OUR STUCCO JOB IS COMPLETE…TOMORROW WE BEGIN WATERING……

It’s not everyone who gets to wake up each morning with a face full of dog Slurpies….but I do. Soon as I begin to stir, Pheebs bounds up on top of my bed & if I don’t get my head under the blankets I am immediately smothered in doggy smooches. We have ourselves a big snuggle followed by play time. Happens every single morning….and I love it:))

As the house mud dried it turned from  a dark army green to a battleship gray.  The guys finished the primer stucco coat all across the back by late morning & then began at the beginning again putting on the final textured coat.  Very labor intensive & it made me tired just watching them.  Doby, who is over 50 has been doing this for about 30 years & it’s a wonder his arms aren’t worn out.  We found out early he is a very well respected fellow in these parts & does good work.  I feel we were very fortunate with our timing to get him to do our house job this week.  He will be returning next Wednesday to paint the house.

BASE COAT  IS ABOUT THREE QUARTERS DONE

 

COMING DOWN THE HOME STRETCH 

The color we have chosen for the house is ‘Colorado Trail.’  It’s a vibrant bright orange………ok, ok, just pulling your leg.  It is a darker brown because we want the house to blend naturally into the background scenery.  My plan is to surround this house with greenery just as we have done in Bayfield.  Want the earth tone house color to blend in with nature’s greenery.  Think we will be planting a lot of OLEANDER & BOUGAINVILLEA around the property. 

HOUSE IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF A GOOD CLEANING  

It was another trip to Wickenburg this afternoon & a lot of time was spent at the Bank of America arranging to have monies wired from Canada to the States.  Since 911 it is a tedious time consuming procedure with ID’s to be double & triple checked & of course, the proverbial mound of paper work.  With all the money matters completed we were off down the street to the ‘Treasure Chest’ where Kelly had spotted a wooden cabinet type small dresser she liked.  Also picked up an old painting with an original frame for cheap.  We intend on doing this house in an old western & southwestern style.   

 

PHEEBS & MOTOR CHECK OUT TODAY’S SALE ITEMS

Still wrestling with the kitchen colors & I did end up repainting one of the kitchen walls in a desert sand color.  That Aloha Sunset we put on the walls is just looking a little too pinky for us.  Because ideas keep changing I didn’t paint any of the cupboards today.  Maybe tomorrow I will have another color inspiration & get the paint flying again.  Have to admit, my patience is wearing a little thin with all these back & forth color changes.

CHANGED THAT END KITCHEN WALL COLOR THIS MORNING…STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THE CUPBOARD DOORS 

The green dining room you see in the photo above will also change color.  Plan to do that in Desert Sand, just like the end kitchen wall.  Finishing these two rooms is my goal before we return to Canada.  In the Fall I will repaint the big blue room at the north end of the house.

KELLY’S $10 LAMP WITH SOME REAL LIVE KELLYISMS ON IT

Although the official closing date is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, the house is basically ours now with our transfer of funds today.  Of course we have been treating it as ours all along but we will be relieved to officially get the closing date behind us next week. 

DOBY HAS BEEN AT THIS A LONG TIME >>>

Stopped for a couple Sceamerburgs at Screamers in Wickenburg this afternoon before hightailing it back to Congress.

SCREAMERS FOR BURGS

The boys were coming down the homestretch with the stucco texturing & by 3:30 this afternoon they were all finished.  The stucco job on the house was done:))  Maybe I can concentrate on some photos other than house pics now.   Yaaaaay.

 

THE GUYS JUST HAVE A FEW FEET TO GO BEFORE THE ENTIRE STUCCO JOB IS FINALLY COMPLETE

Our job this week-end will be to water all the stucco down 3 times a day both Saturday & Sunday.  Painting will start Wednesday after the big hot Arizona sun & warming winds have dried the stucco.

THIS IS THE UNPAINTED TEXTURED FINISH

More improvements for little Motor & I’d say she is back to her normal barking & hungry self except of course for her food pickiness.  She does seem to like poached chicken though & that is encouraging.  She nearly threw me out of my chair tonight trying to get at some mild Italian sausage on my plate.

STUCCO HAS DRIED TO A BATTLESHIP GRAY COLOR…LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING SOME DARKER PAINT ON IT   

Chinle over at SPOTTED DOG RANCH just got herself a little white Burro.  Plans on doing a little prospecting with her.  Kind of a darn cute little thing she is too:))

 

PHEEBS IS STILL ENJOYING HER SAND  BOX

THE TRAVELS OF ED, CAROL, & GOPHER THE DOG are our latest Blog Followers.  Welcome aboard folks & safe travels on your upcoming journey to Virginia.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A Sunday school teacher said to her children, 'We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a Higher Power. Can anybody tell me what it is?'
One child blurted out, 'Aces!'

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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.

- Home is where your pet is:))

- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

TODAY THE MUD WENT ON THE HOUSE:))

THE BOYS GOT THE FIRST COATING OF MUD ON TODAY
In prepping the house for stucco it was necessary to take off many old pieces of broken dried wood here & there.  Some of it dating back to the late 50’s I’m sure.  My first chore this morning was to get a fire going in the pit & burn up all that scrap lumber lying about.  And, it twas a fine morning for doing that too.  Think we got up to 80F today:))

FINISHING UP THE LAST STYROFOAM & WIRING
 
THE RAISED FRAME AROUND THE WINDOW IS CALLED A ‘POP-OUT’

Little Motormouse is definitely improving but is still picky about what she eats.  Gobbled down some more hamburger for breakfast & this afternoon Kelly scrambled an egg with some chicken & she ate that.  Turned up her nose at tinned Salmon.  Kelly poached up some chicken this afternoon & that worked too:))  I am beginning to think this may have just been a ploy by the Mouse to get herself switched over to Yummy human food & off that bland doggy food stuff.  D’ya think.  We thank all our readers for care shown & the many food suggestions for Cora.  Definitely seen further improvement in her this afternoon when she was outside again ripping & tearing around assuming her position as, Big Boss Dog:))

 
A CONTENTED LITTLE MOUSE AFTER FINALLY EATING A SUBSTANTIAL SUPPER
I did manage to flood our laundry room & part of the kitchen this morning.  Decided to fill up the hot water tank but never thought to close the little check valve thingy on top of the tank.  When the tank filled up, the water just kept on a coming right up & out through a fitting.  Luckily one of the workers heard a Niagara Falls sound coming from the house & alerted us.  Also fortunate is that there are few level floors anywhere so the water just kind of troughed it’s way to the back door where I was able to swoosh it right into the back yard with a broom.  Also turned on the electric this morning & all wall sockets & lights worked, including the stove.  Bonus.
 
THE STUCCO MIXING MACHINE
We were back to the house about 12:30 & the boys started putting the mud on the house shortly after.  It’s really called Stucco but they just call it mud.  Interesting to see them trowel it on by hand.  Two guys doing the trowling with the other fella mixing up the mud in a big mixer & wheel barrowing it to where the trowlers are working.  They weren’t long in covering the walls with a dark army green mud.

THE VERY FIRST SWATCH OF MUD GOES ON THE HOUSE

 
Kelly & I headed off to Wickenburg this morning.  Her black & blue ankle is coming along better but she still can’t push the hard clutch in on the Jeep.  We’re getting to be known at the Hardware & Paint Stores for sure.  On the way to town Kelly spotted an ‘Estate Sale’ sign so we burned up some rubber pulling a U-turn & heading back.  Estate, garage, & yard sales have suddenly become important once again in our lives.  Came out of there with our first piece of furniture for the house…a $20 solid wooden end table.  Groovy:))
 
THE WIRED UP POP OUT IS READY FOR SOME STUCCO
After the hardware store for a floor mop & some lighting fixtures it was off to Safeway for groceries followed by another trip to the paint store.  We’re having quite a tussle with ourselves over these kitchen cupboard door colors.  Photo below shows one drawer with a Peach trim & one door with an Aloha Sunset trim…same as our walls.  Trying to decide which way to go.  Center gray color is called ‘Dry Creek.’  Any suggestions??  In the morning I will make up my mind & carry on with one or the other.  A quick stop at the ‘Treasure Chest’ store netted us a lamp for $15.

So nice to be focused on a constructive project again. I thrive on certain types of change & this creative house & property adventure is right up my alley. Just as excited about our Arizona place as I was when we moved to Bayfield back in October of 2002. Just as excited as I was when we moved into the old tumble down farm house in the country back in the mid 90’s. And just as exciting as each & every RV we have bought over the years. Especially the Motorhome we have now. So great to be excited about something again. Oh, & then there was the greatest excitement of all back in the summer of 1993…….meeting Kelly:))  Now, that was  EXCITING!!

 
Remember the nice cactus plants Kelly bought a few weeks ago at the annual North Ranch yard sale?  I planted them in a temporary spot in the back yard with intentions of replanting them in a permanent location in the Fall.  Well, those dam Javelina’s got into our back yard last night & destroyed one of them & chewed off part of a third!!!!!!!!!!!  Our yard is vulnerable to Coyotes & Javelina’s because of an old over grown fence in our backyard with many holes in it.  It is impossible to fix.  Both Javelina’s & Coyotes are very dangerous for Pheebs & Motor plus ourselves as well.  For sure we are going to have to have new Coyote & Javelina proof fencing put in.  One of our priority projects in the Fall.  Luckily we have a lot fencing already here that can be used for that project.

 
THESE GUYS REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING 
‘Black Tank’ topics are always good for Happy Hour topics. (for those of you who like that ‘Happy Hour’ stuff)  WHEELING IT has a good post on how easy it is to keep your black tank functioning properly.  We never rely on or bother with our sensors but we do use the same method of Dawn dish detergent & Calgon water softener to keep our tank from crudding up.  Of course we had to learn all this the hard way in the early days:((  

WE INTEND TO CHANGE THAT ROOF COLOR AS WELL
I had mentioned awhile back about the possibility of leaving our Motorhome in Arizona now that we have a piece of property big enough to do that.  However, we have become aware of a problem in storing any kind of vehicle.  Pack Rats!!  We have talked to people here who have absolute horror stories about what has happened to their vehicles.  In fact I was just talking to Doby about this problem Thursday morning.  His Motorhome wiring was destroyed by nesting Pack Rats.  Pack Rats get up into vehicles & chew on wiring, gas & hydraulic lines, etc.  It’s a very real problem here in Arizona & especially for vehicles sitting dormant for any length of time.  Always something to mess up man’s plans eh!!
 
KEEP IN MIND THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST COAT OF UNPAINTED STUCCO
Kcgaz from ADVENTURES OF A 50 YEAR OLD joined the Bunch Wednesday as another one of our many Blog Followers.  Check out their problems with a couple tire monitoring systems.  Sounds like there is someone else out there besides me who runs into problems with mechanical stuff like that all the time.

THE BACK OF THE HOUSE WILL BE MUDDED UP FRIDAY
So nice to be focused on a constructive project again.  I thrive on certain types of change & this creative house & property adventure is right up my alley.  Just as excited about our Arizona place as I was when we moved to Bayfield back in October of 2002.  Just as excited as I was when we moved into the old tumble down farm house in the country back in the mid 90’s.  And just as exciting with each & every RV we have bought over the years.  Especially the Motorhome we have now.  So great to be excited about something again.  Oh, & then there was the greatest excitement of all back in the summer of 1993…….meeting Kelly:))

PHEEBS LOVES HER READY MADE SAND PILE  
GROANER’S CORNER:((  A politician was running for re-election and was talking at a campaign stop to his constituents.
"My opponent has called me a liar. Rest assured, I have never lied to you. The only problem I have is that the facts don't always match up with what I believe."
- Will - Why do you water your lawn with whisky?
Bill - So that it comes up half-cut.
- Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.
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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A SITUATION BY SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED

A LOAD OF SAND FOR MIXING UP THE STUCCO THURSDAY

My biggest challenge today was in just simply trying to stay awake:((  Our day began in earnest about 7:30 when Doby & the crew rolled in from Wickenburg.  They didn’t waste any time & were hard at work on the house right from the get go.  Still cold in these parts that early in the morning so makes sense to get busy & keep warm.  I am sooooo glad I do not have to be a part of that early morning workforce any more.

If it were not for a medical appointment on April 10th we would stay longer but looks like we will have to start making tracks to the Northeast sometime around the end of the month.  That is less than two weeks from now.  Awwwwww nuts!!  Can you imagine what our 2,300 mile gas bill will be to get a 33’ Motorhome back to Canada at today’s fuel prices will be….Yikes!!  Could a smaller more fuel efficient RV be in the Bayfield Bunch’s future somewhere??

OUR VERY OWN ON SITE BUILDING INSPECTOR

Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, & tunes from the 40’s Big Band era did the trick for me today.  Still working away on those kitchen cupboard colors.  I’m beginning to have Technicolor nightmares.  I think we have finally come up with something but we’ll need an additional quart of ‘Dry Creek’ paint & a lot of patience to carefully do the trim part on the cupboard doors.  For some strange reason I do seem to have patience for that sort of thing.  I know, it don’t make no darn sense to me neither.

 

WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS GREAT NATURAL WALKING, HIKING, & CLIMBING AREA JUST A BLOCK BEHIND US

Today the El Stucco boys nailed all the mesh (chicken wire) around the house & tomorrow I think they may begin mixing up & putting on some actual stucco.  I’m curious to see how that is all done & suspect it is the wire mesh which holds that stucco together & strengthens it while hardening.  The Stucco does not go on with it’s finished brown adobe color though.  It is gray & has to be painted once the stucco has set & cured.  The stucco actually has to be repeatedly wetted down so Kelly & I will spend the weekend watering the house.  It will then be ready for paint on Monday. 

To answer a few reader’s questions….We want to have some of the house basics in place before we leave for Canada shortly so we have had to take some chances, cut some corners & take advantage of the situation by seizing the opportunity presented.

 

GOING TO BE A BIG STYROFOAM CLEAN UP

Little Motor continues to slowly improve with each passing day.  Still refuses to eat most everything so it’s a hit & miss thing we are going through right now finding out what she will eat.  Tonight she couldn’t get enough of my hamburger meat.  Yesterday she wanted Kelly’s scrambled eggs.  Still  not quite her old self but she is definitely better than a few days ago when I thought for sure we were going to lose her by the week-end.

HANG IN THERE MOM & DAD, I’M STARTING TO FEEL A LITTLE BETTER EACH DAY

GROANER’S CORNER:((  My husband's skills with do-it-yourself home repairs are at best mediocre.
After spending several evenings trying to fix a leak in the bathroom, he finally admitted defeat and called a plumber, who finished the job in ten minutes.
Watching him put away his equipment, my son asked what had been the problem.
"Well," the plumber replied, "seems that your father got hold of some tools..."

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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.

- Home is where your pet is:))

- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com