My first issue of The Intercollegiate Review arrived today. The quote on the back was an excerpt from Russel Kirk's essay "The Architecture of Servitude and Boredom".
Let us leave historical determinism to the Marxists and other ideologues. The courses of nations depend upon the energy and the talents of particular individuals--and upon Providence, always inscrutable. It remains true even in this mass age of ours that individual genius and courage--or at least, the imagination and boldnesss of a handful of men and women--may leaven the lump of dullness and apathy, all across the land. From causes which at present no one guesses, conceivably there may come about a reinvigoration of urban planning and architecture.... The architectural and artistic charlatan, leagued with the spoilsman and the bureaucrat, may be thrust aside, abruptly, by a new breed of architects and artists endowed with the moral imagination. Given faith and hope, it is yet imaginable that we may draw upon the architectural well of the past to bring into being an architecture strong and humane.
~~~~~
And, not from the Review, but quoted in the Gileskirk lecture we discussed today, from the quill of John Adams:
In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.
SDG!
08 February 2008
05 February 2008
Super Tuesday!
I have a confession: I've never read Alice in Wonderland. Some friends were discussing it last week. It was the work of a moment to pop over to Amazon and order it. It arrived this morning, so I took it with me to read while waiting in line to vote in the primary.
Jared came with me - his first time voting. As we waited in line, I paged through the book and we laughed together when I found a chapter called 'A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale'. Given how much the candidates have left me feeling like Alice at the tea party and that this election has already felt like a very long tale indeed, I thought this chapter might prove interesting. I was right.
"What I was going to say," said the Dodo in an offended tone, "was, that the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race."
"What is a Caucus-race?" said Alice; not that she much wanted to know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought that somebody ought to speak, and no one else seemed inclined to say anything.
"Why," said the Dodo, "the best way to explain it is to do it." (And, as you might like to try the thing yourself some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodo managed it.)
First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, ("the exact shape doesn't matter," it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course, here and there. There was no "One, two, three, and away," but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out "The race is over!" and they all crowded around it, panting, and asking "But who has won?"
Jared came with me - his first time voting. As we waited in line, I paged through the book and we laughed together when I found a chapter called 'A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale'. Given how much the candidates have left me feeling like Alice at the tea party and that this election has already felt like a very long tale indeed, I thought this chapter might prove interesting. I was right.
"What I was going to say," said the Dodo in an offended tone, "was, that the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race."
"What is a Caucus-race?" said Alice; not that she much wanted to know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought that somebody ought to speak, and no one else seemed inclined to say anything.
"Why," said the Dodo, "the best way to explain it is to do it." (And, as you might like to try the thing yourself some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodo managed it.)
First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, ("the exact shape doesn't matter," it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course, here and there. There was no "One, two, three, and away," but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out "The race is over!" and they all crowded around it, panting, and asking "But who has won?"
04 February 2008
Finished…for now
The tile saw is loaded into the van and I'll drive it down tomorrow morning. {wooh-hooh!} That means everything is cut, except for the final end pieces of edging and facing. When we get everything else installed, we'll measure and take the pieces down to World of Tile and use the saw there for those last four cuts.
We install the last few horizontal pieces tomorrow. I'll grout them on Thursday. We're putting the vertical facing on its own timeline because we want to get the sink back up and running as soon as possible. We'll also need some good strong tape to hold the facing pieces up while the thinset dries. Then, I'll grout that separately and we'll just have to be careful for a few days.
I'll try to post pictures tomorrow, but I'm not promising anything because we've got to get back to school. Even without grout, I think it looks wonderful! The kitchen feels so much bigger with the lighter color.
Weird thing about all this manly work I've been doing…the abrasiveness of the mortar is acting as an exfoliant. My hands haven't been this soft in years.
SDG!
We install the last few horizontal pieces tomorrow. I'll grout them on Thursday. We're putting the vertical facing on its own timeline because we want to get the sink back up and running as soon as possible. We'll also need some good strong tape to hold the facing pieces up while the thinset dries. Then, I'll grout that separately and we'll just have to be careful for a few days.
I'll try to post pictures tomorrow, but I'm not promising anything because we've got to get back to school. Even without grout, I think it looks wonderful! The kitchen feels so much bigger with the lighter color.
Weird thing about all this manly work I've been doing…the abrasiveness of the mortar is acting as an exfoliant. My hands haven't been this soft in years.
SDG!
Kitchen VI
The edging tiles have been setting for less than 24 hours and they're pretty solid. I spent a little time this morning running around the edges with a damp cloth to remove the extra thinset. They all set up level and without any drifting or settling during a very humid night (Arizona has entered our winter rainy season and we turned our heater on for the first time last night - set to a tropical 68 degrees; it was still too hot, so it's going down to 65 tonight). But even with the humidity, the thinset is working great! We used a powdered thinset mix instead of pre-mixed and, according to Mike at World of Tile, that can make a huge difference as the pre-mixed has additives to keep it from setting up in the container. I'm a believer!
We've got about a dozen more cuts and then we're done with the tile saw (at least for a couple of weeks - we haven't even started the island, the desk, or the backsplash, yet!).
Here are a few pictures:
~~~~~
Now that there's a top on our lower cabinets, it's time to re-fill them. I'm taking some time on this as the way we use the kitchen has changed dramatically in the last 15 years (from 3-going-on-4 young children and just trying to get everyone fed everyday to 9 kids ages 6 -21 and experimenting with more gourmet fare and wanting to extend more hospitality), so the kitchen is in need of a re-organization as well as a facelift. The new cabinets are going to make this a much nicer proposition than it was before!
I'm working to figure out the division of the different areas of the kitchen. Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out, calls it the kindergarten method of organization. Figure out what you do where and put things away where they're close to where they're used. This is what I'll be thinking about as I lay tile this afternoon.
~~~~~
And if anyone's interested - school's been called on account of tile. Actually, this is a kind of intensive vocational/real life skills class. :-D
SDG!
~~~~~
3:43 p.m.
Grout is mixed and will be ready in a couple of minutes to be used. I'm starting with the smallest counter between the fridge and the stove. Then I'll begin on the other side of the stove and start working my way around the 'U'. Drew is still marking tiles and Jared and Nathan are taking turns cutting them. It's cold out there, especially with the water running off of the tile saw. And we had a bit of hail this afternoon.
~~~~~
5:17 p.m.
I've gotten from the fridge to the stove to the sink to the corner of the peninsula. This is kind of fun! The lines are all, well, lining up, everything is level and it all feels smooth. Boys are mixing up another batch of thinset while I take a little break.
While working, I've been listening to 'My Top Rated' playlist on iTunes: Chicago, Petra, Billy Joel, Eric Bibb, Finding Neverland, Kenny Loggins, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Joshua Bell, Bertie Higgins, Christopher Cross, the Righteous Brothers, etc., etc. Makes the work go much faster!
~~~~~
7:14 p.m.
We've gotten around to the last bit of the peninsula. It's gotten a bit harder: my arm started cramping at on point and the plywood underlayment has a bit of a bow in it, so we're having to build up a thicker bed of thinset on the far side to keep things level. So far, it's working, but I've gotten to a point where I need Drew's help and I'm so glad he's here. One more large tile, a few filler pieces, and the rest of the edging and we're done with the counters. The island and desk will be a cakewalk after this as they're both simple rectangles - no turns. We're also planning on purchasing new plywood pieces the same day we install them so they aren't stored standing up and begin to bow, which is what happened with the peninsula piece.
We were supposed to grill burgers tonight, but the weather has precluded that, so we've sent Jared out for Arby's.
We've got about a dozen more cuts and then we're done with the tile saw (at least for a couple of weeks - we haven't even started the island, the desk, or the backsplash, yet!).
Here are a few pictures:
~~~~~
Now that there's a top on our lower cabinets, it's time to re-fill them. I'm taking some time on this as the way we use the kitchen has changed dramatically in the last 15 years (from 3-going-on-4 young children and just trying to get everyone fed everyday to 9 kids ages 6 -21 and experimenting with more gourmet fare and wanting to extend more hospitality), so the kitchen is in need of a re-organization as well as a facelift. The new cabinets are going to make this a much nicer proposition than it was before!
I'm working to figure out the division of the different areas of the kitchen. Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out, calls it the kindergarten method of organization. Figure out what you do where and put things away where they're close to where they're used. This is what I'll be thinking about as I lay tile this afternoon.
~~~~~
And if anyone's interested - school's been called on account of tile. Actually, this is a kind of intensive vocational/real life skills class. :-D
SDG!
~~~~~
3:43 p.m.
Grout is mixed and will be ready in a couple of minutes to be used. I'm starting with the smallest counter between the fridge and the stove. Then I'll begin on the other side of the stove and start working my way around the 'U'. Drew is still marking tiles and Jared and Nathan are taking turns cutting them. It's cold out there, especially with the water running off of the tile saw. And we had a bit of hail this afternoon.
~~~~~
5:17 p.m.
I've gotten from the fridge to the stove to the sink to the corner of the peninsula. This is kind of fun! The lines are all, well, lining up, everything is level and it all feels smooth. Boys are mixing up another batch of thinset while I take a little break.
While working, I've been listening to 'My Top Rated' playlist on iTunes: Chicago, Petra, Billy Joel, Eric Bibb, Finding Neverland, Kenny Loggins, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Joshua Bell, Bertie Higgins, Christopher Cross, the Righteous Brothers, etc., etc. Makes the work go much faster!
~~~~~
7:14 p.m.
We've gotten around to the last bit of the peninsula. It's gotten a bit harder: my arm started cramping at on point and the plywood underlayment has a bit of a bow in it, so we're having to build up a thicker bed of thinset on the far side to keep things level. So far, it's working, but I've gotten to a point where I need Drew's help and I'm so glad he's here. One more large tile, a few filler pieces, and the rest of the edging and we're done with the counters. The island and desk will be a cakewalk after this as they're both simple rectangles - no turns. We're also planning on purchasing new plywood pieces the same day we install them so they aren't stored standing up and begin to bow, which is what happened with the peninsula piece.
We were supposed to grill burgers tonight, but the weather has precluded that, so we've sent Jared out for Arby's.
03 February 2008
More Kitchen
We're finally laying tile - for real!
Drew started with the edging tiles. Once those are set and level, we'll work back from there. The boys are continuing to cut strips for the front vertical edging. They're also working on some of the other diagonal cuts we'll need for the back wall.
It's starting to look like a counter!
Drew also decided that the groutline from the 1/16" spacers was too big, so we're eyeballing our groutlines and they're closer to 1/32". The won't be perfect, but Drew's working with straight edges so we hope to have minimum drifting. Also, the tiles are manufactured to fairly tight specs, which means we don't have to have larger groutlines to compensate for lopsided tiles.
SDG!
Drew started with the edging tiles. Once those are set and level, we'll work back from there. The boys are continuing to cut strips for the front vertical edging. They're also working on some of the other diagonal cuts we'll need for the back wall.
It's starting to look like a counter!
Drew also decided that the groutline from the 1/16" spacers was too big, so we're eyeballing our groutlines and they're closer to 1/32". The won't be perfect, but Drew's working with straight edges so we hope to have minimum drifting. Also, the tiles are manufactured to fairly tight specs, which means we don't have to have larger groutlines to compensate for lopsided tiles.
SDG!
Kitchen Progress, IV
We are finally dry-laying tiles! Drew, Jared, and Nathan have figured out how to use the tile saw for precision cuts and they are looking great!
Benjamin is still filming and I've been snapping lots of stills. I don't have time to upload any yet - we're on a roll and I don't want to slow things down. I'll post pictures if I have time tomorrow.
Confidence is high. We may actually finish this project before we retire!
SDG!
Benjamin is still filming and I've been snapping lots of stills. I don't have time to upload any yet - we're on a roll and I don't want to slow things down. I'll post pictures if I have time tomorrow.
Confidence is high. We may actually finish this project before we retire!
SDG!
02 February 2008
Kitchen Progress, III
The plywood is installed on the 'U'. {whew!!!}
We sorted through several boxes of tile, end caps, and battiscopa at World of Tile this afternoon to pick out the specific pieces we wanted to use. I'll say it again: I love World of Tile. As overwhelming as this job seemed, we've received nothing but encouragement, information, and help.
The hardybacker board is screwed on (with the exception of a couple of places that need some unusual-sized and -shaped pieces). We still have to cut and screw on the edging pieces of hardybacker board (and we'll need more screws before we're done) - maybe tonight when it gets too late to run the tile saw we can focus on that as we have two drills. We have the tile saw until Monday morning, and will dive in again right after church tomorrow afternoon to cut it all. One of the single young men from church volunteered to come over and help later in the week. We may take him up on that.
I don't have any pictures to upload because Anna has the camera to take pictures at corporate youth tonight, but I hope to get some more uploaded tomorrow.
Once we finish the hardybacker board, we'll dry-fit the tiles to make sure we've got everything cut right and then it'll be time to start mixing thinset and laying tile. {whoo-hoo!!!}
~~~~~
Yesterday, Rebekah was sick with a stomach flu, but she's much better today. I'm still working to keep my stomach calm, but the headache is going away and I'm not feeling quite so queasy.
SDG!
We sorted through several boxes of tile, end caps, and battiscopa at World of Tile this afternoon to pick out the specific pieces we wanted to use. I'll say it again: I love World of Tile. As overwhelming as this job seemed, we've received nothing but encouragement, information, and help.
The hardybacker board is screwed on (with the exception of a couple of places that need some unusual-sized and -shaped pieces). We still have to cut and screw on the edging pieces of hardybacker board (and we'll need more screws before we're done) - maybe tonight when it gets too late to run the tile saw we can focus on that as we have two drills. We have the tile saw until Monday morning, and will dive in again right after church tomorrow afternoon to cut it all. One of the single young men from church volunteered to come over and help later in the week. We may take him up on that.
I don't have any pictures to upload because Anna has the camera to take pictures at corporate youth tonight, but I hope to get some more uploaded tomorrow.
Once we finish the hardybacker board, we'll dry-fit the tiles to make sure we've got everything cut right and then it'll be time to start mixing thinset and laying tile. {whoo-hoo!!!}
~~~~~
Yesterday, Rebekah was sick with a stomach flu, but she's much better today. I'm still working to keep my stomach calm, but the headache is going away and I'm not feeling quite so queasy.
SDG!
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