Our new front walkway (which Allison designed) is in. Rick DeKoven did a great job putting down a combination of old bricks we found on the property and new stones we bought.
Gerard is almost finished with all the prep work and we hope to have the house fully painted by next weekend.
A lot of progress the past few weeks:
- the concrete has been poured and it’s dry
- they’re restucco’ing the house
- the sewer lateral was replaced
- we ripped up the juniper and the fence(!)
- I’ve begun to strip the windows (with a darth vader respirator mask and a heat gun).
New windows and blinds are expected soon, and we’re getting estimates on the bathroom, painting, and solar. We also got a nice cabinet for the TV and a new dining room table. (i’ll post pics of those and my new Brompton soon
OK, so I was lame in not posting photos of the new place. So I snapped a couple for this bungalow restoration class I’m taking at Piedmont Adult School this weekend.
We moved in three weeks ago and so far we’ve had:
- the foundation replaced
- the sewer line replaced
- a new electrical box put in, switches and outlets updated
- an alarm system installed
- recessed lighting put in the living room
- painted the living and dining rooms
- installed a new kitchen floor
- removed the hot water heater and replaced it with a tankless water heater
In a few more weeks we will nuke the front yard and replace the chain linked fence with a white picket fence, remove the juniper and plant some prettier things, and replace the all the windows and paint the exterior.
This is Bea’s first pair of sunglasses. Unfortunately after she got a pair of sunglasses, she thought it was time to hit the liquor aisle. Oh well, good thing I keep a good eye on her!
We went to Roswell for a few days while they ripped the foundation out of our house. (I don’t think Bea would have napped too well with jackhammers going off!)
Anyway, this is the cutest photo from the trip.
John, Allison, and Beatriz
After a long photo shoot and a few hours in Photoshop, we’re proud to announce our official Christmas photo, which may be arriving in a mailbox near you real soon. Beatriz is sporting her first Christmas stocking, which was made by Nana Hunt.
The family is looking forward to seeing Grandpa Skidgel and uncles Tony and Herbie on December 22nd.
We had thanksgiving at Warren and Stacy’s this year. Beatriz tried soup and stuffing, but enjoyed the green beans and pumpkin pie the most.
We returned from NYC last week. I was visiting customers in Manhattan and Allison and Bea came along for the chance to go to museums and shop. We went to the Met and MoMA as well as two great restaurants: Askew and Otto. Otto was recommended to us in a small-world moment as we ran into Chris Costeno of Encanto at the hotel. He had just flown in and was going to be showing Martha Stewart how to cook Cornish Game Hens for Thanksgiving on her show the following day.
Sitting on my mother’s lap. My brothers Tony and Herbie sit on either side.
My mom passed away last Friday on October 7. While it was clear she didn’t have much time, I remained optimistic, and that’s made it hard accepting her death. There are many moments we won’t be able to share with her. Despite this all, I am incredibly lucky to have been her son and I owe so much to her.
That crazy James Park…
when he has a birthday party, he gets drunk off his arse and scares the neighborhood with his double-fisted style.
