July 30th, 2007

Here is the latest shot that I have of Gavin. He is now 4 months 3 weeks old. He smiles and giggles and sleeps mostly through the night getting the kids up about 4-5 for a quick bit then back down for a few last hours.






This is Revel guarding the new porch. He looks good there. He can see the street from there over the fence in the front.






We did a very long walk this morning south along the beach. Saw dolphins, seals and pelicans. We have been having fun with the new camera taking pictures of sea life everywhere. I am finding it hard to take pictures of moving animals while holding the leash.

New Camera

Forgot to mention in the previous post that I bought a new camera. I love it but its to soon to show off its abilities. That will come later. It really is going to be wonderful without being huge.

July 24th 2007

Heres the update on the house.
Lots of pictures.
Here is one of the tree Magnolia that now run the length of the fence outside the living room and kitchen. They are currently about 12 feet tall and we hope to get them to about 20 feet and get them to grow together creating a border between the two houses.








Here is the bench and the deck from above. Sorry about the plastic chair not all the teak has arrived. We should have two steamer chairs in that space by the end of the month.









In this very busy picture you have the entire front yard. Under the house point is the front porch. Its in the very beginning stages here. When Antonio finishes I will do a whole piece on the porch. He is doing a fabulous job on the porch. I cannot wait to see it finished. The Grey area's are the walk ways in flagstone and grave when done. The fences are in the gates are off in this picture. The front of the fence by the street has been planted.


In this picture outside the kitchen window you can see our outside dining area. We have the gas grill in the back just below the fence. The teak dinning room set. On the wall you can see one of the new light fixtures we have five of those around the house. The side door is now a french door to match the front and back door. The ugly yellow glass door is GONE! That is one I am particularly happy about since it is my craftsmanship in that.


Looking toward the street you can see the bench which is L shaped, its photo is above, has been stained and is on the done list. The grey area will eventually be filled in with gravel and flagstones and be revels running area.





Here is a view of the Japanese Maple that is planted just off the deck from the hot tub. The window is the one that looks out from the office. Barb don't know if you can see them but this is the new home of your solar lights which are great next to the hot tub at night. The grass plant next to it is called a Maori Chief and will also have lots of red to it.




This is the back of the house. The hot tub is in and being used nightly the painting has been finished. The railing goes all the way around the tub and is completed.

July 13th, 2007

It's Planting Day!

Everyone is very excited the plants arrived today. So the architect is here setting the location for all the trees. The guys are all very busy digging holes and getting the irrigation stuff setup. The front porch had the foundation poured yesterday. Its getting very exciting at this point.

Don't forget if you want a larger view of the pictures just double click on the one you want to see.

July 12th 2007

Just a quick note I finally got Teddy and Gavin to join Revel and I on a walk. We had a wonderful time and everyone enjoyed the beautiful day. I think we may have reached 80 by the end of the afternoon. Only one picture but its a good one. This is Teddy with Gavin in the snuggly. We didn't walk to far about an 2 hours.

Happy Birthday to Renate!

July 9th 2007

Dorothy and I went to Cambria for our 29th anniversary this weekend. It was a really wonderful weekend. We left the kids at home with Revel and that worked out without any major problems. Edward took the opportunity to spend a much needed few days at Grandma's. I think despite all of his protests that he may someday move out of the house if this summer is any indication he may volunteer by the end of the year. Its been really tough on him having the uproar of Gavin, Amber and Teddy and all of their friends who of course come over since Gavin is a lot of work to travel with and should not be out late anyway. The teenagers are really not a problem but Edward is quite particular about his hours and does not appreciate the noise and the mess. Then there's the dog. His low pitched growl sends poor Edward over the top. Despite all of my time and efforts to train the Revel, he will never be a cat and that is the only thing that will make Edward happy.

The upshot of all of this is Dorothy and I needed some time alone so off to Cambria we went. We stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Little Sur Inn. It's located just across the road from the ocean and a very nice boardwalk much like the one near Sunset beach in Pacific Grove. The room #22 was an ocean front room with a great view. It was quiet and the balcony had a wonderful view up the coast. We got some reading done, lots of walking up and down the beach, enjoyed the finals of Wimbledon without fighting over the TIVO. It was really quite nice. Dorothy and I did a little wine tasting and can recommend Barrel 27 Rose by Appellation Central Coast Vineyard. We brought that and two stainless steel wine glasses back (no glass in the hot tub).

The house is getting closer. Some of the teak furniture is here.The painters are done and gone. The plants get planted on Friday. The contractor just needs to complete the front porch and clean up some of the things he has almost finished. Maybe, just maybe we will be done by the end of July. I think everyone is looking forward to that day