Outside

It's been a frustrating two weeks.  I came down with a cold that left me

with bronchitis and there's been very little progress in the kitchen. 

The major construction part is done and now we're waiting for the

plumber, electrician and HVAC guy to do their thing.  

There has been some progress on the back porch and I'll

admit that I was excited to see the French door go in.

The tongue-and-groove fir decking is down on the first floor

and most the beadboard ceiling is up.

Two wall sconces will flank the French doors.

I used an onion lantern at the front door...

...and I found these industrial-onion hybrid lights

at Home Depot.  A really nice look for little money

but they only come in silver and this odd "brick" color

so I picked up some Rustoleum black spray paint

to make them match the light on the front. 

A few coats of black satin later...

...the look so much better.

I'm really happy with how they turned out.

I'm kind of toying with the idea of staining the beadboard

ceiling dark brown and painting the deck a very dark gray

like Kendall Charcoal.  The back porches face South and

the sun beats down on them most of the day.  I was thinking

the dark colors might eat up some of the light but I also wonder

if it's a color palette that reads craftsman.  Know what I mean?

It requires more thought.

Anyway, back to the French doors.

They're made by Simpson and have true divided lights.

One would think that a single pane with applied wood mullions

would be cheaper but, no, true divided is the less expensive route.

The down side is each of panes has this rubbery adhesive that

squishes out around every single pane when they install them.

I'm doing all the painting so trimming all this goop off is my job.

It's tough stuff.  

I did a few this weekend and each pane takes about 15 minutes.

So while I patiently wait for progress in the kitchen, I'm spending

a little down time enjoying the fall foliage.   

We had a little rain today and that

always makes the color a little more intense.

This all seems a few weeks early this year.

If only the plumber was on the same schedule.