Other people may have been outside enjoying their summer vacation, but this summer has been all about fixing stuff. Doors and water heaters. Cleaning. Getting rid of junk. The last seasonally lovely pictures I took were at the very beginning of the month at Roaring Dam.

Roaring Dam

Since then, we’ve been home fixing stuff, or Garry was in New York — fixing stuff in his parents old house. Other than Roaring Dam, there have been no landscapes. I may get a few before the month is out, but I’m not holding my breath.

The actual installation of the long-awaited door gives me a sense of completion. With a little bit of luck, we’ll be in good shape to get through the winter and hopefully survive the drenching rains from the hurricane on its way up the coast.

Not painted and before the doggy door was added, but it’s up.

It went well. In a rare moment of do-it-yourself home repairs, the project went pretty  much perfectly from start to finish. All the work Owen did when he installed the previous door — ten years ago — remained in good shape. Damp, but not rotted. The door had rotted, but the frame was solid and square. Which meant that they could put the door in without a crisis.

I really like the new door. There’s more glass and I can actually look outside through it and see something. It’s simple and suits the house.

The supervisor checks to make sure it’s being done right

Building the new front door

Looking out, much better light

It was still a lot of work. Big, heavy door to remove, even bigger, heavier door to install. Nails and screws and moving the lock and door handle. Shims. Flashing. Insulation. Some green stuff that is designed to kill every living thing that could invade a piece of wood.

The doggy door had to be installed too. I was worried it wouldn’t be big enough. This, despite the fact that every website that deals with dog doors assured me that this is the right size door. We’ve had a really huge dog door for years, so it looked puny in comparison.

Adjustments

It is fine, as it turns out. Once it was installed, Duke looked at it and immediately went out. Bonnie refused to try it and Gibbs sat in front of it, hitting it with his paw, but refused to use it. Finally, Owen pushed him through it, after which he went back out and came in for dinner. After dinner, both Scottish Terriers went out, then sat outside, in front of the door, whining. I believe this was a complaint indicating they would like their old dog door back. Please.

Obviously, this is not going to happen, but they are good at registering complaints. Garry thinks they are merely messing with our heads. Another thing they are very good at.

Don’t forget the dogs

They really liked the hours when the door wasn’t there at all. The “no door” solution suited them. I think they would have been very happy had we left it that way. I could certainly understand their point of view. Unfortunately, the hornets, flies, and mosquitoes — and who knows what else — also liked the “no door” scenario. It’s going to take a while to clear out the strange flying things in the house.

Orange begonias on the deck

I took pictures. Garry was continuing the clean-up of the guest room while I was tending to the door-in-progress. While the guys were out getting other supplies, I joined Garry. Cleaned all the dolls, which was easier than I expected. I was reminded I had cleaned them more recently than I realized. I also remembered to use plain, white vinegar as a doll cleanser. Which is good because all the other cleaning supplies are somewhere. I’m not sure where. Maybe in the trunk in the bedroom, which last I knew contains wigs and cords for restringing aging hard plastic dolls from the 1940s through 1960s. More or less my entire collection.

Tired Duke, taking a breather.

Garry managed to get the rug in the room clean. It’s a miracle. I never expected it to look that good again. If only I could get the horrible dark pink paint off the walls, too.

One thing at a time. We’ve got other work to do in the meantime.

Please visit Max — Cardinal Guzman  — and take a look at all the other wonderful photographs of the season! 

The Changing Seasons is a Monthly Photo Challenge started by CardinalGuzman.wordpress.com.

Categories: #DamsAndWaterfalls, #gallery, #Photography, Blackstone Valley, Home

Tags: #MonthlyPhotoChallenge, #Photography, #TheChangingSeasons, architecture, construction, Door, Roaring Dam, The Changing Seasons