Wouldn't you know it...! On October 26th we asked Martin if we could have the refrigerator delivered and working so that it would be ready to receive food when we got the okay to move in. He said sure, and that was a relief. It takes time to get appliance deliveries set up.
But then he said, "My cleaning crew will be here tomorrow and you can start moving in after that."
Really!!! Wow! So we quickly called to tell the movers to come move us on November 1st, the earliest date we could get them. Then we headed to Temporary House to start the process of packing up the stuff we could move ourselves.
Meanwhile, in yet another surprise, Gary said it was okay to go to Fifth District Savings Bank and sign the remaining documents, and we could start moving in over the weekend. We went right away.
107 days total.
But the movers were already scheduled for November 1st. That meant we would have to keep sleeping at Temporary House until the movers moved our furniture into New House/New Home. No matter because we were so excited that it went by quickly. And here we are on November 30th pretty much settled in and living comfortably.
There's lots of boxes (mostly tools) in the garage to be unpacked but the rest of the house looks like we have been living here for weeks, if not years.
Meanwhile, Brother-in-Law, Allen brought some cabinets from his former employer's attic that were quickly installed in the garage by Allen and Nephew #1, David. I helped but was more in the way than actually helpful. Some of the cabinets needed modifying so they would fit better, but they turned out quite well. We'll paint them in time but for now, they are already starting to hold stuff that needs a place to go.
We also built our own desks for the office. They are both beautiful and functional. I'm still trying to find time to put all the hardware (battery backup/surge protector, modem, router and two external hard drives) on a shelf under the desk. I'll get to it soon. Right now it's just nice to have Internet access again after almost a month without it. Yeah, we were too far away from a cable box, so we had to wait until a new cable was buried underground from about 100 yards away. It took a few days.
The New Coop area is still being 'adjusted' to accommodate our new appreciation for more space in the outdoor kitchen. We now want it to hold a small table and four chairs so we can enjoy eating outside, but under a roof. The New Coop is our next priority.
But we've managed to cook a few things on the Eggs under the blue sky. Oh, and we now have three Eggs, two larges and a small. We really only need the two larges, so we'll see how that goes.
And get this: not only were we moved in by Christmas, we were moved in three weeks before Thanksgiving, something we had hoped for, while also realized that it takes time to build a good house. We didn't want them to rush it too much. But instead of 167 days, it only took 107 days!!! We could not be happier.
We've even had our first overnight guest. A long time Egghead friend, John Murphy from Tulsa Oklahoma stopped by in route to Miami. He was on his Harley.
We call our new home, La Maison du Poulet (The House of the Chickens), to reflect our long history of being Spring Hen and Spring Chicken in Big Green Egg circles.
And now the first Christmas decorations are bringing out the true beauty of a happy home.
Needless to say, we love our new home and our new life here.
A video tour is in the works, but there are literally thousands of photos to sort through and edit into less than three minutes.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Week Fifteen Was A Doozy
We were warned that as we get closer to move-in day, the progress clock slows down to accommodate all the little last minute things.
Nothing much happened on Monday.
On Tuesday, while workers were getting after it with brick, flooring and clean-up, we had a surprise visit from our friends in Arkansas. They drove down to see the house and added to the surprise by bringing a folding bistro table, chairs, wine, cheese, cups and even some pickles. The day suddenly turned into the very first party at New House.
Then on Thursday they wanted to tour the French Quarter. I made a video of that adventure.
Charlotte's Search for NCIS in New Orleans
Things like gutters, irrigation, floors, bricking the fence and gate, landscaping, cabinet knobs and pulls, trim work, appliances moved into place, and general clean-up. And that's what this week was like.
And on the 18th, we hit the 100th day mark. It sure seems like more. Even so, to do what all they have done in 100 days is nothing short of impressive. And we really appreciate their efforts.
Starting tomorrow, the 105th day, landscaping will be making the soil green and pretty.
Meanwhile, with all the rain today, it was a really good day to test the gutters and drainage. Apparently, the gutters all worked well, but the drain-off didn't do so well in some spots. I'm sure it will be handled with the same professionalism as everything else.
The flooring looks great, but is presently covered with paper and cardboard while all the finish work is taken care of. Hopefully, we will be able to have the refrigerator delivered this week.
And we will soon have the correct size wine chiller delivered here at Temporary House for us to install ourselves after we move in. We had already purchased one, but its height was 1" too tall for the beverage center. We'll take it back tomorrow. The replacement fits the opening perfectly, or so the Specifications said. We'll see.
On Saturday, while there was no activity going on, I programmed my truck to open the garage door. That was a Eureka moment...
Here are a few photos from the fifteenth week.
Monday Just some general cleanup
Tuesday
Wednesday
Nothing much happened on Monday.
On Tuesday, while workers were getting after it with brick, flooring and clean-up, we had a surprise visit from our friends in Arkansas. They drove down to see the house and added to the surprise by bringing a folding bistro table, chairs, wine, cheese, cups and even some pickles. The day suddenly turned into the very first party at New House.
Then on Thursday they wanted to tour the French Quarter. I made a video of that adventure.
Charlotte's Search for NCIS in New Orleans
Things like gutters, irrigation, floors, bricking the fence and gate, landscaping, cabinet knobs and pulls, trim work, appliances moved into place, and general clean-up. And that's what this week was like.
And on the 18th, we hit the 100th day mark. It sure seems like more. Even so, to do what all they have done in 100 days is nothing short of impressive. And we really appreciate their efforts.
Starting tomorrow, the 105th day, landscaping will be making the soil green and pretty.
Meanwhile, with all the rain today, it was a really good day to test the gutters and drainage. Apparently, the gutters all worked well, but the drain-off didn't do so well in some spots. I'm sure it will be handled with the same professionalism as everything else.
The flooring looks great, but is presently covered with paper and cardboard while all the finish work is taken care of. Hopefully, we will be able to have the refrigerator delivered this week.
And we will soon have the correct size wine chiller delivered here at Temporary House for us to install ourselves after we move in. We had already purchased one, but its height was 1" too tall for the beverage center. We'll take it back tomorrow. The replacement fits the opening perfectly, or so the Specifications said. We'll see.
On Saturday, while there was no activity going on, I programmed my truck to open the garage door. That was a Eureka moment...
Here are a few photos from the fifteenth week.
Monday Just some general cleanup
Tuesday
Thursday
Friday
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival
Over the weekend we went to yet another of the area's fun events. This time it was the Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival in Madisonville, just about ten miles south of us, and one of the towns that make up The Northshore. Now called home to us.
We were amazed at some of the boats we saw. They ranged from wooden yachts, relics from the past, to handmade, backyard-made wooden boats that were designed and built by novice boat-builders who were intent on winning some kind of award for successfully navigating some kind of course, assuming their boat didn't flip over and just sink.
And the crews paraded their 'boats/floats' proudly through the streets before they were water-tested.
Since it was all in fun, it really didn't matter much who won, and it was great entertainment for the lively crowd who came to watch.
I took a lot of photos and combined them into a little video slide show. Take a look.
Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival
Yes, it was a lot of fun and we will be back next year.
We were amazed at some of the boats we saw. They ranged from wooden yachts, relics from the past, to handmade, backyard-made wooden boats that were designed and built by novice boat-builders who were intent on winning some kind of award for successfully navigating some kind of course, assuming their boat didn't flip over and just sink.
And the crews paraded their 'boats/floats' proudly through the streets before they were water-tested.
Since it was all in fun, it really didn't matter much who won, and it was great entertainment for the lively crowd who came to watch.
I took a lot of photos and combined them into a little video slide show. Take a look.
Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival
Yes, it was a lot of fun and we will be back next year.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Fourteenth Week And The End Is In Sight
Ninety-seven days ago, Lot 62 was a blank canvas of dirt on a high spot at the cul-de-sac end of a street in a quaint residential area just outside of Covington, Louisiana. It didn't even have an official address, just Lot 62 on a plot plan the developer drew up almost two decades before.
In a few more days, perhaps two weeks, it will be Home.
Not only that, but it will be yet another adventure for us. And the new adventure will be in a pretty cool small town among a lot of really friendly people who actually love living here.
Meanwhile, I've been photographing the day by day construction in order to document and chronicle Lot 62's becoming a home - our home.
Here are a few photos from Week fourteen.
Monday
It was a good week...
In a few more days, perhaps two weeks, it will be Home.
Not only that, but it will be yet another adventure for us. And the new adventure will be in a pretty cool small town among a lot of really friendly people who actually love living here.
Meanwhile, I've been photographing the day by day construction in order to document and chronicle Lot 62's becoming a home - our home.
Here are a few photos from Week fourteen.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
And you know your neighbors are anxious for you to move in when they start to clean the construction mud from the street...
It was a good week...
Monday, October 09, 2017
Week Thirteen Was Yet Another Exciting Week
Wow! What a week!
First of all, on Monday they finally formed up to pour the driveway, walkway, uncovered patio (aka New Coop), A/C condensing unit pad, and footings for the brick walls. Equally important, they did it exactly as I wanted after many hours worrying that they would forget something. But they did a great job with the forms and finished pouring the last area late Friday. It turned out perfect.
Monday
Tuesday Nothing Happened
Wednesday
Meanwhile, the power company switched the meter from the Temporary Service Pole to the house. But the only evidence that we had power was the little red light on the meter. The electrical contractor still has some lights to install, but I think by Monday we will have lights and fans working where there are lights and fans.
Then there was an on-site accident. A worker was closing up the garage door at the end of the day and pinched the tips of his fingers when he apparently used the hinged section to pull the door down manually. Fortunately, there was another worker to lift the door and, hopefully, take the worker to the emergency room. Although we were not there when it happened, and only learned about it Saturday from neighbors down the street who heard the worker's scream, we dutifully notified the Project Manager. Clearly, it was painful, and he may have lost some of his fingers, because it did this to the door panel. We really hope he didn't lose his fingers. He's a good worker.
Finally, on the 89th day of construction, nothing got done because we prepared for 'Nate," a potential Category II Hurricane that had its sights on hitting New Orleans, then us. But as luck would have it, most of its fury was reduced and redirected toward Biloxi, reducing our impact to one very brief burst of wind, and maybe a half hour of heavy rain. We didn't even lose power.
In spite of the 'interruptions' we expect to be going into next week ready for some serious progress.
We can't wait.....
First of all, on Monday they finally formed up to pour the driveway, walkway, uncovered patio (aka New Coop), A/C condensing unit pad, and footings for the brick walls. Equally important, they did it exactly as I wanted after many hours worrying that they would forget something. But they did a great job with the forms and finished pouring the last area late Friday. It turned out perfect.
Monday
Tuesday Nothing Happened
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Meanwhile, the power company switched the meter from the Temporary Service Pole to the house. But the only evidence that we had power was the little red light on the meter. The electrical contractor still has some lights to install, but I think by Monday we will have lights and fans working where there are lights and fans.
Then there was an on-site accident. A worker was closing up the garage door at the end of the day and pinched the tips of his fingers when he apparently used the hinged section to pull the door down manually. Fortunately, there was another worker to lift the door and, hopefully, take the worker to the emergency room. Although we were not there when it happened, and only learned about it Saturday from neighbors down the street who heard the worker's scream, we dutifully notified the Project Manager. Clearly, it was painful, and he may have lost some of his fingers, because it did this to the door panel. We really hope he didn't lose his fingers. He's a good worker.
Finally, on the 89th day of construction, nothing got done because we prepared for 'Nate," a potential Category II Hurricane that had its sights on hitting New Orleans, then us. But as luck would have it, most of its fury was reduced and redirected toward Biloxi, reducing our impact to one very brief burst of wind, and maybe a half hour of heavy rain. We didn't even lose power.
In spite of the 'interruptions' we expect to be going into next week ready for some serious progress.
We can't wait.....
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