Thursday, December 31, 2009

Friday Hometown Shootout -- Construction

In the words of Obama, let me be perfectly (pause) clear.  I am a dunce at construction.  In fact, if Karen were doing this post, she would put in a picture of me because I am her best construction project.  In 1988, when we were first married, she began talking about buying a house. I was negative about it, having rented all of my life. I argued the advantage of renting was that if anything went wrong you called the landlord to fix it.  But I agreed that we could buy a house as long as she never expected me to be anything resembling a "handyman."


 

This is me a year later.  I was about to start painting and had just finished spackling the walls to prepare them.  Two hours before this picture was taken, I had never heard of "spackle."  I am looking at the paint brush and thinking, "What the heck have I got myself into."

Two decades later, I have -- with great reluctance and heel dragging -- installed ceiling fans, dishwashers, disposal units, gutters, electric wiring, plumbing, and insulation.  I have dug trenches and installed irrigation systems.  I am still muttering, "What the heck have I got myself into."   Yes, I have been Karen's best construction project.


Although I didn't do too well with building treehouses.


Come to think of it, I didn't do too well with the disposal unit either.

But moving along...when I first thought about this post and the theme of "construction," I didn't think I would have much.  I was thinking typical hard-hat construction stuff.



 

 

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But there is also construction on a smaller scale:


I'll never forget this amazing Zapotek Indian woman I met when I was fortunate enought to be part of a government exhange program in Oaxaca, Mexico.

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Or the sand sculptors below at the Isle of Palms summer sand sculpture competition.





And that, for the moment, is that...I've got to go now and replace a tire on the lawn mower.   Happy New Year!


25 comments:

  1. Oh yes, the hat was given to me several years ago on father's day...it is proof that my handyman skills have been dragged out of me. I wear it when I go to Lowes or other hardware stores because it gets me exceptionally patient service.

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  2. Now we know Karen didn't marry you to have a handyman around the house. She married you to keep her laughing all the time. Happy New Year to you and all your loved ones.
    QMM

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  3. Great. Glad to see your talents! I have some cracks in a few walls that need spackling, a few electrical switches that seem to go to nowhere, and a fireplace thermostat that does not work. What day next week are you free?

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  4. I am very lucky. My husband is extremely handy. His dad was too and taught him so much. We rarely call anyone to build or repair anything. Our sons couldn't have cared less about learning. I think our daughter knows more. One of the boys just bought a house. He's never called so much in his life...but I will say....he is learning....and he says he likes it!

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  5. Way to go, Karen!

    I just love that last shot of the hard-hat zone, and the look of the woman with her clay jug.

    Have a wonderful year!

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  6. The photo of the digger bucket(or whatever you call it)and the woman's hand in the clay are beautiful. You certainly have an eye for detail, never mind about a talent for DIY!

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  7. Such wonderful photos! I liked the digger bucket and the sandcastle. Great shoot out. Happy New Year!

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  8. Another excellent post, B&B!
    Happy New Year!
    ~AM

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  9. Over here it's much easier to just outsource the works to the professional at a fees.My husband is a handyman at home but definitely not at home renovations, just wiring and repairing electrical appliances. I'm glad that my younger son has also inherit his 'tools' now.

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  10. Love the hat! I'd say you must be a successful (If reluctant) handyman or we would have been amused by stories of your cock-ups. I love that last shot - some construction requires delicate action.

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  11. Happy New Year Mark - Looking forward to hearing what the 3 of you get up to this coming year!

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  12. Lawnmower? I look outside and all I see is white, so no mowing needed... As usual I walk away with a smile...hubby on this end is useless with a hammer; unless I am ready to throw in the towel...

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  13. I like your argument for renting, it's why we've always rented. I can manage small household repairs but my husband is only permitted to pass me tools - he's not allowed to use them, for good reason and our friends are aware that he cooks and I tinker.

    Our next door neighbour called our house in a panic one Sunday morning, she heard hammering and, thinking I was at church, assumed Geoff had the hammer. She knew this would not be a good thing. She was quite relieved when I answered the phone. My leather golf shoes needed to be softened up after getting very wet and drying very hard. I was "softening" them with a rubber mallet. And it worked!

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  14. busy hands are happy hands.
    behind every good man is a better woman.
    we enjoy doing what we do well (?)
    great post Mark.

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  15. Hey don't knock that treehouse project--it looks amazing! Asymmetry is very in. And the drippy sand castle is super-cool. Great shots, all.

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  16. May the mantra ," ALL IS WELL" work wonders for you in 2010
    and you have some fantabulous times in 2010
    and may all your dreams converts into reality, success becomes a routine and happiness becomes a habit in the days to come
    HAPPY NEW YEAR
    My motto for every year
    have a merry time making new year resolutions and a merrier time breaking them
    enjoy

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  17. You've turned construction into a work of art Mark. Those construction site photos were excellent.

    Have a Happy New Year. I hope your 2010 is the year ever!

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  18. Love these photos. I especially loved the woman making the pot and the hand with dripping sand. Hope you have a wonderful New Year!

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  19. I loved it! Creativity sparks construction. Your wifes creativity, your construction. Thanks for the smile today!

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  20. great shoot out!! love the sand sculpture shots.

    happy new year!!

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  21. First off thanks for sharing your photos with very informative details. Happy New Year 2010!

    There's always learning in anything especially in construction. It made ya become the best construction project.

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  22. Our handyman skills are confined to super glue and sometimes wood glue.

    Love the photos, especially the building interior.

    The man on the ladder is quite a looker. Wink. Wink.

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  23. I love the shot of the house under construction - such an interesting photograph. My husband and I have been hunting around for our first house...I'm trying to figure out how much elbow grease I'm willing to put into a new place :)

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  24. Your DIY skills sound to be about the same as mine. [No, that's a lie. I couldn't build a treehouse or install a garbage disposal if my life depended on it.] But isn't that why we have duct tape?

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