San Francisco Trip

This past weekend Emma and I went to San Francisco to meet up with family. Abdel and Suzan came over from Maui. Rosie, Mike, Camille and John came over from Reno. We stayed at a great hotel called the Parc 55. The rooms were great and had nice views of the city.

Most of the time that we were there we walked around the city. Went to all the usual places like Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 as well as the Ferry building. The weather was really great with it being sunny and cool most of the time.

We also mainly ate all the time!! I think I gained a few pounds eating all that we did but it was fun going to new places and eating whatever.

I managed to capture a good amount of photos from the trip so here are some of them. The rest are posted on Flickr.

Beer and Birthday Party

Saturday we threw a Beer and Birthday party for the gang! The cocktail party was switched to a Beer and BBQ party at our place. It went really well and we had lots of great food and beer to choose from.

Emma and I worked hard to get the house projects completed. I managed to build a table for the party as well in the morning. I was busy painting the crown moulding and finishing the moulding around the door to the mud room and the moulding on top of the back splash in the kitchen. Emma worked to get the house back to normal and clean again after being in disarray for so long.

Here are a few pictures from the gathering!

Crazy Weather!!

Not sure how warm it will really get but this was the warning that came up on the national weather service for our area. Nothing like planning a BBQ on a record warm day! Should be fun! Time to break out the pool!

...UNSEASONABLY HOT WEATHER WILL BURST INTO SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
AND NORTHWEST OREGON THURSDAY THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEKEND...

AFTER A VERY PROLONGED PERIOD OF ABNORMALLY COOL SPRING WEATHER
...THE HOTTEST WEATHER OF THE YEAR...MORE LIKE MID SUMMER...WILL
BURST INTO SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON THURSDAY...
THEN CONTINUE OVER THE REGION INTO THE WEEKEND.

THIS WILL BE THE HOTTEST WEATHER SINCE LAST SEPTEMBER.

TEMPERATURES INLAND THURSDAY WILL APPROACH 90...AND ON FRIDAY
APPROACH THE MID 90S. TEMPERATURES AT THE COAST COULD REACH INTO
THE 80S BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. RECORDS AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS
WILL LIKELY FALL...AND THESE ARE LISTED IN A PUBLIC INFORMATION
STATEMENT.

TEMPERATURES OVER THE WEEKEND WILL CONTINUE VERY WARM. A SHALLOW
MARINE LAYER MAY BEGIN FORMING ALONG THE COAST THIS WEEKEND THAT
WILL BRING SOME RELIEF THERE...BUT ANY SIGNIFICANT COOLING INLAND
WILL LIKELY BE SLOW TO TAKE HOLD...POSSIBLY HOLDING OFF UNTIL NEXT
MONDAY.

WITH SUCH A RAPID TRANSITION FROM TEMPERATURES NEAR 60 TO
TEMPERATURES NEAR OR ABOVE 90...BE SURE TO USE CAUTION IF OUT IN
THE HEAT THIS WEEK. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS. WEAR LIGHT CLOTHING.
WEAR HATS AND USE SUNSCREEN TO PROTECT THE SKIN FROM THE SUNSHINE.
SEEK COOLER OR AIR CONDITIONED AREAS DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY.

The Refrigerator Has Arrived

Just wanted to post a quick update to the kitchen. The refrigerator came on Sunday morning which great. Lowe's had free delivery which was really nice! It just fit into the space that we left for it which was a relief for sure.

Also we have used the new dishwasher a few times and the dishes come out nice and clean. Plus it takes about a 1/4 of the time to wash them.

Still have more moulding and other details to finish but it's happening slowly when I only have time in the evening to work on it.

Another Kitchen Update

Since our lives have been taken over by the kitchen for the past month, that is pretty much all I have to talk about or even think about lately. I as well as Emma spend what little free time we have in the morning and evenings working on the kitchen. But it has really come a long way for just one month of work.

This past week we have been working on a few details that need to be done as well as installing the gas range, sink and faucet. The faucet ended up not working out after I installed it. The design or my lack of patients made the install all that more difficult. To make a long crazy bad day of a story short, we took most of one day installing the faucet to find out the next morning that the head of it leaked. Wasn't our fault since it came pre-built but we took it as a sign of things to come and decided to get another type from Ikea. It went in perfectly with no troubles so that was nice.

The range went in with millimeters to spare which was nice for a change. We joke around that most of everything that we have worked on we have had to "modify" but luckily it has all worked out.

Also installed the molding around the new window that was installed a while ago. Put it off since we were unsure of the exact dimensions of the cabinets around the window.

The final steps are some trim molding for the top of the backslash, molding above the cabinets, finish filler pieces next to the stove and wall cabinet, and the final painting after marking the walls while working. We also have our refrigerator coming on Sunday so that is exciting!! Hopefully by this weekend it will be COMPLETE!!!!

Here are some more recent pictures. The last picture is a composite of 3 pictures in one. It captures the highlights and dark areas to combine and make everything stand out.

More Tile

Once again Emma and I had a weekend of tiling on our schedule! We started Saturday morning with tiling the back splash for the granite counter that we finished last weekend. That went pretty quickly which was nice.

Then came the travertine tile for the floor. We bought 18X18 tiles and planned on cutting them in half to install them in a nicer pattern. Since our floor was pretty small it would have looked odd having such large tiles.

Our wet tile saw was on the small size so I had to build a jig to support and cut the tiles in half. It worked ok but wasn't perfect which meant that the tiles were pretty close to being the same size but still a tiny bit off which made it all the more fun for Emma to install.

Before we installed the tile we had to seal it so the mortar would not stain it during install. It took a while to dry so we had to wait to start the install for the day. Emma managed to get about 4 rows of the 9 installed on Saturday night before we decided to call it a day.


Sunday morning we got up first thing and started with the work again. It went somewhat smoothly but of course had its issues. All in all it went well and we actually managed to get done early in the day and take a long lunch break to eat and relax a bit.




We spent the rest of the day cleaning and recycling all the cardboard from the cabinets and returned all the stuff we bought that we ended up not needing which was nice since we had a good amount to install.

Earlier in the week I worked on installing the high counter on the cabinets that are outside the kitchen. It also went well but took time measuring and re-measuring to make sure I didn't make a wrong cut with the circular saw. I knew I couldn't mess up since I only had one shot at it. The results turned out nice and is really a nice addition to the kitchen.

Granite Tile Installed!!

This past weekend Emma and I installed the granite tile on the counter top. We had planned on doing both the counter and the floor but that of course didn't happen. We started our day with a wonderful breakfast!! Ok it wasn't a huge meal but it was a "cooked" meal. We got the camping stove out and Emma cooked some egg sandwiches! Man they were yummy. Eating cereal and oatmeal everyday can get to you!


We started with getting the counter ready on Saturday by putting a layer of mortar down and then the Hardiboard. The front of it was a bit tricky with cutting thin pieces and attaching them to the plywood. It turned out that we had to wait a day for the mortar underneath and the joints to dry as well. So that meant we didn't get to install the tile until Sunday morning. We started out by heading back to Lowes to get a special sized hole saw to cut the hole for the faucet. Once that was done we jumped in to tiling.

I was the cut man and Emma was the installer. It was a bit tricky cutting the tiles and keeping them from chipping. Didn't act like the ceramic tiles we used in the bathroom. It worked out though. Emma did a great job with the tile. It was very tricky putting down the tiles because the plywood we used had a bit of a bump in it. We thought it would work out but would have been easier to lay them out with a completely level surface. Emma worked from around 9 am till 10 pm making sure each tile was level with the next. We chose a penny size grout line which made it even harder to get them level. We decided early on that we would take the time to get each one right and level which took longer but was worth it!!

Also, a few days before the tile install I cut the new oak counter that we purchased from Ikea and installed it. Was really cool to go from no counter to finished in one movement. Of course now I see how nice it is for people who put in a slab piece of granite instead of tiles. But then again we weren't about to pay $2500!!!

We still have the back splash to finish but that will hopefully only take a little longer to complete. Also once the tile grout is done we can install the sink and dishwasher!! (It's no installed in the picture...just sitting on the tile).

Here are some recent pictures from the installs.

Kitchen Remodel

So it's been a while since I posted anything to the blog but we have been a bit busy with the kitchen remodel. I managed to get some time to upload some pictures to Flickr yesterday and the day before. I had planned on posting pictures and comments while it happened but I just didn't take the time to do so. So you get it all at once.

As soon as mom and dad arrived they got straight to work. Dad was a workhorse getting the plumbing and electrical set up and installed while I was at work for a few days.

Mom was great with helping to keep things clean and organized while installation was going on. Was also very helpful in pointing out steps we missed or measurements that needed to change so that step 5 would come out ok.

We managed to cut the opening and secure the ceiling with a new header and all went according to plan. It was a bit scary at one moment when cutting a 2X4 and the blade that was cutting it was pinched by the lowering of the wood, but that turned out to be fine and the ceiling was still secure. We were just cautious.

Once all the plumbing and electrical and insulation was set and ready to go, dad insulated the walls and filled any gaps to keep the cold out. Then came the drywall for the final step in preparation for the new cabinets and appliances.

The wall cabinets went in fairly easy and then came the lower cabinets which were a bit tricky but worked out well.

So this last picture is the most updated look at the new kitchen. The tile floors and granite tile countertops still need to go in but that will have to wait till next weekend when Emma and I are both off and can work on it.

Without my parents helping with everything that they did, we would never be able to finish it as soon as we wanted or would have been able to accomplish the moving of appliances and everything that we had dreamed of doing to our tiny kitchen. Thanks again mom and dad. We love you very much and can't express how much we appreciate your help!!!

Too Funny!

Saw this video this morning and thought it was pretty funny.



Will have to find a video with a dog in it!

Our Kitchen in Boxes!

The Truck Loaded Down!!

Everything But the Kitchen Sink!!

Well we had quite the adventure over the weekend. We decided to buy almost everything that we wanted to buy for the kitchen remodel. Ok I guess we are missing a few things but we did buy all the cabinets and a few other items. Of course we went to Ikea! It was a little nutty buying everything in pieces but we knew that going in. All the planning that we did ahead of time paid off but we still had to change a good amount of design and buy items we hadn’t planned on getting that we needed.

On Saturday we went to Lowes to get the dishwasher and microwave that we wanted. Took it home and stored it in the garage. The next day when we went to Ikea we noticed a sticker on one of the dishwashers that said, if you buy at least $500 in cabinets or other kitchen goodies as well as two major appliances then you would get a 10% back gift card at the register!! Perfect we thought!! We can do that!! So we looked at the appliances and decided to buy everything for that we needed for the kitchen including another dishwasher and microwave oven! It turned out to only add about $70 to our total compared to what we paid at Lowes. So since we were getting a gift card back we intentionally left out the sink, faucet, door pulls, and whatever else we had decided to get. So now we will use our wonderful gift card to buy those items when we go back!! How great is that!!!

So after purchasing everything and getting our gift card it was time to wait till they loaded it up on carts for us. We had thought that we were supposed to get it all our self since they have those huge aisles of boxes upon boxes but they said they would load it all up for us!! It took about 2 hours when they said it would take 1 but that was ok. The weight of everything that we bought came to about 1600 pounds!! We managed to get almost everything but the microwave and dishwasher in the truck in one load. They were not too happy and a bit confused that we were going to have to come back on a second trip but we convinced them that we would be back…plus the truck was really loaded down.

The loading area was pretty crazy. Lots and lots of people coming and going with one or two boxes...and here is our load of 1600 pounds of boxes and parts! They must have thought we were nuts….but hey….we have our kitchen in there!!!!

I will post a picture later tonight of our load!

My Best Client!

Got a new flash for the camera the other day and of course my one and only subject that just loves to pose for me is Puma. I can't get enough of our wonderful pup!

Time for a Change!

The weather has changed and so has the "growing" season. Yesterday was the first time in a long time that I have had to mow the lawn!! It just started a few days ago to sprout up again but it was really all of a sudden. It also means that its the time of year when trees and flowers start to bloom and change colors! I for one am really looking forward to this and hopefully will get some nice pictures to add to my picture portfolio!

But I also have to keep in mind that it also means allergies! I don't have it too bad and never have but sometimes it can get to you!

Vodka Party!

Ok here are a few pictures from the party. More can be found on Flickr!

The Weekend

Well the weekend is over and time to get back to work. Blah. At least the weather is starting to get better by the day. And the days are getting longer with more sunlight in the evening which is always nice.

On Saturday, Emma had some certification training for work and I went to another meet-up with some local photographers. It was fun and I learned some new tidbits of information about taking pictures for portraits and working with models. I will post some pictures when I get a chance.

We also went to a fun cocktail party at a friends house with a big group of people from her work. This time the drink of choice was vodka and they enjoyed all sorts of different drinks and concoctions. I usually stay away from any of the hard stuff so I stuck with beer! I also of course brought the camera and snapped a few pictures (of which I will post later this evening).

Here are a few pictures from our weekend and one of our house on a wonderful sunny day with the new lens.

Puma, Always Willing to Smile!

So once again I had some time on my hands to play with the camera a bit. And since it was not raining I thought I would take Puma outside to play with his ball and snap a few shots while playing.




Then I decided to see how the wide angle lens did inside with him resting from his running outside.