Holding down the fort

See those columns on my front stoop?

Ta-da! We found new old columns in the East Village, downtown Des Moines!

The rings around the columns needed a little work - here I had already chisled out some of the damaged area..

..and filled it in with a new piece.

The new piece fit pretty well, but still needed a little fine sanding to match the surrounding area.

Pretty good fit, wouldn't you say?

Fancy pants! Good find, Dad - and thanks again for all the help!

Classin' up the joint

Remember this?

Keep an eye on that pile of bricks.

Originally, there were two steps - now there will only be one.

All formed up and ready to pour!

One step here, one step at the City sidewalk, and a slightly steeper pitch in between.

Apparently it took a lot of cement..

Ta-da!

Here's my dilemma, gang: which pattern do you like the best? I'll be bricking the treads on both steps and the entire sidewalk in between. Use your imagination to fill in the blanks :)
A basic basket weave?

Basket weave with a thin edge?

..with a thick edge?

Herringbone? (I like all three patterns, but I felt like the border gave everything a more finished look. Thoughts?)

..with a thin edge? This was one of my favorites.

..with a thick border? (I don't care for the thick edging on the basket weave or the herringbone patterns. I would like it more if the walk were wider..maybe.)

This was the ONE time I liked the thick border. A basic running bond going the length of the walkway.

A horizontal running bond with a thin edge. I liked this one a lot. Plus, with the long grout lines running across the sidewalk, you won't see imperfections in the lines like you would if it ran lengthwise. OCD..

Quick lunch yesterday: pesto pasta with a sliced heirloom tomato. If you think I've only eaten pasta and tomatoes this summer........you'd be absolutely correct :)

Work, work, work!

Over the course of the last week, the fam and I have been working to tear all the old siding off and wrap the front of the house to get it ready for the new stuff I had delivered about a week and a half ago (yeah..we’re THAT close!)

Not only that, we had to hurry up and tear everything off so that I could get a contractor in there to work on the flashing around the foundation and the soffit area. He was on a pretty strict timeline due to other jobs he had lined up before and after mine, so the heat was on!

Not only that, but I was helping the Chamber of Commerce organize a big tailgate party downtown to celebrate the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game – we wanted to make it a big one because Channel 13 from Des Moines was coming down to celebrate with us!

Not only THAT, but the last part of last week was particularly busy at work! When it rains, it pours.

The siding came off relatively easily; though, it did take more time than I anticipated. And because I was being pulled in so many directions last week, I couldn’t just sit and finish one project at a time like I wanted to. The family rallied, though, and we got everything we could reach taken down. My contractor and his tall ladders ended up helping us with the very highest pieces of siding – and he did a great job on everything else, too. Good work, good price, good guy!

Before

So glad to see some of the old details still there - definitely keeping this one!

And the opening for my little window!

Siding removed, holes patched, ready for wrapping.

This weekend, we also worked to get all the remaining rock out from in front of the house. Not just because I’d like mulch there, but because the rocks were all full of nails, old shingles, pieces of siding, paint, etc. That was a job I wasn’t looking forward to, but my sister and I got it knocked out – BIG thanks to her!

Rock removed from the front - whew!

Wrapped, rockless, and looking like a million bucks!

The tailgate party was a HUGE success as well! We had worked in a small committee for the last couple weeks to get everything lined up, and we nailed it. Everyone talked about what a great time they had, ALL the vendors sold out of EVERYTHING they had for sale, and Channel 13 was blown away at the response J In fact, they said it was the best organized event with the largest turnout they’ve had anywhere they’ve done their Cy/Hawk Showdown event. Way to go Knoxville!

As if there wasn't enough to do, in the week leading up to the tailgate party, the owner of the local art gallery/studio and I built two golf carts that we then raced down the side of the courthouse lawn. Cy/Hawk meets Knoxvville Raceway :)
http://www.art101knoxville.com/

The end results were pretty bad-ass, if I do say..



The sports teams from Channel 13 enjoyed them!





The local newspaper estimated thousands of people came out!



The 1917 Dunbar Popcorn Wagon on loan from the Marion County Historical Society. One of only about 15 left in the country - this cart used to sit on the Courthouse lawn!



We had the cheerleaders, high school mascot, and even the marching band - it was great!

 A couple links to our features on WHO – Channel 13 last week – enjoy!

http://whotv.com/2012/09/05/rvtv-knoxville-rvtv-rolls-in/ - featuring our golf carts!
http://whotv.com/2012/09/06/knoxville-party-rvtv-celebrates-in-knoxville/
http://whotv.com/2012/09/06/well-known-knoxville-boasts-more-than-just-racing/ - Peace Tree Brewing Company and Dixie Gebhardt, designer of the Iowa Flag
http://whotv.com/2012/09/06/knoxville-stadium-the-story-behind-the-name/ - Ken Locke Stadium, historic landmark..best place ever to watch high school football!

Dueling pies

Last night was pie night at the homestead. I’ve been eating out a lot lately because there’s not food in the house because I haven’t been there to MAKE anything. More to come on that in the next post.

Last night, I decided to do something about my lack of sustenance. I had some homemade pizza sausage in the freezer along with a leftover dough ball that would be just enough for a single serving pizza. I laid both out on the counter yesterday afternoon to thaw so they’d be ready to go by the time I was. Along with a little sauce and some mozzarella cheese (also both kind of leftover from a previous pizza..stashed in the freezer), I had myself a nice little pie in no time at all.

The last couple times I’ve made a pizza, I’ve been baking them according to something I read in an old cookbook: apparently the “pizza-maker’s secret” is to bake your pizza with the meat uncooked. I was skeptical at first because I’d never done that, nor had anyone in my family..and we’re pizza makers. So, I figured I’d chunk off fairly small pieces to insure they baked through in the short time they’d be in the oven. I have to say, both times I’ve done it I have really enjoyed it. It gives the pizza just the right amount of grease and the meat is so tender and moist that I don’t think I’ll be going back!

I have to say, it was not my intention to make it this dark. That said, it's got great flavor and looks like it came from a gourmet pizzeria in New York City..one of those with a big 700F brick oven :)

Also last night, I peeled, chopped, and seasoned a small bucket of apples from mom and dad’s neighbors’ apple tree. They have more than they know what to do with, so everyone around has apple buckets sitting around waiting to be used!

Apple has always been my favorite pie, but it’s hard to make a good one..at least I think it is. Whenever I make one, I make sure to use something sort of acidic in the apples to give it a little extra flavor. Fresh lemon or orange juice, or even vinegar works really well and it gives the pie a little extra something..another flavor sensation on another part of your tongue. Really good stuff!

The party continues..

YAY! It's still here!

Getting a start on it..

..a little more..

Remember the window from our inside demolition shots?

Here's an exterior shot - still has the trim! I love these little discoveries...makes you think about what used to be :)



Home Sweet Home :S

Destruction at the homestead again, gang.

This is what we started with..

We’re at the point, now, where everything has lined up just right for the siding project to continue on the front of the house. I’ve spoken with a couple contractors who are going to help us out in a few areas (namely, flashing around the foundation and the soffit) and we are off and running..again.

When I say “things have lined up,” I really mean it. Everything is kind of happening all at once..AGAIN. My cement contractor came and tore out the rest of the sidewalk and lower steps so we can replace those, the lumber yard delivered my siding, lumber, and house wrap, and we’ve started tearing into the old siding.

The neighbors have had a major roofing project on their hands. Meanwhile, I had a contractor measuring the siding..

..and working on concrete. The City was also there mowing the lot next door. Lots of noise all at once!

Needless to say, the house is looking…really nice from the street.

No mo' sidewalk!

While my favorite cement guy was there, I asked him to scrape the rocks out from around the front of the house for me.
..I hate shoveling rock..

My contractor should be coming by in the next couple days to take care of the flashing and soffit, then we can start looking into framing the new windows and trimming them out. Then it’s just siding, siding, and more siding..with a little gray paint thrown in for good measure.

....pretty..

Stay tuned!