Another Step

One thing we (pronounced I) wanted to have in the basement was a utility sink. After the bathroom is finished, The Geek won't be able to wash bicycle chains and similar items in the bathroom sink. All she needs to install is some better lighting and we are good to go.

I am also happy for two reasons that The Geek decided to drain the sink into the old pipe into which the previous washing machine emptied (the darker stain to the left of the taps is the height of the old washing machine drain).
1) we don't have to jackhammer a new channel through the basement concrete,

2) the sink stand can be pushed right up against the chimney.














The next few pictures show the sink stand evolving from its humble origins as an abandoned desk and old kitchen sink.

The Best Way to Find Something...

...is to be looking for something entirely unrelated.

The Geek and I went to Home Depot today to pick up some plywood and trim so she could work on the bathroom cabinets. While we were there we figured we would look at the light display to see if we could find anything for the bathroom.

We did find lights for the bathroom, amazingly enough, but we also found a fixture for over the kitchen table.

We have looked several times over the last three years at every light store in the city, as well as The Old House Revival Company and Ikea. We didn't find anthing so obviously, the only way to find something is to trick the fates into thinking you are no longer interested.

Re-inventing the Wheel

Or rather, the crank that turns the wheel.

The Geek had removed the crank from this garbage-eve special to see if it would fit her 'bent. It didn't so when she re-installed it, she didn't initially notice that the pedals were parallel to each other rather than on opposite sides of the crank.

The Geek did not need much encouragement to try it out the new arrangement.
You may want to shut off the sound when you view the video; there are some annoying thumping noises.

I wonder if this is the type of accidental discovery that results in an "ah-hah" moment for famous inventors.

Bathroom Reno Phase 1: Finding the Studs

This was how the bathroom looked just before we started.

We noticed that tiles were already used at least once in this room.

First collect the necessary tools

The drill, ride-on shop-vac and reciprocating saw.

Drill a pilot hole with the drill, then cut out the piece to be removed with the saw while using the vacuum to control the worst of the dust. Be careful when drilling not to go through the dry wall on the other side.

Place the plug tightly in the drain to prevent debris from blocking the drain. The first time it wasn't tight enough and I pulled the plug into the vacuum cleaner.

The Geek uncovers the between-the-studs cabinet that she had discovered when she renovated her bedroom in 2003.

The cabinet is totally uncovered and removed.

And now The Geek is ready to move to the next step which is making a second cabinet and starting the cabinet for the sink.

The bathroom feels amazingly small without the mirror.

What was Old is Now New Again

My mother, who has rarely been one to follow trends, is now in the position of being a trend-setter. She has always conserved water and whenever possible, hangs her clothes out to dry. In an era of environmental considerations, many are now following her lead.I love the smell of line dried linens and I am thrilled that I am now living in a place where I can hang out my laundry. The tiny things still go in the dryer, but in the summer, I only dry one load. (In the winter, there may be three, as clothes we wear hang to dry in the basement adding much needed humidity to the air)

And so it Begins

The fixtures needed for the bathroom renovation can no longer be confined to the basement and garage and are now sitting in the hallway.

I am a Prairie Girl

I feel very claustrophobic when I can't see the sky.

First Bathroom Mock-up

The walls are largely transparent but Google Sketchup does not allow you to see through some fixtures, like the towel rack, toilet and bathtub, or apparently, more than one wall (which is why you can only see part of the window above the tub).Time (and the location of the studs) will tell how the room actually looks when we are done.

Midsummer

Science in Real Life

This post, boys and girls, is all about transpiration.

These zucchini are suffering the effects of excessive transpiration. Water is lost through the plant's leaf stoma faster than the roots can extract it from the ground.


However, as soon as the plants are in the shade, they revive quite rapidly.

Not Quite "Better Homes and Gardens"

But I think it looks nice.

I Have a Cracked Scull

This is Grace, my 1981 Kaschper wooden scull, upside down on stretchers. While I have never contemplated why they were called stretchers, it seem appropriate in this case. Just to the left, or sternward, of the PFD (dangling underneath) Grace has a crack that needs some cosmetic surgery to make her watertight again. While not as impressive as some of the cracks The Geek fixed last spring, this is pretty good. I'm not sure if this crack is a result of aging (Grace is 27 years old, after all) or from my bumping the dock a little too hard on Wednesday morning. I thought the bow ball (seen at the extreme right, or bow end, of the boat) had taken most of the impact, but since I didn't find the crack until Thursday morning, I will never know for sure.

I do wish to point out that I know how to fix Grace myself, but as with changing the oil in my truck or performing pericardiocentesis (both of which I also know how to do), there are some things best left to the experts.