Bit by Bit

This is the home of one of my very regular customers. Each contract is another bit of the house that needs an upgrade. I have refurbished several areas of this home a few times already over the years. They are in the telecommunications business but have very ordinary phones in their home. One thing that is not very ordinary is their garden. It is totally hidden from view from all directions, but when you enter from the house or through the garage, you enter an enchanted world of ponds, fountains, sculptures, and exotic plants including huge banana trees that they somehow manage to keep alive during our cold winters. There is also a wonderful atrium off the kitchen full of tropical plants and always a prize specimen of a Bird of Paradise in full bloom.

A flood due to a leaky roof was the source of one my contracts here and I had to strip some very beautiful and expensive fabric wall coverings that I had recently hung. Another unique thing about this couple is that they own a vacation home, in St. Martin, The Bahamas. I have hinted and hinted ..... but to no avail. I have also done a tremendous amount of work for their son, who was still living at home and going to school when I first met this family but now has a home and family of his own. That makes me feel my age.

The Source

The last several clients and their homes came from the mother load, the owner of this house. For my protection, I will call her Marlene, not her real name. She is a full time nurse and a part time drapery specialist and interior decorator. She no longer lives here, but she is the one who brought this house into the modern era, although you would never know by the outward appearance.

When I first met her, she still had a husband and three teen aged sons. She began her makeover in her master suite. In the following years, she renovated and renewed the old house until it sparkled and shone and looked like a million dollars. There are so many stories I could tell about her and her house, but I will restrain myself. While I was working there after the renovations were well under way, she found her husbands credit card statement and was puzzled over the trip to Paris and the fur coats. She had not been to Paris, neither did she own a fur coat. She dug further and to make a long story short, she got a divorce. Her husband was in the leaky condo fix up business so needless to say he was wealthy. She got the house and continued to spend money on it. At one point she was without a kitchen for six months because each time her new cabinets were installed, they were either the wrong colour or the wrong style. (Different from what she had ordered) Her boys had BBQ'ed hot dogs beside the pool for six months.

She was very particular about how things were done and when she found that I could meet her standards, she started referring me to her decorating clients. We have had a very good working relationship for many years now. I meet her every so often at the hospital when I am there visiting a new baby in the family or dealing with an aging father. She always has time to chat and invariably the chatter goes to the health care system. She has been in it for all her working life and has some interesting observations and ideas on how to make it better. But, as all people who do the day to day stuff and know how to improve things, she is not listened to. She is putting in time now and no longer cares and just wants out in order to get her pension and get on with her design business.

She has built two houses since then and I have worked extensively in each one. She is one of the many sources of work I have had over the years.

Jack

On my first post in this current topic, I told you of the Dutch couple. The owner of this house was a coworker with the Dutchman, but neither of them referred the other to me. They came to me from different directions. I have redecorated this entire house, in stages, over a period of several years. Behind the house is a beautiful swimming pool and exquisite gardens. Jack likes to manicure his house and his property. He and his wife Erna, are very friendly people and I have always enjoyed working for them. They are retired and enjoy travelling, but Jack is also a full time volunteer at a local thrift store that is renowned for doing good works all around the world. These fine old homes are a pleasure to work in. The effort to up-grade and beautify is satisfying work indeed, and when the owners are down to earth and friendly, it is a bonus. I found this client through their next door neighbour, tomorrow's post.

Spacious

This is a very fine old home. When I worked in this home, it was on the recommendation of an interior designer who lived just up the street a few houses. I will be posting her house too. There was a school teacher living here at the time, and may still be for all I know. He had recently been widowed and was only in his 40's. He was having all the trim and doors replaced, and was going fancy. We spent a lot of time in there and it was meticulous work. We rarely saw him, but had a key and we came and went as needed. I never saw him again, and we never went back. That happens sometimes, but most of the time we get a referral or we go back at a later date to do more work. This is a wonderful neighbourhood with acre size lots and no through streets, very quiet and very classy. Probably very high taxes too.

HST Referendum

I took the time today to sign the anti-HST referendum. I am against the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) because I remember well what happened in 1991 when the GST (Goods and Services Tax) was implemented. As a business person who provided a service that was suddenly taxed, I was not very popular when I handed the customer the invoice at the end of the job. Many refused to pay it, and yet, I had to submit that tax, even if out of my own pocket. Then people got wise and offered to pay cash so I would not have to declare the income and therefore not tax it nor pay income tax on it. They told me it was a win/win situation. They assumed I was dishonest, which I was not. Soon, I had to build the GST into my service charge just in case they refused to pay, or they insisted on paying in cash. To this day, 19 years later, I still fight that sort of thing.

Now the tax that I have to collect (HST) will increase the tax line on my invoices by 120%! Is this going to be any easier? I know it will only make the underground economy flourish and encourage dishonesty. Besides that issue, which is huge, I am against any new taxes that are disguised as being good for us. Certainly having one tax instead of two will simplify matters for most businesses that were collecting both, but the cost of the GST only taxed part of the economy now suddenly goes up in price, everything from a haircut to a restaurant meal. There will be much resistance to the tax, especially in the beginning, and those of us who have to now charge the new tax will have a drop in business.

There was a steady flow of people lining up to sign the petition this morning. If they sign 10% of the voters in every political riding in the province, the Referendum and Recall legislation says that it must be considered by the sitting government. However, the bill also states that the sitting government is not under any obligation to enact the wishes of the petitioners. It is toothless, however, this will be a test for the Liberal Government as they have snubbed their noses at the public too often since they took office. I read yesterday that Randy White, the most popular Conservative politician ever, from our area, is spearheading a resurgence in the Provincial Conservative Party. Look out Gordon Campbell. A perfect storm is brewing.

One final thought. Most of the people lined up to sign the petition were grey haired. What does this tell us. 1. Bill Vanderzalm still has a large and loyal following (he is the former Provincial Premier who started this protest) 2. We should look to the wisdom of older more experienced citizens and if they see something sinister in the HST, perhaps there is something to pay attention to here. 3. Those grey hairs are living on fixed retirement incomes, mostly, and they know their consumer choices will decrease when the tax is enacted. They can no longer go out and earn extra money to make up for this added cost of living. It is a penalty on them, the folks who built this country. Shame on the tax collectors!

Bob and Mary (Back to the House Project)

While painting, in Williams Lake, for the first time in my life, I met two brothers, twins, who were the framers of the two buildings we were working in. A few years later, they introduced me to their sister, Mary, who was a single mom and needed some painting done. She lived in a very simple home. Then she met and married Bob. He and his brother owned a truck trailer manufacturing business and he moved her into this wonderful home on acreage and a green belt. They have been clients of mine ever since. I did extensive work in this house many years ago and then again when they renovated their master bedroom. Recently, they did an extensive makeover throughout the house and Bob asked me if I wanted to do the work. Naturally I did and put it on the calendar. A few weeks later, the economic recession hit. Bob was still going to do the renovation, but he asked that I share the contract with his brother-in-law who suddenly became unemployed and did have some experience painting. I told Bob that he did not have to feel obligated to me and I suggested he let his brother-in-law do the whole job. He had kids and a mortgage and needed the money more than I did. Bob was ever so grateful. Then last fall, Bob called me to do the outside doors and the shutters. In doing so, I got to see the inside. It was stunning. He had done some architectural changes and had truly transformed and up-dated the house. But, the paint job was atrocious. I said nothing. I am sure they know.
The setting of this house is ideal. The long driveway is off of a very quiet cul-de-sac and behind is a green ravine and forest. Only one neighbour is visible through a grove of Maple trees. In the front of the house, the sunny side, is a beautiful swimming pool. The back has a huge deck for entertaining, and a large grassy area for the kids. What a great house, and what great people.
I also painted for Mary's brothers, her mom and dad's house when it was newly constructed, and Bob's brother's house. All in the family, you know.

Random Okangan Spring Beauty

A rare calm day on Osoyoos Lake.

Storm clouds in the north. It was likely raining in Vernon.

It looked very menacing as it approached but we never once got rained on. The temperature was 23C, very nice indeed.

The Plum trees were in full bloom.

Peach blossom time.

Cherry blossoms. It should be a bumper crop. The birds will be happy about that.

The Lilacs were getting ready to break out. They were only a day or two behind the west coast Lilacs.

Oroville '10: The Project

As promised, here are the photos of the projects we undertook last weekend in Oroville. The blogger program is not letting me post photos in the order I want, today, so here is the mixed up version of what happened there. The above photo is the almost finished project of building new steps to the cabin. The old ones had been there for twenty years and were in bad need of replacing. It was more a safety issue than anything else.

The workers needed fuel and this was lunch on the first day, thanks to busylizzy, who actually was our chief cook and bottle washer for the whole weekend. She had the most important job of all but also cleaned the entire interior of the house as well as doing yard cleanup with her sister.

One of my projects was to install and paint new baseboards in the bathrooms.

Here are the two sisters picking leaves out of the groundcover. If this is not done, the mice will nest in there.

Herta was chief yard cleanup foreman. She gets a lot of practise on her own property and knew just what to do. I did a lot of raking of leaves and hauling leaves to the burn pile and realised how big a job this is after a fall and winter of leaves blowing in the wind and piling everywhere like snow drifts.

Mom just turned 80 but was working alongside us like one of the youngsters. Here she is scrubbing the tanic acid stains off of the sidewalk. The leaves sitting there all winter create black ugly stains.

There were four truckloads of tools, supplies, new beds, and personal belongings. Dad fired up his Kubota tractor and started mowing grass and tilling the garden. He is happiest on one of his driving machines.

Beach cleanup is always a big job. The winter storms bring a variety of flotsam and jetsam that needs to be raked together and burned.

This is what is left of our burn pile. We had the largest pile of leaves you have ever seen and had the great fortune of two days with no wind.

Here is Will doing some repairs on the fiberglass deck. After he put the resin patches on, I had the fun task of grinding down the the lumps with my belt sander.

Back to the main project, the stairs. Here Reiner and Ken are trying to figure out the angles and lengths. They did a great job even though they had completely forgotten their high school geometry. I give them credit for not once coming to blows.

Helping out the Washington lumber industry.

This was not an easy job, but like all projects in Oroville, we all use our talents and our pooled knowledge and resources, and manage somehow to have fun doing it.

Oroville '10 : The Trip

Last weekend was our annual Oroville work weekend. This year we decided that a few of us would go early to open the place as in the past it was always done by G & L and as a result few know what all is involved. G & L are aging and when they no longer travel, we will have to be able to do what they do. So, a month earlier than usual, we packed up the tools and some new beds and started out on a most beautiful day.

There was still snow in Manning Park, about as much as there usually is in May. This means that the snow pack this year is low and things will be dry. Even at the Lodge, where the altitude is high and it still looked very much like winter, the weather was balmy and the sun quite warm. The clear blue sky was fabulous!

As usual, we saw many Deer in the Princeton area.

We were in no hurry, so a little detour off the beaten track revealed this old cabin on a rocky ledge off in the distance. Telephoto lenses do not respect "NO TRESPASSING" signs.

The hills in the south Okanagan are bone dry all year, except for a few weeks in spring. Then there all manner of blossoms and colour.

This valley just west of Osoyoos is one of my favourite places in all of BC.

Oroville has its own Golf Course in the middle of the rocky desert. The contrasts are more stunning in the hot and dry summer months.

Sagebrush, pine, and rocks. But the air is fresh and invigorating and the fragrance of Saskatoon Berry blossoms is intoxicating.

The Samilkameen River east of Oroville. This is very interesting country with a rich history of agriculture, primitive transportation, irrigation, and mining. Here, in one photo, is a narrow dirt road, the river, and an old train road bed as it comes out of a tunnel under the mountain.

The little white fluff balls on the hill are blooming Saskatoon Berry bushes. The berries are ripe in June.

This is the road from the Nighthawk border station to Oroville.

This is a junction just south of Nighthawk border station, going left takes one to the backside of Oroville and taking the right fork will take one to Chesaw Wa. The road eventually joins up with Highway 97 at Tenasket Wa. and is a most interesting drive. It is a motorbike rider's dream ride.

Fresh spring blossoms among the cactus. This country is true desert and is part of the south Okanagan.

A half mile south of the Nighthawk USA/Canada border station. This station is open from 8 - 5 daily and one gets very personalised attention here. We took a chance and won. Even though we were totally loaded down with new beds and tools, all the guards wanted to see was what was under the hood. He only found an engine and promptly informed me. I expressed relief that I still had one and they sent us on our way.

These cattle get very curious when a motorist stops. I suppose it does not happen often. Tomorrow I will post the Oroville projects we got done this year.

Chinese Tudor

I have done much work on this street over the years and always admired this house as I drove by. Originally, it was beige with Tudor (very dark) Brown trim boards. I wondered for many years if I would ever have a chance to see the inside. It was vacant for a time, and the landscaping was neglected. Then it was sold to a Chinese fellow who owned a bowling alley. He painted the entire house pink, both the stucco and the trim, fortunately he did not paint the beautiful brick work. He never gave much consideration to the gardens either and they continued to deteriorate. Then I got the call. He needed some inside work done and would I come and take a look. I walked in the front door and was disappointed beyond belief. It was so poorly finished inside that I was sure a child had done it. It was falling apart and was pure ugliness. I did get the contract, to refinish the dilapidated oak kitchen cabinets, and the longer we worked there, the sooner I wanted to get out. From inside the house we could see the neglected and weed covered swimming pool. The garden was so overgrown with blackberry bushes that only a vague shape of its former glory was visible. The owner wanted more advice and more prices on various decorating options including wallpaper. It became clear that he had neither good taste, nor the budget to implement it. I walked away from it, disillusioned and sad. My dream house was a wreck.
Now, just a year later, someone saw the potential and has fixed it up, at least on the outside. I would be afraid to walk in the front door lest the ugly, wobbly stair rail is still there, not to mention the dog smells and the Chinese wallpaper.

Picky, Picky, Picky!

Quite frankly, I am surprised that there are blossoms lying randomly about on this lady's garden. It is out of character for her to have even one blade of grass out of place. This is a gorgeous house, inside and out, but it is a god. She is a cashier at a local grocery supermarket and her husband is a firefighter. Nothing is too good or too perfect for them. Knowing this, I took on the job with an attitude of utmost care and persnicketiness. (Her next door neighbour is a friend of mine, but that is not where she got my name. Friends do not do that to each other.) After using the best material and doing the best I knew how, I got a call back. Apparently, when the light was just right, and you stood in a certain position, and there was a full moon, and Jupiter was aligned with Mars, there was streaking showing up in the paint. I re-painted the wall in question and then walked away from the house, not wanting any more payment. I knew this was one I was not going to win. Very deep colours will streak because of the heavy pigment content and if the brushing and rolling are not all in the same direction, under certain circumstances there will be texture shading, but it goes away when the paint cures in about 5 weeks. I hope she found this out when she moved all her furniture away from the wall, the light was just right, she stood in the certain position, Jupiter ........ etc.

What's With These Dogs?

This is Paul's neighbour. He got my name from Paul. He and his wife are retired and their hobby is rescuing Grey Hound dogs from the race track. I do not like working in homes where there are dogs. Even if they are put out for the day, there is still the issue of odour and hair, everywhere. I was totally unfamiliar with Grey Hounds but got a really quick education. They are not the greatest pets so when the racing dogs are no longer good for the track, they are usually put down. There are those who have a soft spot for these kinds of dogs and rescue them, taking them home and trying to give them a good life. Grey Hounds are born and bred to run. It is their sole purpose in life. As a result, these folks bought this house with a long and narrow back yard on a Green Belt. They have it fenced high and strong and the dogs run in the yard, chewing it up with their high speed acceleration and claws. They are something to watch! When the lady of the house takes them for a walk, she has to be careful where she goes. When these dogs see something move quickly, even in their peripheral vision, they are off like a shot and there is no stopping them. Their owner has had two broken wrists and a separated shoulder when the dogs dragged her 25 yards down the forest path behind their property. Imagine what they are like inside the house. She keeps them upstairs and when the doorbell rings, they are off like a shot, down the steps, and eager to see if they can worm their way out of the door when the guests come in. It was during one such stampede down the stairs that one of the dogs wiped out and crashed head first into the wall. Many times. We could have the job if we knew how to repair that kind of damage. We did. I am sure there was similar damage the day after we left. Those dogs are crazy! But I really like these people.

The Dog

Paul is the son of a wealthy businessman who owns Duty Free stores. I wanted to take a photo of his dad's house, which I painted, but they live in a very exclusive area of town on a private drive and I did not feel comfortable trespassing on the property without an invitation. Paul has become his dad's business partner and bought this house. Because I was his dad's decorator, Paul called me to do the painting in his 'new' home. It had been badly neglected and by the looks of it, it would be again, because Paul had a rather large dog which he kept inside. It was a Ridgeback Hound, one of those dogs that they train to hunt Lions in Africa. This was a BIG dog. The big challenge here was painting around the monster fish tank, but a few days after we had completed the work, we got a call to come and re-do the Family Room. It seems Paul had the veterinarian clip the dogs ears and somehow the dog had managed to strip the bandages off of his ears. The wound was fresh and it started bleeding. The dog had been shaking its head violently, as dogs do, to get rid of the dripping blood. The walls were splattered from top to bottom in bright red. Thank you, little doggy, for the extra income.
I meet Paul at the local airport whenever we fly out of the country. He mans the temporary Duty Free store in the departure lounge. Nice guy.

Worth Buying?

In 1987 I had the privilege of getting to know a wonderful family who was new to our church. Ron is a dentist and his wife teaches piano. They have five wonderful children and needed a new home when they moved here from the big city. Ron called me one day and asked if I would come with him and his wife to see a house they were contemplating purchasing. It was sitting on of the nicest pieces of property in town, but the house was run down and had not been finished with a lot of quality. All that was needed was cosmetic changes and a new roof. I recommended he purchase it and a few weeks later they hired me to to do a complete makeover. I worked in that house for months and because the family had already moved in, I was shoulder to shoulder with them the whole time. We became family and today I am still getting my dentistry done at his clinic. His daughter, who was a teenager at the time, was my dentist for a time.
When the house was completely finished, they had all the sub trades in for a recognition party. What a time we had, telling stories and recalling all the challenges we had fixing an old house. The family had written a song about each worker there and sang it around the grand piano in the beautifully finished living room. There was lots of food and plenty of laughter as Ron is a real comedian. I still have a soft spot for that family and for that old house. I did go back a time later when they did a grand renovation in the kitchen and laundry area. The memories came flooding back, and I am sure they will never leave me.