Weekend Fun

This looks like a busy weekend with not much chance to get stuff done on the house. And yet, we are going to try.

We got up early (8ish) after sleeping in and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of cheese eggs and turkey bacon.

After that, we got to work on the upstairs closet. I want to take down all the wall board and plaster on the wall where the closet door will go because I am thinking I want to put in pocket doors. Having access to the whole wall will be essential. Also, there is electrocution running in the wall and I need to re-direct it. Having access to that is equally essential. Of course, the whole process was made a bunch easier because of the fabulous floor that had been built into the closet space by MEEEEEEEEE.

Susan and I both worked in the closet, banging down dry wall over plaster and lath and creating a crap load of dust. We got a good portion of it down but quit in order to get ready for an afternoon barbecue we were invited to.

The party was a wedding reception for Dale and Cheryl Dupree. They got married earlier in the year while in Mexico. So this was an after the fact party with a Hillbilly theme. They roasted a pig in a big pit that Dale made and there was a crap load of food, PBR, and a good crowd.

We were back home by early evening, having stopped at the Hub Tavern on the way home. We learned from Dave, (one of the owners) that there was a job opening at the Humane Society for a front desk person. Susan intends to follow up on that on Monday.

We didn't really do much that evening. I think we drank wine and got caught up on a TV show we had recorded.

Sunday was another early rise for us as we were participating in the Se7enth Annual SpokeFest. It's a community bicycle ride that is just a fun event to ride in. And this was our Se7enth! They said there were 2,200 bikers taking part. They offer four routes of various length. We rode the nine mile route and discovered that we are really only good for about 8 miles on a bike.

I made my one goal of riding up Doomsday Hill, which you will see in one of my many pictures about to come up.

We had to hurry home because we had to get out to the Spokane Interstate Fair. We spent about 5 hours out there and if you haven't been to the fair in the last 20 years...it's still the same!

There are a few new things like Glazed Donut Cheese Burgers and many of the rides are exciting and new. But they still have the Octopus and the Tilt-A-Whirl.

We entered wine in the Wine Competition and got two Second Place Ribbons for our Syrah and Plum wine. No big deal and actually pretty shitty considering there were only nine entries.

After the bike ride and the hours of walking around, we were beat and sore when we got home. We watched a show and were in bed by ten...which is early for us, and especially early for Susan the Night Owl.

But, her boss wanted her to work this coming week which is a good sign.

End of Summer-3

I would like to start today by mentioning that I have been much more aware of trying to reuse building materials I already have. I used the treads from the newer staircase I tore out for the stringers for the closet floor upstairs. I reused a whole bunch of nails I pulled out of the ship lath and used them in my joists. The floor you see in the picture below came off a platform that was left at the house when we bought it. It has spent the last nine years out in the weather next to the Carriage House.

It had gotten a little moldy on one end but I was able to cut out the cancer and keep the good parts for my flooring.

So now I have this floor in and a bunch of unused space below it. A few people have cautioned us about removing the back staircase, citing the advantages of having an extra escape route in case of terrorist attack, fire, or other emergency.

We already have a roll up ladder to go out a window if the need arises, so I haven't been concerned with removing the extra escape route.

But there really is no reason to remove it. There is a lot of storage space in that stairwell and it would make a terrific grow room when I start my Marijuana operation.

So I decided I needed a trap door in the floor. I will go further by adding a secret door in the bathroom at the bottom of the staircase when that project comes off the holding pattern.

So that's all I managed to complete over the three day weekend. I'm satisfied. Especially when you consider we also went downtown to the park and enjoyed a little Pig Out fun, we hosted Mom and the girls at the house, and tonight...we're going to the annual Symphony Concert at Comstock Park.

This was another event where we had no chance that anyone would go hungry. Lots of food and drink to go around for everyone you see pictured above.