Phyllis and Burt's colors up on the wall

We only used purple mold resistant drywall in both condos. It cost a little more, but hey, we're worth it!



4239 Living room, kitchen, dining room and hall color



the front two rooms from down the hall



Master bath color, paler yellow



Master bedroom color. A brighter stronger version of the master bath color.

Photos 4-25-09

My friend Jose working. (Did you hear about the Honduran guy who had two sets of equipment? One he named "Jose," and the other he named "Hose B."



Javier Blanco. (after spraying primer)



glass block night light



fernando y manny, the drywall finishers



Everybody wants to get in on the act

mom-here's another passthru pic

Ah, it's great to have a birthday, huh? Javier smashed about 5 eggs on Jose's head, which, I have to say, I found utterly delightful. From now on, if you have a birthday, you get an egg on your head, consider this fair warning. And if you don't read the blog... well, you should've read the blog, eggy.




I think this is a nice picture showing the pass through. I think it's worth keeping.

It's always great talking on the phone to you, Phyllis. You're the best. Keep thinking COLOR!

Mom-here's your passthru pics

Ruth comin' to... you know... kill ya.



Dining room glass block



Duck, duck, goose, or for the Simpsons generation: woohoo! woohoo! Doh!

Like Icarus flying too close to the sun, or a moth to a flame, Manny moved his airmattress too close to the carpet strips



here's the pass through wall. If you make the part closest to the wall a closet, and you make the other part a half-wall, you'll lose the arch, and the support of the post on the end of this wall. It's weak without that vertical post. It either needs to be made much wider (cutting into the kitchen space), or if that post is removed, then a post would need to be put down into the cement and set in there, or anchored somehow, etc. Some things to be considered...



The repetition of the two arches. This is a theme (above some doors, both pass throughs)...

THANKS FOR FOLLOWING

A big hug and a thanks to Christine Webster, Tabatha, and MTLIANG (I'm drawing a blank on this name- is that you Angie? [MeTaLANGie?] Just a guess.) For being followers, the only time I've ever known you to be such. And Orla and Brian, the originals.

Makin' a brother feel appreciated over here. Awwww...

Love you guys.

Jack

Purty flar

That thars a flar. This un been done sprung up right on outta da dirt like some doggone polecat with a fahr under his hind-end. The back here was pretty much a field of dirt and shells, but the first rain we had in a month maybe, suddenly brought all kinds of life. Green vines shot out every which way criss-crossing the place, searching for something to strangle, and tiny plants popped up under propped up shells. This one purple flower was the only one of its kind that I saw in those few hundred yards back there. It made me think of Edward Abbey, who would write about how the desert appears to be dead, until nighttime, when it's teeming with life, or when it rains when the whole place just goes crazy, everything having been on hold until that precious moisture. Like this guy. That thars a purty flar.

more pics of the new locale by Jack

sunrise este manana



desayuno de Javier este manana



shells in our backyard. It stands to reason, but is still kinda nuts that because Florida used to be underwater, just like New Orleans, for thousands or millions of years, there's hardly any rocks. Just petrified shells, and more shells. The dirt is just crushed shells. You dig a hole, you're just digging through a shell pile. Huh!



Large animal prints out back. Saw some in a straight line (large cat tracks) but didn't take pics. Apparently there are a lot of cougars, coyotes, and of course, alligators here. Pets have to be watched closely, even the fiercest of Mickeys or the most terrible of Cashes must be alert and ever vigilant...



Sunset today

jackphotos 4-13-09

Boat Javier has his eye on. Two new rebuilt engines.



More of our new decor. Tables I made for us to stand on while working on nem 9 foot ceilings.



Hanging up some purple rock.



Great success!



"Ice maker in=cold drinks that don't come in cans=whisky on the rocks=trouble." (original photo title)
"Okay, I'm ready to WORK!!!!" (alternate photo title)

My first furnace. Apparently installing furnaces is something I also do now. Albeit half-assedly. Like how I butcher the english language, using those two words together. And what's worse... I can't be stopped! Next up: my weather machine. When I control the weather AND the english language, I'll be able to control the WORLD. When I can control the world, I'll be able to control what's on the radio. Once I can control the radio, I can control what commercials are on the radio. When I can control what commercials are on the radio, I can control what price ice cream is advertised for on the radio, and make them give me ice cream at unimaginable discounts. Or I can get a coupon. I'm still deciding.




Cash has been doing a bit of modeling lately. The agent guy says he has potential.



Dinner is served.



Our new decor. We actually like the color of this purple mold resistant drywall. Kinda scary. Everyone likes it, the other guys working, us, everyone. A totally purple house. Have we all gone mad? Maybe someone else has concocted a weather machine and is controlling our thoughts to force us to pick odd decor to control ice cream prices in some roundabout way. Ice cream, you'll be the death of me!!!



Me and Javs, a-wrasslin. He won the right hand, and I the left. He didn't want to wrestle-wrestle, so I think he let me win one to let me feel better. That lovable big lug.

jack's latest picage

my buddy Javier, who was hanging most of the drywall, and is now leading his crew hanging all of the rest of the drywall



Redsox training ground. Red flowers. Red socks. Get it? Debra, Leo, you see that?



There's all these ducks hanging out in this one gas station. They're beautiful, and no water in sight. I can't explain exactly what they're doing there. I guess ducks in gas stations is just one of nature's miracles.



The women in Fort Myers are quite stunning, as you can see...



I managed to take a flying dive while switching on the camera and snapping this picture when I saw this massive frog flying toward me.

our fancy ass bed. Looks a lot like a lot of our other beds, in the camper, in New orleans. Air mattresses and 2x4. All you need, man.



pic of a frog on our window



appliances in gettin comfy

first things first in the new condro



purty flars


condo before



Our handsome son





best hat ever. camoflage. Hizzle Dizzle. Word up.

runnin nice


finished transom




rebuildin the transom to raise the engine. The engine was too big for this boat, and hung too low (know how that is?)I reinforced the hell out of this thing... Good stuff.


Did this mess out in the field by the campground, using the generator and a sawzall and drill. Fun stuff. And the engine, she no evena falla down!



Patient and ideal beasts

"crab cakes are phenomenal" - taken from Ruth's Trooths

Being in Florida is great. The weather just couldn't be better. It's been sunny, breezy, the air smells fresh, the sky is blue, the world is bright, the sunsets are beautiful and the nights are cool. On a daily basis we see hawks, ospreys, blue herons, egrets, pelicans, and - almost every time we're out on the water - bottle-nosed dolphins!
We have spent the last two weeks in a very nice 10' x 20' tent. Jack pitched this monster all by himself a couple days after I stepped on that gol' darn nail! He did an unbelievably awesome job. On Wednesday we moved to a cabin, approximately 12' x 15' and will stay here until Saturday. It seems we usually live in small spaces, but our trick is that we make the world our home.
We've spent the last two weeks at the Pine Island KOA doing the following: working on closing the two condos, sorting out our taxes, working out issues with our tenants, kayaking, working on the boat, working out at the campground fitness room, making music on our computers, sitting outside in our lawn chairs at night with the tiki torches, watching movies, sitting in the hot tub and swimming in the heated pool, taking the dogs to the beach or to the field at the campground, and most recently taking the boat out on the water!
Jack has put a lot of labor into getting the boat ready. He picked it up from Delray, he mounted and dismounted the old engine, he drove to Miami to buy the new engine, hooked up the new engine, built a higher transom and reset the engine - twice, and made seats for the inside. Due to my being on crutches for the past three weeks, I found things to do that didn't involve any physical labor - I found a storage space for it and painted the seats. I spent a lot of the past few weeks doing administrative work on the computer & phone, reading, making music, and busting out my mouth piece now and a again for a good buzz.
Once on the kayaks and once with the boat we visited a waterfront restaurant called Woody's and both times I ordered the crab cake sandwich. As always, and like everywhere, it was phenomenal.
There is this local ice cream place like eight miles away that makes their own 'cream. Their cookies n' cream IS THE BEST I'VE EVER HAD. Jack kept taking me there to get it - I swear it sped up my recovery!
Today Jack and I were sitting together on the porch swing of our lil' cabin. We were excited to take the boat out on the water to see how it runs with the engine higher than it was before. As usual, this led us to counting our blessings, and we joked that this is just an ongoing honeymoon. It definitely feels that way.
OH AND GUESS WHAT?! This is the second day in three whole weeks that I am able to walk on my foot! I am very happy to be crutchless again! I am limping just a little bit. Gettin' better all the time!
ALSO, we are expected to close on one of the condos TOMORROW!! Which means we can move into it and begin working as soon as Saturday! Just in time in my case!
Exciting days ahead.

Our Ongoing Honeymoon...by Ruth

We've been to so many places, met so many wonderful people, and have experienced so many new and exciting things for the first time together. We have sailed, flew, drove, ran, swam, took trains, and rode in the back of pickups together. We have made it through some pretty stressful situations and adapted to unfamiliar ones. We have lived in paradise. We've lived in a camper and made that our paradise! We have tasted unique foods and have heard and danced to a variety of new and different music. We have swam with sharks and dolphins. We have taken on ten foot waves. We have played beautiful music together.

This ongoing honeymoon ROCKS!!!!!