And there was light…

With all that’s going on, I can’t believe I forgot to add a photo of our updated, newly tiled kitchen! Who says you can’t tile a serendipity floor? Hernandez Construction can.

Re-arranging the kitchen cabinets, to move the refrigerator, turned out to be a much more involved project that I thought! It definitely helped to be there to answer questions. We also learned that finding wormy chestnut paneling can be quite an undertaking and as it ‘undertakes’ our wallet. 1-5″ wide piece = $54! We needed 5 to cover the side of the fridge so it’s not the first thing you see when you look into the kitchen. Thanks to the magic fingers and talent of Eutimeo’s oldest son, we have an amazing transformation that doesn’t even look like the cabinets were torn out from the roots!

Looking into what was formerly a very dark kitchen–Let the sun shine in!

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Possibilities become probablilties

Can it ever be possible… that one can be exhausted with happiness? I guess it’s better than the alternative. In Highlands it’s an easily ‘catchable’ disease. Not only is the place Nature’s Wonder but we are in the midst of some big physical changes in the house. The last time we did this was 10 years ago when we bought it. I was 10 years younger so ‘happy exhaustion’ was slower in coming!
In this economic environment, remodeling had only been in our dreams. We have the roof to thank. We were originally told it would last 5 years and it went 10… but no more.
We also have Eltimio Hernandez in Highlands to thank. His bid came in so low that it allowed us to do some major remodeling and it keeps continuing. I think my smile reaches from ear to ear because of possibilities becoming probabilities! just incredible. Can smiles ‘break’ if they’ve been up too long?
The previous blog shows the kitchen remodeling–thinking we were almost done. Au Contraire! In a week the floor now comes up for tile and some re-arranging of fridge and cabinets for easier access to the fridge when we have our seasonal closings. It could get tricky because we have a serendipity house with emphasis on ‘dipity’! We have a House With Character, definitely a Mountain House-not cookie cutter!
Are we then done… just wait til September when I Can See Clearly Now… I’ve been waiting for that for 10 years, too!
A photo will follow of the kitchen newly ‘robed’… Hang in there. Better yet-come and rent a week or a month! The weather is cool and magnificent.
PS The bluette is out, the rhodies are blooming and by golly, my walk down the long bedroom hall reveals the 3 leaf, 3 flower petal trillium on the hillside. Mountain laurel should be out our next visit. Come and drink it in.
With a smile this wide I’m going to have to invest in teeth whitener………..

There is . . .

There is . . . something to be said for mountain homes covered in a rhododendron forest. Rhodies in our mountains can grow to 30 feet tall! While absolutely lovely, it can sometimes be a bit dark, especially on a rainy day. Since this area is a rain forest, 4500 feet up, there is always rain here and there, especially to refresh and flourish the coming summer blooms that mass up in the spring and summer in this spectacular town.

There is . . .always on the plus side, the stunning possibility of feeling inside a tree as you lay on your back, swaying with the oak tree limb movement… on the sofa looking out the lodge fireside room skylights! Seeing the glints of light playing on the tree limbs and leaves makes you feel at one with the tree. That’s certainly much better than climbing 50 feet in the air to observe the same thing!

There is . . .something to be said for fading eyes of a once blossoming ‘sweet young thing’ as she appears at the front door looking across the room into the kitchen. Kazham! It’s light and delight in the kitchen with the new canned lights and the skylight just installed. The way the light plays on the antique wormy chestnut cabinets is awesome!

Remind me to quit trying to turn off the light switch—when it’s already off!

Let there be LIGHT! remodeling in process.

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