The showdown at Pi Milton

Every year Ian and I manage a fantasy football team together. The Muckracker league is a bunch of old Center For Public Integrity folks squaring off each week from all over the country. Normally, I am the team owner (I put up the money and make all the final calls) and he is the team manager (he keeps up with the player news and make key decisions).

Well, this year we also both go invited to play in a free league with some friends. Except, he has a team and I have a team. And this week we play eachother.....ut-oh.

Here is his lineup:

the kill dash nines
QB Ben Roethlisberger
WR Terrell Owens
WR Kevin Curtis
RB Joseph Addai
RB Laurence Maroney
TE Heath Miller
W/T Chris Chambers
W/R Marshawn Lynch
K Shayne Graham
DEF Dallas

And here is my team and mascot:

The Personal Fowls

QB Brett Favre
WR Steve Smith
WR Joey Galloway
RB Frank Gore
RB DeShaun Foster
TE Tony Gonzalez
W/T Roy Williams
W/R Cedric Benson
K Adam Vinatieri
DEF Houston

(PS: you know we both really want to win when we are both starting our least favorite QBs in the NFL just because they get high points. )

Relax already!

I got guff last night from Too because he is tired of the camping post. I said gimme a break, I am relaxing. Which is pretty much true. Since camping all I have done is work, go to jaw/teeth doctor appointments, argue with my insurance company, and relax. And there is really no image of that you would want to see.

Ian and I will try to do something fun this weekend to add to the blog, but don't hold your breath.

"Camping"...well, not really

There were marble bathrooms by the spring, but seriously, who is keeping track! We went for Jax's b-day. We didn't stray too far from home and just went to Krause Springs, this beautiful natural spring park with a private family owned camp ground just 34 miles from the house. (Click here to see someone else's fantastic photos of the whole property.)

It was surprisingly relaxing – for a non-camping girl like myself. There were an abundance of red ants and Nina had a run in with them at 1AM, but other than that it was relatively painless.

The hands-down best part of this place was the natural spring. I can’t wait to bring Ian back to see it.
And, for risk-adverse me, this is a pretty big deal, I pulled myself up a rock and then went flying off on the rope swing. I kid you not! Everyone was so shocked that I actually did it.
But, it is a toss up which they were more proud of: me going off the rock swing or drinking a bottle of pinot and peeing in pitch black scorpion/rattlesnake outdoorsyness (yuck)!!!

All in all it was a fantastic time, thanks to the Violated Girls...don't ask the song will be released soon enough!

ACL 2007

First, before I even start this post, I have to say that we almost did not go to ACL this year, but lots of friends told us they were coming to town and wanted to stay with us so we decided to stay in town. If that had not been the case we would have been in Berkeley, CA for the wedding of the year. Congrats Ben and Viv! We were sending love and cheers your way!!!

Because of my trip west the group went with out me on Friday and Saturday we took our time getting over there. We saw a ton of great bands and we got to spend time with out friends who recently moved to Chicago. It was a nice weekend and it was a good pick me up to a rather not so good week.

Here are the shots from the two days. The highlights for me was Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (we saw them open for Toots and the Maytals at the 9:30 club in DC two years ago on our anniversary). I got there early and got a place in the second row. Everyone else sat off to the side and watched me rock out. Another highlight was the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show; we have wanted to see them for a long time. They are a rockin' good time. And, Damien Rice and Bob Dylan were both fantastic, although they both played some sad songs about loss, death and dying which had me crying all over again.

Damien Rice


The crowd for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
I wove my way up.

On Saturday night the White Stripes canceled so they bumped Muse to the closing show. Here they are with the Austin-scape behind. Grace Potter front and center. Since I really love these guys I got a lot of great shots!

They were awesome!
ACL Sunday crowd
This is the crowd for the hidden gem, an Austin original, Ghostland Observatory. They had the whole place going wild. Being a good Minnesotan they reminded me a little of Prince. The link goes to their myspace page that has all their songs up for free.
They had an amazing light show.
This year's closer was Bob Dylan. We were pretty far back because all 75K people wanted to see him so it was hard to get a seat, let alone a photo. He played some crowd favorites and had me and Erica dancing to the very end.

All in all it was a good year. They are having the $50 ACL '08 raffle next week so all you friends go to the site and sign up (one mailing list that it has paid to be on, we got alerted to discounted tickets this year and saved almost $100 on our admission) to see if you are the lucky winners. You know you have a free place to stay!

For Grandpa

Sorry about the delay in posting but it has been a heckofa two weeks.

The morning after my dad left we got the call from my mom that my grandfather had been moved from the assisted living home to the hospital and things were going down hill fast. We were put on alert, the trip West to say goodbye was going to be in the coming weeks. But, on Tuesday the call came that we needed to come immediately and I was on a plane before dawn on Thursday morning. Seven hours later I arrived in Portland with my mom and waiting for my Aunt’s plane to arrive. We still had to drive over the mountain (you remember the mountain). Three hours later we were with him. I got to spend that evening and the next morning with him remembering all the wonderful times we had together. And before I knew it we were making the 10 hour trip again. In my life so far, it is the hardest thing I have ever done. He is my dearest friend and the greatest grandpa a girl could ask for. And there is nothing more to say about it.

I got back to town in time to spend two days with our friends who were in staying with us for ACL. And those pictures will follow, but I leave you with these shots for now:

Before I left for Oregon we hung the roses.
One of my favorite shots.
In our visit in November '06 was a good trip, Ian and Sarge met grandpa and we made another good memory to carry with us.

Day Eight: Dad's gone

Dad is gone, which means we are mighty close to done. Non new pictures today. We will spend tomorrow polishing and sealing the granite. And we will start the massive project of cleaning up. It will be a lot easier since Dad took all his tools with him and did a dump run. We should have things in the cabinets by tomorrow too. Maybe not everything because I am insisting that we wash everything first - there is a gross coat of dust on everything - can't put dirty dishes away!

Tonight we are going to get the first good night of sleep in a week. It is a lot easier to sleep soundly when you aren't thinking about a million things to do the next day.

We are on target to get everything cleaned and all the guest linens washed in preparation for Micah and Erica's arrival on Thursday. Yes, folks, it is that time again ACL!

Day Seven: More progress

Today dad and ISSB spent the day bonding and working on the kitchen. First they went on a wild Texas goose chase around the Austin-area in search of the rubber granite sanders, they found them just north of Buda, TX at some off the beaten track backwards place call Moe Frieds. They think they even met Moe.

Then they spent the day getting some of the final details in to place.

So the good news is that (1) we have a working sink, (2) we have a working icemaker/water filter, (3) we have a working garbage disposal, (4) we have a working dishwasher, and (5) we have a working stove -- well half of one, the other side is on backorder.

The all the granite is glued down (yes, we are high again). And the seams are close to perfect.

Tomorrow we have to cut the back splashes, finish rounding the edges of the peninsula and island, polish the whole thing and then seal it. Do a little more detail work, crown molding, trim, etc and then dad will begin the 36 hour drive back to Portland. ISSB and I will begin the 36 hour cleaning spree that I have planned (seriously, there is dust EVERYWHERE!!!).

And once we get everything in I will do a before and after, side-by side comparison of the new look and feel of the Pi-Milton house.

For today, here are the shots:

From Alcove:
from living room:
From dining room:
New lighting:
More tomorrow!!!

Day Seven: Slow Day

Well, today was not as productive as we would have liked. ISSB and I went back to work and Dad was home alone trying to manipulate granite on his own -- not a one man job. When I got home, we began polishing one small (24") side of the granite and the rubber holder broke on the polisher. Then the next one broke. Then the diamond cutter broke (thankfully we have 4 of those on hand). But a quick trip to HD (my home away from home) resulted in no rubber holders. So ISSB and Dad are going to have to go out tomorrow in search of them. I am back to work. On a positive note, there are only two sides of the granite that need to be polished to rounded edges. The 24" facing the living room and the 36" side of the island facing the dining room. That is way better than having to polish all the sides (glass half full).

The two real victories today were:
(1) doing the final install, as in it isn't moving anytime soon, of the oven microwave

(2) gluing down the granite over the sink so that we can cut the hole out where the sink will live - we are half way through, but it is bed time for me so no more grinding for them

So, no new photos today. You don't really want to see a half cut out sink hole do you? Tomorrow should prove to be a more visually appealing day (sink, cooktop, backsplashes, etc.)

PS: On a sad note, today more than 30 people came to the phlog to look, but no one left us a comment on what they think of the kitchen after Day Six - which in my opinion are some of the best shots.

PSS: Granite glue is some potent stuff, I am going to have some crazy dreams tonight!

Day Six: Almost there...

Well we have been at it 6 days. (1) tare down, (2) build cabinets, (3) run wires, (4) run more wires, (5) install cabinets, (6) counter tops.

The house is a disaster and we are all getting excited for the home stretch.
We had a very long and productive day, and only one mishap. Unfortunately, the mishap has lead to a few more days of work. You can't see it from the photos (not something we want to go down in history) but the longest piece of granite (the peninsula, not the island, piece broke in to four large jagged pieces). Which means that we needed to square them all off and put it back together (proving harder than it sounds).

But, on the positive side, it looks amazing. We still need to cut the holes in for the sink and cooktop, but this will give you an idea of what it will look like. To see the real details and colors remember to click on the picture.

From the dining room:
From the living room:
From the alcove:

Tomorrow ISSB and I both go back to work, Dad will have the run of the place and any four/six hand jobs will have to wait until the evening. Then ISSB has Friday off to help finalize anything and Dad will head back home to Oregon.

Day Five: Big victory today!

Got the dishwasher in and working. In order to do that we had to get the plumbing all set and the sink base in. Then we got all the drawers built and in, and the cabinet doors all aligned for a nice clean look. Next we installed the island which involved running gas, electric and venting up throught the base that is soon to hold the cooktop.
Lookin' good!!!

Tomorrow, the three of us are on granite duty. We have to cut it, polish it, install it and seal it. Going to be a long day.

Day Four: Progress

Today, albeit it rainy and gloomy, we were able to make some real progress. We made more holes, finished the indoor venting and gas line (as soon as the rain stops we can run the electrical out to the box and vent the cooktop out), and, the big success of the day....
...we got the pantry in!!! (We'll hang the rest of the doors tomorrow.)
And the dishwasher!
What do you think???

Tomorrow, we have to run the water lines to the new sink, garbage disposal, the fridge, and hook up the dishwasher. Then we will finish up the outside stuff, and get the island set up. Then, Wednesday will be granite day.

Day Three: Holy Moly

They (Dad and ISSB) are cutting holes, big ones in the walls and floor (yeah, that hard wood one we laid a few months ago). Today is run the electrical and plumbing day. They have to run gas to the future home of the cooktop island, water to the future home of the dishwasher, and 220 volts of electric to the future home of the oven. We have been to Home Depot (also known as hell) three times today and there is more trips on the horizon.

Unfortunately, we are getting some heavy rain showers making us do all the dirty work indoors. Maybe the next project will be a real garage - just kidding. No more projects for a while. Well, cooking projects, I can't wait to fire up the new kitchen! I have a role of frozen cookie dough in the freezer that I whipped up three weeks ago in preparation for the wall oven inauguration.

The holes, they get bigger.

This one was painful to watch.
The vent running up the wall.
The oven cabinet going in.

Tomorrow, the oven goes in, then after they run the vent outside we will put in the last two pantry cabinets, and then we get to place more of the bas cabinets. By tomorrow night we could/should be working on the granite.

Joey went to the airport this morning and flew back to Portland, so it is just the three of us.