Visitor from the Canadian West

A couple of weeks ago there was a tweet on Facebook that someone from Alberta was coming to Brockville, Ontario to visit a relative. We scrambled around with our calendar to see if we could make a visit with us happen. Usually we're wide open but the last couple of weeks with the flooring going in and preparing for my sister to arrive this coming weekend and my cousin coming from England to see us it's been a busy time. That on top of doctor's visits and my bum shoulder. Anyway, today was the day!

The visitor is Brenda Brown. I had no idea she had relatives within about 40 minutes from our house. We chatted back and forth about her coming to us or us going to her. We decided that Gordon and I would go to Brockville. Arrangements were made for us to pick her up at her nephew's house.

After picking her up we headed west on the Thousand Islands Parkway to Gananoque. Picked up some coffee and water at Timmie's and went to the park. Here are Brenda and I at the St. Lawrence River.

We spent an enjoyable couple of hours together, then dropped her back at her nephew's place and headed for home.

Although we've known each other through the rv-dreams chatroom, Facebook and one brief meeting in Kerrville, TX in 2009 it was great to get to know her better. She says next time JB is coming with her! Hope to see both of them soon!

New Floors

Since Tuesday of last week we've had a contractor here from shortly after 8 a.m. to sometimes as late as 7:30 p.m. installing new floors in our kitchen, dining room and bathroom and putting in new stairs to the back door.

We had looked at flooring at Rona (our Canadian Home Depot), gotten the quote and found that the contractor was able to start right away. He thought it would take 4 days. So far it's been 5 1/2 days and there are still a few things left to do. I have to say he's done a beautiful job.

We decided to go with vinyl. It has changed so much over the years. This is sheet vinyl and he managed to use one piece to do the kitchen and dining room so there are no cuts. It looks like wood and feels like wood with the texture of the flooring. I love it!

While he was doing the bathroom we decided to get a new toilet since the old one had been leaking and despite a couple of supposed fixes, it didn't stop leaking. Now we have a brand new toilet but elected to keep our wooden toilet seat.

Here are some photos:

This is the old dining room floor prior to our moving in - ugly cheap laminate, impossible to clean without showing marks

This was under the laminate

New floors-one piece through dining room and kitchen

Bullnose goes all around the railing and steps

Old steps were covered in the same laminate as the floor and they were cracking

New steps hand made by our contractor

Kitchen floor when we moved in (up until Tues)

Old linoleum under ugly blue tile

You can see the new kitchen flooring above in the dining room photo.

The bathroom had old white linoleum, not properly cut.

Our house had baseboards but no quarter round so we now have lots of quarter round. Looks great!

Next- basement windows
After that - Kitchen counter, granite composite sink and taps