Finishes and Fun

Springtime awarded us today with another gorgeous day-- the type of day were the warm breezes, bright sunlight, and high 70s temperatures just begged one to get outside.  We took advantage of the day by accomplishing some tasks and by enjoying ourselves outdoors.

Rick works on the sealer coat on the bedroom wall.

Naturally, this great weather will not last.  Rick worked to the point of dropping yesterday just to get a sealer coat of paint on the back guest bedroom wall.  We wanted to get that room sealed both because of our experience with the internal leaks and because rain is predicted for Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday.  While he worked on that, I finished scraping the soffits and fascia across the front of the house.  I must admit that I am very glad Gladys is not any larger than she is.  At a little over 1350 square feet, she is large enough inside to accommodate our needs and long enough outside that I would not want to scrape or paint any more.  If she were larger, that also would mean I would have more to keep clean inside.  Nope.  Gladys is just the right size.

The finish coat shows the true color as we dress us Gladys.

This morning I took a little time off to go to church while Rick put on the first finish coat on the bedroom wall.  Then he switched to the front of the house and filled in the bad spots on the soffit in preparation for paint.  He also removed the rest of the hurriedly-and-poorly-done caulk from a couple of years ago.  We had to get it sealed at the time; now we can remove it all and do it right so it looks as it should when visitors come to our front door.

After lunch today, Rick and I added the second coat of finish paint on the bedroom wall so that all that is left are the soffits and the window sills.  Thankfully, the soffits are flat and lower in the back, so we both can work on them and share the burden of that task.

Those chores were the work part of the weekend.  The fun part of the weekend started with Saturday morning when we went to Craig Park in Tarpon Springs for their annual Art Fair.  (Bonnie, this is the Art Fair that you attended with us a couple of years ago.)  As usual, the Fair was huge with a great variety of vendors.  We by-passed the $1,000+ double hanging hammocks and chairs and ventured on to original oils and metal sculptures.

The copper art sculpture adds the finishing touch to
our living room wall.

I wanted to add one small piece of original art to the living room wall to complete that room, and I knew what I had in mind.  After looking at a couple of copper art booths, I found exactly what I was looking for: an ibis wading through a marsh with lilly pads and cattails.  It was the perfect size, was very well-made, and was just slightly north of what I wanted to pay for it.  However, I knew that if I did not take it, I would certainly regret that decision.  So home it came.  I called the bird "Ichabod" as in Ichabod Crane of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," even though I know the bird is really an ibis and not a crane.  Rick just refers to it as "the goony bird on the wall."  Whatever it is called, I like it.

Meet our living room "goony bird."

On the way out of the Fair, we passed a booth selling tablecloths.  Although I had no plan to buy a cloth, I found one that we both really liked.  Had I been shopping for a tablecloth, I would have measured the table!  As it was, I mis-guessed the size, so the cloth is just slightly too large, but I would rather have that than one that is too small.  I have not washed it yet, so perhaps it will shrink a bit in the dryer.

Our new tablecloth for when guests dine with us.

Tonight the weather was so beautiful that we decided to treat ourselves to a picnic in Weaver Park.  A beautiful sunset and entertaining wildlife (including jumping fish in St. Joseph Sound) gave us plenty to watch as we dined.

On the way home, we took a detour down Victoria Lane.  For those of you who follow this blog, you know that Rick is fascinated with the mansion someone is building on Victoria Lane.  The progress on this house has been excruciatingly slow, but tonight we actually saw some results.  The batter-boards are up and the corner block walls are in place.  The house is supposed to be built in the turn-of-the-century style to fit the other 1890s - 1920s houses on the street, so we are excited to see exactly what the owner will build on the site.  Once again, stay tuned...

The stack of sand and cement blocks are the foundation
for another mansion on Victoria Lane.

Each day we accomplish something more on Gladys.  Our progress may not be setting speed records, but in the end we will get her painted and finished before we head north for the summer.  We have the north wall and three back walls left with six weeks to finish them all.  With perseverance, we will meet our goals and hopefully still have some time left to enjoy springtime in Florida.