Maria finally got me out bouldering in Hueco Tanks. The place is a boulderer’s paradise and was pretty fun, though we completely owned ourselves after only two-and-a-half days. We ended up going with a bunch of people from the local climbing gym in Tucson and camping in the park, which as a side note has a kick-butt campground (hot showers and the whole she-bang).
Maria working the roof on "Nobody Gets Outta Here Alive" (V1)Maria pondering a hold on the "Pudgy Pussack" (V4)Maria going with her decisionTom traversing the "warmup boulder"Anyone got a crash pad?Beau contemplating his nemesis V3 dynoKevin making the dyno look easyMaria coaxing the "Local Flakes" (V2)Maria getting set for the final lungeTom making a V0 look like a V4!
This monstrosity had almost become the death of me! Having no prior cabinetry experience, my sister-in-law’s husband (‘Scooter’ to those that know him) enlisted my help in building a mahogany wall unit as part of some work he has been doing through a local design center. Neither one of us had any idea how big this thing would become. The unit consists of a base with six file cabinet drawers and a top with three cabinets, a glass shelf, and lights. The whole unit is a hair over 10 feet wide, a bit over 2 feet deep, and over 8’ tall! It was designed to have a softened, organic feel to match a table and desk that Scott is in charge of, so the base has a slight curvature both in the tabletop as well as the drawers themselves. Luckily the unit is modular and breaks up into three base pieces, three shelf pieces, and two tabletop pieces which will actually enable us to install it in the customer’s attic.
View of base unit, featuring three modular drawer units and a table-topView of base file cabinet drawersDetail of file cabinet drawer (notice the slight angle of the drawer front)Detail of the base cabinet bevels (gives the whole unit a more rounded, organic feel)View of unfinished piece (upper cabinets also break into three modular units)"Exploded" view of cabinets and drawersFinished, installed view (notice the tempered glass shelf and quartz lights)Detail of tabletop and door finish (I am not even going to try and go into how Scott finished this piece!)Detail of finished drawers and hardware
Easily one of the most hideous rooms in our house when we moved in was the guest bathroom. It’s considered a full bath, but is very small (about 5’ x 8’) and was originally painted a dark tan with brown vinyl tile on the floor, making the room seem even smaller. Even when it was repainted white, the room felt dark and cramped as the vanity (which was also really ugly) took up a lot of space too. Therefore, we decided to gut the entire room (except for the tub) and start over with new floor tile, tub surround tile, a pedestal sink, new toilet, and even a skylight (most of which Maria gets credit for). Anyways, 6 weeks and countless dollars later, we have a guest bathroom that is easily the best room in the house, which is somewhat unfortunate as now we have to out-do ourselves in every other room!
A look at the bathroom when we moved inAnother look at the "cheery" bathroomLove that attractive vinyl floor tile!The vanity definitely leaves something to be desired!Let the demolition begin! (All of the drywall behind the sink and around the tub had to be replaced, along with part of the ceiling near the new skylight...fun!)Scott, Maria's brother-in-law, helping reroute the plumbingTom after finally finishing the skylight install (running a 6 foot tubular skylight through the attic in late spring can be a rather warm job!)Let there be light!Tom mudding the new drywall seamsA look at the newly textured and painted walls (and the new light fixture)Scott installing the tub-surround tileScott "the tile man" installing the floor tile as well (he was obviously a huge ass(et) in this whole thing!)View of new sink and mirror (Maria refinished a $10 piece of crap mirror from Ross to the beauty seen here!)Finished view of bathroom (oooh, aaah!!)Another view of the final productA look at the wonderfull new tileFinal view of the sink and fixtures
We were able to make it back up to Missoula to visit Dad and Tess for about a week to try and escape the brutal Tucson summer. We had a great time tubing the Blackfoot river, climbing at the gym there, taking a sunset sailboat ride on Flathead lake, golfing, and BBQ’ing with friends.
A look at the women before our sail boat rideA look at the men before the boat rideUs next to the boatMaria baking in the sun (there wasn't any wind to keep us cool)Klaus, Karen, Tess, and Dad enjoying some wine and cheeseMaria watching the sunsetUs on the way back to dry landMaria and Tess scootin` along with Dad and I for a round of golf (probably one of the last times you'll ever see Maria in a golf cart)
Dad and I on the green (I think my putt is for eagle 😉
Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the design, but this cherry table has proven to be invaluable for homework. The legs, skirt, and tabletop edging are all solid hardwood, but the top is plywood covered by a really beautiful dark green marbled Formica laminate (nice and durable). The legs bolt onto the top using a lag-bolt/skirt-plate interface which is really slick and helps when trying to move this beast through doorways!
Detail of edge-band and green marble Formica laminate top
Detail of foot (made from two mitered pieces of shaped cherry)
Finished view of table (Danish oil and satin wax finish)
