August 15th 2016
Yorktown Heights, NY
I started off the day doing some investigative research into Elana’s past while Arlene attended a Real Estate closing. I’m trying to locate anyone who may have been friends with Elana when she was a little younger. I’m still searching for the period of time after she got married and before her husband passed. Unfortunately, all my leads were dead ends.
After Arlene got back from her closing, we had to run to Connecticut to pick out granite for her kitchen and bathroom in the new Condo so I had to reschedule my plan to visit with Elana until tomorrow. We first stopped by the Condo where the kitchen cabinets were being installed to grab a cabinet door and some tile and then it was off to New Milford, CT.
Doing these types of tasks use to be a huge part of my daily life and part of me does miss being a Contractor. I had my trailer tweaked to perfection and could pull into any job and have everything I needed right at hand. From Electrical to Framing, Sheetrock, Plumbing, Trim Work, Cabinetry and Excavation, it was all in that 7 foot by 14 foot trailer that I towed behind my 4-door Yukon. If you’ve ever watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition and you saw how they staged everything up, well that was how I did it.
I had lights, heaters, chargers, a generator, 10 x 10 shelter to stay out of the sun or rain and a complete workbench. It was such a sweet set up and I loved being able to pull up onto a job and handle any additional work without having to go get additional tools or gear. I also had room in the trail to haul material, but the best part was that once my trailer was on site, I didn’t need to pull it home. Just unhook, and my mobile shop was always there. I could go to work on my motorcycle or the truck and not be carrying around all my tools in the vehicle.
Those were some great days and today reminded me of all those renovations Arlene and I did together. Yep, Arlene was my Foreman and the absolute best person I’ve ever had the opportunity to work along side of. We had a good routine and you’d never know we were there after we left. Every job was left spotless when we pulled out. I often think about those days and what life would be like today if my Real Estate business hadn’t taken off like it did, because that is why I walked away from the construction work. Perhaps I should have kept them both going, but I was never able to find someone to work like we did on a job and I wasn’t willing to run it any other way so eventually I just started Sub Contracting out all the work.
We arrived in New Milford and headed out to the stockpile of granite to find the perfect slabs for the kitchen and the bathroom. Didn’t take Arlene long to have two beautiful pieces picked out. Next up, we had to hit Home Depot to look for some in stock cabinets because the special ordered bathroom vanity never arrived.
As we were leaving the granite shop, I noticed an interesting plant growing up against the industrial side of the building. I went up for a closer look. Could it be? Yes, I think it was…a Pumpkin Vine.
As we were leaving Home Depot, we got a call from her sister Angel who’s the contractor doing the work on the Condo. She’s fantastic and I’ve used her on some of my jobs, but if you want to see Angel’s best, one needs to look no further than the Million Dollar homes she’s built. (Visit Harvest View Estates for a sample of her work) What makes Angel’s work amazing is her forethought in a project. She’ll look at an architect’s plan and quickly pick up little problems that most don’t even think about. I’ve seen her move walls so furniture will fit properly, have them framed so curtains are easier to hang or Crown Molding easier to attach which means that it doesn’t start separating a year after being finished. Angel’s approach to home renovation and new construction is better than anything I’ve ever witnessed after decades in this business.
Angel had us meet her at a gas station. Home Depot has this fuel rewards program and she’s always getting great deals on gas. Today’s deal… .009 cents per gallon. Yes, that is under a penny a gallon. We met up with Angel at the gas station and I filled up both Angel’s and Arlene’s car. We all got a kick out of getting twenty gallons of gas and paying only 19 cents. I never thought I’d see that in my lifetime.
We all went back to Home Depot and picked up the two bathroom vanities that will be customized and married together to create a 60” vanity and then it was time to go find some dinner. Angel headed home and Arlene and I headed to Applebee’s
Tomorrow is my last full day in town and then I’ll load up the kayak for re-launch. We’re headed to Gunnison Beach on Wednesday and re-launching Thursday morning.
The journey is about to begin again.
Day 45 done.
