Making progress

A lot of progress has been made on the remodel. Nothing fancy, and it's still a mess, but progress has been made. The engineer came back with a plan, so the guys have been working on the sheer wall (pictured above) and giant bolts that go into the foundation at several (6?) places. These bolts are as tall as I am and they go through the floor and into the foundation. Construction is so much simpler in places that the earth doesn't shake. Earthquakes have never really affected this neighborhood in the past, but there is always a chance. We're much more likely to be in the path of a brush fire. Isn't California great?
Seriously, I love it here... my neighbors are awesome, the weather is amazing, and everything (beach, mountains, desert, Disneyland) is within an hour drive.

You may not be able to tell, my my new dining room is taking shape. What was once a GIANT laundry room, is on its way to become a dining room. The patio door or lights aren't in yet, so it will look a lot less like a cave soon.

My kitchen is about the same, except most of the cabinets are in, including the island. I've always wanted an island. I also found a pot rack on Craigslist, yea!
Countertops should be in place in a few days. That island is big enough to roll out some serious lefse!

My contractor and his crew are amazing! What a wonderful bunch of guys. Last week, I had a truckload of soil delivered for my seriously undernourished garden. Two of the men were awaiting delivery of materials before they began work for the day. When I began the task of bringing wheelbarrows full of dirt into the backyard, they helped. Not only did they help, they did almost all of the work! I'm talking 6 cubic yards of topsoil into the backyard that is on a slight uphill. I was planning to take 2 days to do it myself! They weren't being paid to haul dirt... they just happened to arrive a bit early for the job. They wouldn't take anything for their trouble, but I think they will be by in a couple months for some fresh tomatoes.