Subfloor

When we had the tile installers in to provide cost estimates, we asked about the bathroom subfloor. Since travertine is heavy, we wanted to be sure that the subfloor would be stable enough to support the tile and not lead to cracking.

One installer said they would just put down backer board and the other recommended adding another half inch of plywood before adding the hardiback.

After carrying the travertine tiles around the tile store on Saturday, it emphasized just how much weight would be on the plywood. So, on Sunday, we put down additional plywood.

It is amazing how much firmer the floor is when you walk on it.

Tile

This weekend we went tile shopping. We had previously seen travertine that we liked, but we weren't sure we loved it.

On Saturday morning, we set out with one goal in mind - to find floor/shower tile and one accent tile. Luckily, Bruce's Marble and Granite (Norwalk, CT) was our second stop.

Bruce's has a lot of tile to choose from, but more importantly we really liked their employee's attitude. They were happy to help, but were not pushy and were content to let us browse by ourselves.

We found two floor tiles we liked - one travertine and one marble. We then started to look for accent tile. Trying to find an accent was tougher than choosing the tile, there are so many colors and options to choose from.

In the end we decided on the travertine and a glass accent in green and beige (the color in the picture is washed out). We really liked some of the metallic glass tile, but thought this was too trendy and would date itself in a few years.

Bruce's will check with the distributor for delivery estimates. If the wait is too long, we will switch to the marble.

Crushed

Poor Cooper's ego was crushed today!

We went out for a walk and there were 3 deer on the front lawn. Copper barked and barked and the deer didn't move. Cooper was straining at the end of the leash (my arm was nearly ripped off), but the deer didn't flinch.

Only as we got very close did the deer walk into the woods.

I could tell Cooper was frustrated. His prey drive was on ultra-high and I was tempted to let him go and teach the deer a lesson.

However, I realized that Coop would chase the deer back to Maine and we might never see him again.

Since then, Cooper has been looking at me with his big eyes full of sadness.

3 & 4

The third and fourth walls now have sheetrock!

The wood you see is where the shower wall will be - hardiback and tile to be installed by the tile company.

Next up, Jeff will begin taping and mudding the walls.

Another wall

The second bathroom wall now has sheetrock.

This was relatively easy, since only half the wall needs sheetrock.

The tile installer will install hardiback on the other half of the wall and then tile that area.

Today's Masthead

Today's Masthead courtesy of good old Cooper with a nod to Sarah Palin. For those email only subscribers, I have attached the picture. You can go to Wilton Diaries to see the full effect.

Sheetrock

Now that Jeff has finished planning and participating in the inaugural Islanders vs. Mainlanders sporting clays shoot, his focus is back on the bathroom.

As you can see, the ceiling has been sheetrocked, as has the back wall.

This may seem like an easy task, but sheetrock is surprisingly heavy. Trying to hold it above your head while standing on a folding chair, does not help the situation.

Delivery

The vanity, linen cabinet, toilet and undermount sink have been delivered. One half of the garage is now full of construction supplies.

It turns out that the linen cabinet is taller than garage ceiling, so this means that the dining room has also become a temporary storage place.

With family visiting for Christmas, I am hoping that this project can be completed before their arrival. Putting on my project manager hat, I would say this is a HIGH RISK as there is still not a single piece of sheetrock installed. Also, the subfloor needs additional plywood before tile can be laid.

The last thing that needs to be ordered is the tile. We still want travertine, but after talking with the installers, we are reconsidering the floor and wall design.

One of the installers we interviewed was Italian and had the most interesting sayings. One that stuck with me was "You can't have a drunk wife and a full (wine) barrel", when talking about tradeoffs in life.

Two Months

Cooper has been with us for two months and we are learning a lot about each other.

1- Cooper loves popcorn. The rustle of a potato chip bag holds no appeal, but the pop-pop of microwave popcorn gets Cooper's tail wagging

2- After a morning walk, eggs are delicious. Cooper was skipping meals, until Jeff cooked an egg and mixed it with the dog food. Now a dozen eggs are part of the weekly grocery list. Can you say spoiled ?

3- Cooper has learned to love the bed. While we get ready for work, he naps on our bed and some nights, he will spend all night on the bed (thankfully he is small).

4 - With good nutrition and lots of brushing, hair will grow back. Cooper is finally getting some belly hair.

5 - Cooper is afraid of the dark. When we walk Cooper at night and it is very dark (no street lights), he is very hesitant. I don't know if he has poor night vision or if this is due to his past life. He is fascinated by light and shadows and I wonder if he was kept in a dark scary place.

6 - Kisses are meant to be shared. Cooper is happy to give kisses to show his appreciation.

7 - Rawhide is a favorite toy, but anything that can be chewed is fun to play with. Thankfully, we have a never ending supply of tennis balls!

Popcorn

How's about you give me a piece of that popcorn?

Pie Found

I received a pie alert on Wednesday - our Westport family had spotted Trader Joe's piled high apple pie!

We made sure to stop by Trader Joe's this evening and picked up a pie and vanilla ice cream. The checkout clerk asked "dessert ?". I explained that I had been waiting a year for these pies to reappear. He laughed and said "they are good!"

I have to say that this pie was worth the wait!

Turducken ?

We will be spending Thanksgiving in Wilton this year. Usually we travel to visit family or host dinner, but this year we are staying home alone.

Since it is only two of us, I am wondering what to make for dinner. A turkey is too big, a turkey breast would be ok, but it is not very exciting.

I have seen boneless turducken (turkey/duck/chicken) for sale at Stew Leonard's. I think this would be interesting, but am not sure if Jeff is up for a new culinary adventure. I am also not sure of how many people a turducken feeds, but probably more than 2.

We could go non-traditional and have steak and lobster or perhaps go out to dinner. The possibilities are endless. I am sure in the next 23 days, I will change my mind 23 times.

Insulation

The old insulation in the bathroom has been removed and the new insulation installed.

A tile installer came to give an estimate on installing the floor and shower tile. Of course, this can't occur until the sheetrock/wonderboard is installed.

We like travertine (limestone) tile, but I was concerned about using it, since the hall bath gets a lot of wear and Cooper's water bowl is in there.

The sales person had two suggestions - choose a stone with a grain/pattern and a low sheen that will not show scratches as easily and seal the stone several times to protect it.

We really like the look of natural stone and had installed marble in Oxford, so we will try the travertine.

Reba & Kelly

We went to see Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson in concert at Harbor Yard (Bridgeport, CT) last night.

I had heard that they put on a good concert, but it was FANTASTIC. I had never heard of Reba until we lived in NC. With all the country radio stations down south, you can't miss hearing one of her songs several times a day. Kelly is best know as the first American Idol winner.

I was really impressed by Kelly's voice - very strong, powerful,and beautiful. Reba sounded and performed like the superstar she is. The women sang together, separately and swapped songs. It was amazing that age did not seem to matter (20+ vs 50+), and you could tell that each appreciated the others music and talent.

The other interesting thing was the crowd. The age of people in attendance ranged from 8-60+. I saw a young girl (8), her Mom and her Grandmother all sitting together. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

In search of pie

It is apple season - when you go into the grocery store the first thing you see are mounds of apples.

Therefore, it is reasonable that thoughts turn to apple pie. Jeff loves apple pie, I prefer blueberry, but do enjoy apple.

I have been searching for a great apple pie. Yesterday we bought a Stew Leonard's high top pie. I was disappointed - it was ok, but not great.

Last year Trader Joe's had a fantastic mile high pie, but we only found it one time.

Jeff's Mom makes a great pie as does our Westport family.

I guess that implies I should bake one, but it is more likely that I will be stopping by the new pie shop in Norwalk to try theirs.

Setback

The plumber was scheduled to come to the house on Thursday, to do various tasks in the bathroom.

The night before, Jeff opened the box which contained the Fleurco shower base and found that it was cracked. The second problem was that the wrong size and wrong model had been ordered. The description on the PO was correct, but the salesperson had written down the wrong part number.

Since this problem was discovered at 10 pm, there was no way to get a new pan before the plumber's arrival. The plumber did what he could and left early.

Jeff returned the shower pan and was told that the correct model would take 4-6 weeks to arrive! Not being able to wait that long, we decided to use a Jacuzzi shower pan instead.

It will be a few weeks until the plumber returns.

Almond Roca

While I was mixing Cooper's dinner, I heard a noise in the living room. I thought Cooper was playing with a toy, so didn't go investigate.

When I put Cooper's bowl down he didn't come to eat, so I went to check on him.

What I found was that half the Halloween bowl full of Almond Roca candy was gone! There were gold wrappers scattered on the floor and Cooper had a piece of chocolate hanging out of his mouth.

I yelled BAD BOY, NO, etc.

Cooper was not phased and did not hang his head in shame. In fact, as he walked away, I thought I saw a smile on his chocolate covered lips!

Art all around us

One of our light bulbs blew out the other day and I just got around to changing it tonight. When I pulled it down, it had this neat carnival glass like pattern on the blown out bulb. I thought it was kind of neat.

Big Eyes

Cooper is all eyes - big beautiful eyes.

The picture says it all

Andersen Window

The new Andersen window has been installed in the bathroom.

Today was a great day to replace the old window - sunny and fairly warm - about 65 degrees. After yesterday's rain and wind, we weren't sure what to expect.

The old window (top picture) came out very easily. In fact, it is a little scary how few nails were holding it in place.

The new window is very close in size to the original, which made leveling it very easy.

The longest part of the process was replacing all the siding.