Lightning speed

We went on vacation, got back, and we're hell-bent on finishing the bathroom QUICK so we can get on to the kitchen, which has become too hideous to bear (also we stopped worrying about things like, oh, mopping the floor since it will soon be trash). So, here's the update on massive progress on the bathroom, which is oh-so-close to done.

1. Teak floor: it's in, we posted a pic before we left, but it looks so cool here's another:

2. The toilet - it's in and functional! Hallelujah, we can pee again (well, upstairs). Our most fond memory of operation: toilet was the day we shut off all water to the house, then went out for fast food for lunch so we could wash our hands and use the facilities. Hee, hee! Thanks to the big box store for ordering a very closely matching pink toilet seat with chrome hinges, an absolute must to replace the old Elvis toilet seat I loved so dearly. Cool found item: old insulated dairy delivery box works great as a magazine holder, courtesy of mom & dad J. Thanks!

3. Finished tiling. ALL THE TILE. Every last tile. This was a big accomplishment, since laying tile has been my side job since February. Most days after work and on the weekends...I had to make the donuts (I mean, lay the tile.)

4. Plumbed the tub. Yay for Ebay, otherwise we couldn't afford new tub fixtures. What are they, made of gold? Jeez!

5. Laid the last piece of granite on the tub wall. We were working late into the evening, and had all the thinset perfectly laid; Ken was just lowering the granite onto the mortar bed when - bam! Power outage! Whole neighborhood (or city?). So we did it by flashlight. Classic. Luckily the power went back on right after we were done. Of course.

6. The radiator. Ken turned our upstairs hall into a temporary spray booth so we could paint the radiator without hauling downstairs (which, frankly, wasn't really possible. I could deadlift my half but couldn't move anywhere with it, so we had to engineer tricks to get it off the dolly to put it in.) Note the blue tarp - I mean, taaahp, the sign of a true Maine restoration. It looks fabulous, though. Hooray for white paint (wait, did I say that? I'll be cursing it again soon when finishing stripping the trim.)

And all the while, Henry spent his time doing this on the porch...we keep telling him to get a job, but he can't seem to escape the cool vintage-modern furniture I collect at yardsales (no comments, bungalow purists).