Pittsboro, NC

 I know, I'm not keeping up with the blog!!

We're doin' stuff....just not all that photogenic.....

I spent more time than I care to mention planning our "winter escape" trip to Panama.  We'll be there 6 weeks and hopefully get to experience a lot of different environments.....Panama City, the canal, rainforest areas, old volcanic areas, beaches and the islands of Bocas Del Toro.  I've got more than 30 hikes mapped out.  We'll see how many we're able to do!

The leaves are falling faster than Duane can keep them at bay.  We're just now getting our first taste of temps in the 30's at night.  No frost yet though. 

Lots of chores, nice to be able to take our time with things.  The new pavement has a few cracks in it.  We had hoped to have it professionally sealed like you see in parking lots, but the contractor couldn't fit us in before the leaves started falling.   (Apparently you can't put the tarry black sealant down effectively if there are leaves falling all over it.  That will have to wait for the spring.  In the meantime, we bought some sealant at Lowe's and spent a good while putting the sealant on anything that looked suspect.  We didn't want any damage due to freezing/thawing this winter.

We're still waiting on our concrete contractor to re-do the front sidewalk....he is now promising that he will appear next Wednesday.  Stay tuned, hope he is true to his word!

To take advantage of the sidewalk work, Duane has made a form for a concrete pad that will eventually allow us to put stairs up to the side of the deck.  Not a current project but will happen at some point. 

 Duane has busted up a good bit of the sidewalk adjacent to the house by hand (meaning a sledgehammer).  He dug out all the areas on the foundation and re-sealed them with tar to make sure they remain waterproof for another 30 years.

 

 

The busted concrete is waiting on the contractor to show up with his crew and dumptruck.  The contractor will undoubtedly make quick work of busting up all of the remaining sidewalk. 

 

Another chore is that a good bit of the mortar had gotten crumbly behind the stairway.  Duane chisled it all out and will soon re-do that area.

 

And a chore that took a bit of time - the porch swing that Robert made for us many years ago had gotten rotten on one end.  To the point that it wouldn't be safe for anyone to use it.  So Duane sawed off the entire  left side and completely rebuilt it.  Then, of course, it required a couple of coats of paint.

And a big thank you to neighbors Pat and Diane for bringing over a spare Christmas tree for me!  We're hosting my family's Christmas party in December this year and I don't have a tree anymore.  Diane has a few so was happy to lend me one.  I know it's early but I need to get the house in order for guests!

 

 

Pittsboro, NC

 Fun to catch up with good friends!

 

Pittsboro, NC

 It's just a lovely time of year!  We are enjoying the beautiful trees and the mild weather.  We've been rushing around to head south for so many years, we didn't really remember how lovely the fall is here.

Just driving down the road is enjoyable.

 

Even the view from our side window at the house is lovely.  Of course, I'll probably complain incessantly once the inevitable cold weather strikes!

 

Pittsboro, NC

 Hard to believe it's November already!  Kinda weird not to be rushing south to warmer weather though.....

We did enjoy a couple of trick-or-treaters last night!  First time in over 25 years.  Two of our neighborhood families have kids and we arranged ahead of time that I would be armed with a bowl of candy!  We had a nice chat with mom & dad.  Sweet kids.  We did have another pre-teen girl come as Hermione from Harry Potter.  She didn't want a photo so I respected that, of course!  Good fun - Duane & I had to indulge in the leftover candy while we watched the new Scary Movie....haha, not so scary. 

 

Pittsboro, NC

 Our neighbor was out testing out a repair on their old car....drove by our place to say hello…..

 

 Looks beautiful with the fall backdrop.

 

They're getting ready to haul it to Hilton Head for a car show.  Carolyn, are you guys going to that one???  If so, hope you can find the Whites and tell them we said hey.

Mills River, NC

We made a trip to the mountains....beautiful weather.  The trees are starting to show some fall color.  The view from my mom's house.

Mom and I she's looking and feeling good.

She hosted a little cookout for everyone available....good fun, sorry for the awkward picnic photo.

We attended the memorial service for my ex-sis-in-law then went over to Duane's mom's house for a visit.  

The view from Duane's mom's house.  His mom is doing well also.

 

 The next day, we had another pizza get-together when my sweet sis had arrived....my sis and Mom.

Sweet nephew and his wife.

My brother and his wife being a bit silly.

 Then next morning,  they took me for a nice drive around the countryside to look at some roads I hadn't driven in years.  Pretty fall colors.  We didn't get out of the car, just had a nice drive-about.

 

A few dirt roads in the Pisgah National Forest.

 

The church where we were married....now it's used as a meeting room for the much more modern church building next door.

 A nice long weekend!

 

Pittsboro, NC

 The weather has finally turned chilly and windy.  Really feeling like fall now.....

Time to do our early voting trek....

The only tent and greeters were the blue ones.....the red one was missing in action for some reason.

 

No line at the door this time, we walked right into the voting area.

 

Duty done!  Hope my fellow citizens are doing the same!

 

Pittsoro, NC

 We are having some of the most glorious early fall weather!!  Leaves are falling, temperature is warm and sky is lovely.

 

Pittsboro, NC

 Duane has the foundation all sealed up and prepped for the new sidewalk.  Unfortunately, the contractor says it may be another week or two before he gets to our project....now we hope the hurricane doesn't dump tons of water on us!

 

Pittsboro, NC

 Nothing much happening....just beautiful normal fall weather kind of days.  We went out to eat with son Robert last night and had a nice visit....

And today was mammography day.  Oh what fun!  The dreaded torture machine!!

 Less than 2 hours later I got an email stating that all was well with the girls and I'm to report back for a normal screening in one year.   Yay!

Pittsboro, NC

 Its time for a long overdue house project.   The front sidewalk is uneven and sunk in a few places.  Its almost 30 years old....not exactly  sure why it's misbehaving  but we plan to have a contractor rip it up and replace it.  If we get another 30 years out of it, we'll  consider it a good deal and we won't worry past 30 years!

The stairway looks OK but it's actually rickety and rotten in places. Time for a replacement. 

First step is removal, this project will take a few weeks. 

The old steps will be demolished and taken to the dump (it's pressure treated wood so we won't burn it due to the toxins).

Messy business!  Duane is going to dig out around the foundation  and re-seal the concrete blocks with thick tar as it is somewhat compromised  there. No leaks into the basement  now but want to keep it that way.

So, we will be without a front entrance  for a few weeks!

Pittsboro, NC

 We've had this old NCDOT dump truck since the boys were tiny....it belonged to my dad....we traded with him for an old ski boat back in the late 1980's.  (I can't remember why he wanted the ski boat because I'm not sure he ever even used it...)

 

The dump truck was used frequently for minor/major earthmoving projects at both our original house in New Hill and then here at Pittsboro.  Literally hundreds of loads of dirt were moved over the years both on our property and some neighbor's.  Duane even turned it over on it's side in a muddy gully on our property.  He was unharmed but it scared me to death to see the bottom of the truck in plain sight!  Ah, the memories. 

Several years ago, Richard decided he wanted to refurbish it so it got moved inside and to the corner of the hangar.  Those plans eventually were let go....and there it has been, collecting dust and in the way.  It's not really worth much, it's a 1972 model with no brakes and 50 year old tires.  Time for it to get out of our way!

I called the local tow guy - destination the metal scrap yard.

Out the driveway....seems weird knowing it's soon to be gone forever after all these years!

 

On the scale at the scrap yard.

And the yard made really quick work of it.  It was demolished in just a few minutes!  End of an era!