Today was our variance hearing, where we made our case for extending the rear corner of the house backward six feet.
This time I was the one out of town, and Jean had quite the adventure getting to the hearing on time. Highlights included: running out of gas, coasting into a gas station, someone shouting that she was loosing fluids under the car as she drove along the road… Hopefully Jean will find some time and write about it.
Anyway, our variance was granted. Hurray!
Our favorite place to spend the Summer is Lansing, Iowa.
This year was especially nice because my mom came up with us for a week. The girls went to various camps, including Stella and Ellie’s favorite: Horsemanship Camp.
Kicking Back at Horse Camp
Greta got her learner’s permit, so we spent several hours together on the road. We spent time with friends in Minneapolis and spent a day canoeing with friends in Minnesota. And most important: lots and lots of time with family.
On the Mississippi
Today we met the last of the builders we were considering, John. John came recommended by Bonnie, which means a lot. We were very happy to squeeze in a meeting with him before leaving town to make our way up to Iowa for a few weeks.
Finally got the RV back, fixed up and repaired. We are definitely planning to live in it during the renovation. Now we just have to figure out how to pull it off.
Tonight was our hearing with the Historic Commission of DeKalb County. This is where we must get our “Certificate of Appropriateness” in order to proceed with renovation. Jean is out of town. Thankfully, Bonnie agreed to attend the meeting with me. We felt we were well prepared for the hearing, but you just never know how things will go. I was terrified.
When our turn came, we stepped up to the podium, stated our case for what we want to do with the house and why, and answered questions for a while. Our COA was approved and now we can get started!
Bonnie snapped the photo below so we could text the result to Jean:
We are approved!
We will be meeting builders for the next week or two in hopes of finding the right match for our project.
Our lot is long and thin and our house was built closer to one side boundary than is allowed, so we need to get a variance to modify that side of the house. Today we submitted all the application materials. Our variance hearing will be in July.
I am always looking for ways to incorporate exercise into my life, but this may be one of the most ridiculous ways I have found yet: converting our old shuffleboard court into gravel with a sledgehammer. We plan to park the RV on a gravel pad in the backyard, and we have an old shuffleboard court which needs to be removed; so, concrete + sledgehammer = exercise, right?
Today two friends came over to help with the smashing, and we worked together for quite a while. I think they quickly realized the exercise-to-accomplishment ratio is pretty low, so I expect it will be just me from now on.
Today we submitted our application to the DeKalb County Historic Commission for our “Certificate of Appropriateness” (COA). We went with Bonnie to meet with the Historic Commission representative, show him our renovation design, and ask many questions about what is likely to be approved and what is not. Now we make the final adjustments to our plans and turn in all the application materials. Our hearing will be in two weeks.
The morning of May 24 was one of those moments when life takes a brief unexpected turn. This was the first official day of Summer Break. Greta and Stella made big plans to spend a long weekend with their mom and had departed the previous evening. Ellie had been invited to go to Florida for a week with close friends. Our friends came to pick up Ellie that morning and, I think to their surprise as well as ours, invited Ana along as well. She was overjoyed to go, and Jean and I found ourselves without kids for an entire weekend for the first time since our honeymoon.
The Three Puttputteers in Florida
We debated what to do with our weekend: an impromptu trip to New York City? a quiet weekend in a mountain cabin?
After exploring these and many other possibilities, we decided to stay home and pack up the house together. Music was played, good meals were eaten, naps were taken, and many, many boxes were filled.