It's a Mailbox!

Our kids, Ian and Katie, gave us a wonderful and very thoughtful Christmas gift - a mailbox for the new house!  It was a huge surprise.  They noticed that the mailbox was not yet specified in the house plans.  So, they researched contemporary mailboxes online and found this one, made in New Zealand.  They worked with our brother-in-law, Don, a postal clerk at the Boulder post office, to confirm it met all USPS  requirements.  After unwrapping the base post, Dave guessed it was an umbrella and Mary guessed it was a birdhouse.  We were thrilled when we opened the second package to discover this beautiful mailbox, complete with the numbers, "500." 

From Out House to Yours...

Decorative Block and Sun Shade

This past week, the masons were onsite laying the decorative block near the main entrance.  The weather was variable and a few days were too cold for the mortar.  Also, the framing crew returned and installed the sun shade above the main deck at the rear of the house.  The deck faces west so it will get a lot of direct sun in the summer.  The shade will help keep the deck and great room cool.  It is architecturally interesting, too.

HUGE Milestone

Our family achieved a huge milestone this weekend, when our daughter Katie graduated from the University of Colorado.  She completed a double major in French and International Studies.  Katie is planning to spend some time abroad in the next couple of years. 

Way to go, Katie.  We love you and are so proud of you!

All About Flooring

 Work this week was devoted to installing the entire wood flooring and continued installation of the tile.  Here's a picture of the tile in the front entrance.

Wood Flooring and Tile

After completing the plastering of the drywall over the weekend, the installation of the wood floor started on Friday.  It is gorgeous - 6" wide planks of white oak from Coleman, WI.  Also, our tile contractor started installing the floor and bathroom tile.  He will be onsite for 2-3 weeks.   

Final Stucco

The final coat of stucco was applied last week and we can now see the final look of the house colors.  The grey stucco coloring was more taupe than we expected but it looks very good with the wood siding.