The little matter of a junket to Tybee Island…

Later today, Reid hops a plane out of Chicago to his temporary work assignment in London.  His first day of work is Wednesday.  As any of us would, he’s looking forward to it, although I’m not sure if he’s looking more at the work or at London.  Probably both.

If the summer schedule plays out as it is currently scripted, the chance of me getting over there to visit this new expat are slim and none.  It’s just not in the cards.  Reid is over there for roughly two months and if his stint stretched into October or November, then it might be a different matter.  But it’s not.  I’m already committed to the Twin Cities to check up on Emma and her domain plus the Bridger Wilderness is set in stone, too.

The morning after we rode across the isthmus from Tybee Island to Savannah, we stopped along the Savannah River long enough to stretch our legs. Felicia deserved a few hours away from her workday grind. Moments after this shot was taken, we saddled up again. This time, up to Hilton Head on back roads.

Then there was the little matter of a junket for Felicia and me to Tybee Island, Georgia this past weekend.  She has worked long, tedious hours and she deserved a 27 hour getaway to this tiny little stretch of sand that is a great spot.  As she tells it, it has what Myrtle Beach and some of the over-commercialized ocean front tourist traps do not: a coziness that comes with a community scarcely a mile or two long (at the most), some beach bars that serve cold drinks, and two greasy spoon breakfast nooks worth the trip alone.  The price of admission to any of the spots we happened upon were flip flops and shorts.  We rode the Harley this time, and no Chamber of Commerce could have ordered any better weather.  We took the back road from Savannah to Hilton Head where a couple of cold beers washed away any road dust and made our lunch along the ocean taste a little better.

Ellen sent this photo with a one word caption: Chillin’. Already Emma is changing day by day. I see her next on July 13.

For those expecting one more photo of Emma, here is the little wonder with one of her first discernable smiles.  Her mom sent this at precisely the right time as her gramps slogged through a Friday work day worth forgetting.

Here is last week’s letter.  The letter to be written today will be mailed to Ellen and emailed to Reid in London (as his will be for the next 7 or 8 weeks).

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June 11, 2012

Ellen/Reid: Well, one would suppose this will be the last letter on paper you’ll receive for a while, Reid.  While you’re ‘over there’ I’ll send the notes by email attachment.  It will sort of be like when you went to Finland.  I’m looking into a short visit while you’re there, but there may be some things working against it.  Certainly the Olympics and all that revolves around it (higher prices, price gouging, etc., and that includes airline tickets) but it would sure be great fun to figure out how to make a four or five day visit work.  My passport is still valid for another year.  But never say never because this would be a once-in-a-lifetime situation to get over there to see you.  It’s all so exciting.  There will be so much ado about the Olympics, Wimbledon, the royal family, et al.  The ‘biometric appointment’ took me a little off guard but that’s just the way security is these days.  Just make sure you send us a lot of photos.  It might be fun to keep a short term journal of your adventure.

And Ellen, the picture of you and Emma at Home Depot is just hilarious.  A family shopping trip to a hardware store.  I laughed out loud at those little appendages dangling outside her kiddie harness or whatever it is you call it.  It’s too early for her to make decisions about the décor of her room but that time will come.  I have sprinkled her new photos around the townhome and will send a framed one to you that appears to be a duplicate.  We can’t wait to get up there on the 13^th of July.  We plan to stay at a B&B down on Grand.  Felicia correctly advises that it would be good for us to stay out of your hair.  One less stressor for you guys to deal with.

We head down to Tybee Island, Georgia on Friday for one night at a cheap hotel plus a few nice walks on the beach.  We’ll take the bike and cruise on down because it’s not too bad a jaunt.  Tybee Island is a smallish place just outside of Savannah and it doesn’t have the size and noise and distractions of a Myrtle Beach or some of the other island hot spots.  The little burg features one of the all time great greasy spoon breakfast spots where, if you’re not wearing flip flops, you’re out of place and conspicuously out of style.  You can tell Tim that it appears to be a redfish paradise, what with all the little fingerling inlets and such that push way inland.  I’d love to cast a line but there just won’t be enough time for it.  Felicia has to be back on Sunday so she can go to Shelby for Father’s Day.  Tybee is kind of a fall-back position because I’m still trying to get the time share thing figured out.  I have totally squandered that resource.  Totally wasted it.

Betsy got a new job at the bank.  Her other position might have been drawing to a close but she has landed on her feet and in a better spot.  She’ll start to work from home which will be a new experience for her.  I’ve assured her she will love it.

The weather is beginning to warm up here and before you know it we’ll be up to our necks in heat and sweat.  But the spring has been great here and there are no real complaints.  The weather may warm up but my golf game remains cold.  I’ve completely lost touch with the sport.  It would be the one thing I’d discourage Emma from taking up.  But there is some signs of success around here.  Finally, after years of trying without success, there are some eating sized tomatoes forming on the vine just outside the front porch.  And I’ve cleaned out the garage of rickety old shelving and other what-not so that looks better at long last.  There is plenty more to do around here.

Reid, the parting words are: stay in touch.  Let us know how your world turns in London and it would be wonderful to see photos of where you live, where you work and where you visit.  This is a great opportunity for you.  Don’t be surprised if your old man knocks on the door looking for a place to sleep, even if it’s the floor.  Have fun over there, kid.

Of renovated plumbing and new kitchens…

The road back hasn’t seemed all that long, and it’s time to move onward and upward with other family business.

Namely, Ellen and her hubby Tim are about to drop a bundle on a complete overhaul of the never-before-updated kitchen in their vintage 1920s bungalow in Minnesota.   I suppose it behooves me as a former Assoc. Press housing columnist who wrote on this very topic to offer some unsolicited advice to my daughter about how to go about the project.   In the event father doesn’t know best, however, I bought up a small pile of Better Homes and Gardens kitchen magazines to supplement the March 7, letter to Ellen.  You’ve seen the mid-week letter to Reid about his new gig, but in the best tradition of young men withholding information from their parents, as of last Monday we knew nothing of his new job offer.

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My friend Bonnie was first to pull my chain about my ever-faulty memory.  She caustically pointed out that the rolly-poly tin TV robot did not blurt out “Danger, Will Smith, danger!”  The actual alarm was “Danger, Will Robinson, danger!”  And now I can’t even remember the name of the show.  For her editorial candor, Bonnie gets a sleeve of NXTs.

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February 28, 2011

Ellen/Reid: I’ll spare you any more gore about the recent bladder thing other than to say that I really feel good.  Every now and then a jolt or road pothole reminds me where the epicenter of the action is, but I really do feel 1,000% better.  More energy every day although there is some danger of becoming a verifiable couch potato.  That’s summarizes my Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Reid, you win $25 for the guess closest to the actual amount of my medical expenses although it’s good you don’t make your living guessing weight at the state fair.  But in a lack of foresight, my checkbook is home and I am here.  But it will be sent to you.  If $__,000 doesn’t shiver your timbers, nothing will.  Of course, I have no qualms about the surgeon end of things, but beyond his instruments of healing, what on earth can cost so much if most of the time was spent to have 5 liter bags of saline replaced?  Was this liquid gold they were pumping through me?  With those kinds of rates, they could pay for a CT scanner in a week.  If you have to wonder why we could use Obama’s idea of health care, look no further than the first of three letters from my insurance company that states coverage of my malady is denied because the insurer is unable to “…determine whether or not the services are considered medically necessary under terms of the plan.”  In another lapse in accuracy, they have me as hospitalized for 13 days rather than a Tuesday through Friday.  I’ll forward all the correspondence to the Tea Partiers for their advice and counsel.  I’m sure glad they are looking out for the common person.

Ellen, the kitchen sounds fun, and will be an incredible upgrade for your little bungalow.  Upon looking at some industry stuff, your bid is still $3,000 – $5,000 too high.  You have a couple of different approaches.  Head to Lowes or Home Depot where they have free kitchen design services (if you buy some portion of your materials from them).  Or, go to the Better Homes and Gardens web site, BHG.com, and look at their kitchen design stuff.  Go to kitchenbathdesign.com (the industry trade group) for lots of good articles.  You might be able to get a rough design of the kitchen online.  But by no means should you feel rushed, or be rushed, into this. Remodeling magazine reports a “minor” kitchen remodel of $21,000 will have a $16,500 payback, which is not bad.  In your neighborhood it could be even higher.  You should spend some time in bath showrooms just to give yourself an inkling of what’s out there and what the options are.  Most contractors will install the lowest priced products they can unless you insist on higher grade materials.  Given the state of the economy, and the slow pace of renovations, you might be in a little bit better bargaining position.  One thought about the south window.  I think Jeld-Wen makes the best window by far.  Not by a little, but by a lot.

Ask contractors to break their bids into sections; demolition, installation, materials (by brand), and if you supply some of the materials such as flooring or sink/cabinet hardware.  It could be Tim could handle – carefully – the heavy work of tearing things out.  I saved about $5,000 – about one-third or more of the overall cost – of the bath re-do by tearing the bath down to the studs.  I would also do a contract which stipulates when the contractor(s) get paid, which typically is not in advance but as work is completed.  That will help you manage your money.

So Reid, are you on pins and needles about NYC?  They’ll drag their feet as long as they can so I suspect there’s no reason to get your shorts bunched up about it.  It’ll happen when it happens.  You’ve still got a pretty good thing going, and that’s always a plus.  I’m gonna sign off for now and try to figure out how to build bookmarks and hyperlinks into a 40+ page document that the geeks around here don’t want to touch with a 10 foot pole.  As they said on a long-ago TV show: “Danger, Will Smith, danger!”  Substitute my name for Will Smith.