Snow!

This morning when we awoke, Amy exclaimed as she took her first look out the window. “Snow!” We had about 2 inches overnight, and it stuck – it’s cold here, though not as cold as in the northwest.

It was very beautiful, and very quiet this morning.

So after breakfast, I bundled up and went out to shovel. We only have one snow shovel, and Amy loves to get out and work as well, so we cleared things up in shifts.

First I did the driveway.

As I worked, the wind blew strongly, and as I neared completion the sun came out. The snow was light because it’s so cold, so this wasn’t too hard to clean up.

Next it was Amy’s turn. She focused on the stairs and walks.

After lunch, we were out for errands. Just before we left the house, it started to snow again. By the time we got home, the snow was falling in earnest.

By late this afternoon, our hard work has been erased.

Still coming down, and blowing all over the place. Probably 3 or 4 more inches. Guess we’ll make a run to the hardware for another shovel….

Public Market, Sunday Motoring

We went to the Public Market on Sunday to see what was going on at this time of year. The Market is usually not open on Sundays, but at Christmas time they have vendors for the few weeks preceeding the big day. It was cold and sunny, and there were quite a few folks strolling the stalls. Mostly it was wreaths and trees and seasonal things – only a couple of food vendors. And there was special stuff for the kids. Take a look.

There were a few odd, non-seasonal displays. Here’s a favorite.

Hmmm. It was cold, making this view even more bizarre. We laughed.

And then we motored home. As we approached 347, we thought we would capture a few more views that would give you an idea of our neighborhood. Here’s a view from Castlebar Road, looking west. We are the house at the end of the street view here, to the left of the stop sign. Aren’t the streetlights cool?

We drove past the house onto Cobbs Hill Drive, then turned around and headed back. Here’s our house on the left, behind the big tree, with Cobbs Hill Drive curving back up the hill to the left. 

So there you have it. A lovely Sunday here.

Oh Happy Day

Much left to do up here in the studio, but huge progress has been made on the work space front. Take a look.

Yesterday I realized that I didn’t need to buy a new table – I just needed to use the game table that we had the computer sitting on at 636 as my computer table here, and use my big table as – my big table. So now I have the two tables I have wanted for so long.

This morning, in about 5 minutes, I got all kinds of stuff out to look at. I have never had a place to do this, except a dining table.

 

Now things will go up on the walls, clippings and ideas up on the cork board, and some of the stuff you can see on the table will get framed and put up.

Still have to get a chair with wheels so I can roll around up here, another lamp for the work table, blah, blah, blah. But yippee! Progress!

Sometimes it’s the little things that count.

New Developments

Hurrah! The rugs came back from the cleaners yesterday, and all the echoing rooms at 347 became quieter, warmer, and happier. We are so glad to have all these old friends back at home with us. Take a look. In the living room, Amy has been getting things ready for the season.

Interesting side note: Nancy Buckett suggested someone to clean/restore Mr. Smith, who hangs on the wall in the background. The very nice Lanna Petrovic, a Rochester area artist and restorer, arrived yesterday at lunchtime to assess the cleaning task. Almost as soon as she saw the painting she said she would not take on the project. She feels the painting is too special, and potentially of historic value, and has suggested a conservation service in Skaneateles, a town about an hour and a half from here. Since we know so little about the painting, and because we have wanted to get Mr. Smith cleaned for many years, it looks like this will become an upcoming daytrip.

Another living room view, and on into the library.

And here’s the dining room. With the rug in place, we have decided that the “Creamsicle” paint color, which we otherwise have no real objections to, must now be changed for sure. Bon – note your painting in the left corner of the picture. We have been waiting for the rug, and a wall color decision, before anything goes up in here.

In the bedroom, we placed our needlepoint rug over the large carpet that was here for us when we arrived. Scott has offered access to his rug collection, and we may augment with others.

And in the studio:

Things have to go up on the walls here, too. I have been waiting until I get the second work table, and get everything positioned. Should happen very soon.

As I was writing this morning, I saw this little guy on my studio window sill. We are really enjoying seeing all kinds of new folks, thanks to the park and the Grove.

On to the chores of the day.

First Snow

This morning it snowed for the first time since our arrival. It didn’t stick – way too wet. And it rained. And then it snowed. And then the sun came out. The changeable sky is quite theatrical here, snow or not, and always lovely.

We’re told that this is the longest period of late fall weather in Rochester without snow in 57 years. Phew! Four more months to go….

We ran errands this morning and were out near the lake, and the squall lines were really gorgeous. It seemed like every few minutes the weather was trying on a new outfit. Take a look at what we found when we got home for lunch.

If you stand on our front stoop, this is the view to the left, which is to the northeast, up Cobbs Hill Drive. The street going off perpendicular to the house is Castlebar Terrace.

Light floods into the living room during the day, and makes the room warm and cozy and wonderful.

Here’s 347 bathed in the sudden, and unexpected, sunlight. Well, the front yard, anyway.

And here’s another view up Cobbs Hill Drive to the northeast.

This evening it is clear and cold and really beautiful - a nearly full moon and tons of stars, even in the streetlights. Tomorrow – snow. Probably about an inch or so. Then rain. Then snow. On, off, on, off.

One of our errands this morning was to the place that is cleaning all of our carpets. We went there to get the carpet pad requirements nailed down, and brought four carpets home. The rest come in a few days. Hoorah!

We’re making great progress. Studio painted and back in operation. Office curtains hung and painting complete. Artwork hung throughout the house but for two more rooms and two hallways. We’re getting close. Real close.

This house is looking more and more like home every day.

Weekend Update

Ahh, Thanksgiving. A time for a gathering of dear ones, a feast, and a few extra days to get things done. Here’s an update on T-day, and the weekend as it is unfolding.

We began on Thursday morning to paint the studio. Amy realized that the rugs were coming back from the cleaners next week, so we had to get moving to get the room done before then. Our painting system involves Amy as the cutting-in artist, and me as the wall-paint-roller. As she cuts, Amy assumes one of her positions that absolutely mystifies me – if I did this I would fall over in a nano-second. Take a look.

We are on the hunt for a second work table, which will go along the wall where Amy is in this picture. Then I will have a table to write on, and a table to draw and paint on. I can hardly wait. We have been prowling around but haven’t found just the right one yet.

The other side of the studio looks like this, below. Yes, I did put all the books in the bookshelves before the painting, but so it goes.

The color we are using is called Elephant Tusk. Go figure. Anyway, it’s really taking shape now – Amy spent this afternoon pushing things along – and we should finish it tomorrow or so.

After a few hours of painting it was time to shower up and get ready for our T-day outing to join Nancy Buckett and her three daughters and their kids for the feast. We had an absolute ball – tons of laughing and teasing and tall tales of all kinds. A really warm and wonderful time with this crew.

Nancy has three daughters, Deirdre, the eldest, Laurie, the middle one, and Kristine, the youngest. The feast was at Laurie’s, with her and her husband Scott, and their kids Emma and Cody. Kristine came with her terrific son Lawrence. And then there was Deirdre and Amy and I – ten of us in all. Oh, and Stan, Cody’s parakeet. Who bites.

Here is, from left to right, Scott’s left arm, Kristine, Laurie’s daughter Emma, Laurie, Deirdre, and Nancy’s right arm, as they pick names from a bowl. The three girls, Nancy and Scott exchange gifts at Christmas, and each one draws a name from the bowl to determine who their gift is aimed at. A Buckett family tradition at Thanksgiving. They had to redo the lottery many, many times because they kept picking their own names. It took 20 minutes before Christmas was set.

As Laurie darts in and out of the kitchen, Nancy does the honors while Amy supervises. 21 pounds of roast beast – yum!

Amy took this picture, below - the groaning board. The food was great, and there was so much. We sat and ate and gabbed and laughed for quite a while.

From in front, on the left, Lawrence, Emma, Cody, Kristine, Nancy’s left arm, HD, Deirdre, Laurie, and Scott with his quaff.

We headed home after the gathering along the scenic route – a very lovely drive through nearly deserted Rochester. What a nice afternoon and evening.

Yesterday, Friday, it dawned sunny and absolutely gorgeous – take a look out the library windows into Washington Grove.

The morning light here is astonishing. The dog house, however, will go, as soon as we can find a suitable taker. Or any taker. It’s free folks.

Even though the day dawned clear, it soon clouded up and rained – not much though. After breakfast we ran over to see Nancy O’Neill. She is staying with her friend Kathy as she nurses two broken ankles. Yes, two. We gabbed for a while – she is doing mostly okay – and then came home for lunch via Mayer’s, our local hardware and neighborhood shrine. What a great hardware – and only blocks away.

After lunch, Buckett came by and we continued planning for the installation of the Hecker-Decker collection at 347. Huge progress. And so today, after multiple errands involving the Public Market, Wegmans, and yes, Mayers, I hung artwork while Amy continued to paint the studio. Here’s a couple of views of the hanging.

Illinois landscape painter James Winn, who lives in Sycamore, Illinois, takes the honors over the fireplace, flanked by a painting and an etching by Ivan Summers (1886-1964, Woodstock, NY).

And here I am hanging an etching by Robert Marx. Interestingly, Marx has a lot of pieces at Davidson Gallery in Seattle, and pieces in the Seattle Art Museum. It turns out, though, that he is one of our neighbors here on Cobbs Hill – a block and a half away. He is a good friend of Nancy’s, and Amy got this piece from Nancy when Nancy had her gallery here.

So that brings you right up to the minute. Dinner is percolating in the kitchen, and I’m hungry, so off I go. More soon.

Better Times

A better day Tuesday. Much accomplished, and resolved.

First, I got the last AC unit out. Now that I have become so experienced, things went more quickly….

This one featured an exterior closure of plywood, so the nests were kept to a minimum – only one smaller one. This one had a few broken shells in it – this year’s offspring now sitting in the branches of the nearby tree wondering what in the @*#% I am doing.

The plywood was shot – it came off like wet cardboard, even though it was screwed to the exterior window casing with 3″ screws. I had to hang out the window to remove the screws, but that was better than hauling the ladder out of the garage and putting myself 20′ in the air.

I continue to puzzle over the previous owner’s decision to leave these things in all year round. Drafts, wet sills, bugs, birds – an odd choice for someone so obviously careful about this place in so many other ways. Oh well – done now. The bedroom has lots more light, and it’s both quieter and warmer.

While I fussed with the window and Amy did chores downstairs, Michael our clock man arrived to fix our ancient tall case clock, now proudly ensconced in the stair hall. At nearly 200, it has every right to be cranky after a cross-country move, but Michael, who has been attending to such clocks as these for the last 30 years, took everything apart, cleaned, lubricated, and reinstalled. 

And now the clock keeps its usual good time once again. The sound of the chimes is a real comfort to both of us – a kind of hourly reassurance. So we are grateful to hear the familiar tick tock and the bonging anew.

It has been so nice here this November - our mailman, John Driscoll, credits us with the mild and pleasant weather the last couple of weeks. And so I finished the window, we ran off to the Public Market for eggs and some veg once Michael the clock man was done, and I ate a quick lunch before meeting Scott for a round of golf. It misted in the morning, but by 1:00 it was just gray, and about 50 or so.

I managed a much better round this time. Too bad we’re running out of weather, because I can feel the game coming into better shape each time we play. Maybe Scott and I can sneak in another outing in the next couple of weeks. It’s supposed to get colder starting on Thanksgiving, with snow likely this weekend, so we’ll just keep fingers crossed for a warm front.

When I got home, Amy, who stayed behind at 347 to await the delivery of our correct stove, packed up for a “powerwalk” to our nearby Wegmans – about 15 minutes away. This grocery is very nearly the same distance away as Eastern Market was from us in DC. A hillier walk, and a tad further, but very nearly the same – about 15 minutes.

She arrived back home at nearly the precise moment that appliance men arrived. Within a few minutes the new stove was installed and operational – and it was the right one! Here’s a look at the results.

Hurrah!

While at the market, we got some homemade pasta, so Amy sauteed some zucchini for an accompaniment,

and I cooked up the pasta. I am wearing what is now my requisite 347 uniform of work shirt, blue jeans, and goofy grin. Sorry these photos are a bit out of focus – you’d think we would know how to operate the camera after all these years, but not so much.

Worked like a charm, plate warmer is fab, and the pasta was out of this world. Ahhh.

Nice day.

A Bit of a Day

We’ve had a bit of a day here at 347….

It all started this morning, when Amy began painting the office. She has been very unhappy with the color in there – calling it depressing. It’s a kind of liver color, and not very nice.

So we sorted through the paint left us by the previous owners, and found something we thought would work great. She opened the can, and started cutting in.

Meanwhile, I decided to try my luck at removing a couple more of the window air conditioners. I knew from experience that it was a big project, but I pushed ahead anyway. I got the first one opened up and taken out, and this is what I found.

Birds had been nesting between the inner window and the screen the previous owner had stapled in place over the outside of the unit. Obviously his screen didn’t work. An incredible mess!! Bird doo everywhere, and straw, twigs, and all sorts of yuckie stuff.

Then I started into the second unit. About this time I heard an urgent cry for help from the first floor. The powder room loo had backed up, and Amy tried to help by turning off the shutoff valve. Unfortunately she turned it further on. Oh well. After a bit of bailing and a bit of plunging, all was back to normal.

By now I was on to the second AC unit. Unbelievable, but it was an even bigger mess than the first – take a look.

You cannot imagine how gross it was to clean this up. I won’t go on. There are some unhappy birds on Cobbs Hill this evening.

But when the AC unit is gone, and the window cleaned, it makes a huge difference. Take a look.

As I neared completion of the AC project, I heard yet another cry for help from below. I descended to find Amy with white hands and face, as she announced that the paint she was using was oil based, not latex as we had thought. No signal on the paint can – but the smell should have tipped us off.

And of course the movers would not move anything flammable, so we had no mineral spirits to clean up. So we grabbed lunch, and then I took off for the hardware store to get stuff to clean up the mess, and a few more painting supplies so Amy could keep going.

Just as I left, the appliance guys came with our new range/oven. When I got back (the hardware store is only five blocks away or so) they were done – installed and operational and looking great.

Unfortunately, it was the wrong one. They come back tomorrow to install the correct one, and tonight we eat out so we don’t use the new appliance. Aaaarrgghh.

When we ordered the unit, we were extremely clear that it had to have a warming drawer. EXTREMELY CLEAR. No warming drawer. Back it goes.

Amy did finish the first coat in the office this afternoon. I unwrapped some artwork and wrote a bunch of emails. Now we are going out for some dinner, and perhaps a martini or two. Or three.

Not every day goes quite as smoothly as planned. But better hopes for tomorrow – clock man comes to fix the clock, Amy hopefully finishes the office paint job, and appliance guys come with the right appliance so we can cook dinner. Fingers crossed.

As I said, there are some unhappy birds on Cobbs Hill this evening….

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Here are some of the latest 347 highlights from the last several days. Things are settling down a bit – still tons to do – but we now feel like we can grab time here and there to have some fun, noodle around, get to know our neighborhood, and be out and about.

Friday morning Nancy O’Neill’s sister Betsy came for the last of the boxes and packing paper. We now have a clean garage! Both sides!

And so Friday afternoon, once we learned the clock guy for our ailing tall case clock was not coming (flu – Tuesday next), we decided to head for the hills – Cobbs Hill Park to be exact. So we walked across the backyard, opened the gate, and proceeded into Washington Grove, which we back up to. Take a look at the Grove.

First you cross the back yard, and at the gate if you look back, this is your view of our house. Then it’s on into the Grove and the park.

After only a few steps, you can look back, and this is your view of our house. Gone – swallowed by the park.

You will recall that there has been a lot of discussion about the understory growth of invasive species back here – in the view above you can see the problem. If you walk further into the Grove, though, it opens up, and here is what it looks like.

The huge reservoir that characterizes the park is just beyond the top of the bluff in the background. Behind us are some of the wonderful houses that back up to the park like we do, but west of us, and above us. Here you can sense the greater openness that many advocates say should be restored throughout the Grove.

We walked across the Grove, and up the hill, for a glimpse of the views to the south. Recently I showed you the city skyline from the top of the hill. Here’s a view in the opposite direction, south toward Pittsford and Henrietta and beyond.

In the light of late afternoon, the views from on top are really fabulous. It was a gorgeous day, and we strolled down the park road and around to home rather than going back through the Grove - about a mile and a half or so round trip. Nice.

Then yesterday, we got ourselves into a project that we have wanted to tackle for some time. When we were negotiating for the house, we asked that the four window air conditioners be removed and stored. In fact, we asked twice. Never happened. So yesterday I started into doing it myself. And what a mess I found. No wonder they didn’t want to tackle this one. Take a look.

The moment I started into this, I realized that the previous owners simply left the air conditioners in all year. Not great – it gets cold here, and wet, and these things just let in the cold air and moisture at very vulnerable points – the windows and window sills. To try and control the climate, they had packed the sides with insulation (fiberglass and polystyrene). Everything was screwed or bolted in place. It took almost an hour to get the unit out and stored in the basement.

Once the thing was out, we could start in to clean everything – the windows were filthy and hadn’t been washed in quite a while. An hour later, we could clean up, and enjoy abundant natural light now flooding into the kitchen. In addition, the triple track storm windows were put in position. Now: no drafty, cold breezes. Amy really has enjoyed this improvement.

This morning I surveyed the other three AC units, all on the second floor. They will prove even harder to remove – they are plywooded and bolted into place from the outside. Stay tuned.

And today, after I raked leaves in the front yard and washed a few windows, and Amy caught up with some desk work, we were off to meet Scott and play some golf. Yippee!

I played a little better than last week, and yes, I sank that putt. You can see how really nice it is at the St. John Fisher College golf course where we play. It’s less than 10 minutes from home, and is a nice little course – and for the third week in November, the course is in really excellent shape.

Scott chips onto the green as I grab my bag and get ready to putt.

Scott just missed this putt on the 8th hole, as you can see. I made my putt this time – one of the few all afternoon. Just as last week, Scott prevailed. I will just keep trying to nibble at the margins – patience is the key.

But as usual, scores notwithstanding, it was just wonderful to have a good walk and be outside for a couple of hours. We will now keep our fingers crossed that we can play another round before the weather closes in. Rain and snow are predicted for next weekend, so winter is edging near.

Late this afternoon we went on a lovely drive to try and find a couple of ice cream cones. No luck, but a beautiful sunset, and lots to rubberneck. 

More soon, as events unfold. We spent an hour or two this afternoon trying to figure out where our artwork goes – we’re getting closer. More about that shortly.

A Rainy Day at 347

A lovely rain fell here all day yesterday. Golf was a casualty – we’ll try again Sunday – but we enjoyed a quiet indoor day of organizing and tidying.

We began with a visit to the Public Market. 103 years old, the Market is not quite like anything we have ever seen. It’s almost all outdoor vendors, with booths under a horseshoe shaped shed. The fresh produce is gorgeous, and the prices are almost unbelievably low. Yesterday we got apples, tomatoes, broccoli, squash, eggs, and a few other items all for about $10. Amazing. The Market is open Tuesdays and Thursdays during the week, and Saturdays, when it is a total madhouse. We love this place. Here is a view, featuring Amy and Scott, from a visit almost precisely two years ago today.

By the time we were done shopping, the rain had picked up to a steady drip, so we headed home, unloaded our prizes, and started into a day of housework. Amy is reorganizing all the books in the house, and she is simultaneously working in the library and in the study upstairs, creating various categories for all of our stuff. Here she is this morning, continuing the work.

Meanwhile, I headed down to the workshop to get that space organized. After a few hours, the workshop was in pretty good shape. Take a look.

And I broke down almost all of the remaining moving boxes. We are storing them in the garage for Nancy O’Neill for her family business – shipping and receiving department. And then Amy followed me and organized all the packing paper, which also goes to the garage for NO.

Here’s a look at a couple of other basement zones that got attention yesterday. First, the billiard room, which has been acting as a staging area for all kinds of stuff. Now that the boxes are gone, and the paper on the way out, we can begin to reclaim the room for its intended use. So far: one game of pool. Once the clutter is gone, we’ll get at it.

Doug, you asked about the big ol’ boiler. Take a look.

It continued to rain all afternoon and into the evening.  Amy made a Quiche for dinner, we got a few quiet moments at the end of the afternoon, and all in all we enjoyed the gray and rain. It hasn’t rained since we arrived here two weeks ago, so we needed the moisture. This morning everything looks happier and brighter.

On the docket today: a visit from our security guy, basement clean up, more book work, and best of all,  Amy is making homemade chili! Yippee! Perhaps we’ll get a walk in the park or a bike this afternoon, to snoop the ‘hood. Stay tuned.