Hallelujah!

They say we can pick another color for the blinds. That was such a relief to hear, as I was trying to talk myself out of strongly disliking the ones we have. Back to the drawing board...or at least to holding little two inch samples in front of the window and trying to imagine.

And, our kitchen has grown. It's amazing with the fridge out of the way! Now on to the dry wall.

Privacy

We got some bottom up, top down blinds for the big front window. We are very excited to have some privacy after a year and a half of being watched through our large front window (and, I am not one to be paranoid about this kind of thing). They were installed today. I am trying to come to terms with the color. Which is different then it was on a tiny 2 inch swatch...

Sun and Sand

Yesterday was sooo beautiful at the coast. Daniel and I had such a great day over there enjoying the sun and great views. We heard it was going to be in the mid 60's and all sunshine, so we headed on the 1 hour and 20 minute drive to Ecola State Park for a hike. We hiked from Ecola State Park Picnic Area to Indian Beach and then from Indian Beach up towards Tillamook Head. We didn't make it to Tillamook head, because we had to turn back. We had been to Tillamook Head before, but on a very foggy overcast day, when you couldn't see the view. We hiked about 4 miles around trip, not too far. Per usual lately, while at the coast we stopped at Ecola Seafood Market for some crab and clam chowder. Then we met some friends at Arcadia Beach for a camp fire and to watch the sunset.

Under Construction, 3 Weeks

I think it's been about 3 weeks, 3 1/2 weeks since Daniel starting working on the kitchen project to take half the closet from the room next door and push the fridge back into it. I am very excited to get that big fridge out of the way and into a spot of it's own. It will really open up a nice walk way through the kitchen to the back door. Daniel was sure it was going to take about a week, but I knew better. I just hope it's done sometime this summer.

Inside the closet in the computer room.

From in the kitchen..a peek into the closet.

He took down the lath and plaster in the closet first and then the other side of the wall in the kitchen. The dust was fairly well contained with the plastic.

The reinforcement...not just the wood beam, the instructor Art, too.

From the computer room into the kitchen.
It's nice to have more then one way in and out of the kitchen.

From the kitchen. You can see the door on the right (back behind the fridge) that goes into the computer room, and of course the door on the left that goes into the hall and the computer room.

A weekend in the yard...

...is always nice.

A bathroom cabinet!

Last Sunday, my friend Michele, took me (and her visiting Mom) to Sellwood to some antique shops. I have been looking for a old white dresser for the bathroom downstairs and had all my measurements ready to search. There were lots of such dressers, but none quite right. Instead I found a cabinet to hang over the toilet. I was worried it would be to big for the space, which it very well might be, but I am getting used to it and it has a fair amount of storage space. Yeah! A little but of storage in the bathroom! Now, if I forget to bring a towel into the bathroom, I don't have to go into the hallway after my shower to get one. It's all about the small successes in life.

Gorge-ous Day

We have had several beautiful blue sky days recently. Today Daniel and I took advantage of such a day and headed down the gorge. We drove along the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway, which was nice and we wondered why we always drive East on 84. Then we took about a 4 mile hike to Horse Tail Falls and Triple Falls. We stopped in Cascade Locks looking for fish and chips for lunch but couldn't find any. Had some salmon chowder instead. Although, CharBurger interested both of us, we aren't eating meat for lent. Over the Bridge of the Gods we went and drove North up the other side of the river, stopping to hike about 2 more miles at Beacon Rock. Daniel had never been there before, and I decided that I am nervous about heights. I never noticed this before. But walking on those narrow pathways clinging to the side of the rock face reminded me of being on the glass floor at the tower in Calgary...scary. We didn't take any pictures, as Daniel is scrutinizing cameras, after our new one kept fogging up in cold weather.