5 days and counting …

Two weeks ago I trucked enough of my belongings and furniture to the Eastern Shore to be comfortable for the next year or so.

A week ago I had a dumpster delivered and started to sift through “everything else”.

Monday the movers arrived and packed what was left plus my entire workshop.

Tuesday the movers loaded all of the marked boxes and furniture into a large moving truck and disappeared (with a stop of at a weigh station so I know how much I am paying each month for storage).

Wednesday morning the last of the charity contributions went to the local Girls and Boys Club. My maternal grandmother’s dining room set was sold (for pittance) to a local antique dealer.

Wednesday afternoon a cleaning crew arrived and washed, vacuumed, dusted and de-webbed for the last time.

Zen and I each have one bowl, one drinking ‘container’ (her’s is a bowl, mine is a pint glass) and a spoon.

…

I took some last pictures of the house. In doing so, I noticed all of the projects I completed throughout the years. I also imagined the “next generation” that will live in this house. The new plans that will unfold.

This house is a bit different for me than perhaps a house if 16 years is for others. Even though I lived here for a long time (much longer than originally planned) I would not say it was “home”. Rather, it was a “project” .. a series of “learning experiences”. The house did see its share of “life experiences” for me. But as for the house, it was a “work in progress”. the first floor was finished with the original construction. Three years later, I finished the second floor. Another three years passed before adding the garage and creating a reasonable yard. Finally, I created one of the focal points of the house - the media room (some called it a small theater).

Throughout, the house has always been my design - one that was envisioned 16 years ago. The architectural plans have improved over the phases of work; the software has changed. But the total picture has been consistent from the very beginning. Of course, as a “work in progress” there were times where things did not quite look right. Like a wall with no windows and a door to nowhere. <grin>

Most of the work was very good but none of it was perfect - hence a “learning experience”. After living with a house for a while, you find things you would like to change. When the work is your own, you describe them as “things you would do differently”.

So, I now place this house and the pictures and stories that go along with it into the archive. I will likely dust off the pictures once or twice more but mostly, I will have memories. I will miss the close friendships I have fostered here. Perhaps they will survive both time and space.

For now, I am looking forward to the next “work in progress” !

Related tangests ...   Wishful thinking ...   TS Hanna at the half-way mark   The magic number is 44 !

Posted in Construction, Eastern Shore, Furniture |

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