We got a slow start back to work in the new year. My daughter came up with us on New Year's Day and we went on a short hiking tour of what have become the usual places.
On our walks, we saw more trees down from the big storm a few weeks ago.
This tree had fallen across the road not far from our house.
On the next weekend, we spent much of Saturday tending to other things. Saturday morning was the Property Owners Association annual meeting. Gerald was both outgoing and incoming president.
Saturday night, we went to what was supposed to be our only full-time neighbor's going away party. Her house was in escrow with a Los Angeles Dodger. But the day before the party, the deal fell apart and it didn't look like the rupture was repairable. We were sorry for our friend, who we have come to love dearly, but glad she wasn't leaving. She was a good neighbor, and we hated to lose her.
There was a little time for work, though. Gerald got back to work on the kitchen counters. Most of our countertops will be wood, but we decided to tile the areas around the sink and stove. Gerald started with the area behind the sink, so we could hook up the sink and install fixtures.
By the end of the weekend, he had completed two sections of countertop.
Our last visit was short, but there was time to get some work done.
Meanwhile, J.C. installed the whole-house water-softening system and (yay!!!) hooked up the kitchen sink with the help of his daughter.
And we had water! The kitchen was starting to feel like a kitchen.
