211 Above the Ceiling, Under the Floor

The renovation continues now with a hole in the ceiling at the top of the stairs next to the kitchen to install the smoke detector and a new light.

210 Broken Pot

I bought this small bowl from Mrs. Lee my first year in seminary. For years I put my small change in it and more recently I used it for the ashes on Ash Wednesday. Last night I dropped it on the street getting out of the car. It reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:7 "we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us." Perhaps a bit of super glue will hold it together again.

209 Pastor Kringle

This visor hangs on the coat rack in my office so I know who I am.

208 Ready for Lent

207 Winter Feet

It got cold again and cold with a west wind means a drafty house. A drafty winter house means cold feet. Winter feet need cozy socks that can be worn to bed.

206 Drops of Water, Red

205 Red Guitar

I'll admit it. We buy wine by the label; Red Trucks, Dog Tail and now, Red Guitar. It's actually a very nice, very robust, very good with beef pizzaiaola.

204 Light at the End of Tunnel

The framers have been her all week and the basement is looking less like a basement and more like finished rooms as the pile of lumber in the middle of the room shrinks.

203 Laying Low

Tired, worn out and laying low for the day. Grateful that Rich cooks dinner. 

202 Tool Belt

Home from the shore and the house smells like sawdust, one of the best smells I know. 2x4 studs are stacked up in the middle of the basement and the framer has started his work.

201 Snowy Owl

Rich invited me on a grand adventure that was much grander that we anticipated. After making a deposit at the bank in Stone Harbor we headed down to the boating beach at 123rd Street and took a walk at the south end of the island. Yesterday we were there at sunset and discovered a brand new observation deck next to the marsh. So new that the two men there told us it had been completed that day. They also said they were looking for the Snowy Owl that had been spotted at dusk at that end of the island. At the end of today's walk on the beach we looked toward the observation deck from the parking lot and saw the silhouette of a bird sitting on one of the posts. Wouldn't it be funny if it were the owl sitting on the observation deck? From the distance it was hard to know what it was and  I'm more used to seeing hawks on posts, until I looked through the camera. Definitely not the silhouette of a hawk. We worked our way down the path, taking shots as we went getting as close as we dared. There were five of us there this afternoon, three with cameras, and nobody said a word until she flew away. 

200 At the Beach

It's Avalon, not Alaska. We love winter at the beach mostly because it is so quiet. It is not as cold as it is in more northern regions, but still chilly enough that my fingers get cold working the camera. Yes, Rich is wearing two hats; a wool baseball hat to give a bit of shade and keep moisture off his face, and a fur lined mad bomber hat to keep his ears warm. 

199 I Found Nemo

I really don't know if this is a clown fish or not. He's definitely not real either. The fish bowl on the table at the beach house is made entirely of glass. All of it; the fish, the seaweed, even the bubbles are solid glass. 

198 Good Dog

Valentine's Day at the shore and Rich and I took a little walk on the beach. There weren't as many birds on the shore line as in past years. Maybe it was the time of day. Maybe it was the brisk weather. Along the way we met Flyer, still a puppy, yet still a good dog.

197 Roxi meets Warhol

196 Reading Room Doors

195 Skytop Sunset (HDR)

194 Night Prayer

193 Holding Hands

192 Cheese Box

I will always say Wisconsin cheese is the best in the world and there are some very fine cheeses in the world. The cheese cart at a 5 star French restaurant is a wondrous thing. So is a stringy, gooey, grilled cheese sandwich made with Colby Longhorn. 

191 The New Box

The new electrical box went in last week. Bill and Ben spent a couple of days sorting out the wiring in the house and setting up the paths for the new wiring. The meter and service will be upgraded. They couldn't do it the day they put the box in. There was a bit of a waterfall from melting snow pouring off the roof over the current meter. 

190 Full Deck

In our window is every permit we think is available from the city for home improvement. Today Miguel hauled out more old cement while Bill and Ben hung Tyvek on the basement walls and laid pipe in the trench for waterproofing.

189 Bookshelves

I may have watched too much HGTV. Maybe it all the cleaning and sorting of basement stuff. Maybe I thought there was too much clutter on my desk. Today I purged four shelves of books, moved the stereo, and cleaned my desk. Now I have space to work, or at least a space to put the files I'm working on. Next up: reconciling the check book and getting the tax information ready for the accountant.

188 Snowy Bench

187 The Last Fuse

Hidden behind the drywall up near the floor joists, Bill the contractor pointed one old fuse box with one lone 25 amp fuse in a 15 amp circuit. The box is the connection to all the electrical in Rich's office, powering the lights, computer, plotter, A/C in summer, space heater in winter, and the outlet on the back deck. Needless to say, it was a bit of a surprise to find and would have caused all kinds of head scratching if the fuse blew before now since no one knew it was there. Who'd have thought to look behind drywall?

Basement update

The concrete guys dug the trench for the waterproofing system last week. Yesterday one of the guys came to drill through the foundation from the basement to the coal bin. Unfortunately he was drilling in the wrong place. Today it snow a rather lovely light and fluffy snow, and since the concrete guys have a plowing contract with a couple of outpatient centers they are out plowing and salting. So we have a trench in our basement. One of these days they will come with stone and pipe and finish their part. Today, though, Bill and Ben came and started the electrical work, pulling old wire and figuring out what goes where. Tomorrow they'll be back and change out the breaker box. Rich and I will be at his parents house with our laptops and doing laundry since the power will be off all day.

186 Inside Reflections

The dining room reflected on the glass of the china cabinet.

185 Game Day Dinner

Hot wings, onion rings, fried mozzarella, the only thing missing is chili and chips. The salad is a nod to a healthy eating on a day when all food rules are suspended. 

184 Color & Texture: Punch Needle

Detail of a punch needle lighthouse.