The Renovations Begin!

The week of October 3-10, 2009 we started the renovations to the house. It was a little overwhelming at first with so much to do and so little time. We traveled on the 3rd and stayed with my brother Dave and his wife Gayle the first night in Kennebunk. My daughter Cody joined us. We had a wonderful dinner at Allison's in Kennebunkport and went to bed early to be able to have an early start on Sunday.

Sunday was the day we moved everything from Kennebunk that the family had donated for furniture to get us started. We also went on a spending spree to get the basic supplies needed for another home. My brother, Dave, was quite entertained watching us spend money like crazy. Usually you do this over many months but we had one day. It was wild but we bought everything from dishes and beds to screw drivers, hammers and hard hats. We made it to Rutherford Island by 4 p.m. My brother, Dave, and his wife, Gayle, helped us unload all the supplies and then we celebrated the beginning of the adventure! Gayle planted some of my favorite flowers from her garden so in the spring we would have beautiful flowers. Thank you Gayle!

Monday started the beginning of the renovation process. We met many contractors and decided many things that day. Our biggest challenge was not having hot water, which we were able to resolve on Tuesday afternoon. Boy did that first shower feel good. Possibly the best I have ever had!

My brother Steve and his family came up on Tuesday and helped us take down ceilings and strip more than 100 years worth of wallpaper. I have kept samples of the wallpaper to keep as a historical record of the house. Thanks Steve, Liz and Will. Below are the pictures from the week of long days and hard work. "Working on a Dream".

Cousins at work!

It had been a long time since I had seen Fall colors and they were spectacular!

Our new neighbors, Ronnie and Thelma House, brought us 5 boiled lobsters with butter on Thursday night. Ronnie's son is a lobsterman. They were wonderful and after a hard days work, greatly appreciated.