Summertime, and the living is.....

Not easy.

After leaving Guatemala, we returned to Texas where we finished ( sort of ) the renovation of a cottage in Austin. I always wanted to do a reno, even had it on the bucket list.......what the HELL was I thinking. Definitely a case of ignorance is bliss.

We found an old house ( actually shack would be better description ) very close to downtown Austin last winter. It's a city we like, lots of walking, biking, great food and music. We could settle there if we wanted off the boat. But the whole renter thing isn't something we wanted to do, and we are not even remotely thinking of coming off the boat. Luckily, we had kids (future tenants!) graduating school who wanted to stay downtown Austin. So, the reconstruction began in January. By email and occasional calls we got a lot done thru our contractor, but as it got closer to habitable, there were way to many decisions to make from Guatemala. So in June we came back.

BEFORE ..

Turns out actually finishing the renovation was painfully drawn out. We spent two solid months in Austin (thanks Bailey and Nevin!) and finally left in early August with no cabinets in the kitchen or bath, construction mess everywhere, and the end nowhere in sight. We decamped for cooler climates in Mass, and left the cabinet guy working hard.

A million small, "don't worry, we will fix it before the final" comments from our contractor later, we might be finished this week. Still no bathroom vanity (the cabinet guy is STILL working on it) but there is an end in sight finally. And don't even get us started on " estimates" morphed along the way. Seems doing a renovation is like an onion. For every layer you uncover, new "unexpected" things are found which have a profound impact on the bottom line. Oh well, it's really almost done. Our tenants are settled in, and it seems to have turned out really well. We get to actually see it in a few weeks when we return to Texas before departing for Guatemala.

..AFTER (well, close-to-after)

The road trip from Texas was long and tiring. The only highlight was a far too brief stop in Detroit to see Royce's sister, Allegra. Arriving in Mass we decided we weren't going anywhere for a month, then turned right around and went up to Vinalhaven, Maine to visit our good friends Sue and Marty at their camp. Warm days, swimming in the quarry, sea kayaking, amazing sunsets, and lobster galore. Couldn't have asked for a better break.

Returning to Royalston we help to host a large family gathering which was wonderful, and the following weekend celebrated the 250th anniversary of the town. The three day event included music, helicopter rides, and the best fireworks I've ever seen with front row seating in a local field.

It's quieter now, and we are recuperating. The nights are decidedly chilly, leaves are beginning to change and we are back into jeans. First time for that in a year :)  Reading, walking and just enjoying the peace of Royalston. Recharging as I think of it. And in a few weeks, we will need all the batteries at full as we leave for NYC, DC, and then onto Texas. And finally home to Cerca Trova at the end of October.