So after a long while of fussing over the house decaying we're facing ... doing something about it? Doing a lot of things about it, in fact, almost all at once. The kitchen floor replacement has been the driving thing and the one that's precipitated a lot of the activity scheduled for the next ten days. That's still scheduled for, nominally, Monday through Thursday though from what I understand the latter two days are contingent. We'll hope so. I did ask my boss about working from home Wednesday in case, and he wants to see what things are like Tuesday.
The discovery that our kitchen counter was in bad shape drove us to a fast decision to replace the counter. This because we worried that we would also need to replace the cabinets, something best done at the same time the floor is re-tiled. This looks like it won't be necessary. The counter place --- recommended to us by the floor place as someone they work with and could coordinate things with --- didn't think it needs to be done with the floor refinishing, so, good. And they're going to arrange for a plumber to have the kitchen sink, hopefully, taken out for the work and set back in place.
Ah, but, taking the counter out will demand the removal of at least one row of our four-inch square backsplash tiles. The counter place recommended the floor place as the best folks to remove them, repair the wall, and --- if possible --- restore the tiles. But that's only possible if none of the tiles gets cracked, damaged, or lost in the work. It could be that somewhere in the house is the surplus from when the tiles were first installed, but good luck ever seeing those, ever. ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunnyhugger doesn't remember seeing them. So we might have to get a vinyl backsplash installed after all, replacing that bottom row. We'll see and hope that it's nothing so bad. Anyway they're scheduled to come in a week from Tuesday, when I should be in the office but bunnyhugger is scheduled to be home all day.
Also since our portable dishwasher, with its dirt-encrusted wheels, did so much damage to the old floor we have to do something about that. The answer is, obviously, change the wheels. That's a whole other story.
In a coincidental bit of business, our washing machine, the Speed Queen that laundromats choose for their never breaking down, needs repair. Most likely the belt needs replacement or tightening; it's not spinning right. I begged off a Tuesday appointment as I don't like the thought of dealing with both repairs in the kitchen and in the basement, especially as during that while we'll only be able to get to the basement by leaving the house through the front door and going in the side door. They could do Thursday afternoon, though, and while there's the risk of kitchen stuff still going on, I thought it was low enough to tolerate. We'll need the laundry anyway.
Also coincidentally we have the annual furnace inspection next Friday, so there's very little chance of our pet rabbit having uninterrupted quiet time for a while. I hope he doesn't get fussy. I also hope the kitchen floor guys don't dislike or worse, judge me for the satellite radio I listen to all day. I'll probably put on the 80s New Wave station, that'll be fine.
Anyway the last two days have been ones of cleaning out space in the basement, to move stuff from our kitchen and breakfast nook down there. I'm hoping to have time tomorrow to get the pantry shelves down there, and Sunday to close things out.
And now let's look at a couple things at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk:
Sign explaining the Ruth and Sohn 38 B Baritone Scale Band Organ, which the sign says has been at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk since 1911. Note the sign claims that you can get recordings of it at a gift shop near the Casino Arcade. This is no longer true and no one working at that shop or at the Arcade had ever heard of it.
Trying to photograph the whole of the band organ, but the protective glass means you get a halo of the carousel around it.
One side of the Ruth and Sohn band organ, showing how they've got bunches of cherubs all over the place.
The other side of the Ruth and Sohn band organ and yep, more cherubs playing drums and lutes. I believe one of them has an arm that's way off of the instrument, likely broken or disabled so it doesn't break further, but I'm not sure which from this picture. I should have taken a movie.
Dramatic action on the carousel! Well, someone dropped their hat? purse? something that looks kind of like a small mammal making a getaway, anyway.
Horse and chariot caught by the 'beautiful' light. I don't know why I didn't take all my pictures using that.
Trivia: In 1962 the United States' first enclosed urban shopping mall, the Midtown Plaza, opened in Rochester, New York. It had an interior ``town square'', and tunnels and skyways connecting it to existing towers, parking garages, and the new Midtown Tower, which had a hotel, restaurant, and offices. Source: Meet Me By The Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall, Alexandra Lange.
Currently Reading: Pogo Puce Stamp Catalog, Walt Kelly.
