As we end the year

And what a year it has been!

 Obviously this project has been the focus of our time and efforts. As we move into the final stages of construction, we're excited and anxious for the next phase of our lives to begin.

We look forward to happy times with our family and all our friends



Sunny days on the water.



Fourth of July gatherings!



Good times with our neighbors!



Many delicious meals!



Exploring new places and meeting new people!

....Beginning a new chapter.....

Winter Storm Hits Camano Island!

What started as a crisp and clear morning quickly turned dark with heavy winds and snow squalls. But since the forecast didn't call for any accumulation, off we went to Camano to check on the house.

The drive up north caught us both by surprise. 

In Lynnwood, the traffic had slowed to 40 mph and there were patches of compact snow all over the highway.

But by the time we reached Everett, the snow had turned to rain.

As we headed west on Hwy 523 toward Camano, I remarked to myself that this was one of the few times I couldn't  see a patch of blue sky over Camano off in the distance.

When we reached the house the wind was howling and the tide was high; so high in fact that the waves were washing over the bulkhead.

 

This video was taken from inside the house with my new little waterproof video camera. Handy gadget indeed for kayaking and other watery activities. Thanks, Santa!

 

 

Our little SeaNymph had apparently been washed off the bulkhead and was rescued first by Dave who is installing our cabinets, and later pulled out again and moved  onto the lawn by our neighbor Greg!

 

Sunset in Seattle

 

All's well that ends well!

 

 

 

 

But what about the house, you ask?

 

Well, it's a holiday week for many, so we didn't expect to see much of  a change.  Wrong!

 

The next post will fill you in on that - complete with a (my first) video tour!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like a House!

A beautiful day for a drive up north; so glad I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday! Jeff, Barbara and I were delighted to see the changes  on both the inside and outside of the house - and the garage.

Today they're working on the exterior trim and the tile in the master bath.  The downstairs bath looks very nice.

The kitchen cabinets are almost completely installed.

These cabinets will go on either side of the fireplace.



The yellow Hardie Board is finally being covered!

I swear the garage looks pretty enough to move into!

To all the folks who have helped make this dream a reality,

we send our appreciation and best wishes for a very Happy Holiday season !

A beautiful December day

Crabbing season has reopened for a month, everywhere but around Camano Island!  Today would have been a perfect day to put out the pots; sunny, no wind, cool but not cold. A  great day to head up and see how things are going.

Eric, our tile guy was hard at work, laying in the shower tiles in the downstairs bathroom. He seems to have all the attributes:  does good work, has good ideas, and is a great listener. The bath looks super!

 The bathrooms shoould be tiled before the holidays and then he'll start laying the downstairs floor in January. While I wandered around taking pictures, he and Jeff discussed ideas for the kitchen floor. You'll have to visit the blog in a month or so to see the finished product!

Meanwhile Dave's newly finished beams looked absolutely beautiful!

One thing I never noticed is the beam that goes across the roofline in our closet and loo!

The cabinets are almost in downstairs. I love the  grain of the wood.

And Mother Earth ( paint color in the laundry room :)) ) is starting to "grow" on me!










...can't wait for next Christmas...



What our friends are saying about the house!

Catharine has been coming to our July 4th celebrations since she was so young she had to be carried on her dad's back in the Children's Parade!

This is her message about the new house:

http://www.facebook.com/?tid=1492983288075&sk=messages#!/video/video.php?v=1730901755452&comments



with Bruce B  2009





Smelt Run 2006



An interesting article from Fine Homebuilding

The article below is a fascinating summary of  what drove American homebuilding trends - going back to the late 1800's.

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/design/articles/the-american-house-where-did-we-go-wrong.aspx

Interior finishes

It was so much fun to see all the changes taking place inside the house!  Here are a few Before and After shots.






Family room accent wall





The interior is painted and looks lovely. The colors are soft and warm, with only one exception! Thanks to my galfriends for helping  pick them out. 





looking into master bath





Kitchen looking into laundry room



The cabinets are here and are being installed. I love the grain of American Cherry!

Dave was up in the rafters cleaning and sanding the glulam beams. He says he's fine with heights up to 500 ft!

Eric was beginning the tilework in the bathroom.  Here he and Jeff discuss some fireplace surround details. The house is toasty warm and full of  supplies!



the Pho Gals do Camano!

For the last few years I've been going out for pho with some of my galfriends every month or so. We have sampled Pho from Olympia to Lynnwood! (For those of you who aren't acquainted with Pho, it's a Vietnamese noodle soup. It comes with chunks of meat and/or veggies and is yummy!) We're on a quest for the best pho in the region.    :)

Since today's lunch was in Lynnwood, we combined it with a trip to the house to finalize the interior wall colors.

I was surprised to find workers there on a Saturday. They were painting the ceiling and working on the exterior.

Joe the painter is a delightful guy. He loves the "lid" of our house!

He is knowledgeable and skilled. AND he has a life story that someone needs to write!



the lid



We set about our task- making sure that the choices made earlier in the week met with everyone's approval which they did... for the most part.

A couple changes in the bathroom but we came across a color that is going to be perfect - not only there, but also in the two bedrooms. My choice for the master bedroom was nixed, but it will be super in the guest bath. 

Our task completed, we headed back to town for pho!