Happy New Year!

May your hopes and dreams
come true in the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

Number of Trades People

Since the beginning of this house project we have not seen so many trades people accessing the house as these last few days!  Hopefully they are not cutting corners to finish the project.  We will see what the house inspector says on Fri.

Cabinets & Tile Going In

The cabinets are in and they are working on the bathroom tiles.  Cabinet wood is very complimentary with the house color and tile!  You don't know until you see them in your house.  The granite counter folks should be calling any day for us to see how they are going to cut the slabs of granite.

House

Wow, things are CLOSING IN fast!  It's just a hop, skip & jump to 16 Nov!  

Painting the Interior

They are roofing and painting the interior!  What excitement.

Roof

They are working on the roof today.  For the past few days there's always someone about so I can't see what progress they're making on the inside, but on the outside we see that the house is painted and the roof tiles are being worked on.

House Color

House Color is gorgeous!  The shutter gray matches the gray of the house.  I've seen a lot of the gray shutters on beige or other colored homes and they don't look good at all.

For many years when someone asked what color my house was, I always said gray...  Funny, because I never lived in a gray house.  My very first house was white.  My 2d house was sort of brown.  My 3d house was yellow.  My 4th house was white with a hint of black.  My 5th house was multicolored townhouse.  None were gray!

Our new home has shades of gray with white trimmings.  Quiet yet stands out.  The plants will act as accents to the house!

Lately...

Lately every time we go to the new house there are lots and lots of activity!  I take a picture or two of the outside, but can't walk around the inside to see what's been happening.

I know that the walls and ceilings have been completed.  They were supposed to be doing the millwork.  It is rather fascinating to watch our own home being built from ground zero.

Activity at the House!!

They are taping the wall boards and putting the siding up!  Really beginning to look like a house.

Building Menehunes

Last weekend it seemed that the building Menehunes came along and put the wall boards up so we went to see the house today.  Nothing is happening.  So the Menehunes only work some weekends!

Wall Boards Are Installed!!

Friday when we went to the house, there was no activity.  We assumed that today, Monday we may see some activity, but to our surprise, over the weekend, all the wall boards were installed!!  Menehunes were at work all weekend!  The flooring has been lined with paper--assume that just in case the mud stuff gets dropped on the floor.  The walls and ceilings are just waiting for the mud stuff!  Wow!  The house is looking like a house now.  And, maybe my imagination, but with the insulation in the walls and attic, the house is cool inside even without A/C.

Not Much Happening

Not much happening at the new house.  Which is good as far as we're concerned.

Low Voltage Wiring, Wall Boards & Siding

Looks like they're working on the low voltage comm wiring.  Saw walls boards and siding had been delivered also!

Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic

Photos from the Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic!  We spent an exhilarating morning watching the sunrise over the Ann Morrison Park with hot air balloons rising up to meet the day!

Insulation & Sliding Glass Door

Looks like the pink insulation has been completed.  The sliding glass door and front window are in!  Guess they'll be doing the low voltage wiring next.

Structural Orientation

We had our Structural Orientation today.  Learned some "nice" stuff about our house that will come handy once we settle into the new home!

The House Inspector

We stopped by today to look at our new home and found the State Inspector roaming about inspecting the house!  Another milestone?

Wrapping the House

Today they are wrapping the house!  Our house and the neighbor house.  It is very interesting to watch the onion being wrapped instead of peeled by layers!

Today They Are Laying Plastic Over the Roof Sheathing

Plastic sheets?  I thought tar paper or felt was used.  I looked it up on the Internet and it seems the new way is to use "plastic" sheets?  Huhma, huhma, huhma...interesting.  There is a site called 4specs.com - Your Architectural Library for Specified Products that got my attention.

Moisture barrier?

The neighbor two houses down is being roofed.  Seems they are laying traditional tar paper over the plastic sheets...  We shall see what happens on ourʻs.

Nampa Festival of Arts

Today we went to the Nampa Festival of Arts.  I bought a dreamcatcher!  Pretty isn't it?

Roof Plywood Up

Wow!  Didnʻt visit the new house for one day and today, the roof plywood has been completed.  Canʻt believe how beautiful it is.  Everyday it looks more and more like home.

Back Roof Trusses

Today we watched the back roof trusses being installed.  A crane would pick a truss up and install place it down (gently) and the guys on the roof would nail it down!  Like watching a well choreographed ballet.  I took some movies that I think we should set to some really nice symphony music.

Roof Trusses

Well, some progress today.  They got some of the roof trusses up.  Again, none of the workers were around so I walked to the back of the house to see what the patio and the back of the house looked like.  My shoes were so dusty, I had to clean it a little before I could even think about getting back into the car!

Framing Continuing

For some reason no one was at the construction sites when we went at a little after noon.  Some of the plywood walls are up.  We'll go tomorrow to see what else they are doing.

Sub-flooring & Framing

Woohoo!  The sub-flooring is in and they started framing the house!

Ti-Plant - Day 18

It has been 18 days since I planted the Ti logs.  No sign of sprouts yet.  They look happy under the corner shade tree, so hopefully they are growing roots!

Fascinating book I bought the other day.  It is called Plants of the Canoe People by W. Arthur Whistler.  If you've ever wondered how the plants we have in Hawaii came to Hawaii, this is a must read book.   

Framing and Sub-flooring

Next week they'll be working on the framing and sub-flooring!  Exciting stuff.  Now we'll be able to see lots of things happening.  The foundation was not really eye catching, but the framing will be eye opening!

Foundation 2 & Driveway

This week foundation work 2 and the driveway went in.  Soon theyʻll be working on the sub-flooring.

Weʻre watching the progress of the neighborʻs house and it seems once the driveway goes in they start working on sub-flooring.

Exciting days ahead!

Ti Plants

I planted Ti plants from Hawaii today.  Following the instructions that came with the Ti logs, I should be watering them twice a day because the temperature has been 85º plus.  In fact, so far the temperature has not been below 90º everyday!  Hope I won't be over watering them!

Our Backyard

Today our backyard had lots of bird visitors.  Some sparrow like birds were looking for seeds in the "weed patch" along the side of the house.  Another finch like birds visited the lavender patch.  The robins were not happy because they think that our backyard is part of their territory!

Maybe next time a better
picture!

Dinner @ Kahootz

Kahootz Steak and Ale House is a hidden gem.  Their food is prepared exactly as you ask them to.  My steak always is done on the grill, not like some places that think that they need to cover it to make it well done.

Clam Chowder

Well Done NY

Alfredo w/Tiger Prawns

Reel Fish Market

Checked out Reel Fish Market today.  Sat at the counter and Hubby ordered oysters and I ordered the sashimi plate.  All the seafood smelled like they were just "off the boat".

Oysters

Sashimi Plate

God Bless America!

4th Week in Idaho

We've been here for 4 weeks.  Hard to believe.  Seems we've been here forever.  Don't get lost much any more.

Every where we look there seems to be road construction, road repairs, road maintenance going on.  Most places we've lived, road maintenance hardly ever occurred and road construction and repairs only happened if they were paid for by the Feds.

AND, the sun shines everyday!  Hubby actually has a sun tan.

My favorite cosmos are in bloom.

BBQ Grill Assembly

Finally, after 3 weeks, the grill has been assembled.  Whoever thought that a BBQ grill needed to be assembled!

Master BBQ Chef
&
Grill Assembler

Foundation Dug on Our New Home!

Today they dug the foundation for our new house!

Irrigation Ditches in Idaho

Our Third week in Idaho.

During the hot summer months we all played in the irrigation ditches.  These in Idaho are a much larger and contain lots more water!

Mowing the Back Lawn

Hubby mowed the back lawn on Fathers' Day.

I really think he looks great!

A Week in Idaho

The Whimsy Cats have been in Idaho for 1 week.  Our household arrived on Tue as planned.  By Wed, we were living in our rental.

The many little changes.  Hubby has not done lawn since probably 2000.  We bought our electric mower and weed whacker on Mon.

Really interesting.

Mowing the Front Lawn

This morning, Hubby mowed the front lawn.  He did wait until 1000 to start.

He did look good in his jeans, T-shirt, googles and hat.

Idaho

Living in Idaho is so very different from the many places we've whimsically called home.  Hawaii, Okinawa, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, California, Texas, Korea, Oregon, etc, etc, etc.

High desert.  We've always wanted to live in high desert country.

We do feel more energized.  We think it is because the weather is so dry, but the temperature is muy CALIENTE!

Sun rises about 0600 and sets at about 2130.  Gives a lot of meaning to Mountain Daylight Time.

Hello! We are the Whimsy Cats!

Whimsy Cats show up wherever they please and do whatever they please.

We muddle through most things by gosh and by golly.  We learn as we go.

Today we got into our car and drove to Idaho where our new house waits to be built.

Today is the beginning of another episode in our life.  New place, new house, new doctors, new grocery stores, new butcher shops, new neighbors...