Often identified as giant mosquitoes, these gentle giants are not mosquitoes at all. They are crane flies and are harmless. Measuring 3 inches in length and width it is unclear how it managed to sneak into the house. I am guessing it was unrelated to Jeanine’s penchant for leaving the front door ajar while going outside for short periods 😉

After much research, I purchased a new flat-screen TV today for our 2-person home theater. It will replace a 21-year-old Sony that is starting to show its age. It will be delivered next week. Rather than try to sell a set of this vintage, I will probably move it to the basement and use it as the monitor for our video surveillance system.

For years, I have noticed an interesting house located high above the Cambridge Reservoir. Although there are several houses in the area, this is the only one visible from Rt 2. I decided to put the drone up for a closer look and was impressed with many of the architectural features that I observed. The two-story quarter-round, window-faced rooms are particularly interesting. Also very cool is the observation deck that extends well over the hillside. Whenever I take such a photo, I am careful to keep my distance so as not to encroach on anyone’s privacy.

When building my router table, I purchased this dust collection cabinet for the underside. It arrived slightly damaged. Two of the corners were bent during shipping. I contacted the company and they immediately sent me a replacement (great customer service). This morning, I bent the corners back into shape. It is not perfect and the paint flaked off but it sold in no time when I listed it on Facebook Market for a highly discounted price.

Funkademic is a Rhode Island-based band playing funk, soul, pop, and R&B on period-correct instruments. Founded at Brown University in 2019 by professors and members of staff. Jeanine and I traveled to Providence, Rhode Island for an outdoor concert on the grounds of the John Brown House Museum. We enjoyed a picnic dinner with our good friends Alex and Lou Ann ending the evening with a visit to Prospect Terrace which offers a commanding view of the downtown area. The illuminated spires belong to the very first Baptist church built in America.

When selling a house in Massachusetts, you must obtain a Certificate of Compliance from the fire department confirming that all smoke and CO alarms are less than ten years old, in working order, and interconnected with each other. When the inspector arrived at the Road House, he identified two units that were not compliant. Fortunately, he offered to come back in an hour and retest giving me enough time to drive to Home Depot, pick up replacements, return, and install them. Had he not been so accommodating, I would have had to schedule a second visit (minimum two-week booking delay) and pay an additional $50 inspection fee. Given that the fire department forced me to locate our backup batteries in the garage despite evidence demonstrating that they would be safer in the basement where I originally planned to install them, I was not expecting much lenience and was very thankful for it.

Of all the decisions required when building a new house, the choice of a light fixture for the dining table was the most difficult for Jeanine and I to agree on. I insisted on certain functional requirements; LED based, CRI > 95, sufficiently bright diffused light, and compatible with our dimmers. Jeanine wanted something unique and in keeping with the serene theme of the great room. I wanted a fixture that would not compete with or block views of the river. Jeanine wanted enough interest to be a focal point when it was dark outside. We finally settled on the pictured light. In addition to meeting our combined requirements it scored several bonus points. The shade is made of felt which helps dampen the otherwise very bright sound in the room, it has an organic form which matches the furnishings in our living area and the color is a match for our sofa.

Maya and I shared a bittersweet moment as we bid farewell to the Tiny House we built together during the summer after she graduated from high school. It is a project and time together we will never forget. She imagined she would one day live in the tiny house but as is often the case, life happened. After college, she started a great job in Sommerville sharing an apartment with three of her high school friends. Within walking distance of work and in the heart of Davis Square, it is hard to imagine a more ideal place to live for a young person. She and Kyle briefly considered buying some land and setting the tiny house up as an AirB&B. In the end, however, I think Maya choose wisely to sell it. The prodeeds of the sale represent the sweat equity she invested in the project and will no doubt contribute to the purchase of a future home.

Jeanine returned from Maine after enjoying a two-day visit and dodging the near-continuous rain we have had here while she was away. I have been disinclined to take any trips until the Tiny House is picked up, the Road House sale is wrapped up, and we get our Letter of Compliance from the Natural Resource Commission. With any luck, this may all be done by early September.

Having recently completed a trapezoidal base for the coffee table to match a side table in the living room, I used scrap bamboo lumber to build an additional three boxes. Making the first one of something new is always the most difficult. You have to figure out how to machine the pieces and often need to build jigs to facilitate the work. With two already under my belt, I made short work of these three. Not sure exactly how they will be used so I made them of varying sizes. The larger one would make for a nice footrest while the two smaller ones might make nice plant stands. Next on my list of woodworking projects are side tables for the seating in our two-person home theater. I am still working out the design details and have yet to settle on one which I like.

Jeanine traveled to Maine today to spend a few days with a friend and shared this photo of the local seals. It sounds like she is having a great time. On the home front, Maya and I wrapped up the sale of the Tiny House and prepared it to be towed to its new home in Rhode Island. Regrettably, the company hired to tow it to its new destination reported that their truck was experiencing a mechanical issue and had to reschedule pickup for Sunday. While I am sure Maya is relieved to have sold the Tiny House, I can only imagine that she also feels a sense of sadness having spent so much time planning and working on it. Although I share in that sadness, my attachment to the Tiny House was never about what we built but rather the time I spent with Maya while doing the work. Over the course of that summer, I watched her grow from a youngster with big “tiny” ideas, into a highly capable home builder. I felt so connected to her as we simultaneously arrived at the same solutions to. the challenges we encountered. I felt such pride and joy each time she mastered a new skill relegating me from teacher to assistant.

Several months ago, I built the legs for a glass oval coffee table top. Neither Jeanine nor I were fans of the proportions. Today, I built a second version based on a suggestion from Jeanine to mimic the style of a side table I had built using bamboo. Although I have been generally glued to coverage of the Paris Olympics this week, I have little interest in watching basketball and used those intervals to complete the new base.

Today, proved to be quite eventful. Due to heavy rain throughout the day, the pickup of the Tiny House was postponed. Weather permitting we are now scheduled for Thursday.

Just ahead of a dinner party with my oldest friend, Tom Metzold and his lovely wife Karen, we received and accepted an offer on the Road House. We purchased the house almost three years ago as a base of operations while building the River House. It proved to be a much better decision than renting during that construction period both financially and from a comfort point of view.

The prospective new owners lived in a house just 500 feet away for 13 years and we are pleased that they will be returning to the neighborhood. The closing is scheduled for September 9th.

This Common Sandpiper has been feeding near the shoreline in front of our house for several weeks. The level of the Sudbury River has been getting lower throughout the summer months exposing more of the river bank and creating a larger buffet area for our little visitor.

We received an offer on the River House today from a local couple and expect another from a family relocating from Piscataway, NJ. We have set a deadline of 6 PM tomorrow for “best and final” offers and will make our decision once we have all the paperwork in hand. Fingers crossed.

Jeanine and I did a little yard work today before tuning in to the Olympics. The Open House hosted yesterday by Jeanine has produced two interested parties that have expressed interest in making offers. The timing could not be better with the Tiny House being picked up on Tuesday by its new owner. We are also expecting a visit from a Concord Natural Resource Commission representative this week to confirm that we have satisfied the requirements to secure our Certificate of Compliance on the River House.