SAN DIEGO HOME 2006 PAGE #2
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After
a long process of looking at 5 different brands of Jacuzzis, we decided
on a CATALINA XL21000
with 2 recliners (and 3 regular seats) that has 62 jets.The day
before Thanksgiving, it was delivered, the electrical work completed,
and the 380 gallons of water added.
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Unfortunately,
while we had ordered all STAINLESS STEEL jets, it was shipped with regular
black plastic jets and it will take a couple of weeks to get the replacement
jets. |
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We
ordered a replacement 3-piece cover with a hydraulic lifter to have
sufficient overhead room to clear our patio beams. Also, we decided
to get an expanded 5-foot set of steps to replace these smaller 3-foot
steps in this photo. |
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The
day after Thanksgiving, Dave (our friend from Newport Beach, CA) came
down to help test it out. Dave had owned one of the original 'hot tubs'
with only 4 water jets back in the 1970's and agreed this spa was a
quantum leap up in functionality! |
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Of
course, one of the first things which Lena realized after the spa was
delivered was that she was going to have to eliminate or change a number
of her potted plants and hanging plants that had overtaken the patio...something
is going to have to go! |
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Steve's
'artistic' photos of Burano (an island near Venice which we visited
on our 2005 European trip) came back from the framer and we were impressed
with the final result. [Steve
had used Photoshop to modify this original image to end up with the
framed version.] |
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While
this 'thumbnail' is our porcelain Goebel cat, it is linked to the 2nd
'artistic' framed Burano photo which hangs over our fireplace. [This
is the original Burano photo.] |
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We
had not seen Tamara for quite some time and were very pleased to have
her and her friend, Marina, stop by for a visit in mid-January. Tamara,
who is from Moscow, is now living in La Jolla. |
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Marina is also from Moscow, has lived here for 15 years, and has worked
as a real estate agent for the last several years in San Diego. She
immediately fell in love with our ragdoll cat, Kesha! |
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Since
our home was built in 1987 (and we had noticed a number of other homes
being tented for termite fumigation over the previous few years), we
were not surprised to learn that we needed to have this work done. |
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In
that we wanted to have any required structural repair work completed
before we had the exterior of the house painted, this was the first
work to be done. While it was a pain in the ass to have to double-bag
all food (including the refrigerator-freezer) and pills... |
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...and
to find a home for ourselves and our pets for two nights, the actual
termite fumigation was successfully completed in early FEB 2006 with
a minimum of hassle and inconvenience. |
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Of
course, after the termite fumigation, the next major project in FEB
2006 was to get the entire outside of the house painted. While Steve
had painted all the wooden trim himself in 1995, these sections badly
needed repainting after 10 years. |
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The
stucco, however, was original from when it was built in 1987, but, surprisingly,
it had held up amazingly well.
This project (involving about 5 workers) required only four days and
Steve could not help but remember how it had taken him about 8-10 days
to paint only the trim in 1995! |
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While
we kept the brown and off-white colors which had been originally
applied to the house, the difference in appearance was quite impressive
after they had sprayed the house and trim. We were very pleased with
the job and hope that it will hold up for another 10 years! |
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The
next phase of home repair in March 2006 was to replace a section of
termite and water-damaged plywood underneath the roof which had been
noted during the termite inspection prior to the tenting and fumigation
of the house. |
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We
were somewhat surprised to learn that the extent of the plywood to be
replaced was almost 4 x 12 feet and that the roof had deteriorated to
the point where a person walking on this section could have fallen through
the roof! Worse, we discovered this problem
had occurred because
the house... |
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...was
constructed without the required metal flashing around the vent pipe!
In addition to this major section, there were other required repairs
to the metal flashings and seals around the various vent pipes to prevent
future leaks and to bring the roof construction up to city code. |
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Finally,
we learned that more than 80 of the original concrete roofing tiles
had been broken by either the workers who tented the house for fumigation
and/or the workers who had been up on the roof to do the painting the
previous month. Sigh.....!!!! |
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Our
last major home-improvement project was the resurfacing of our driveway,
front walk/porch, and the rear patio area in MAR 2006. The contractor,
Dave Schultz, cleaned the concrete and then applied an epoxy base. In
this photo he is shooting new concrete texture... |
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...and
then using a trowel to 'knockdown' the texture in preparation for applying
various shades of decorative colors as part of the resurfacing project. |
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In
this shot Dave is spraying different color coats to the knockdown texture.
(Dave had previously hand-stamped and artistically repaired all of the
old cracks in our driveway in the area on which he is currently standing
by using his own specifically-tailored design and texture to hide the
cracks.) |
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Prior
to a final clear coat and application of aluminum oxide (to prevent
slipping), Dave hand-painted all the 'cracks' in both his hand-stamped
and textured sections of the concrete. |
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The
end result was quite impressive. Lena could not help but sit and admire
how well the four foot 'hand-stamped' section on the lower part of the
driveway (the right side of the photo) had completely repaired and covered
the multitude of cracks that had originally existed in the driveway. |
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This
is a closer look at the 'hand-stamping' section which Dave Schultz had
artistically created to cover the original cracks in the concrete. |
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We
are both very pleased with how this resurfacing project has improved
the overall outside appearance to the front of our home. |
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Dave
was able to complete the rear patio area in less time than the driveway
because there was no 'hand-stamping' to be done in this area. |
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After
the job was completed, Lena sat on our jacuzzi to admire the 'new look'
of the patio area. |
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This
photo better depicts the resurfacing colors and texture that were sprayed
on the entire patio area as well as the hand-drawn 'cracks' that Dave
had painted into the surface as part of his decor package. |
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Lena
realizes that she should now replant many of the hanging and potted
plants on the patio to help showcase the improved look of the area,
but....
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...told
me that the replanting and other minor jobs in the rear area of the
house could wait until after we took a jacuzzi and relaxed for a few
days! |
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We
had gotten our first Goebel 'cat' by Rosina Wachtmeister during our
European trip in 2005. We added to our collection during our 2006
Panama cruise when we aquired a plate and a 'cat & dog' statue.
Our favorite, however, is Wachtmeister's largest 2006 centerpiece....the
19 inch tall "BRUNO" which Lena got for Valetine's Day in
2007.
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As
one gets older, one's eyes tend to weaken. With this thought in mind,
Steve had decided in May of 2006 that he needed a LARGER TV and decided
to get a Panasonic 50 inch plasma HDTV (and new cabinet) to replace
our old 30 inch TV.
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Similar
thinking had also convinced him that he should get a DELL 24 inch flat
monitor to go with his new Dual Core 2.3 GHz Power Mac G5. Lena, in
turn, got the older Power Mac Dual Processor 1.25GHz computer (along
with an upgrade to a new 20 inch DELL flat panel monitor for
Valetine's Day in 2007).
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