next up is Elise's big brother Daniel. He's only 6 weeks shy of turning two and is a darling boy. His favorite book right now is 'Go Dog, Go" and I can't tell you how many times it was read by myself or someone else in the five days we were there!

Here is William, our flirt. He has the longest eyelashes I've ever seen and looks at you with a sideways glance that is totally disarming, even when he's doing something naughty!

The three oldest grandkids, Jake, Warren and Johnny are playing flag football this fall. We were in Wa. for their first game and what a fun thing to watch it was. Jake and Warren are on one team and Johnny is on the other. They play each other every week since the league is small.

And last but not least, what can be more fun for a kid than to get up on the roof? Cliff and Ryan were fixing a leak at Ryan and Jen's chimney so of course Grandpa got the five oldest (Aubrey and Jeanine are both three) to climb up on the roof. This brought back memories of Jen and Jes up on our roof when they were five and two. I have pictures of that too! From left to right they are Warren, Johnny, Jake, Jeanine and Aubrey. For those of you who don't know if they belong to Jen or Jes, it goes like this: 1st, 3rd and 5th are Jen's and 2nd and 4th are Jes'.

Well, that's all for now. Our next post should be soon with pictures of white cabinets! Yes, they are going to be painted this week or next by my brother, Doug Hansen Painting, who also painted our walls. He's excellent at what he does and we're looking so forward to the finished product.

A Little Work, A Lotta Pretty

2011-08-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

As my title clearly tells, Cliff was able to get some work done on our trip to the coast last weekend, but the best part was how beautiful it was up there. It was the full moon and we had no fog overnight so the moon over the water in the early morning hours was stunning! Unfortunately I don't have pictures of it because my camera is just a point & shoot and doesn't do a good job on stuff like that. But I did get some great pictures of the ocean (what else?) and of some of the flowers in season.

Cliff spent some time putting up 1x4 boards under the deck overhang and beginning the to paint the columns. I didn't get any pictures of the painting in progress though. I guess I was too busy looking at the beautiful Pacific ocean. So here's the one work related picture.

Well, technically this next one is work related because I took the picture to show our friend Jim Millen (Millen's Woodworking in Castro Valley), cabinet maker extraordinare. Jim is going to build a window seat all along this NW facing wall for us. But the reason I'm sharing the picture is the awesome sunset. Please pay no attention to the mess under the window!

And now onto the pretty! Ocean views and flowers. These pink flowers are probably familiar to some of you, but I'm not a gardener and have never paid much attention to the names of plants. So these are Amaryllis Belladonna, aka Naked Ladies! When I first heard that name used I thought it was a joke but it's not and there is a perfectly good explanation for that nickname which I have already forgotten.

Last but not least here a couple of pictures of the beautiful blue Pacific as seen from just south of the mouth of the Navarro River.

Until next time, when we will have a hand rail on our deck, Lord willing.

We Have A Deck!

2011-06-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone. It's been a long time since my last post (again) but as I've said before there hasn't been much to write about. Until now that is.

We have a deck after all this time and it isn't made of plywood! It's aluminum and is an interlocking system which won't let water leak through, so the patio under the deck will be dry when it's raining outside. Cliff put the whole thing on by himself over the Memorial Day weekend. We knew the deck area was large but with plywood covering only part of it we couldn't visualize how large it actually was so it was amazing to see it done. Maybe we'll have some square dancing on the deck! (But only after we get the railing on).

So here are my photos of Cliff working hard again and the finished product.

As always I'll keep you updated when there is progress. If the Lord is willing we will finish the house one of these days.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust int he name of the Lord our God". Psalm 20:7

A Little Progress

2011-04-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

You'll laugh when you see our progress and how little it is! Some shelves in the future linen closet. Yup, that's it. But I thought I'd update the blog so anyone wondering would know what's happening. (Anyone out there anymore?)

A friend of ours has started a new art craft, wire art. He made a humpback whale for us which we hung on one of the bedroom walls. I think you'll agree that it's very cool!

And here are our shelves in the linen closet. This is in the bathroom on the main floor. That's the bathtub to the right all covered with cardboard to keep it from getting damaged.

And last but not least another picture of the ocean. It was rainy and windy the day I took this. I think it would be fun to take a picture of the ocean a day for a year and then have a slide show of the photos. The ocean is always facinating, always changing from one day to the next, from one hour to the next.

That's all for now. God willing, we will make some more progress this year. I'll keep you updated when there is anything to report. Thanks for taking a look.

Counter Tops

2010-12-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

We finally have something to report! We had our counter tops installed last weekend. We found a beautiful granite slab for the island and used man made quartz counter tops for the rest of the kitchen and the laundry room. Our wonderful granite installer told us that our kitchen was perfectly designed to use the prefabricated quartz counter tops. The savings over granite was staggering! We chose white with lots of flecks and some sparkle to liven it up. So take a look at the pictures and tell us what you think.

Bringing the slab into the house. Notice the cut out for the sink.

Getting ready to lift it onto the plywood.

After positioning the apron sink and the slab they had to lift the slab again in order to put the glue on the plywood. Those paint cans came in handy for holding that slab up. It weighs several hundred pounds.

Notice the white counter tops in the background. Those are the man made quartz.

View of the apron sink.

Iain Murray inspecting the sink.

Laundry room counter, sink and faucet.

We wish you all a wonderful Christmas. Check back in 2011 for progress reports. Will we ever be done?!

Another Vacation at the Coast

2010-09-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late. We were at the coast with Jessica, Isaac and their three kids a couple of weeks ago. Cliff and I needed some time to recuperate from vacationing (that's not a word, is it?) But here are some photos of Jessica's family. Of course the kids are adorable and I freely admit that I'm biased!

Here is our day at the beach. The fog had rolled in but it was amazingly warm - downright balmy for the north coast.

Jess, Isaac, Johnny and Jeanine walking on the beach.

Cliff hanging back with Will.

Johnny and Jeanine in a fort made from driftwood.

We bought a box of 100 Tootsie Pops before the kids came down from Washington. Everyone was in Tootsie Pop heaven! The view isn't bad either.

Isaac and Jeanine.

Cliff and Johnny.

There was no grass or weeds to mow down so Cliff just gave the kids a ride on the lawnmower. They didn't mind that they weren't mowing at all. The ride was enough!

Our next trip to the coast will be another working trip. We're going to be focusing on the few items we need to finish in order to get our final inspection. It won't be exciting, it's stuff like putting face plates on receptacles and switches and getting a fire rated garage door on. But it's going to be a wonderful day when we get the final!

Vacation at the Coast

2010-09-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Last week Jen, Ryan and the kids drove down from Washington for a vacation so we all packed up and drove some more to the coast. They had never seen the house other than the pictures on the blog so it was a fun time. The kids had a blast mowing the bluff with Cliff and we all had a great time at Navarro Beach one day. Cliff didn't do any work, a true vacation!

Here is Warren mowing

Here is Jake steering the mower by himself!

This is Daniel at 10 mo. old with Billy in the background

This is Aubrey on the beach, she's 2.

Warren and Jake at the beach. While we were there Jen was holding Billy's leash and she took off running with him. I turned to Ryan and asked him where she gets all the energy. He said that he didn't know and then Jake replied, "I've never seen her like this"

Cliff telling the kids stories, the more suspenseful the better!

Jess and Isaac will be driving down next week so I'll have pictures of their kids next. I guess it's normal that once you have grandkids you stop taking pictures of your own kids. I don't think we got a single picture of Jen or Ryan!

News From the Bathroom

2010-07-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

What can I say except, "hooray, woohoo", our master bathroom is done. We've had the shower working since January, but no sinks or toilet until now. (As it goes in construction there are always little details to be finished up. We have one cabinet that isn't painted yet and needs a top. That will be where we put our coffee pot. Yes, we like to have our coffee easily accessible the second we climb out of bed!)

Here are a few pictures of the vanities, faucets, cat drinking from the faucet, you know, the usual. (Don't all cats love to drink from the faucet?)

That's all for now folks!

What's Up In July?

2010-07-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

Lamps, that's what's up in July. Up on the wall in the master bedroom to be exact.

Cliff spent the weekend painting the window and door trim in the master bedroom and bathroom. It's almost done now. Our next trip up we will install the vanity's, sinks and toilet. Exciting, huh? Well it is for us.

That's not all Cliff did though. Have I mentioned our thriving gopher population? And our 2010 Gopher Competition with one of our neighbors? Let's just say that the count is: Cliff - 4 confirmed kills and 2 probables and Jerry - 10 confirmed and 1 0r 2 probables. We need to spend more time up there so Cliff can catch up!

We also let the cats out on the deck a few times. Here's Iain Murray enjoying the great outdoors.

Our next post should have some pictures of finished rooms. Here's hoping!

May Update in June

2010-06-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all. This blog entry is especially for Avik who requested some new pictures. Not that he doesn't think our grandkids aren't adorable but this is a blog about building a house!

Cliff has continued working on the trim in the downstairs master bedroom and bathroom. It's all on now and just needs to be painted. We're so close to having that part of the house done-woohoo!

Here's the bathroom with window and door trim and crown molding. We also brought in one of the vanities and sink just to see how it looked.

These next three are in the bedroom showing the trim. The color on the walls in the first photo isn't accurate, but the last photo shows it well. For some reason my camera doesn't like the light in that room and frequently gets the color wrong.

That's all for now. We know that progress is slow, be patient with us, it will get done one of these days!

Blessings from the Lord

2010-04-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

We've been to Washington and back to see the new baby and the other six grandkids as well. (Yes, our daughters and sons-in-law too!) We had a wonderful and tiring time! William, the newest, is a good baby who lets his mom sleep 4-5 hours during the night. He doesn't cry much and stares at his mom for long stretches. His brother and sister are getting used to him.

We tried to get a picture of Cliff and I with all seven kids but Aubrey wasn't cooperating so she's being held on the arm of the couch by Ryan. At least they're all in the picture!

"Children's children are a crown to the aged" Proverbs 17:6

And here is Will, as cute as can be!

Baby News

2010-04-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

Our 7th grandchild has arrived! It's a boy and his name is William Hudson Stegman. He was born at 1:30 am Monday, April 12th. He weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz. I don't have a picture yet but will be sure to post one soon.

Cliff has finished the grout in the master bedroom, bathroom and closet. It was a big, time consuming job at 700+ square feet and that doesn't include the concrete stem walls that we put travertine on and needed grout as well. But it's done and Cliff has already moved on to door trim and baseboards. I didn't get any pics of the trim, but here are a few of the grout work.

We're very pleased with the floor now that it's done but still not sure what pattern we will put upstairs in the rest of the house. This pattern was very time consuming and brain boggling! Luckily we don't have to choose just yet.

Until next time!

2010-03-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hooray, I'm back up and running! A few of you know that I got a new computer, an Apple MacBook and have been learning how to use it. I attempted to blog twice last week but couldn't figure out how to upload pictures but today I triumphed over my new computer. Actually it was so simple I'm a bit embarrassed : ) So, here's the scoop on what's going on at the coast.

January was rather uneventful except for getting our master bathroom shower up and running. What a blessing it is to take a shower in a real adult size shower, no more trailer showers. You can see that I'm quite pleased.

February was cabinet month. We moved the cabinets from our garage at home to the coast in a rented U-Haul truck with the help of a couple of young strapping men from our church. Shaun drove the U-Haul for us and John followed the next day to help unload and drive himself and Shaun home. We also had help from a few neighbors at the coast. We were quite nervous about getting the cabinets up there and unloaded without any damage to them, but we did and they're in perfect condition and waiting to be painted. Cliff installed them with a little help from the neighbors and Jim Millen who made the cabinets. (We highly recommend his work!)

Cliff put on the crown molding with only a couple of false starts--it was the first time he's tried crown. Several years ago a salesman at a lumber store told us that in order to make the cuts correctly you have to think upside down and backwards !?!? Like I said, there were a couple of false starts but once Cliff figured it out he was off and running. It looks great (that's not just from the perspective of a proud wife!)

The island was installed last because Cliff had cut/drill holes in the bottom of it for the plumbing pipes and electrical wires. The holes had to be in exactly the right spots so he measured and remeasured and then cut. He then called on our neighbors again for help. We're so thankful for Sig, Jeff and Pat being willing to come on a moments notice! So with the island lifted on one side with a floor jack and on the other side with a couple of 4"x 6"s, they moved it slowly into place and lowered it onto the perfectly drilled holes. Who says we don't like excitement or taking chances?

In March Cliff continued working on the flooring in the master bedroom. It's all down and just needs to be grouted. He also continued the travertine outside the french doors onto the patio. I love how it looks when the same flooring is carried through to the outside.

March 19th was an absolutely gorgeous day at the coast. It was warm and the whales were hanging out all day. The first thing I saw upon walking out of the bedroom was a whale blow and it continued all day. We went to Elk Beach and had it almost to ourselves. It was so nice that I walked barefoot. Billy ran around and Cliff and I collected shells and rocks for the grandkids and small pieces of driftwood for Iain Murray (our cat) to play with. He loves to bat around small sticks or bark that he pulls off of the firewood.

Next trip we plan to grout the master bedroom flooring, base, case and install crown molding in the master bedroom. We don't know when the next trip will be because we're waiting for our 7th grandchild's birth (Jessica's third) and then we'll be off to Washington for a visit.

Here's hoping I can remember how to upload pictures next time!

Driveway Paving and More

2010-01-29T14:24:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is, our update for December. We got quite a lot done in the first two weeks. And since what was accomplished were finishes it was very satisfying.

The first thing is the driveway paving. Up to that point we had a dirt and gravel driveway so we were always tracking dirt, pebbles or mud into the trailer and the house. It's great to have the asphalt paving done. No more tracking in messes from the driveway.

Cliff started laying the travertine tiles downstairs in the master bedroom, bathroom and closet. They look great but it's been quite a challenge because of the pattern we chose. It was really confusing transferring what was on our diagram on paper to putting the tiles on the floor. That made the job take longer than if we had chosen square tiles. As of now all the whole tiles are down and Cliff is in the process of cutting the rest. Note: the difference in color in the next two photos is due to the lighting-the tile is all the same.

This is our diagram for laying the tiles down. It started out as just the single pattern in the middle but after our brains started to hurt I decided to trace it six times and tape those around the middle. It made the process much easier!

Here are Pete and Iain Murray relaxing in the house. They are on a cot that has a cozy down comforter on top of it. As comfy as a couch or bed at home but with a much better view (not that the cats care).

That's all for now folks.

Catching Up

2010-01-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

Finally, an update from the coast! It's been 3 months since the last post so for this one I'll show you what happened in Nov. and hopefully do a Dec. update in a day or two. So here goes...

We had our granite installed in our shower. That was quite a job and required 4 men to lift and put into place the largest slab. Boris (our "granite guy extrordinaire") said that it weighed about 500 lbs. The other 2 slabs were half the size, so you do the math. We're really pleased with how it turned out but how can you go wrong with green granite!

Cliff installed brick shaped travertine tiles above the granite to the ceiling and also on the stem walls (foundation) that are in the bathroom. The stem walls are concrete and not too pretty so we had to cover them with something. They look gorgeous covered with these tiles!

We put the bathtub in place but haven't done any finishes in this bathroom because we're focusing on the master bathroom first.

These lights are outside of our master bedroom which looks out to the ocean. Very nautical and we love the look.

And last but certainly not least here is the newest addition to our family, Daniel Ryan Trzeciak. He was born on Oct. 27, 2009. This picture was taken at Christmas when we were up in Wa. visiting our kids and grandkids. Daniel is a really good baby, very laid back. He gave us all a scare when he had to have hernia surgery at 3 weeks old, but he came through it fine.
I hope to post again in a day or two with the Dec. goings on so check back soon!

Painting & The Submarine

2009-10-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

You might be wondering what we mean by "the submarine". Actually the submarine is our nickname for our propane tank and believe me, it deserves the nickname! We decided on the big one because there are frequent power outages due to storm damage on the coast. We've heard stories from friends who live there of the power being out for several days at a time. Our submarine will provide us with enough propane to run our generator for a long time when need be. We're considering painting some portholes on the sides with little men looking out...what do you think?

The exterior of the house is almost completely painted. My brother Doug came up and painted the north side of the house. Cliff couldn't paint it himself because reaching to the top required an extension ladder. Thanks to Doug for driving all that way and sleeping on a cot! This paint job has been lots of work taking so many hours that we've not been able to count them. The only thing left to paint is the window and door trim on the south side.

We have installed 3 doors in the master bedroom and bathroom and the medicine cabinets in the master bathroom. The door of one of medicine cabinets is not on yet because one of the hinges was broken when we opened the box. A new hinge is on the way.

That's all for now!

There Be Color on the Walls!

2009-09-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

As the title says, we have done some painting, this time the fun part (not just white primer). I should say, "Cliff has done some painting", because he's the one who has done all the painting. I play the roles of: 1.Choosing the colors (so if you don't like them you can blame me) and 2. Providing food and drink at the proper times throughout the day.

The master bedroom color is blue and is called Sea Dreams.

The master bathroom is green and is called Beach Bum. I really didn't set out to choose colors with names pertaining to the ocean, it just happened that way!

This trip wasn't all work for Cliff though. He took some time in the mornings and evenings to go hunting and was successful one morning at 6:22. We know the exact time because one of our neighbor's looked at his clock when he heard the rifle shot.

For those of you who don't care to see a dead deer close your eyes. I don't like to see the dead animal either, but I certainly like how the poor critter tastes cooked up for my dinner!

One of the reasons we love the coast is the constantly changing color and condition of the ocean. During our last trip we had one of the most beautiful days we've ever seen up there. It was very odd weather, really warm which is unusual and overcast which is not so unusual! Here is one of the pictures I took that day. Cliff teases me about taking so many pictures, but see for yourself why I'm obsessed!

Our next trip up will be spent painting the outside of the house. Cliff really wants that done before the rain starts. Our propane tank is also going to be installed while we're there. Stay tuned!

The Drywall and Texture are Finished

2009-08-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

There's not much to report except that the drywall is hung, the texture is drying and we took up half of the travertine for the downstairs area. We only took half of it because it's so heavy that our truck can't carry more than one pallet at a time. Here are a few of the latest pictures.

Billy inspecting the texture...

Travertine laid out in front of the french doors in the master bedroom...
More proof that Iain Murray the cat is the boss...

Now the painting begins. We have a lot of primer to put on before we get to the fun part - colors!

Drywall

2009-07-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Drywall day finally arrived. It seems like years since we got this project started. Well, it is one year and two months as of July 19.

Here are a couple of pictures of the day the drywall arrived... first our driver and next our installers.

And now on to the work in progress..

the stairwell

the great room

one of the skylights

taping in progress

Next up, paint. I've been thinking about the colors for 14 months but now it's time to choose. The majority of the house will be green but we're putting in some blue and possibly a little bit of orange. The colors will reflect what you see when you look out the windows...ocean, the bluff and California poppies in bloom.

See ya next time (and I'll be covered in paint-my dad would have laughed at how sloppy I am at painting).

Fuzzy Walls and Dump Runs

2009-07-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

We now have insulation, aka fuzzy walls (and floors and ceilings). Next week is drywall and texture. We can hardly wait. The days leading up to the insulation coming were busy for Cliff with finishing up all the little details that are easy to put off. But he got everything done on time. The difference is amazing. We had become accustomed to sound traveling throughout the house. The insulation deadens sound, so when we walked into the house for the first time it sounded so different. We kept having to ask, "What?" when we were in different rooms trying to talk to each other.

One of the details that needed to be finished was making sure the projector screen worked properly and it does. We can hardly wait for out first movie night!

One of the unpleasant details that comes along with construction is all the trash that it generates. We went on dump run #78 (a little hyperbole there).

Of course, I hestitate to complain about dump runs when this is our view on our way home.

Stay tuned in for pictures of drywall....

The Inspector Inspected

2009-05-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

Whew! We finally got to the point where we were ready for our electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections so Cliff called the county office and set up the appointment. It was only at this point that he realized that our permit had less than a week before it was going to expire! We couldn't time these things better if we tried! The day came and the county inspector drove up and went inside with Cliff while I waited in the trailer. And I continued to wait...for about an hour. He was very thorough but the outcome was that (insert drumrole here) we passed! There were a couple of minor things, one being that a few of the junction boxes had too many wires coming into them for the depth and needed to be changed to deeper ones. We just happened to have the right ones there so they have already been changed.

So now we are ready for insulation and then drywall, tape and texture. Woohoo!! (You'll have to excuse my enthusiasm from here on out. I'm so excited to get to the finishes).

One of the last things that Cliff had to get done before the inspection was drill the last three holes in the exterior soffit and install the last of the outdoor lighting. Here's a couple of photos of him accomplishing this feat on the second to the last one. Unfortunately I didn't get photos of the last hole being drilled. It was the highest and most difficult. Cliff borrowed the neighbor's extension ladder in order to be high enough. I was watching and praying from the trailer because I'd just gotten out of the shower and couldn't get outside just then. We figure that God must have had several angels on duty for the job of keeping Cliff from falling and getting seriously injured.

This photo is one of the medicine cabinets (there are two) that will be in the bathroom on the main floor. I love it!! They were a great find and on sale! We were framing the openings for them when I took the photo.

Spring at the coast is so lovely. There are flowers everywhere. We took this photo at the end of the bluff. If you look at the water you'll see the waves crashing on a rock.

Iain Murray, the cat, not the author, has decided that he loves being in the house playing. He has a blast chasing flies and rolling on the rough concrete downstairs in the master bedroom. Pete, our other cat is content to stay in the trailer and sleep, but he is ten years old. Billy had fun as always. He runs hard and sleeps hard when we're at the coast. It's such fun to watch him at a full run across the bluff. He had a fine ending to this trip though at 2:30 am on the last night when he was outside (just to use the facilities) and caught sight of a skunk. Off he went, the skunk didn't appreciate being chased by a 105 lb. doberman and did what skunks do. Lucky for Billy his aim wasn't great. We think he got it in the mouth a little and also a little bit on his side, no doubt as he turned to take flight. Ah, country living.

Progress

2009-05-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

I recently went to the cabinet shop and designed the kitchen with the help of a very nice gal and a great computer program. It was amazing to watch it come together on the computer screen. I'm going to make a few changes but the images you see here are pretty much what the kitchen will look like. We're putting in white cabinets with a rope detail.

Here's what it looks like now...

Here's what it will look like...

Yay! I can hardly wait.

Here's a video of our adorable cat Iain Murray playing fetch.

Goofy Parent Games

2009-03-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is for all you adult children who wonder what your parents do after you leave home.

No More Dirt Piles

2009-03-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

We've had these huge piles of dirt and wood chips on the property since excavation last spring. During the late summer and fall when it was really dry and the wind came up out poor neighbors to the south had to contend with our dirt blowing their way. We wanted to get the dirt piles spread out before it stops raining so that some grass will grow on it this spring, holding the dirt in place once again. Last Friday that took place and it's nice to look out and not see big, ugly piles of dirt.

Picture with dirt piles...

Picture during spreading them out...

Picture after, notice how smooth...

2009-03-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a while! I'm sorry to those of you who are wondering what's going on at the bluff!

Cliff has been working on electrical. Not too exciting or spectacular, but we're so glad that it's progressing. Much of the house is wired up. We have all the recessed lighting installed and some of it is connected to switches. I never knew there were so many decisions to be made concerning electrical. Now is the time to choose the light fixtures, to place the recessed lighting, to decide where all the switches and receptacles should be installed. If that isn't enough, we're also putting in a sound system throughout the house and an alarm system. We can't thank Alex and Jason enough for all of their expertise and for giving up weekends to come and help with installation.

Cliff did have a bit of fun last weekend burning brush piles. It is legal there, you simply have to follow their rules such as: size of piles and only burning on "burn days" during the hours of 9 am to 3 pm. But really, what could be more fun for a man than spraying fuel on something and lighting it on fire? Our neighbor and his son had a few piles of their own, so they worked together.

We installed our first "finish" item last weekend as well. It's our shower pan for the master bath. It needs to be in before drywall goes on so here it is.

We take our cats with us if we plan to be there more than a couple of nights. Here's a picture of our newest addition, Iain Murray. He's such fun to have with us, he even fetches his toys (when he feels like it, he is a cat!). In this photo he's on top of the cabinet in the kitchen area of our 5th wheel trailer. He's a great jumper.

That's all for now! I'll endeavor to post more frequently!

Movie Night

2009-01-27T10:43:00.001-08:00

We had our first movie night in the house over the weekend. We decided to bring our TV out of the trailer and into the house so we could enjoy a nice warm fire while watching. Our choice for our first movie...

Here's our set up: warm fire, comfy chairs, and itty bitty TV (better than nothing!)

Cliff did some work over the weekend too! He was getting ready to start the electrical installation by putting up electrical panels. First came insulation in the wall, then plywood and drywall and then installing the panels.

That's all for now!

Warm Toes

2009-01-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

Working on warm toes! I went up with one of my friends (Randy) and we installed most of the pex tubing. I ran out and need another 300'. I also took a few shots of the paint at the east elevation. Next up will be the electrical rough in.

We're Dried In

2008-12-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

The long awaited day finally came, you know, that day when you pay your carpenters for the last time and they drive off site. They're great guys, nothing against them personally, but what a good feeling it is when they leave for the last time!

The exterior of the house is finished except to get paint on it, which will be done next spring. The weather up there is too unpredictable throughout the winter to try to paint. The deck structure is finished as well. We have plywood nailed down on parts now just so we can get out on it and enjoy it.

We had the garage doors installed the day before Thanksgiving. It actually looks like a home when you drive up to it now.

We also installed our wood burning stove, a Lopi Endeavor, so we could warm the place up a bit while we work inside this winter. It will be much more effective after we get insulation in the walls, but if you sit close it keeps you warm.

Cliff and I had a nice, quiet Thanksgiving up there. Our dinner was very nice and we had artwork from Jake and Warren to remind us of family. There was a Thanksgiving day disaster though. As I was taking the absolutely gorgeous, totally homemade pumpkin pie out of the extremely cheap trailer oven the rack came loose and my pie fell from the rack and landed on the open oven door spilling half of the delicious filling onto the floor and beyond. At the time I didn't think it was humorous so I didn't take a picture of the mess, but I did get one of what remained of the pie. It sort of looked like dog food, but it tasted just fine.

What's next? Christmas....so there won't be much to report on this month. In January we'll continue the installation of the pex tubing for the radiant heat and get the electrical work done. Maybe even get the insulation in...who knows.

The Grandkids

2008-11-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

I can't resist posting a few pictures of our adorable, wonderful grandkids. It's still surprising (when I pause to think about it) that only 4 years ago this month we were waiting for the birth of the first and now there are five of them. They are surely a blessing from the Lord.

Here are Warren, Aubrey and Jake posing on a quilt that my quilting friends made for me way back (!) when Jake was expected.

We take pictures of the babies with Billy our 100+ lb. doberman (mostly to frighten thier other grandma's). Aubrey was happy to make his acquaintance. (For you non-dog people Billy is very gentle with the kids).

This is Johnny in his spiderman jammies and Burger King crown. Jess and Isaac found him asleep in bed with his crown on the night this was taken.

And here's little Jeanine in her car seat smiling adoringly at Miss Bessie Cow. She (the cow) is the best thing since sliced bread according to Jeanine. (Not counting her mom and dad, they're pretty great too).

Thanks for indulging me and taking a look at the kids!

Siding & Tongue and Groove

2008-11-13T09:21:00.000-08:00

We're getting so close to having the exterior of the house done! Next week will mark 6 months since we broke ground. I can hardly believe it's been that long. I kept thinking that it's taken the "summer" and then it struck me that it's already Nov. and summer is long gone. (You wouldn't know it by the weather however, it's supposed to be in the mid 70's today in C.V.)

This is the south side of the house. Still waiting on stairs up to the front door!

The siding is done except for one plank across the top of the west end which will be put on when the guys put up the tongue and groove cedar planks that fill in the overhang area (I can't remember what that area is officially called).

This is the tongue and groove cedar with the paint drying on the living room floor.

We installed a toilet and sink so we could get rid of the outhouse. I didn't mind the outhouse until we moved the trailer into our driveway and started to smell it venting. Whoo, am I glad to have that gone.

This window is located in our stairwell. It will bring in extra light and the view isn't bad either.

The seas were up last weekend and it was beautiful. Here are a couple of pictures, one looking south and the other down on the ocean at the end of the bluff.

We ordered our wood burning stove and are going to install it and start using it. Though we don't have insulation or drywall yet it will help to take off the chill in the great room this winter. Now that the carpenters are almost done we will be working on the radiant heat tubing and electrical. We'll keep you updated but the pictures aren't going to be quite as interesting!

Rain Gutters and Plumbing

2008-10-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

We had another busy weekend at the house having copper rain gutters and plumbing installed. Have I mentioned that copper is expensive? But because we chose to build at the coast and because the salt air ruins most metals, copper it has to be. The upside is that it sure looks pretty!

Our "gutter guys" showed up at about noon on Friday and got right to work. We wanted seamless gutters so they had some long, heavy gutters to carry from the street where they were set up to the house and then up either on the roof or up ladders. These 3 men worked hard and got the job done without any dents, dings or scratches. They even wore plastic gloves so they wouldn't get fingerprints on the copper. We are impressed with their work.

On Saturday and Sunday we had 3 plumbers doing plumbing (of course). They put in all the copper (yes, more copper) for the water, and the waste and vent.

The siding is looking good and continuing this week. We aren't going to have it painted until spring or summer of next year. The weather is unpredictable this time of year and we don't want to get the painting started only to have to stop due to the dampness from the fog or from rain. So for now our house is sort of grayish, but it will be green when it's done. That's all for now. Downspouts coming soon!

A Roof in One Day

2008-09-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

We had another busy weekend at the property, this time it was the roof going on. Who would have thought that 6 men could put a roof on in one day? These were hard working guys. They arrived at 8:00 in the morning, worked with very little break time and drove away at 7:00 that evening. It was a long day for everyone involved and we're so glad it's over but even more happy that we have a roof. We no longer dread the words, "It might rain"! Our carpenters are putting the siding on this week, so we will be dried in when that's completed.

Here's a few pictures from the weekend....

The roofing materials being delivered

Roof installation

Unfortunately we forgot to take pictures after the roof was completed. Next time!

Here are our stairs, finally done. Now it feels like a house to me because I don't have to go out through the garage, down the side of the house and into the french doors to get in the master bedroom.

For you people who work in construction here's the under side of the stairs. Built to last!

We also moved our 5th wheel from our neighbor's property (where it's been all summer) into our driveway. Thank you to Jerry and Mary Lou for being wonderful hosts and making us feel welcome.

Yes, that is fog you see in this picture. We couldn't even see the water for most of the day. The day dawned sunny, the fog came in sometime in the morning, and in the late afternoon it cleared up for a little while. That's a fairly typical day up on the north coast. What's not to love?

Buzzing the Bluff

2008-09-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today is our 30th anniversary. Because we're building the house I didn't plan on doing anything out of the ordinary but Cliff had other ideas. His friend Travis has a pilot's license and goes flying frequently in small planes. So Cliff arranged for us to go flying. He told me we were doing something special and challenged me to guess a few weeks ago thinking that I would never get it right. But about a week ago I figured it out although our destination was still a secret.

This morning at about 10 we took off from Palo Alto and flew west to the coast. We headed up the coast from about Half Moon Bay all the way up to our property. It was absolutely beautiful! We couldn't have been blessed with a better day for flying on the coast - no fog and abundant sunshine.

After flying over our house, waving at neighbors and taking a few pictures we headed inland to Petaluma, landed, had lunch at the airport cafe, took off again and landed in Palo Alto. What a blast! We highly recommend it! Here's a few pictures of the day.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Point Bonita Lighthouse

Two views of our house (it looks huge)

The end of the day, parking the plane and tying it down.

More of Looking House-ish

2008-09-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

When the decking is built and the X bracing removed we will have one more row of posts down below in line with those already installed.

Copper vents for bathroom exhaust fan and kitchen range hood. (Steve C.--keep praying that no one steals the copper!)

All the materials for the siding are on site and ready to be installed.

This picture is the overhang on the west end. It will be covered with 1"x 6" tongue and groove boards painted white.

This is our dining area with the stairs beyond which go down to the master bedroom.

This is our kitchen. It you squint your eyes and hold your head to the right you might be able to see the island and cabinets beyond. Under the window will be our computer/desk area.

We hate it here, it's always foggy. : ' )

This is the front door from the inside looking south.

Looking Quite House-ish

2008-09-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

The construction is moving along quickly as you'll see in the pictures. Cliff and I didn't go up to the property for 2 weekends in a row and that's why we haven't posted for 3 weeks. (Sorry about that).

All of the plywood is on, including the roof, so the house is somewhat draft free at this point. We had a picnic lunch in the living room on Friday--what a view!

Cliff installed the front door, it looks wonderful. The roof structure creates our deck covering as you'll see from the next two pictures.

Our well is now hooked up to the pump and we have water!

Movin' Right Along

2008-09-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

We have windows installed and electricity! We went up to the property for the Labor Day weekend which we managed to stretch out to a week.

On our first day there PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) came by to hook up our electricity. I'm sure you can imagine how thrilling that event was for us. We're on our own now and don't need to rely on our neighbor's good will for power.

The same day Cliff and our framer's installed all of our windows and the french door in the master bedroom. It was a long day with a few tense moments, like when they had one of the west facing 5'x8' picture windows swinging from a rope about 12' above the ground! The rope was a last minute idea, just in case something went wrong! I've learned that it just wouldn't be a building project without a few stories to tell at the end.

This first picture is of the south facing side of the house with Cliff leaning out the front door opening. We will have stairs leading up to the door from the sidewalk below. The next picture is the west and north sides of the house. There will be a deck breaking up that huge wall! The third picture is the view facing north/west from the great room.

The weather was beautiful our first 2 days there, actually it was hot out in the sun. Cliff and I pulled out our lounging chairs 2 nights in a row to stargaze. The night sky is amazing up there without city lights interfering.

Billy loves to play with water bottles and found one sitting around. I took this picture of him from inside the master bedroom looking out toward the ocean.

That's all for now.

It's Looking Like a House

2008-08-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the house with the plywood down the south side. It's really beginning to look like a house now! Next...windows!

setting trusses

2008-08-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

Installation of the trusses. Today the trusses arrived and the set went very well, swinging over the electrical lines and under the high voltage lines no one got zapped.

Another Addition to the Family

2008-08-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

Our granddaughter Jeanine Marie Stegman arrived on August 14, 2008. She weighed 7 lbs. and was 20" long. She's adorable and a wonderfully content baby. Her big brother Johnny is enjoying "petting" the baby!

It's raining up here in Washington, imagine that!

more framing and windows

2008-08-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

We drove up to deliver the windows and most of the framing was complete. The trusses are scheduled to be installed on 8/20/08. Cliff will be up for the drop.
This is the view from the laundry room.

Window Arrival

2008-08-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Our windows were delivered to our home in Castro Valley last Friday. Cliff and the delivery man loaded the larger ones right onto his truck for transport up to the property. The rest will be loaded onto our trailer and towed. There are 21 windows, 2 skylights and a french door. The front door is ordered but hasn't arrived yet. For those of you who have been to our house in CV, the front door is the same as here. I decided that since I still love the door after having it for 6 years I'd be happy with the same one for the new house. (And yes, I order the same thing over and over at restaurants. Why mess with what you like?)

The framing is close to being done and Sam will start getting the plywood on the exterior this week. Once the plywood is up it will be time for installing the windows.

More pictures to come after the next trip!

Framing Frenzy

2008-08-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

We spent another great weekend at the property checking out the progress of the framing and marveling that the Lord has made the building of this house possible. We were blessed with a couple of clear nights so we could see the Milky Way and stars galore. It's a rare sight for those of us who have grown up and lived in the city all our lives!

Our framing contractor Sam is a wonder to behold. I've titled this post Framing Frenzy for a reason! He's fast and extremely efficient. He framed our addition at our Castro Valley house so we knew his work. The neighbors up at the bluff are amazed at his speed and tell us that he's not one to stop and chat, which is good if you're the one paying the bills!

This first photo was taken from the garage looking in the door leading into the house, down the hallway and out into the greatroom.

This is the main floor. The framing below is the master bedroom and the area underneath the greatroom. We'll use that area for storage.

This one is of the master bedroom. The greatroom will be on top of it, and as you walk towards the garage there will be a bathroom, laundry room, bedroom and quilting studio.

Here's Billy checking out the view. We agree with him that it is spectacular.

On Saturday evening we watched the sunset from our living room for the first time. It was a bit drafty but with a coat and a quilt to wrap up in it was worth it. It will only be a few weeks until that draft will be stopped by walls and windows.

The Well-House

2008-07-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here it is, our beautiful well-house. What do you think? Cliff and I are thrilled to have this structure near completion! It will be painted to match the house (green of course).

This is our copper louvre for ventilation, it's awfully pretty. We haven't gotten the bill for it yet so we'll see how pretty we think it is at that point! Of course, it won't be this shiny for long. The sea air will cause it to patina very quickly.

We've placed our generator inside the well-house. We'll need it fairly often because the storms wreak havoc on the power lines, what with trees falling and high winds. We've heard stories of the power being down for a week at a time. The generator will be set up to come on automatically when the electricity goes down.

We ordered our windows and doors yesterday. It was quite a process deciding what type of window to put where. Should it be operable, which way should it open, what type of opening (sliders, awning, casement)? After months of mulling it over it was finally time to just do it.

Jen, Ryan and the kids are visiting this week. We're having lots of fun. Cliff is giving motorcycle rides, Jake is shooting the pellet gun, Warren ran into a car down the street when he lost control of his bike and has a nice bruise on his head. All is well and very normal!

Framing has Started

2008-07-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost 3 weeks since my last post. So much has been going on. Cliff has been up to the property 3 times, I've been there twice. Two of the trips were quick, one overnight and the other just up and back the same day to drop off the generator.

I was also gone for 8 days at Quilt Camp/visiting with Jen and Ryan. Needless to say we've been busy!

Our framing has begun! We drove up on Friday (this time for the weekend) and saw the first of the framing, our bedroom, which is the downstairs portion of the house.

Here's the view out of the master bedroom french doors (you have to imagine the doors being on and walls around them).

This next photo is our inspector, Billy the Dober-dog, checking out the quality of the work. He seems to be pleased with the progress.

Our friend Alex drove up for the day to help Cliff finish the electrical work into the well-house. We're now ready to call PG&E to hook up power to our property.

The construction is moving faster than we imagined, which is wonderful. By the next time we get up there the upstairs framing will be in progress. I'll post more pictures this week, so check back. The well-house (or pump-house as they call it up there) is almost done and very impressive. You will want to see it!

Finished Foundation

2008-07-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

WooHoo! Our foundation is finished. The slabs and retaining walls were placed last Friday and the forms were stripped on Monday, so that's it. A huge thank you goes to our neighbor on the bluff Charlotte for taking pictures and e-mailing them to us since we haven't gone up to see the foundation for ourselves.

The well-house is underway now, and framing of the house will be started soon. Check back in a few days to see what's happening.

Anticipating Warm Toes

2008-06-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

We're putting radiant heat in our house so off we went on Tuesday afternoon to install Pex tubing in the master bedroom area. The Pex tubing is what the hot water will flow through which will warm up the floor and whole house. The pex has to be attached to the rebar with zip ties, so we had to be there in between the rebar being installed and the concrete being placed. Having never done this before we had some trepidation about it, but it all went just fine (not counting my sore thighs from bending and sqatting a couple hundred times). It took the two of us about 4 1/2 hours. The rest of the house will be done later after the framing is complete.
I'm sure looking forward to the day that my slippers will only be a fashion statement!

Underground Work and the Storm

2008-06-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went back to the property (I wish we had stock in Chevron!) to do underground piping for water and gas lines. When we arrived we surveyed what our contractor had accomplished since our last visit. I never imagined that I'd be excited by retaining walls being formed up and sidewalks being laid out, or even a huge pile of gravel in the garage area!

Cliff and a friend worked on putting in gas and plumbing pipe in preparation for the slabs being placed later this week.

We also had three men digging trenches for our drainage system around the house.

I supplied the food and moral support, but spent most of my time in our trailer sewing. The view is pretty good, wouldn't you agree?

On Friday a summer storm came through. The day was warm, about 80 degrees, but in the late afternoon clouds started to build up and then came rain with lightning and thunder. It was beautiful to watch but unfortunately the lightning started several fires in the area.

That's all for now. Check back soon to see slabs, retaining walls, sidewalks and radiant heat tubing. Oh the thrill of it all!

Our Grandaughter Aubrey Rachel

2008-06-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of our newest addition, of the human type, not the construction type! She's just adorable and so tiny. Jake and Warren are so cute with her and I think a bit in awe at this little sister.

Work Day

2008-06-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

We went up to the property for a day so Cliff and Alex (our friend from church) could rough in the underground electrical. The weather was perfect for working, overcast but no wind. The forms for the concrete have been removed and the concrete contractor did a great job. There aren't any rock pockets and all the bolts are straight.

The lines on this stem wall are options for the sidewalk level which will determine how steep the sidewalk is and how many steps we have leading up to the front door.

We Have A Foundation

2008-06-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday, June 11th, we have a foundation! Woohoo! Cliff drove up to the property with his friend and concrete expert Curt to watch the pour. It was another exciting day for us. For those of you (including me) who don't know much about the process the concrete was placed in the forms which are then taken off once the concrete has cured. The slabs for the garage and master bedroom will be placed soon.

It was windy!

2008-06-09T19:52:00.001-07:00

2008-06-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

More pic's from week ending 6/8/08

Our Newest Addition

2008-06-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Aubrey Rachel Trzeciak was born yesterday morning, June 4, 2008 at 6:27 a.m. She weighed 6 lb. 7 oz. and was 19" long. I can't post pictures until I get home but if you click on the link for Jen and Ryan there are pictures on their blog. She looks like her brothers, but especially like Jake, and of course she's adorable.

Until next time...

A Few More Pictures

2008-06-04T04:26:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd add a few more pictures, not in order of progress, this time what is happening now.

Can you believe it, the foundation is coming together?! Thanks to our neighbor on the bluff who is taking pictures and e-mailing them to us.

I won't be posting for a few days because I'm heading to southern CA. this morning. Our 4th grandchild is on her way. Ryan called us at 3:23 a.m. to tell us that they were on the way to the hospital. Contractions were 3 minutes apart. This little one is coming early, she was due on the 15th. I guess she's making up for her older brothers who were both late.

Until next time...

Trying to get up to date

2008-06-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how fast things move on a construction site. I'll try to get you up to the present with some pictures. As I said we had the well drilled and trees cut down last Sept.

On May 19 when the crew rolled on to the site it was quite a mess. We had wood stacked from the trees, a couple of huge piles of wood chips, and being spring a very overgrown lot. The first thing to do was to clear the site and the guys made quick work of it.

They dug our trenches for the septic system and put the tank in place.

They dug a hole for our water storage tank and lowered it into place. Then they put gravel all around it.

Oh ya, we had an outhouse delivered to the site!

Let's Get Started

2008-06-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is, my first attempt at blogging. My daughters assured me that it's easy to get started, so here I go.

The purpose of this blog is to show our construction progress. We bought property a few years back on the coast of California with the hope of building a home one day. That day arrived on May 19, 2008 and what a thrill it was for Cliff and I. We sandwiched a trip to the property between our ministries on Sunday and Tuesday. Cliff was teaching a Sunday school class on the 18th and I had my last women's Bible study class on the 20th. It was worth the quick trip to see the equipment roll on site! (I say equipment because I don't know the proper name, other than there was a backhoe there).

The property is long and narrow as you can see from the photo. It's 50' wide and about 407' long. It's in between the house to the left and the trees to the right. Last September we had those trees cut down and also had a well drilled. We prayed over that well because not all of the properties have good producing wells. The Lord answered our prayers in that we didn't have to dig as deep as some around us and it's producing very well!

That's all for now. I'll be back soon!