First day of second grade

Garrett started second grade today. Yesterday was orientation, so he met his teacher and some of his other classmates. Drew will start preschool in a week.

Olympic National Park

We spent the first week in August exploring the north and northwest area of Olympic National Park. We spent six nights camping at Fairholm Campground at the west end of Lake Crescent. Each day we drove to a different area and went hiking. We visited the Sol Duc River valley, Hurricane Ridge, the South Fork of the Hoh, the Elwha River valley, and the Lake Crescent area. We had a great time and were lucky to have great weather the whole week. Below are links to some pictures we took.

Olympic Peninsula trip

Lover's Lane Loop Trail - Sol Duc Valley

Hurricane Ridge / Hurricane Hill

South Fork of the Hoh Trail

Geyser Valley Loop - Elwha River Valley

Marymere Falls

Old Sauk Trail hike

Postponed on Father's Day due to weather, we went hiking this Saturday. The weather was questionable in the morning, but I convinced the family it wouldn't rain. We went to the Old Sauk River trail just south of Darrington off Mountain Loop Highway. Most of the mountain trails were damaged in the severe weather last fall and winter, but this is a lowland trail which is still in good condition. Many of the trails we have enjoyed in the last two years are now closed and inaccessible for various storm related reasons. The Sauk River has caused some minor modifications in the trail's alignment in recent years. The trail leads towards the river from the trailhead and then follows the river with many river viewing locations along the way. Drew led most of the way excitedly calling out every time he could see the river. The boys tried salmonberries for the first time. They liked the orange berries and pointed out all the ripe ones along the trail. We found a geocache hidden in a stump just off the trail. We found a spot that had access down to the rivers edge to stop for a snack. While we were stopped a group of kayakers went by on the river. We also saw a pair of Harlequin ducks swimming and feeding nearby. It turned out to be a beautiful day with sun shining brightly on the water most of the hike. We stopped at the local grocery store in Darrington for a post hike ice cream snack on the way home. Click on picture below to see more.

Old Sauk Trail, June 23, 2007

Alta Lake Camping Trip

It's been awhile since I've posted, so I must not have done anything significant since I finished our master bathroom. Last weekend, Garrett and I went camping with Garrett's best friend, Kaelen, and his dad Mike at Alta Lake State Park (approx. 30 miles north of Chelan in central Washington). It was my first time visiting this park and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a very nice park and there was hardly anyone staying there last weekend. The highlight of the trip was hiking to the top of a bluff overlooking the lake. The top of the bluff is approximately 1000 feet above the campground. We capped off the weekend by watching Pirates of the Caribbean 3 in Leavenworth on the way home. We had so much fun, that we have decided to make it a yearly trip. Click on the picture below to see more photos.

Alta Lake, June 2007

Master Bathroom project COMPLETED

Finally, the master bathroom "remodel" is complete. After taking a couple of weekends off and finally finding a vanity, we have completed the project. The floor has been grouted for several weeks now. Last weekend we found out the vanity we wanted was not made in the finish we like best. The finish we liked second best was available for the vanity we wanted. We bought the matching mirror and storage cabinet last Saturday. I returned the other mirror and storage cabinet and bought the new vanity last Sunday. I replaced the old light switches and outlet. We installed the vanity and dry fit the counter top. Monday we attached the counter top, back splash, and side splash. Tuesday Kelly cut the base moulding. I hooked up the water to the faucet and drain to the sink. Kelly started staining the base moulding during the day on Wednesday and I applied the flexible grout next to the tub and transition at the door. Kelly finished staining the moulding on Thursday. We applied polyurethane to the moulding yesterday and I hung up the mirror. Today we finished everything off. We installed the moulding, adjusted the light fixture to be centered over mirror, reinstalled the toilet, hung up the storage cabinet, put the blinds back on the window, and hung the door back up. Now we can look at the bathroom and feel great about how it turned out. See for yourself below.

After Grouting

Before

After

Before

After

Master Bathroom project Part 2

The second weekend of the master bathroom project included laying out the tiles, measuring cuts, making cuts, and attaching the tiles with thinset. Yesterday with the help of my neighbor Tom, I laid out the tiles and measured where the cuts needed to be made. Tom showed me how to use his wet saw to cut the tiles and I made the cuts. It was a very wet process. Water sprays up from the blade and shoots directly back. It went pretty well and I set the cut tiles in place for a complete dry layout. Today Tom came back over and we mixed the thinset. Tom laid the first row of tiles against the bathtub. I took over and did the next two rows. Tom gave me a little break and set two more tiles. I finished setting the rest of the tiles. Next weekend I will apply the grout. We have ran into some problems with our new vanity. The one we picked out originally is discontinued and Home Depot hasn't got their new dark color one in and doesn't know when they will get it in. Last night, we got the mirror and a wall mounted storage cabinet to match the new dark color vanity, but we have to wait until they get the vanity in now.

Dry layout
(you can see white vinyl floor between tiles)

Dry Layout

Set Tile
(you can see gray thinset between the tiles)

Set Tile

Master Bathroom project

We picked the "remodel" of our master bathroom as our next project for the house. We are going to put in a tile floor and replace the vanity and countertop. I attended a Home Depot clinic on installing tile last weekend. Saturday we bought the tile, grout, thinset, and most everything we thought we would need for the floor. That night I started the demolition of the bathroom. The demo went pretty well, but I discovered the existing vinyl floor did not go under the vanity cabinet. I plan to put the tile thinset directly on the vinyl tile floor per the Home Depot expert's suggestion. When I took out the vanity and saw there was no vinyl underneath, I was a little worried. I ran to Home Depot this morning and asked the "expert" what he thought I should do. He didn't see it as that big of a deal and suggested that I apply some adhesive sealer to the particle board and then put the thinset directly on it when I set the tiles. So I payed $3.97 for the sealer and left the store happy. After I got back from the store, I consulted with my neighbor, Tom, who has installed tile in two of his bathrooms and we came up with a plan to tackle the tile next weekend. Tom learned about installing tile from the same Home Depot "expert" and he has all the tools for installing tile so I don't have to go buy a bunch of tools (like a wet saw for cutting tile). Before the Super Bowl I sanded the existing vinyl floor to roughen it up and applied the sealer to the particle board. Next weekend we will start to install the tiles.

Before Demo
Before Demo

After Demo

After Demo

Our new tile