Weekend Warrior

I am actually writing another post in the same month! It's a miracle! I didn't think I'd keep up with this.
I've been doing a lot of work around the house since I moved in back in June. My latest project is the filthy, mildewed half bath. After giving it a thorough scrubbing, I repainted it last weekend with some mildew resistant paint. I only painted the stucco, but I may paint the paneling in the future. Yesterday I started in on the flooring. I can't stand carpet in a bathroom, and in this case it was twice as bad because of the dampness of the area. I tore out the carpet and revealed a beautiful splotchy green paint over grey sealant that I had to scrub down and remove all of the loose paint. I got most of the tile down until I ran out. I have to wait for Lowe's to get in their next shipment this week since I bought the last of what they had. I guess everyone is going for the Armstrong Italia Palazzo vinyl tiles. hehe.
Not much else has been going on. Just project around the house and a lot of cooking. I've been eating healthier for the past three weeks and I've managed to lose a few pounds. I've also been watching a lot ofAlton Brown on Food Network. (Which seems to satisfy my cravings for fattening foods.He doesn't seem to know the meaning of the phrase "low fat".) If you haven't had the chance to see Feasting on Asphalt, make time for it. I am a lover of road food and all of the diners, dives and roadhouses they visit make me want to hit the road! I think next weekend I'm going to have have to take a mystery road trip. Just hop in the car and pick a direction, stopping wherever looks interesting.
Anyway, enjoy the pics of my projects and my beautiful kitties.

Laurel Caverns and Fallingwater

Hello everyone! I decided to start this blog because Kevin got me started reading his. I'm not very good at emailing everyone about what's going on in my world so maybe this will suffice. (As long as I keep up with it!)
Anyhoo, I just got back yesterday from visting my mom and I took a daytrip to Laurel Caverns and Fallingwater. Laurel Caverns is PA's largest cave and I trudged up and down a good bit of it on Friday morning. The cave reaches down 450 feet into the mountain through passages over three miles long. I was lucky enough to be the only person on the trip other than the guide, so I really got to see a lot. Climbing over massive rockfalls and squeezing through a few tight spots, we worked our way throught the caves. There are a lot of high ceilings in Laurel and a couple of small streams that wind through, so it wasn't always hard going. But the 35 degree inclines were definitely tiring! My guide, Ben, had been doing the lower caving tour for 8 years so he knew every nook and crannie. And of course there were the amusing names for various formations and rooms. The "Post Office" was so named due to the abundance of early graffiti with names and addresses, and even some phone numbers. We squeezed our way out of there through the "Mail Slot" and onto the deeper portions.
Even though the caves are 58 degrees, you get rather toasty climbing around, so I took an opportunity to belly crawl through a tube where the stream cut through so I could cool off. The water temp was about 42 and felt wonderful. On the way back we went through part of the lighted tour area where Ben re-enacted a scene from The Matrix on one of the more extreme slopes. (when I get the pics developed I'll put them up. I had to take a cheap disposable camera on the trip because it's not a good environment for a digital!)
Three hours and who knows how many miles later, we re-emerged from the cave. Wet and covered in clay and sand, very tired, but very happy!
After much Gatorade and a cremesicle, I decided I needed to visit Fallingwater since it was nearby. I grabbed some lunch at a local mini market and headed toward Ohiopyle State Park. I definitely need to go back there some day. As I drove through, I saw groups of people getting ready to go whitewater rafting and it just loloks like a beautiful park.But my destination was just beyond it.
If you don't already know, Fallingwater is one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous buildings. It's built directly over a waterfall and it is without a doubt the most ingenious structure built in the 20th century. If I ever win the lottery, I am going to get someone to reproduce the place for me in a similar setting. Everything is just as it was when the original owners lived there. The built in furnishings and artwork are untouched. From the time I arrived at the visitors center until the tour was done, I felt transported back in time. I personally love the arts and crafts style of home and Fallingwater is loaded with exquisite craftsmanship. And you feel so tied to nature even as you are standing in the middle of the house. I think my favorite feature was a sliding horizontal door in the living room that opened to stairs leading down to the creek.
Well, I've got to get back to some projects around the house. I'll write more later about how things are going with the new apartment an job!