Our Baby Girl

Amber took no time making her way into our family, our home and our hearts.  We are still trying to figure out this whole parenting thing, but Amber is gracious and we have plenty of help. We are not great photographers partly because the camera isn't very good capturing daily life and partly because raising Amber is not the same thing as hiking a trail (where most of our pictures originate).  Below is a smattering of pictures from her first two weeks of life.

Our family

A smile?  Close enough.

Grandma and Amber on her 2nd day

Proud Grandpa

Last day in the hospital

I'm going home.  Peace out.

Sleeping in momma's arms.

A perfect angel

She's cute even when scowling

Grandma and Amber

sacked out!

Not a care in the world; sleeping on Grandpa

Final Tally

When I got back from New York I decided to make a lanyard holder for all my festival access badges.  They were often my only souvenir from a trip.  Some festivals I really enjoyed, others presented more challenges; they are all part of my LPA experience.

These lanyards represent:

• 14 years
• 3 countries
• 15 states (US)
•  24 cities
• 29 festivals

Kitchen baseboards

Since I couldn't install the kitchen floor until after the cabinets were installed, the installers left me the shoe-horn molding to wrap around the cabinet bases.  After I finished the bedroom and hallway baseboards I was determined to complete all the molding before I left for NYC.  It was quite a bit easier than the bedrooms and it really gives the kitchen a finished look.

cinnamon-stained hemlock baseboard meets up with cinnamon-stained maple shoehorn

And, just because I had the day off, I installed the transition pieces that came with the flooring.

This also cleans up the bedrooms and gives a finished look. 

Now, on to painting the new door jams.

Our Baby: 3rd trimester

This week Sandi began the 3rd trimester.  Our little girl is a little squirm-er and she seems to like all the same foods as Sandi.  Whenever Sandi informs me that the baby wants something, who am I to argue (probably a sign of things to come).  We can't wait to meet her.

Sandi modeling her patriotic maternity outfit.

No more dark wood trim!

I'm starting to see the light at the end of the remodel tunnel.  A couple weeks ago we had new carpets installed in the bedrooms.  It gave us a great opportunity to start the nursery with a blank slate instead of trying carve something out of an existing bedroom. 

Last week I took Monday and Tuesday off to install new baseboards in the hallway and bedrooms.  These were not fun days, but important in the life of the house and important to keeping my sanity.  I probably cut each length between 10 - 15 times before installing it. 

The hallway showing off the new baseboards.

The nursery with new carpet and baseboards.

Our bedroom has more of a charcoal tone to it.

The 70's dark wood trim is gone!

We are pleased with the results and can't wait to show it off.

Our punch list is getting shorter:

• Paint the door jams
• install laminate separators 
• new guest shower
• build bathroom cabinet 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Culture on the Coast

On a whim last Saturday night, Sandi and I decided to make a day-trip to Cannon Beach the next day.  May is Cannon Beach's 'Spring Unveiling' where galleries invite artists to unveil their latest work.  In light our of little one coming soon, our time of care-free art gallery browsing is limited.  We wanted to take advantage of the opportunity given.

 

We arrived at Cannon Beach around 10:30 and headed to 'Dragon Fire', a bright, colorful and eclectic shop that is fun to browse through.  We were inspired by photos printed on metal and I was thinking of where to put our next piece of art.



 

 

 

 

The next gallery of note is Primary Elements.  They feature a lot of bronze sculptures.  That day we meant a few artists molding clay for their next project.  We were amazed at the intricate details of each mold.  I think part of the fascination of it is my inability to do anything remotely like it.  Another cool takeaway is the opportunity to learn about artists who's work we see every time we go out to Pioneer Square in Portland or Pikes Place in Seattle.

Our favorite artist, Jeffrey Hull, hosted a water color 'explanation' (for lack of better word) showing his admirers his techniques.  I know NOTHING about art and have no interest in painting but I did enjoy watching him work.

What's trip to the beach without going to the beach?  Towards the end of our day we spent a little time on the sand enjoying the water.

Post Script: If you ever get the chance to visit Seaside, don't bother.  It was still light out when we left Cannon Beach so we traveled north a few miles to Seaside.  What a dump!  The comparison might not be fair against a classy place like Cannon Beach but the entire city looked like it was either suffering from a hangover or looking forward to the next party. 

Our New Kitchen

We love our new kitchen! Come stop by and enjoy it with us.

Cinnamon-stained maple cabinets

Quartz countertops

Super-size sink

Brushed-nickel faucet

Teak-colored vinyl floor

Integrated water-purifier