Planting time!

The final stage of the project is underway! As our contractor and his team work on the punch list, the landscaping is beginning to take shape. I am so impressed by the progress that Michael Ward and Sons have  made in less than a week.

They're using huge slabs of variegated bluestone for the walks. The stones will be dry laid with some nice ground cover in between them. I've picked out a few larger plants including a beautiful stewartia, one of my favorites. I'll be moving many plants form the garden here in Seattle to fill out the beds. Brendan has promised to help get them in while I'm out of commission.

Moving weekend Chapter Two

Sunday was the big move. Our dear, did I say DEAR, friends Tom and Kathryn showed up at our home ready to ferry a large load from Seattle to Camano. Their truck has a big bed so they got a ton of things in, and they   moved it with great  energy and good cheer!

After a quick bite, they helped us empty the storage locker.

We filled the Volvo, and their truck, stuffing the stationary bike into the back of the cab!

Kathryn is a dynamo, but even she had to take a break!

Moving Weekend, Chapter One

Friday was a delightfully beautiful day, as are most of the days I've managed to post on the blog. As a disclaimer for you non- northwesterners, the weather this year has been unseasonably cold and unreasonably wet, aka YUCK! 

So  having all those blue sky pictures on the blog was just a little planning and a lot of luck.

The cameras clicked and the videos  rolled as we had our celebratory glass of Prosecco and settled in to our new reality. It is so wonderful to be here, to see the radiant evening light in the kitchen and the glow of the interior lights at night.

The wind began to whip up in the evening, as we watched the birds soaring and gliding in the last light.

As we went to bed, the wail of the wind was astounding, so beautiful.

A Pictorial History of our Stairs

Our lovely old stairs during deconstruction

The insides of the old house



A ladder served as our first stairway



Early Stairs!



Mudded Stairs






 







Finished!





Homecoming!

This post is brought to you courtesy of Jeff's new phone! The HTC Thunderbolt is connected to a 4G network and definitely has the horsepower to get the job done way faster than an ethernet connection.

Today we saw the culmination of our longest, largest, and most likely last project!  Unsure whether the final inspection had been done, we were worried since we had friends and truck lined up to empty the storage unit Sunday. But determined to spend the warmest day so far this year at the beach, we headed up to Camano. We brought dinner fixings, our trusty Aerobed, and camping gear to relive the last night we spent in the old house. Oddly just as we arrived, our architect Dan Nelson and his partner dropped by. We spent quite a while admiring the house and deck railings and then it dawned on me to ask Jim where we stood with the final inspection. He smiled and said, "it's done".

The Hallelujah Chorus started playing in my brain! Tears were welling. I hugged Jim and gave Jeff a big smooch!  As I sit here watching the tide come in, I feel a great sense of relief and joy to be finally in our new home. Hallelujah!

More to follow soon! Dinner's ready!

Signs of completion!

For the first time since we started this project, I realized what was on the other side of this sign, our future home.

For months it has been "the project", "the house", "our dream". As we entered, we dutifully removed our shoes and looked around. No construction materials or debris, the place looked lovely.

Knowing that the final inspection would be a two step process, Jim set up the first one, knowing that by the time the deck rails were in place, he would be ready for the final. With any luck, we'll get it today or Monday!

Our initial inspection with a list of requirements

The painters were doing a little touch-up as Dave finished the rails on the stairs.

Across the street, work is beginning on another building, a garage with studio on top I believe.

Click on the picture to see what I'm holding, maybe!

It was a lovely day to be at Camano. Jazz and I did a little beachcombing and found some good nuggets. Hers happened to be a bone  :)



Jeff and Jazz were  'feelin the love' !



I'll close with some panorama shots of the house.



Family room looking mostly east



Living Room and entry



Family room looking mostly south





Master bath looking in many directions



Kitchen looking mostly north

Another way to see the house!

I've been  frustrated that an ordinary camera lens cannot capture the true inside of the house. So I got an app for my iPhone that goes just a little overboard. Its a 360 degree panorama program. (remember you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you dare!)

family rooooooooom



Another view of the family room




Vaulted ceiling looks like a ship's hull!




Making this modest sized master bathroom look big



And also the guest bath



Living room, dining area, and kitchen with a normal sized Dave and a wispy Jeff!



I'll keep practicing...........

A Post for Jeff

From the time he decided that we should just 'go for it', Jeff has been a devoted partner in this project. 

And I've let him down! 

Yesterday he just happened to notice  that  on my blog I had labelled our contractor 19 times, and only 7 for him! So this is my attempt at reparation.  :)

So why do I say that Jeff has been a devoted partner?

 ~ He has brought a certain amount of adventure and fun to our many journeys back and forth to Camano.

 

 

 

But by far, his greatest adventure was being flown by my brother Michael from Boeing Field to our little Camano Island airstrip  for a quick look-see.

 ~We have come to delight in the wonderful food at Scandia Coffeehouse in Stanwood. Here we've gotten to know their great staff, and meet  folks soon be our neighbors.

~Jeff has deferred to me on many of the  design decisions, but has always jumped in to take on some of this work when it became too much. :)

~ He has a keen interest in making sure that things work, and brings his eagle eyes and sharp mind to each meeting.

 Many features of this house carry Jeff's mark and will bring much enjoyment in the years to come!