Vacation Drywall, Part 2

After work, I got home and we did another session of drywall. We got a second piece up along the North wall.
After work, I got home and we did another session of drywall. We got a second piece up along the North wall.
The term “vacation” is a bit misleading here. I’m back at work, but all this week Liz has been off still (but spending her hours working on the house).
We were in the midst of preparing veggies and things when everyone arrived. So much of the time, we all just hung out in the kitchen – cooking, drinking wine, and visiting a bit.
Liz and I joked that this would be our fourth Christmas, since we had already celebrated in Detroit, then in Indianapolis, and then again with just the two of us.
I love the symmetry of this gift. A long while ago, the husband created this slide for his wife. And many years later, my wife created a print of that slide for me. I’d like to think that we are furthering a tradition here, and will continue to fill that little house with love.
Candle service, close to midnight. The lights go dim, and everyone sings “Silent Night.” There’s a part of me that wishes I could record this moment each year, as it’s quite lovely. The whole room darkens, and the candles flicker their light against the walls… and everyone sings softly, as we near the midnight hour.
Going out for a big meal like this is not something we normally do. But then again, an 80th birthday isn’t something that happens all that often, either.
Late in the evening, several of us took turns in the basement to wrap up Christmas gifts. With three families to celebrate with, we’re doing Christmas slightly early here tomorrow, so tonight’s the big night.
Around the tree in the sitting room, Kirt had set up an old model train track. The train cars themselves were all pretty substantive, and suggested to me this was an old set.
We rolled into Detroit a bit later than we planned, but the nice thing (and the thing I’ve een struggling to remember) is that we are officially on our holiday break. There are no strict schedules, and no timelines beyond the ones we wish to keep. If we’re running a little late, then so be it – we’ve got the time (which is still a novel concept).
It’s been a pretty busy last two weeks for us. And it wasn’t until tonight that we had a small breather of time to actually get a house night in.
A tiny dinosaur, as a gift for Fritz. As you can tell, Liz has been really busy with sewing gifts this year (and she’s still going).
This is a really great spot, and some place I would love to come back to with a book. I’d like to sit here again for an hour or two, sipping on coffee and just relaxing for a bit.
After a late breakfast, all of us wandered over to the Kohler showroom to check out the various new things on display.
Kohler is a favorite vacation spot for Julie/Bob, and the last time Liz and I accompanied them was nearly seven years ago (back in 2011).