Yesterday was forecast to be the last good day. Statistically, there are very few days over 70 after October 1 in Spokane. Since it was so nice, we decided to walk up the trails on the hill behind us. Actually, I think you would call it a bluff. Over millions of years, lava oozed out of fissures in the earth in this area, so there is basalt everywhere. Some of it is quite large. So it was off into the woods with us.
One of our neighbors backs up to the bluff. He has installed an axe throwing target on a stand.
This is new construction in the middle of the woods. I'm not clear on how you get to this house, but evidently you can. This site for a house does not call to me. Too isolated and dark. Look closely at the dirt, can you see all of the small rocks? Planting anything here will be difficult.
They appear to be having difficulty choosing a paint color.
This house is up the street from us. Look at the rock mid photo. There's an even larger one up the hill. People like to have water features so that water flows down the rock face and sounds nice. Our neighbor next door has a big one on the face of the bluff.
When we came home, we decided to wash the house since it was nice out. Brushes were deployed and dirt was removed. I'm not really a fan of vinyl siding, but I will say it cleans up very nicely with minimal effort. Cedar siding would require much more water pressure than we used. Now the front door is once again white and it and the rest of the house look good.
Today, after a sunny start to the morning, the predicted clouds rolled in shortly after I took the picture of the maple. His leaves are starting to turn, soon there will be leaf removal.
With the weather looking not great, we decided to replace the chandelier in the dining room. It had to go. I had no idea it would be so difficult. It was the little stuff, like shoving the ground wire up through the threaded nipple. The ground wire did not want to go. Then it was separating the hot and neutral wires which come bonded together. Stripping the hot and neutral was a pain, Jim took a box knife to them, which was better than the wire stripper. Eventually, we prevailed and I am very happy. In addition to being butt ugly, the old fixture didn't work well with the rheostat and flickered something terrible.
Here is the old one. I dislike stuff that's unnecessarily ornate.
Here is the new one. We put the same fixture in the Tucson house after removing a really huge ornate chandelier. It's working well with the rheostat.
The rain did get here along with some wind, but it did not last long. If it's not raining pigs and chickens tomorrow we're going to go downtown to REI and return five pairs of shoes. Jim spent several hours in the Hokas today and they're just not working out for him. Maybe there will be something else in the store to try on.
Cleaner lines and still providing enough lighting..I like that
ReplyDeleteI like the new chandelier MUCH better. I'm with you on the ornate stuff; ugh. Good luck in the boot search! As I commented in the earlier post, have Jim try on a pair of Oboz if they have 'em. I'm thinking REI is where Barry got his, though it has been a few years.
ReplyDeleteI love those huge boulders scattered around in neighborhoods. There is one in Jesse's neighborhood that is so huge you can't see the house behind it. Right in the middle of a city neighborhood....how cool is that? I like the new light fixture.
ReplyDeleteno boulders here unless you bring them in. flat flat coastal plain. the new chandelier is very nice.
ReplyDeleteI love the way people are working those big rocks into their landscaping. And I like the new chandelier, too. I'm with you -- I avoid scrolls and frills and curlicues.
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice new light fixture. I like it a lot. It looks like fall colors are on their way and soon some raking will be needed. I love that giant rock in the yard of that one house.
ReplyDeleteI like your new fixture. I chose similarly simple fixtures when I redid the last bathroom.
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