A series of essays.....
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| DAN AFTER A LONG, HARD, AND HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE WEEK OF CONSTRUCTION |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Never doubting Dan's ability to create something out of
sticks and stones, using hammer and nails, and topping it all off with
waterproof membrane and shingles, we headed up north two weeks ago so that he
could do just that.....
Riding in his Ford F-150 is comfortable and practical,
too, because we had so much 'stuff' to haul up in the cab including tools,
kitchen floor tiles, and bits and pieces from our house in Orlando that would
lighten the experience of moving when that time comes. Let's not even discuss
the amount of books that will be involved in this move. Downsizing from a twenty-four hundred square foot home after having lived here for over twenty years will be
no small feat, I assure you!
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| FOUNDATION OF NEW FLOOR SPACE |
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| BUILDING UP THE NEW FLOOR |
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| COMBINING NEW WITH OLD FLOOR |
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| NEW FLOOR DECK |
The running gag that epitomizes his eventual retirement
and our move up to Michigan is, "I need my kitchen. I'll move up when my kitchen
is finished." Janis, my sweet friend from high school days, could tell you how
often I've referenced that phrase over the past year. Well, we're diligently
working on my kitchen now and that brings our immediate future into a proper
perspective. Our 'little yellow cottage' is, finally, taking shape and we now
have the bruises, swollen ankles and lingering fatigue to prove it! All done
with love, of course.
Driving straight through for over nineteen hours isn't
the most pleasant experience, however, it gets us there in good time with our
own bed waiting for us at the cottage. The first evening was spent at our
friends' home in nearby Richland where we feasted on exceptional cuisine, drank a crisp
French white, and basked in the warmth of meaningful conversation and the
comfort of good friendship. It was a delightful way to begin our week and we
thank you, dearly, Michael and Marsha.
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| REMOVING 1941 KITCHEN |
By Sunday morning we were raring to begin. After all, it was 'demo day!' The old kitchen had to go and that twenty yard dumpster taking up space in our small driveway needed to be filled up. Demolishing a kitchen from the 1941 era is no small task considering the multi-layers of flooring and stuff in general contributed by multiple owners and time itself. By the time the dust settled and the tons of trash was hauled out by hand from the back of the house to the dumpster out front, we called it a day....well spent.
Leo, Dan's younger brother, was scheduled to arrive from
the Traverse City area to help out and we welcomed him with open arms early
Monday afternoon. Considering that Leo had, virtually, no experience in
construction before, it was a joy to see him and Dan working so well together,
side-by-side. He was Dan's 'left-handed' wonder because many of the spaces Dan
couldn't reach as well, Leo was there to pound away using his left-handed
prowess.
That first day of measuring, sawing, and hammering away
left the deck covered in inches of sawdust and various sizes of wood scraps and
bent nails. But their progress was phenomenal! Dan and I had decided to expand
the existing kitchen out and doubling its size by utilizing a summer porch at
the back of the house. This new portion of the kitchen will have a nine foot
ceiling and expand up, as well as out further enhancing the size of the room. I
love it!
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| COTTAGE ON A HILL |
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| GUYS HARD AT WORK |
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| ALWAYS REMOVING THE OLD LAYERS |
Tuesday we met Dan and Leo's cousin, Gerry, whom we hadn't seen in years, for lunch. She is an amazing person and she and I, unabashedly, refer to one another as our CBM or, cousin-by-marriage and I thank Facebook for opening up the doors of communication for all of the long, lost CBM's and others who are roaming around out there in the world hoping to reconnect with family and friends.
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| RAISING WALL NUMBER ONE |
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| WALL NUMBER TWO |
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| CONSTRUCTING WALL NUMBER THREE |
We were blessed with exceptionally good Michigan weather
each day until Friday rolled around, the day Leo was to leave, and it began to
rain and the temperature dipped down into the fifties. I believe the turn in the
weather proved to be Dan's nemesis as it instantly took a vengeful bite out of
his stamina and spirit and accentuated the toll his week-long physical labor had
taken on him. The dark circles beneath his eyes told me that the plans we had to
meet friends for dinner in downtown Kalamazoo that night might have slid into
the 'optional' category considering how exhausted he was. It was, literally, his
call and he did call to, unfortunately, cancel our dinner plans.
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| COMFORT ON A CHILLY MICHIGAN NIGHT |
We did what was necessary and got something light to
eat, started a roaring fire in the stone clad fireplace, and cuddled beneath a
pale green afghan on the living room couch. We talked about the week's
activities as we luxuriated in the warmth given off by the dancing flames and
listened to the crackle of our nurturing fire. Dan needed down time and this
opportunity was perfect.
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| PLACING PLYWOOD OVER HIS HANDMADE RAFTERS |
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| GLAD THEY'RE NOT AFRAID OF HEIGHTS |
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| THIS NEW KITCHEN IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!! |
No, work was not over yet! This new bump on the back of
the house needed to be wrapped, sealed and protected head to toe from potential
rain and bad weather and we spent hours nailing plastic sheathing around its
belly and a thicker plastic membrane atop its head (pitched roof) before we
could call it a day. I don't know where Dan found the strength to go roof
climbing and yielding additional hammer swings, but he did. Necessity has its
way of working things out.
By the time we cleaned up after our endeavors, showered,
packed-up, and headed over to our daughter's house, all I could think about was
having to drive back home to Orlando with the idea that Dan wanted to be back to
work bright and early on Monday morning. Having left a bit later than originally
planned Sunday, we pulled into our driveway around four o'clock on Monday
morning. We slept soundly until around nine when we crawled out of bed to
shower, make coffee and I was saying good-bye to Dan and watching him drive away
for work by nine forty-five.
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| BROTHERS ~ DAN AND LEO AFTER A JOB WELL DONE |
I know for a fact that Dan could not have accomplished
all that he did last week without the capable assistance of his brother. Leo was
more than happy to learn what he could from his older brother about construction
and Dan was grateful for his younger brother's determination, input, and
stamina. What a team! Thank you for being there, Leo.
Although Dan's retirement from his current position with
Roger B. Kennedy Construction remains to be determined and, while he is keeping
all of his options open for the time being, he has proven once again how
determined, flexible, and loyal he is as a team member for Kennedy. Dan's work
ethic has always been based on his strong moral principles and I, for one, have
been very proud of him for this.
Bottom line....that was our vacation. It was a bit
different than last year's when we spent ten days experiencing the history,
people, terrain, and exquisite beauty of the South of France. But, that's okay.
As a team, we continue dreaming, hoping, planning, and balancing out our lives
so that the future will hold many more adventures for us. One of the greatest
adventures of all will be, eventually, becoming a pivotal part of the Kalamazoo
community, meeting new friends, always appreciating current friends, enjoying
our grandchildren, and thriving in our 'little yellow cottage.'
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| EVEN AN ACORN FROM ONE OF THE OAK TREES IN THE BACKYARD SEEMS PERFECT TO ME! |
Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
Photos Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E.
Hughes
