Life Adventures

Saturday and Sunday Dec 8-9: This year we beat the snow.   We left the day before Ashland got the 14 inches (the most snow that early in December in a LONG time).   Last year we left just as the snow started – and it was a scary drive into NC, with a car spinning out of control almost hitting the RV. Yet, we did not escape all bad weather.   The rain started on our way to Yemessee.   We stayed one night at the KOA – easy pull through site.   Fortunately, we were able to walk the dogs around the lake before the skies opened.    And, in the morning, there was enough break in the rain to get the dogs pottied before the next downpour.    We only hit one major downpour on the way to Orlando – taking the dogs out in the rain at the gas station.   It was miserable. The bad weather and my work obligations caused a lot of shifting in the plans.   We were supposed to vacation at Huntington Beach before Orlando.   In the revise...

In 2008, soon after moving into the house, we replaced the faulty chair rail moulding in the den and replaced with large square and small square moulding. We still had the hole above the fireplace for the TV that we wanted to get rid of.  In 2016- I wanted to mirror the same square theme to frame the hole on top of the fireplace.  We did lessen the indention of the hole so that it was not so large, but still allowed a focal point for interest.  So this is what we ended up with: In Dec 2018 - Jan 2019 during the kitchen renovation, we decided to go ahead and improve the den floor by laying hardwood.  The Berber carpet was really looking drab.  We chose a toffee color hardwood.  While I prefer the darker hardwood, we don't get a lot of direct sun at the back of the house.  Event with the toffee color, the dark wood furniture and dark color of the couch made the room look a little too dark.  So, I updated the look with a new...

We've been without a fridge in the kitchen for 10 years, a microwave for 4 years, and finally the left side of the sink started leaking.  It seemed like putting off a kitchen remodel any longer didn't make much practical sense.  I would have rather had a longer time between projects, however, we know that for any resale in the future we needed to upgrade the kitchen. The current kitchen is builder grade oak cabinets without any moulding accents.  We plan to paint the cabinets white (Mountain Peak Benjamin Moore color).  The knobs are oil rubbed bronze, and I'm adding pulls to the drawers.  The white appliances will be replaced with stainless steel. The island has already been shortened to 4 inches (it was 8 inches high).  The bare wall on the back of the island will be filled with moulding that mirrors the larger and small squares in the den. The sink will be replaced with a new stainless steel with half-rise divider.  The faucet will be ...

This was our second or third year attending this event.  For 2 nights, one in Dec and one in Jan, dogs are allowed.  Last year Logan was with us.  This year the baton was passed to Gracie and she made her first visit.  The lights were just as good this year, even though there were some differences.  But my favorite - the fountain - was still there and remained my favorite. New to us this year was taking dogs into the conservatory.  There we saw the decorated tree and a few exhibits. We walked around the big lake, and saw a few other greyhounds.  The lights across the lake looked like a little city.  One of the buildings was decorated in a pretty purple this year. On the other side of the gardens was a stroll through the woods and around a smaller lake.  The light in the woods surrounding a small bridge was another favorite. Frye got the most attention.  Gracie made friends with a Corgie at the refreshment a...