Smugglers Cove Whidbey Island

This is a photo of the counter top in progress.  The polishing has begun and the stones are shining through.  It is just amazing to see this unfold.  Our master concrete guru has worked tirelessly on this project.  He has also had a hand in just about everything in that house.

When we choose the stones, we really had no plan for them, just imbed them and hope for the best.  When it came time to place them in the forms, it became a real mental challenge.

We considered color, texture, pattern and all the other vagaries involved.  We nixed a few stones and then put them back in; more than once.  We ended up with nearly 30 stones in all.  We knew less was more, but these were some gorgeous pieces of the Earth.

So, the final sanding and filling is in progress and the entire massive work may go into place tomorrow.  Did I mention that the largest of the pieces weighs hundreds of pounds!  We are waiting with bated breath for that colossus to be sucessfully put into place.

Do you think it would be okay for me to sit in the shower during the home tour?  I wonder how many people will do that?  I might need to monitor the situation!

Home Tour?  Yes.  We will be in the Island County Builders Home Tour – at the end of this month.  THIS MONTH!

You might wonder if the house is completed?  Uh, no.  But that crew is working at lightning speed.  Yesterday, the concrete countertops were busted out of the molds.  They are amazing!  Now to let them cure for a few days and begin the polishing.  The picture is the drainboard, prior to the wood being taken out.  I think those are called flutes.  This photo does not do the stones justice.  That will come after they are polished and rephotographed.

The shower is just ridiculously gorgeous.  I am just speechless when I look at it the entire abode.  Speechless and so ready for this to be done.

Yesterday, our fabulous master worker said the shower looked bitchin’.  The first time he uttered the word, I laughed.  I think it had been 50 years since I’d heard that word.  When I was in junior high that was THE word.  Y’no what?  That shower does look bitchin’.  Totally!

We have some amazing craftspeople working on our house.  The whole thing is in high gear – full speed ahead.

This past week things have just ramped up.

Look at those cupboards.  They are utterly stunning.  There is true “pride in craftsmanship” in each cabinet.  We could not be more pleased.  Yesterday, the pulls were being put on.  I wish we could have just willed the supboards and drawers open.  The countertops were poured last Monday and are in the garage curing.  I can’t wait to see if the imbeded rocks stayed in place.  Hope so.

That is the finished tile in the upstairs bathroom.  I love it.  The vanity is a white wainscot.  It should look really crisp.  The tile saw is one of my favorite pieces of equipment.  It would be so fun to play with!  Water shooting out while the tile is cut.  Too fun!

Want to see more?

Upstairs closets.  Two in each section of the upper area.  We selected the three-panel doors and we are very happy with that choice.  Yesterday, the painter was painting them all.  He had set up a paint studio in our bedroom.  He had a regular assembly line going.  He had the most ingeneous contraption for stacking the doors.  We both wished we’d invented it!

The siding is going up.  That is not the final color.

I think we are building a house.  Have I been out of the blog loop again?  Yes.  However, out fabulous crew has been hard at work.  We are in the midst of acquiring a phenomenal tiled shower.  The trim around the doors is perfect.  The siding looks terrific.

And then there is the cabinetry.  Look at that.  It is just stunning.

Twice today, I walked through the house and it felt like a house – my house – our house.

And there was a frog.  The crew found the frog.  They knew our grandson would like it.  No better crew exists!

Show Time – for our little abode is one month from yesterday.  How can that be?

I can’t even think about it, so I’ll tell you about the weather.

Whidbey Island has had an extended spate of summer weather.  The sun has shone daily.  Little or no rain has fallen.  The Island is under a fire ban.  I hope that nonsense didn’t follow us from Colorado.

Last night, a lovely storm blew in and it rained all night.  The sound was relaxing.  This morning, on a drive to Clinton, the Island was wrapped in high clouds and fog and mist, with the sun peeking through.  The trees were freshly washed and looked brilliant.  Some of the leaves have begun to turn yellow and they drift out over the road.  I didn’t realize how much I missed that rain and aftermath, until now.

Bring on fall.  I look forward to the leaves cascading around the property as we sit on our deck.  It is magical how the leaves drift and twirl from the tops of the trees.  Sparkling yellow bits of fall.

Yesterday, we spent quite a bit of time selecting an assortment of stones to place in the concrete countertop.  We narrowed it down and then started all over; several times.  We do not want it to look like a big old landslide of rocks hither and yon, but we also do not want it to look uber-organized.  Fat chance.

Having gorgeous stones imbeded in the concrete may be the push we (I) need to keep the area clear of added debris.  The rocks ranged in color from a very pale beige (which did not make the cut) to dark charcoal, with reds and greens in the mix.

Shape was another matter altogether.  I was not fond of rocks with straight edges.  I wanted them to be more random.  At one point, I had a rock-flower created on the dining room table.  I thought it was beautiful.  However, in the light of day, it got the hook and was dragged off stage.  Back and forth.   The large rectangular piece is the concrete color sample of the countertop.  Love the color!

We have been total misers with the counter how-to books from the library.  Yesterday was the first day they really meant something to me.  I am such a tactile learner – I needed to see the concrete and touch the rocks.  I needed to see the countertop puzzle and then begin to set in the pieces.

We plan to experiment with concrete projects once the house is done.  Planters, sinks, tables, whatever.  So many options and it looks like a really fun material with which to play.  And we have several leftover rocks to imbed…

I freely admit to being messy, cluttered and all that.  If you have been reading about this move for any length of time, you are aware that numerous loads of “stuff” went to various locales with fervent determination to never again be a pack rat.

And so it is with a heavy heart that I must confess my addiction has begun anew.  Is there a 12-step program for clutterers?  My darling friend sent me an e-mail and admonished me to let no clutter happen on the new counters.

Last night, I thought about the stuff on the counter in this rental palace.  I decided I would make a list of each and every thing that was on the counter.  A cup of coffee, laced with some Irish cream, helped me forge ahead.  I dug through everything and made a list on a big yellow note pad, which was also on the counter.  I headed up to the computer to add the list to this post.

My husband asked, “Why don’t you just scan it?”  Smart%$#!

There you have it – misty gray.

The cabinets are being installed and they are utterly gorgeous.  Hickory!  This is where we realize things we should have done.  Every cabinet in the house should be custom-made hickory.  Que sara.  That is not to be at this point.  Down the road, we will hire the same terrific woodworkers and change a few things.

The angled cabinet is in the great room and there is an identical cabinet behind it, in the master bathroom.  I don’t even want to tell you what we mulled over before we decided on these cabinets, but I will.  We thought about buying a 3 shelf metal bookcase and plopping it in.  Can you even imagine?

Yesterday, we were in the pits, on several levels.  There was a house mixup and a worker mixup and ugh.  However, the moon shown brightly last night and today was spendid.

Appliances of every breadth and width are in the staging area, as is the copious stack of bamboo flooring.

Our workers, once again, rocked!  Thank you!

Yesterday, we were across the pond for some shopping.  That is always loads of fun…not.  We would like to go to Seattle one of these days for actual fun and not for shopping.  Yesterday seemed especially trying and I finally figured out why.  The full moon!  If you have ever worked in a school or in a hospital, as I have, you know that the looniest of the loons come out with the full moon.

Tonight, I will listen for owls to hoot and loons to call.

Addendum – the mix up with the cabinets vs. switches was a miscommunication with the installer and the designer. We bought an 18 inch wide dishwasher instead of a standard 24 inch wide so that all the stuff would fit… The installer had framed in a 24 inch opening which threw everything off by 4 inches. He realized today, after looking at the pile of appliances we hauled over, his mistake and all is well now – for today

…to the other side.

Three-panel doors instead of six-panel doors.  We love them.  They were delivered today, along with the window and floor trim.  The kitchen cabinets are being installed, so after a trip across the pond, we drove to the house to see how things were going.

There’s a bit of a snafu with one switch box and one kitchen cabinet vying for the same space.  The cabinet will win.

In Colorado, after we remodeled our horrific Bronco Orange kitchen, we still had a switch box in a very narrow space at the side of our refrigerator.  If this is the biggest problem, we are okay.  I trust my guys to make it all work.