Bye, Bye Cave

Many of you have asked about the status of our windows.  As you may remember, the windows were removed for renovation awhile ago.  Well, they're back.

While the windows are indeed back and functioning (more on that later), they're not quite done.  They still need to be painted and some of the frames need to be replaced due to rot.  Hopefully this will all happen within the next few weeks (except for the painting which will likely be done when the rest of the house is painted later in the summer).  Either way, we're no longer living in a cave.

After being rained out on their first attempt, the window restorers showed up and got to work.

They obviously enjoy their work...

...and are very good at it.

To give you an idea of how crooked our house really is, the window sashes in the above picture are parallel to the ground and move up and down perfectly well.  On the other hand, the window sill is parallel to the floor.  There is probably a good half inch to an inch of difference between the two sides of the sill.

Even the front of the house sits at an angle.

Remember what I said about the windows actually working? Well the weather finally cooperated enough (it's a nice 72 degrees and sunny right now) to give us a chance to do something we've never done in this house before: Open a window and put in a screen.

Here Comes Sparky!

During our vacation to Florida we visited the local dog track near Sanibel Island.  We've seen Harry run before, but never seen an actual greyhound race.  We won't get into the much heated debate on the pros or cons of greyhound racing but we will say this: it's amazing to watch them run (and a better/faster camera would have been helpful!).

Prior to each race the dogs are lined up for everyone to see.  The board in the back has all sorts of useful information for betters on odds, etc for each race.  About all I could figure out was the "Minutes to Race" and "Results".

Like I said, a faster camera is needed to capture the moment (this was actually taken during a race when the dogs were within 10 feet of us... for about a nano second).

Fast.

And they're off!  

In the foreground you can see "Sparky" (the lure).  As soon as the lure starts moving the announcer says "Heeeere comes Sparky!"  We're wondering what Harry's reaction would be to hearing this again...

Greyhounds are competitive by nature, especially "intact" racers.  The fellow on the far right got bumped and almost ran into the wall.

She said: It was bittersweet to watch the dogs race.  On the one hand, as Andy mentioned, it's clear that they are born to run and are amazing to watch.  On the other, it brought a tear to my eyes to see the atmosphere at the track.  We were among the minority (by quite a lot, I suspect) of people there who were there to watch and cheer on the dogs themselves... most cared little for the animal as long as he/she outran the others in the race.  We spent some time with the local adoption group at their booth (and yes, the adoptable dogs as well), and I was struck by how little these track visitors knew or understood about greyhounds.  Though I know actual abuse is now a rare occurrence in greyhound racing in the United States, the experience reaffirmed that these poor creatures are treated as money-makers as opposed to beloved pets.  At several points during the visit, I wished I could pet Harry and tell him I love him.  He deserves that.  They all deserve that.  

Let the Games Begin

A big milestone in our big, amazing renovation: a signed contract. Finally. After nearly a month of negotiation, we agreed to hand over our firstborn, and other assorted, but highly valuable, limbs pay a princely sum in exchange for what amounts to a better house.* As we were reviewing the final(ish) contract last night, the contractor asked if either of us are practicing lawyers. Not sure if he meant that as a compliment or not, but that's how I'll take it. Sure, we may be almost completely ignorant of the process we're about to embark upon, we have little or no experience in home renovation between the two of us, but at least we know and accept these weaknesses, and I'll be damned if we're not extra thorough and cautious because of it.

From here, it should take about 3-4 weeks to come up with mechanical drawings, present those drawings to the City for permit approval, and once the permits are in hand, we're just a hop, skip and a few sledgehammers away from demo. Wheee! Goodbye functional kitchen, hello dust and construction noise!

;o)

* Newly restored windows, new wood siding and corresponding paint job, new kitchen, new powder room, new closet that while considered small by most standards, will almost double our storage space, better drainage, better access to our backyard, and other assorted improvements. If these things do not a better house make, I don't know what does.

Harry and the Big Snow, Part II

Remember what we said about Harry not liking snow? Well, we lied. Apparently that's not exactly true. It appears that Harry does enjoy fresh, fluffy, powdery snow (who doesn't?). Sleet, slush, ice, or any combination thereof, need not apply.





Wheeee!



He was having so much fun; our quiet pup was talking up a storm (pun intended). We'd bark at him and he'd bark in response. He's "talking" to Andy in the photo above.





Hi, Mom! Here I come!

Harry's backyard fun might've lasted a grand total of 10 minutes, but I have hardly stopped smiling since. Such unadulterated joy is so rare in life. It's grand to witness.

Who needs a hair stylist...

...when you have a cat.


Yes, that is Athena grooming me.  Apparently Nala and Harry won't let her do it so I'm the next best thing.

Condemned

Well, not exactly. We're having our windows restored by a restoration expert. So the house will just look condemned for the next month or two. Here's a picture of said expert handily dismantling our beloved windows...

The hope is that he'll be able to make them even more beautiful and less teakettle-like, and everyone* is blissfully happy.


He took all the windows in the front two rooms of the house (living room and master bedroom). Did I mention that it's a bit dark in these rooms now? I may start referring to our bedroom as the "bat cave."

Not pretty, but I think it will be worth the effort ($$). The windows are one of the reasons we purchased this house... it kills me not to have them here, even knowing they'll be better when they're back.

This milestone also kicks off what we'll henceforth refer to as "Reno Madness," or simply, the "Big Spend." More demolition, old building parts, and plywood to come... **

*"Everyone" = Alexandria Board of Architectural Review, our history-loving neighbors, David the Restoration Guy, the Cats (who will now sit at the window without catching a chill), and I guess we're okay with it too. Those not impressed: Harry, who isn't a fan of loud construction noise, and our pocketbook.
** We've elected to rename this blog "The Money Pit" in an effort to preempt the inevitable disaster that can only result when one attempts a major renovation on a 150 year-old house.

Harry and the Big Snow

Recently Harry experience his first big snow (as far as he's concerned any amount of snow is "a big snow").  He wasn't a fan.

"You've got to be kidding me with this... I'm a sunny Florida boy."

"That's it.   I'm done.  Let me know when it's over."

Day 9

Dear Diary:

It's day 9.  Still no sign of rescue.  Food is running out and the lack of water is finally getting to me.  Starting to hallucinate.  Recently thought I saw a completely redone, working kitchen.  Can't take much more.

Natives getting restless.  Repeatedly attacked by one of the smaller creatures.  Seems to be happening early in morning.  Hope rescue comes soon.

10 degrees + Plumbing = Bad

It has been an interesting day or two here.  Yesterday while doing the dishes I noticed the sink was backing up.  Even with the use of the trusty disposal it would continue to back up.  No big deal, right?  All I have to do is run the disposal every so often and the problem solves itself.  That was until I noticed a little drip of water on the PVC pipe under the sink.

Enter the plumber.

To their credit, Dwyer Plumbing managed to fit us in Friday afternoon (apparently pipes burst all over the area creating high demand for their services).  Unfortunately, the plumber wasn't able to bust through the blockage... even with their heavy duty, electric snake (which according to the plumber can push through anything).  Eventually the plumber called it a day and suggested we get a space heater and try to thaw the pipes.  One run to Lowes later and we have had the heater under the sink for a good 18 hours now.  Thoughts were, that would take care of it.

Of course, good things come in threes (this whole experience is obviously a good thing because it builds character).  Good thing number two: the washer backs up, shooting water out everywhere.  The plumber thought yesterday that, though the drainage line from the sink likely hooked up eventually to the same drainage for the washer, the washing machine should be fine.  Guess not.

Good thing number three: the crawl space.  To see if we did indeed have a burst pipe we pried open the crawl space hatch and took a look.  Well... we still don't know.  From what we can gather from photos, the crawl space access we have is only for the "old" part of the house.  As you can guess this has the potential to pose many, many problems.

So now we're waiting for the plumber to give us a call back and the weather to warm up.  Can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday.

Scenes from a Work at Home Day

"Mom... enough with the flashy box already."

"Ugh. Wake me up when the Bush presidency is over."

Boy Scout's Motto

Be Prepared.

Because we live by this, Katie and I recently stocked up on some very necessary Emergency Holiday Provisions.



For those of you who may think we're being smart (well, we are a bit), we're not lying. As the label clearly states, these are Emergency Holiday Provisions.



And in case you aren't sure exactly when or how to use these "provisions", they come with some sage advice.


Here's what the back of the bottles say:

TAKE NO CHANCES. BE PREPARED.
We've specially designed E.H.P. to help you survive unforeseen holiday crisis. E.H.P. sustains and invigorates the body, enhances moral and serves as an essential component of the holiday "Toast."


1. In case of social or family tension: Lubricate conversation & sooth frayed nerves with E.H.P.'s rich Tuscan-style blend of flavors.


2. In case of unexpected gift exchange: Affix ribbon or bow to bottle & present to any designated recipient over 21 years of age.


3. In case of polar bear attack: Grasp bottle firmly by neck, break base on solid surface & defend with quick, controlled side-to-side slashing movements - not forward thrusts.



Remember: No wine, however delicious, can prevent all holiday calamities. Be mindful of winter weather conditions. Don't attempt difficult carols without proper training and supervision. If you experience intense holiday cheer lasting longer than 16 hours, discontinue use.

To make sure the Emergency Holiday Provisions work as advertised, we opened a bottle tonight. Thankfully, we were impressed.

For all of you wondering where you can get your own supply of E.H.P., I'm afraid I have some bad news: I'm not sure you can. We purchased this from the website Woot Wine, which sells one selection of wine a week (usually for about $10 - 15 a bottle). Once the week is over, the deal is done. To be sure you don't miss out on any future deals you'll just have to check back weekly.

New Kitty

Okay, so before anyone jumps to a quick conclusion, Andy and I did not adopt another cat. Though we both adore cats, we're in full agreement that two is quite enough for us. That being said, when we do adopt another (and I hope it is many, many years in the future), I've mentioned that I'd like to consider adopting a Siamese. I think they're beautiful cats, full of personality, and surprisingly enough, there are a fair number of them available in shelters and rescues.

It should come as little surprise then, that while perusing the artists' studios at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town, I stumbled upon and instantly loved this work, called The Curious Kitten.
The artist is Megan Coyle. She is a young local artist who uses a collage technique to create her works. As someone who once used this technique for my final project in AP Art History, I have a sense of how it works and the challenges (and time!) this method entails. I particularly love the somewhat abstract use of color and shading in the background; the impresicion reminds the viewer of the medium and adds complexity to the overall image.

The image so impressed me (and it impressed others, it is the recipient of an honorable mention award in the exhibition in which it was showing) that I couldn't get it out of my head. I woke up the next morning, still wanting to look at it. Though I could visit it -- the Art Center is about 8 blocks from our house -- I also knew it could be sold to someone else. So... after a bit more thought, I brought The Curious Kitten home. I've learned the hard way that when art strikes you to that degree, you best act on it or you're likely to regret it.

It looks wonderful on the wall outside our bedroom and I smile every time I pass by.

A House Becomes a Home

Today marks the one year anniversary of our signing our lives away on our very first house! It's been a quite a year, there's no doubt about that. From a major roof leak the first week we moved in, to the pain of energy bills in an old house, we've risen above it all to truly fall in love with our little crooked house. On the anniversary of our new lives as homeowners, we pause to reflect on the journey thus far with a few nuggets of wisdom gleaned in one short year:

1. The studs in an old house are older than you or anyone you know. They've been there, standing for a long time, and will have none of your annoyances (nails, drill bits, etc.). They command respect and incur endless frustration
2. Sometimes the ugliest, least perfect aspects of your house become the most near and dear to your heart.
3. Contractors owe you nothing, even if you've paid them and signed an agreement to work. A good contractor is worth his (or her) weight in gold.
4. "Character" comes at a cost. One that is still well worth paying as far as we're concerned. I can't imagine living in a house with level floors and brand new windows. Just wouldn't feel the same.
5. A covered woodpile is a beautiful thing. An uncovered woodpile is a worthless eyesore.
6. Some home improvement projects are best done with one person. Not two.
7. There are few feelings more satisfying than surveying your house after you've cleaned it up yourself. Knowing that it's yours and it's beautiful because you take care of it is what taking pride in ownership is all about.
8. Nothing... and I mean, NOTHING... makes up for location. We could live in a huge house 20 miles outside the city, but as far as we're concerned, our neighborhood is about as close to priceless as you get in real estate. We have EVERYTHING within walking distance, 2 grocery stores, shops on King Street, parks, walking/biking trails, public and private elementary schools, hardware store... I could go on and on.
9. And finally, a house becomes a home when the people (and animals) you love move in. This is our first home as a married couple and it's Harry's first home. Period. We look at pictures of the house before we moved in and see a shell. Now it's a place we can't wait to come home to.

Though we have even bigger plans for our little crooked house in our second year as homeowners, we will never forget the happy memories of our first.

A Walk In The Woods

This past Sunday we took advantage of the beautiful weather and walked a bit on the Mount Vernon Trail with Harry. While it's not quite New England foliage, the trees were hitting their "peak" color down here (to give you an idea of the time difference between Northern VA peak foliage and New England peak foliage - the peak in Maine this year was right around our 1 year anniversary... over a month ago). All in all the walk was very peaceful despite being less than 30 yards from the George Washington Parkway at any given time.









Although Harry wasn't too thrilled about walking two miles, he was a trooper and didn't drag behind at all (maybe it was all the compliments he was getting by fellow walkers).

Seussian Politics

One fish....

Two fish....

Red fish...

Blue state!

VOTE

I hope that by now you've already voted for president, Congress, and any state and/or local elections/ballots there may be in your area. If you haven't, stop reading this and please go do it now. I'll wait.





If you're reading this far down you should definitely have voted by now. There are too many people over the past two hundred thirty two years who have given their time, effort, and lives to ensure that you have this right for you to not exercise it. Whether it was the Revolutionary War, the Women's Suffrage Movement, the Civil Rights Movement or countless other moments in our nation's past, men and women that you will never know have given everything so you can chose your leaders and the direction this country will take. So please, go vote.

Happy Birthday!

Today is Katie's birthday. Originally I wasn't going to post a picture of her when she was little because she won't let me have any. Thankfully though, her parents read my mind and sent me this.
Too cute.

Happy birthday! I love you.

Windy City

This past weekend we traveled to Chicago for my cousin's wedding. The whole weekend was great. We got to see family, Katie saw Chicago for the first time, and the sun even chipped in by showing itself just about every day.

In some of our time off we took an architectural boat tour along the river. Despite a little wind (surprise, surprise) it was very cool to see and learn about all of the different styles of buildings that grace downtown Chicago.

I would impress you with my knowledge of the different types of architecture, but alas... my knowledge is pretty limited.

There were a lot of glass buildings. This was probably my favorite. I love the reflections.


There was also, of course, the Sears Tower. Later in the trip we took a trip to the Sears Tower Skydeck. The view was impressive, but not necessarily worth the price and wait.

We also got to spend some time with Steve, Lauren, and Jack. It's always amazing to see how much Jack has changed since we've seen him last.

I think some of his favorite time was spent checking out the 'bean' at Millennium Park. Officially called the Cloud Gate, the bean is a really cool, and really odd, piece of art that really shows the skyline (and people) in a really unique way. Really.

That's Steve and Jack in the foreground. Katie, Lauren, and I are the three people in the middle of the reflection.

Unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of the actual wedding. But I do want you to know that despite a weird accent (groom - he's English) and a busted ankle (bride - twisted it two nights before the wedding) the wedding was amazing. It was held in an art gallery and the whole thing just fit Whitney (my cousin) to a T. It was a great time to see family and friends and join Whitney and Ian as they pledged their love for each other.

Oh... and they also had a photo booth. Very cool. Very cool indeed.