3/14/09 - Last Thursday night, we celebrated a momentous event, enjoying our first official dinner in the new house. Granted, dinner was a pizza, but we did use our warming oven, and that means we have, by my definition, christened our new kitchen. We now have a working kitchen, with hot water, two sinks, a refrigerator and freezer, a stove, and a cook top. Though we have not yet moved in, we will by necessity move out of our rental bungalow in Burk’s Falls by the end of this month. Our landlord, who had promised to give us 60 days notice to vacate, has sold his cottage and will be moving into our home away from home in April. I wish him good luck, because the house into which he will be moving needs a lot of work. Not only does the basement flood every time there is any kind of thaw or appreciable rainfall, but the house has serious plumbing and electrical problems as well.
Even as we near the completion of the log home, there are problems to address. Glass cut to fit into the stair railings does not fit properly, nor do some of the glass pieces measured for the rear porch. We still need to chink the house, with material which was supposed to be supplied by our log supplier, Neville Log Homes. That company has filed for bankruptcy, and we never received the chinking material for which we had already paid. Nevertheless, most of the big problems are, I hope, behind us, and Shauna and I anxiously await the day when the house is cleaned up and ours to live in. This has been a long haul – we broke ground around May of 2007 – and there have been many challenges to face along the way. We were present for every stage of construction, and the entire process has been documented, in written journals, in photographs, and on audio and videotape recordings. For now, I prefer not to think about the tribulations of the past three years; it gives me a stomach ache. The house, for all of it’s flaws, is a remarkable and unique structure, and one which I am hopeful will provide us with years of pleasure. I’ll know we have officially moved in when our two cedar bears, “Shem” and “Naur” are guarding the main entrance to the house.
3/16/09 – I’m back in Buffalo now. Drove down yesterday afternoon and, after visiting with Mom and Dad for a while, and setting up a DVD player in Dad’s bedroom so he has access to movies, I rode my bike downtown for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on Delaware Ave. When I lived in Buffalo, I used to attend that parade every year, and it seemed as if every year the weather was atrocious. This year was different, and because it was a beautiful day, there was a huge turnout. I, the consummate people watcher, came armed with my digital camera to record all the Irish wannabes. On St. Patrick’s Day it seems as if people of all nationalities transform into mutant Leprechauns. Like Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day inspires us to channel with our inner fool. I might have been the only person at the parade wearing not so much as a speck of green. The funny thing is, when I lived in Ireland for six months back in the late Seventies, the Dubliners didn’t make a big deal out of St. Patrick’s Day. I don't even think there was a parade. Indeed St. Patrick’s Day is an American phenomenon. After the parade was over, I rode home and downloaded the 150+ photos I took onto my computer. Later on, I gave Dad a slide show of the day’s activities. Though he is largely confined to a bed these days, I am determined to give him at least a glimpse of the outside world. After all, he still has an active mind.
Next week will be a crazy push to move out of the Burk’s Falls bungalow, so I may not be able to get the report out. I will return when the dust clears. Erin Go Bragh(less)!
Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Even as we near the completion of the log home, there are problems to address. Glass cut to fit into the stair railings does not fit properly, nor do some of the glass pieces measured for the rear porch. We still need to chink the house, with material which was supposed to be supplied by our log supplier, Neville Log Homes. That company has filed for bankruptcy, and we never received the chinking material for which we had already paid. Nevertheless, most of the big problems are, I hope, behind us, and Shauna and I anxiously await the day when the house is cleaned up and ours to live in. This has been a long haul – we broke ground around May of 2007 – and there have been many challenges to face along the way. We were present for every stage of construction, and the entire process has been documented, in written journals, in photographs, and on audio and videotape recordings. For now, I prefer not to think about the tribulations of the past three years; it gives me a stomach ache. The house, for all of it’s flaws, is a remarkable and unique structure, and one which I am hopeful will provide us with years of pleasure. I’ll know we have officially moved in when our two cedar bears, “Shem” and “Naur” are guarding the main entrance to the house.
3/16/09 – I’m back in Buffalo now. Drove down yesterday afternoon and, after visiting with Mom and Dad for a while, and setting up a DVD player in Dad’s bedroom so he has access to movies, I rode my bike downtown for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on Delaware Ave. When I lived in Buffalo, I used to attend that parade every year, and it seemed as if every year the weather was atrocious. This year was different, and because it was a beautiful day, there was a huge turnout. I, the consummate people watcher, came armed with my digital camera to record all the Irish wannabes. On St. Patrick’s Day it seems as if people of all nationalities transform into mutant Leprechauns. Like Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day inspires us to channel with our inner fool. I might have been the only person at the parade wearing not so much as a speck of green. The funny thing is, when I lived in Ireland for six months back in the late Seventies, the Dubliners didn’t make a big deal out of St. Patrick’s Day. I don't even think there was a parade. Indeed St. Patrick’s Day is an American phenomenon. After the parade was over, I rode home and downloaded the 150+ photos I took onto my computer. Later on, I gave Dad a slide show of the day’s activities. Though he is largely confined to a bed these days, I am determined to give him at least a glimpse of the outside world. After all, he still has an active mind.
Next week will be a crazy push to move out of the Burk’s Falls bungalow, so I may not be able to get the report out. I will return when the dust clears. Erin Go Bragh(less)!
Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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