SUN-UP TO SUNSET, ALL WORK & NO PLAY

All work and no play is the kind of week that's been happening.  Monday morning it started with the rising of the sun.

pumped up and ready to go

We finally got a shipment of material we have been waiting for so we were able to pour the vanity top to go on the cabinets I built.  The client has been more than patient.  The good news is that we can pour and demold in one day and process the next.

hardly spilled a drop

several hours later

I think he likes it

Ready to process

After a long days work I can't wait to go do more work.  But I promised my sister Debbie I would get her floor in before her new furniture arrived and I'm a man of my word.  The area she wanted done is about 200 square feet.

the easy part

As I got going I realized that the last time I put in one of these floors I was a much younger man.  My back started hurting after the third board.  Getting up off my knees became increasingly more difficult with each board that needed to be cut.  When I got to the closets I remembered why I didn't like doing laminate wood floors.

the pace was slowing down here

But after all the flooring was in it sure did look pretty.  My only regret is that I have my own floor to do and it is more than twice this size, maybe more than three times.  Ugh!

thats not her new furniture

The next day after work I helped Robyn get our flowers planted.  It wasn't easy.  My whole body hurt from crawling around on my sister's floor, even my butt cheeks were sore and I am having trouble understanding that.

the chef makes mud pies

I dug holes where ever I was told and threw the clay like dirt in the back of my truck.  As we took the plants out of their pots to plant them we realized why we got them half price.  I think they were last years plants because the were seriously root bound.

where spagetti comes from

After a couple hours of hard labor the flower garden was done.  We still need to move all the pea gravel around from in front but that is for another day.

my back hurts

Now I had a load of dirt in my truck to get rid of.  I thought about the other day when Canyon and I had to get rid of my sod.  The place in the country that said "fill dirt wanted" so I headed over there.

that sign could mean so many things

The next day I hobbled into work.  The insides of my thighs felt as though I had been doing squat thrusts for the past three weeks.  But work must go on.  We got the tops processed with the broadcast pea gravel and sent them in for sealing.  Here's a pic of Chris applying a coat.  These are scheduled for install this week.  I will post pics of the finished project later.

the finishing touch

Then I was sent to Panora. It's a small road trip.  A client was having trouble with her fiber optics not working.  After a little detective work I deduced it was a bad plug on her fire pit and a missing cord on her bar.

colorful patio

concrete bar and bar stools left center

After work it was time for homework (for any kids reading this, yes, homework continues after you're out of school)  We wanted to get the guest room painted for our company arriving this week-end.  Robyn's dad and step-mom will be visiting for a couple of days.  Should be fun..,  I need some fun.

The artist at work

I'm the cutter, she's the roller.  My work is done here.

at least somebody is getting some R & R

I did get a little rest too.  Canyon and Hai had a soccer game so we relaxed for an hour or so.  I used to think the game went on too long, now I'm wishing it was longer.

KICK THE BALL!  KICK IT! (that's how I used to coach)

Waukee won again.  They got a pretty dang good team.

I thought this sky was cool

The next day at work we installed this bathroom countertop.  The client is having small white tile as a border.  We incorperated some in the top.  It looks somewhat like soap bubbles.  It runs through the left sink and up the back splash.  I will get some photos of the completed bathroom and post at a later date.

needs more lights

A rep from a supply company stopped in and talked with me briefly.  He said he had never seen a concrete countershop like ours, and he has seen quite a few. (so have I and I agree with him)  He was impressed enough to send me this free sample (sample?) of a rubber mold for a table top.  He only asked that we give him some feed back on his product.

mold valued at $600

we may mass produce these.

we will stain the compass

It was poured and popped out in a matter of hours.  It is way cool.  The rep will get some very positive feed back.

When I went home I found out that Canyon had to go to the doctor that day.  His foot had been hurting and it was becoming unbearable.  It took three doctors to figure out the problem.  A human hair had embedded itself in the side of his foot.  The doctors had never seen it before and were confused even more because it was asian hair.

ancient chinese secret

The boys had gotten haircuts a few days earlier.  Canyon must have gotten Hai's hair in his sock.  It turns out that asian hair is courser.  Like a sliver it worked it's way under his skin.  Could only happen to a Griswald.

We have a TON more work to do on our house, but we have time on our side.  Now if I could only get Robyn to give me a massage.

even the sun rests once in a while 

Peace

Dan