I'm sure we're all sore and achy today after our three day marathon wood floor installation at our family beach house in Gleneden Beach. We laid the groundwork over the last couple weeks: hauled old carpet to the landfill, purchased the Genesis red oak engineered wood flooring and underlayment at Home Depot, bought a jamb saw and brought tools from homes in the valley. It was slow going at first as we learned how to do it. We started in the family room, and finished it on Friday. Saturday we floored the two old bedrooms, which Karen had painted just before. And Sunday we barely finished the living room and kitchen before it was time for everyone to head home to be ready for their regular jobs on Monday morning. 800 square feet and five rooms by five people in three days. By the time the project was finished, we had become a finely tuned team, and had developed individual roles that functioned well. Go Lyles-Kreitlow Team!
My son, Bryan was our sawyer, doing most of the cuts requested by the folks on the ground, with a jamb saw, a circular saw, and the second day, we bought a table saw. Bryan's wife, Charlotte, and their friend, Sarah became expert at the actual installation, using a rubber mallet, elbow grease and spacers to position the boards correctly. My sister, Karen and I, were the support team. Karen painted the two old bedrooms prior to the floor team moving in. She and I laid most of the underlayment, I nailed down most of the floor molding. We all developed a new appreciation for knee pads. Bryan and Charlotte brought their rollerblading knee pads, and I got an inexpensive pair of styrofoam pads. Our knees still feel bruised, but not as bad as they would have without. We are all very pleased with the beauty of the new floor and the way it transforms the house and even makes it smell better! Bryan made a short video tour of our new floors, which I've posted on my facebook page.
We had time to share good food, drink, and play together too. Bryan and Charlotte made something they called "Irish Car Bombs" with Guinness, Irish Cream and whiskey. Sarah, who made Bryan and Charlotte's wedding cake, has been experimenting with making raw cakes. She made a yummy pumpkin spice raw cake with fruit leather fall leaf cutouts on the creamy frosting. Charlotte brought Chana Masala she had made, and Bryan whipped up some pumpkin spice bread french toast one morning. Karen brought her parrot, Junior, who rides around on her shoulders. We had some corn chips with our hummus at lunch, and Junior finally talked: "want a cracker!" He can also make chicken sounds, and supposedly can say "Good Morning" and "Okay, bye-bye". Junior is housebroken--sits on the kitchen faucet and responds to the command, "Hurry up, go poop", and he will take pieces of food Mama Bird Karen holds in her mouth. I wouldn't trust that sharp beak near my lips, but they trust each other.
It's Monday morning, and the beach house is pretty quiet with everyone gone. With the roar of the surf and the heavy mist, it's been great sleeping weather. I finally roused myself from bed to make a trip to the local landfill and Goodwill to clean up some of the clutter from the beach house. Now I'm sitting at Beachtown Coffee internet cafe in Lincoln City, enjoying some hot chocolate, before I load up the leftover flooring and head back to Eugene to get my refund. I'll stop in Newport on the way to schedule installation of a new fireplace insert for the beach house (the old cast iron woodstove there is cracked and no longer safe). Looks like Santiam Pass is clear, so then I'll head on over the mountains back to Bend, since I have to exchange the rental car there tomorrow. I've been in Oregon a month now, and glad we've finished the main work project (besides hospital work) I had planned for my time here. And doing it as a family project we can all enjoy made it all the better.
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