A New Laundry Center

Living in a Pilgrim's house is like driving a Model T Ford to work. Replacing our broken laundry center in the bathroom here, meant taking out antique doors and some wall to replace it. Alex removed the back door and some framing to get a new refrigerator inside.

 

However, we removed bath door trim pieces to fit a compact laundry center 23 3/4" which fit the smallest 24" opening since plumb, and it cleared 6' 3" ceiling beams. Success, surprising doubtful delivery men.

Bill completely took apart the old so Home Depot took it away and installed the new in 1/2 hr..  A feat in 4 days.

A set of sheets or towels wash quickly in the new machine and large loads (slipcovers etc.) at the laundromat. The original 2' wide bathroom door below has hand carved panels, and I use reupholstered vintage slipper chairs to fit in and the scale of this house.

Garden Sculptures

We have a garden of Ostrich Ferns bordering woods, which has some of my favorite tall sculptures of Bill's. Soon the ferns will fade to entirely expose them, while it is lovely to see them surrounded by greenery outside my workspace windows. 

In the sun...

Limelights On The Cape

August on the Cape is for Limelight Hydrangeas to light up landscapes. Old Farm has a limelight portal we pass under to enter the house and the shed is flanked with same species; Bridal Veil Hydrangeas.

Under the small kitchen window are 2 new cultivar "Little Hottie" Hydrageas with many lime green panicles turning to white & 3'-5' tall.

We also have 3 Standard Limelights around the property.

 

Lovely to enliven the living room at night with them.

Splitting Wood

 A tornado took out many trees in its path through the Takaezo Studio grounds where Bill works and fires his ceramic art. This year he has cut up and hauled home enormous tree parts we've split to burn. We rented a Home Depot splitter, and 3 of us split 8 hrs. here and split dead Ash trees 3 hrs. at Christian's farm.

Our entire barn foundation is now stacked three rows deep with Maple & Oak logs.

A New Water Line

Our waterline at Old Farm was heroically replaced steering 10' around an old cistern, under street & driveway crossings and large rocks under the house exit wall foundation. A one day dig job was 7 days with extra inspections and help with new grounding and electrical wiring by Dave Coleman.

The new plastic line now comes out the back of the house and curves, eliminating 2 right angles and metal pipe problems. 

There were also 3 gas lines on the property and an extra septic line to the garage they ran into and had to repair!

Final hook up to the house required much digging by hand to move large rocks from under the foundation. A 4' pointed metal "Mole" was shot 6' underground to create a path for 1" plastic tubing - which became lodged in rocks under the house. Ugh.

Two buckets of soil were leveled in the back & side of the house and driveway. I put straw mats over the 2 large grass seeded areas. All quite unbelievable.

Urns

Bill has made two large urns; one we have just installed at Leif's MCM Deck House near it's signature handcarved front door, and the first sits in front of Old Farm's original Pilgrim's 1717 Cape house.

Bill's most recent firing was reduced enough to create more tertiary color glazes.

A nearby tall sculpture also selected for this landscape near the ocean, in front of a 12 trunk maple.

Norway's Nature: "RO"

Christian & Leif rowing into the Oslo Fjord to visit the Viking Ship Museum. Soon we do the "RO" chant as Norway's National Soccer team faces Brazil here in NJ.

My Grandfather & Grandmother grew up in Rogaland County, Southern Norway, where Erling Haaland trained when young and the people are taller than most IMO. While living in Oslo, I visited our family of nine "giant" siblings and experienced the outdoor athletic life most lead there. I have seen the Norwegian nature in my sons.

My son Alex and his wife (Brazilian decent) are anxious to watch the National Soccer Game this Sunday for sure. Young Alex.

Alex's best sport was bike racing, and he won a medal in the Spanish Alps when young.

Christian winning his first triathlon and shattered his first marathon record as an Elite (top 50 in Nation) runner.

Leif running still, to be healthy & happy.

Norway & Brazil, what a match (Go Vikings "RO"!).

Alex is bigger now and has been called "Thor".

In the Orsta mountains wearing a sweater knit for me by Tanta Anna.

Update: Vikings beat Brazil, but lost to England. Smiles & sadness, proud & humble, such strength & spirits!