Good and Bad

If our absence has been any indication, life in BHH has been busy, and moving forward after our rough winter has taken priority. The last few weeks here at home have been spent managing leaks and mitigating the damage as our ice dams melted completely. The bulk of the damage is in the sun porch/art studio, the guest bedroom and the library. Our heavy, gorgeous front door also suffered damage that will need to be repaired. It is hard to imagine that giant door, which weighs a few hundred pounds, falling apart, but despite our diligence, water seeped into the seams and froze. That frozen water pushed the door panels apart easily and without mercy. The entire door will have to be stripped, re-glued and then painted.

We are glad that we did not finish the custom-build in S’s room because his window leaked for several days, and repairs will be necessary. In fact, the leaking around the house was so bad that we just stopped working on everything. We had no idea what the end result of the melting would be, and we felt it was important to stop all work until the ice dams were completely gone.

It took about two weeks for the house issues to stabilize. I am still suffering a little crisis of faith about this whole house restoration and renovation, but my positive attitude and motivation are returning as we get closer and closer to better weather on a daily basis. That said, we expect more snow this week, and there is still over a foot of the white stuff on the ground in some parts of our yard. The forecast looks as if it was prepared by a drunk meteorologist. Temperatures might range from 27 to 63. I will believe that 63 degrees when I see it.

During all of this, both of our computers stopped working. Computers are a key part of a blogger’s life. I think we can all agree on that. Our main computer that processes photos is still in the shop. Until it returns, I will be using my camera phone for images. Bear with me please. It is not an ideal set-up, but it will have to do.

Now that I have been a bit of a downer, I will share all of the good stuff. There is also plenty of that. First, I was able to enjoy a running getaway with a great friend of mine, and we had a fantastic long weekend in Las Vegas.  This is the fourth time we have met to run a race together. We have raced together in Missouri (5k), California (Rock ‘n’ Roll full marathon), Utah (St. George Marathon), and now Nevada for the Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam half marathon.

During our long weekend, we hiked at Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area, ate meals at fabulous restaurants, wore high heels, ran the most challenging half marathon I have ever raced, enjoyed a spa afternoon at the Venetian, and basically just did whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted to do so. The weather was perfect, and we walked around like human solar panels as we soaked up the sunshine and warmth. It was a welcome respite from the cold weather.

Once I returned home, I was ready to dig in here at Blake Hill House. M. and I started our garden:

I completely cleaned and organized the pantry:

And we found original wainscoting when we tore out the soggy drywall in the the sun porch/art room:

I have saved the very best news for last though. After two years, we finally sold our house in California. There were so many times that I wanted to write about it after it went into escrow in January, but I felt like I might jinx the whole process. Selling the house was the best possible outcome as we move forward with the restoration and renovation of BHH. Financially, it has been great. Emotionally, it has been a bit of a roller-coaster. We are all sad to say goodbye to that chapter of our lives, and our lovely tenants, who are our good friends, had to find another place to live. Even though they knew the house would sell eventually, it was very hard to break that tough news to them.

Our California house was our first renovation project.  If you are interested in seeing it, here is the link: Our 1964 California House (1700 square feet).

That brings me back to the present. Andy and I are in the final process of reviewing and comparing all the bids for the new roof and insulation. We will be making a decision this week, and we expect that BHH will have a new roof in the next month or two.

We are also moving forward with removing the wallpaper in the living room, repairing the walls and painting because we ordered new furniture. It will arrive in 5-8 weeks, so we are putting a rush on that project. After I finish up a few odds and ends, most of the blog entries will center around the living room and the roof project. It should be a nice mix of decorating and the nuts and bolts of restoration and renovation. I have longed for that since we moved here. If you have been wishing for a better balance of content, you will be rewarded for your patience.

I hope spring is treating all of you like actual spring in your world. Feel free to share your warm thoughts in the comments. I will soak them up, and I will pretend it is happening here too.