Bathroom Remodel

 I loved my bathroom, the beadboard, the wallpaper, the sink, and the red accents.  I especially loved the window and all the light that came into this small space.  I did not like the tub, however.  It was probably original to the house, built in 1942.  The cast iron tub developed lots of rusty spots over the years.  The finish had totally worn off and I rarely used it.  When I had Airbnb guests I did have to get into the tub and the water was always rusty and it took hours to drain.  My brother, Don, spent a night at my house last year and he slept in my storage room and noticed all the old plumbing, the iron pipes and drains.  "It would be easy to re-do the plumbing of your bathroom....I could come and spend a few days and create shower and get rid of the old tub."

I knew I could trust Don's work - he remodeled my sister, Joan's bathroom in 2015 and has since completed six more bathroom remodels for his kids and their new homes.  So Dena and I went on a mission on a snowy Spokane day and looked at tile and she helped me choose a marbly-white subway style tile for the tub.  I originally thought I wanted the octagon tile for the floor, but eventually changed to a large gray tile instead.

So eventually Don put my project on his calendar and he arrived on July 22nd with a car load of tools, floor protectors, sponges, a shop vac, and energy that would last for nine days.

Toilet and sink gone!

Larry was a big help on Sunday attacking the plumbing, demolishing the concrete walls, and taking three loads to the dump!

I invited John, Karen, and Jake to come help get the old tub out.  Look at that Jake, so strong!  He and Larry loaded it onto the truck and hauled it right to the dump!

 By Sunday night, the bathroom was completely gutted to the bare studs and floor.  I took a photo of the drain before we hauled it away.  It collected 75 years of hair, soap, and rusty water!

On Monday, I managed to help Don get the new tub in place.  Not an easy task because the tub is acrylic,  it had to have a concrete pad to keep the bottom in place.  

Tuesday, Don did the plumbing for the shower, put up the backer board and sheet rock.  He also made sure there were extra 2x4s to square the walls up.  It was a long day of measuring and sweating.

By Thursday, the taping and texturing was done, red waterproofing painted on and the floor tiles cut to size!

On Friday we'd finished four rows of tile!

Don finished the tub tile around 2 PM on Saturday.  I did most of the cutting and was happy to do it because I could get wet!  It was almost 100 degrees that day.  I really wanted to take a break, but he insisted on doing the floor too!  We were tired so we went to O'Shaughnessy's for pizza!

Sunday we did the most messy job...grouting!  We had some down time waiting for the grout to dry, but not for long.  I'd stored an old light fixture and had always wanted it put up in my bedroom.  I thought the previous home owner had taken it down when she installed all new light fixtures.  Even that little light project required one or more trips to Home Depot.  

I practically jumped for joy when he got it installed.  We stood back and admired it.  "It's so pretty, I just love it."  Don agreed and said, "it looks just like the fixture in Mom and Dad's bedroom.  OMG, then I remembered I was the happy recipient of this treasure from the family home before we sold it.  I'd forgotten where it came from, but honestly since that day I've felt the light of Mom and Dad shining on both the beginning and ending of my days.

I know Don had hoped to be on his way home by noon on Monday, since we just had the toilet, sink, and door to install.  But, there were challenges with each task, especially the toilet.  After three trips to Home Depot for the right wax seal, Don said, "gosh, I know they sell a wax seal without a flange, but I've never bought one.  We had lots of wax so we squished it all around the toilet and voila it worked!!  He wanted to help take the trash to the dump, but I encouraged him to let me do it.  "I'll be sad after you leave, and I'll need some projects to get me through the rest of the day."  I sent Dena a text, "Don left without lunch, all sweaty..he'll need a shower and a nice dinner when he gets home."

Duane and Colin came a week later and installed the grab bar and I finished the paint touch-ups.

I love the little sign that reminds me how grateful I feel every time I walk into the room.  I'm especially grateful to my talented and patient brother, Don.  He devoted nine days to this project, making two dozen trips to Home Depot, working in the heat of the summer, breathing sheet rock dust and suffering a rash from the insulation.  

For all the parts and pieces, sleepless nights, sweaty days, I can only say Thanks!

Huntfest 2018

Weddings are just about the most tender and love-filled celebrations on the planet!  My niece, Karlee Kuhlmann married John Hunt on July 14, 2018, and they planned and carried out an amazing celebration attended by 140 family members, friends, and co-workers.  I've collected the pictures from my son, Duane, my brother, Larry, and various social media sites.  Words and pictures don't really capture the tender moments, but compiling them in a blog post will help retain some of the lovely memories made at Aspen Canyon Ranch.  

Marilyn, escorted by her sons, Jeremy and Justin and happy Dad, Dan walking his only daughter down the grass-lined path.

Karlee's nephews, Carter and Sammy, stole the show as ring bearers

The first kiss of Mr. and Mrs. Hunt.  

It was not love at first sight for this couple, or any romance in the beginning.  John did not say “hello beautiful” when he first met Karlee.  Oh, no, he said, “nice kicks” after noticing her Sanuk Slip on shoes.   They exchanged smiles and pleasantries for four years while she worked at INK Coffee and he at a ski boot shop and pool hall.  John moved to Durango in 2009 and perhaps his absence kindled the fire that led to their committed relationship.  They took a big risk in 2012 and moved away from the mountain into a small apartment near the Denver airport.  This transition was not an easy time for them, but Karlee had fire in her eyes to make a better life for them – away from roommates and the maddening crowd.   John and Karlee have had honest talks about many things…lots of talks and it took a lot of talking to convince Karlee to buy a house, before John gave her a ring.  He quoted the wise words of his 94 year old grandmother, Bunny, who said to them, “you can buy the house now, it will make both of you richer in money and spirit.  The only thing left is the ring.”  Solid Hunt logic.    On January 7, 2017, John once again had to convince Karlee to relax and enjoy the day, rather than be worried about getting back to Denver in the middle of a big snowstorm.  She fell into his trap and he executed the most romantic proposal on the backside of Ajax Mountain in Aspen!  And, here we are today, witnessing the beginning of this new family.

The couple honored me with the role of officiant and I read their sweet words to each other about why they wanted to live out the rest of their lives together.

John said this about Karlee, "I am blessed to have a teammate that is there for me through the fun and the bad. The next chapter of our adventure starts today and the peaks and valleys that come with it are going to make our relationship stronger. She has made me comfortable with what felt unknown, she has shown me love that I've never thought possible, and she has accepted me as who I am without judgment."

Karlee said this about John, "John allows me to be real with him.   I can be the person I am and he can be who he is.   He knows how to make me laugh and cry. Most of all, he knows how to make me take deep breaths and trust that every thing will be all right." 

Karlee, her mom, and friends brought all the treats and decorations for the Main lodge.

 I helped Marilyn embellish the tablecloth for the head table.  Lace from her wedding dress runs down the center of the table covering.

Karlee and Marilyn collected over 100 vases and bottles for the table centerpieces.  My ex-logger, son-in-law cut the wood rounds from dead trees in the Umatilla National Forest.  

Kids and adults painted wishes on rocks and Marilyn made sure there were fleece blankets for guests to wrap up in as the sun went down.  The rest of the pictures were taken at various times during the celebration, just wanted to capture images of family who attended.

Anne, Colin, and Duane

Junior Pimienta, Dale Stubbs, and Garry Esser

Tai, Anne, and Amanda

Maureen, Ann Marie, and Karen

Larry and Connie

Kaitlyn and Junior observed everything and answered a lot of questions about their upcoming wedding in May, 2019

Levi and I tried the selfie way!  Colin seemed to get a lot of attention because he's grown so tall!

Dan and Judy Kuhlmann; Raya and Justin

Larry, Kaitlyn, and Junior; Zeke & AnnMarie, Taylor and Kennedy

 

Connie and Kaitlyn; Karlee with the Gaeke's

Tai and David with their sweet, Quinn, also the center of attention with Don and Dena

Connie and Garry; Allan and Lisa

Paul, Maureen, PJ, Ryan, and Grace

Lots of sunshine shining on my son, Duane, and his sweet family!

These two love birds will celebrate 25 years of marriage on August 25.

Justin, Dan, and Jeremy

Karlee and her mother-in-law, Cindy

The Kopczynski family, missing Joan

Larry has a new camera and captured the Milky Way above their vacation rental house in Granby.

We came together to celebrate the gift of love present in the lives of John and Karlee.  We blessed them with  a privileged intimacy that touched the tender places in their hearts as they began the joy-filled and challenging journey, called marriage.  All guests witnessed the creation of a brand new family! 

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Hunt