Progress on the House

Here are some shots of our various house projects. The first one is taken from the cul-de-sac with my back to the ocean where the estero enters it. We're building a shade structure on the roof behind the upstairs guest room. It will be a great place to catch breezes and see the ocean, the mountains, the estero -- and our neighbors! It's made of concrete pillars which will be shaped to look like palm trunks. The roof will be 4x4 wooden beams placed close together. I'm looking forward to decorating it with lots of potted plants (we've got a spigot right there) and some hamacas. I doubt if the roof is up before my nephew Graham and his buddies arrive on the 18th. The wood has to have time to dry in the sun after they cut and shape it. But we'll keep our fingers crossed. At least the mess will be cleaned up.

The picture with Kody is of our new wrought iron gate which covers the front door. The orange color is primer. We're thinking about what color the final coat should be. Actually, the orange doesn't look too bad with the pots beside it. (Jeanette, I can hear you hyperventilating. She's not a big fan of orange.) Anyway, besides giving a little more security when we're gone, it's nice to leave it open at night and have a breeze (if there is one) blow through the house.

We met the new owner of the lot next door. Really nice guy. His name is Herb and he's a stunt pilot. Click here to see his smoke ring aerobatics. He and his wife Judy plan on building two houses next door, a small one right next to us, which will minimize damage to our view, and a larger one on the end which will maximize his views. They're going to sell the small one. Anybody want to be our next door neighbors?

To be honest, I'm looking forward to having a little barrier between my office and these summer sunrises. Whew! This AC unit has been getting a workout -- and today Fernando finished the ceiling fan job and got the final one installed over my desk. Now I HAVE to keep it clean, or else everything blows away!