Millions of Stones

Chris decided that we would build our own stone wall for phase 2 of the wall project ( no hired mason). Millions of pounds of stones were delivered on pallets just like for phase 1. The stones looked thoroughly daunting sitting there waiting to be placed. Muscles ached just anticipation the effort required ...

 ... but bit by bit, stone by stone, a respectable wall began to emerge. Chris was a very tired boy at the end of every day. Brother John came up from Santa Fe to lend a hand for a few days and has vowed to stay until the task is done ... thankfully the end is in sight. I suspect a good deal of brotherly bonding is buttering each stone placement.

 In the kitchen, Evan has attacked the backsplash tile placement and is grouting the spaces between. It is 4" Saltillo tiles to match the 12" Saltillos on the floor. Here and there we put Mercer animal tiles to spruce it up a bit and give it a homey Bucks County feel. The hood over the stove is awaiting the courage to cut a big hole in the wall.

 Ever so gradually we are installing actual furniture ... and each addition is a cause for celebration. The dining table and chairs called for a nice evening meal with Chris's siblings John and Lisa (who took the picture). Lisa is here from Hawaii for a couple of weeks and pitching right in by washing windows (see picture below).

Our well loved and ancient four poster bed has been installed much to both our delights. Several months on an air mattress was ok but one's very own bed is better ... of course we are still in the guest room because the master is not yet done.

We had a brief visit a few weeks ago from our long time friend Tony Karas. Tony is from back home in Pennsylvania. He was on a marathon motorcycle trip out west and spent a couple of days with us before riding up Pikes Peak.

I never even saw a hummingbird back east ... here they are everywhere! Occasionally they fly into the house by mistake and their brains are too tiny to figure out a way out again so sometimes they simply die of thirst and dry out in a corner to be found and lamented over later. If they are lucky we see them and try to help them out. This was one of the lucky ones.

The last picture shows Evan and Abbi installing one of the transom windows in the master bedroom.

We busted to get the sunroom floor tiled and ready for our sibling visits so we'd all have a nice place to land and relax in the evenings. Chris is scrubbing, Evan does the tiling and grouting, and I did the final two coats of sealing.

 Not too shabby ... what do you think? The little leather sofa eventually will go upstairs and the rug will go in the entryway ... but for the moment it works nicely.

Evan finally got the floor tiles around the Tulikivi installed. Now the floor in totally finished and beautiful.