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Friday, July 15, 2011

Kitchen, Chips, Lake Photo-shoot, The Week That Was

KITCHEN:
On site photos of my kitchen design installation in progress.

The space will be finished in two weeks. I'm waiting on the granite, the back-splash and the cabinetry hardware. The custom fabricated cabinetry, a natural maple, came out lovely. I especially like the cathedral graining in the front panel of the hood housing. The existing floor will be stained two to three shades darker, which will provide a nice contrast. It's been slow going with this one. My client was otherwise occupied finishing up a Masters degree. The project is perking now though.



GOOD & PLENTY, CHIPS, A DRAWING, AN EXORCISM


My son called to congratulate me on jumping in the lake and set me straight:

"Mom, you can tell everybody it was the guy not knowing how to use the camera, but you know you've put on a few pounds," said my brutally truthful trained son .

"Calling to cheer me up are you?" I said.

"No, just don't think anybody believed that malarkey about it being the camera's fault."

Never one to hold back, the kid was right. Though cameras do add ten pounds--it wasn't the camera lens that made me look wide. It was Good & Plenty, Barbecued potato chips, and let's not forget the Arimidex, a charming pill that gets rid of all the estrogen in your body, makes your joints arthritic and increases your weight ten to twenty five pounds while increasing your chances of surviving your bout with the big C. Survival being number one on my Bucket List and jumping in the lake, number three, (right after visiting the Great Wall, Evelyn). I admit a heavier set woman was seen emerging victorious from the deep--and as soon as she rang off from her son, she was also seen setting up her stash for a commemorative still life. Where the cave men drew bison on their walls in hopes of hunting down a feast, I drew my feast to exorcise my weakness. I had to draw fast; the Good & Plenty were going fast, the exorcism was going slow.

LAKE PHOTO-SHOOT


Was up at the crack of dawn. It was too early for coffee and suduko, but over the trees, a sunrise was promising. I set the Nikon L120 on Dusk/Dawn and headed for the conquered lake to wait for it.
It never came. Instead a light haze blew in bringing a sprinkle. Of the thirty shots I took, handshake from being new at handling the camera was a problem. I had nothing to lean on to brace,so more photoshoots like this one should be planned. Also, the chore of keeping a larger lens surface clean has come back into my life. I need to pack lens wipes, dust blower and lens cleaner in my case. The lilly pads looked paint worthy;I was sorry I missed them blooming--do lilly pads have a bloom period?






HAVE A TERRIFIC WEEKEND. DRIVE SAFE.

18 comments:

  1. BTW is that cherry wood? I had all wood in the last house.. never again.. the maintenance is horrid.. granted its not the wood that is used today.. I had oak wood floors where I had to wax and oil them every so often... Is this the trend of what people want in kitchens now? Out here its granite counters, tile floors.. haven't seen wood in a long time..
    btw, the camera may have some bearing on your photos, but I still think its the one using the camera.. love the perspective of the deck to the lake and the silhouette of the trees u captured... I think maybe a new camera gave u a new eye to things!. :-) Hope u frame a few of those photos- they're worthy of a frame.

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  2. my bad! you mention 'maple'... dang, that was what my hubby wanted in the old house....i had oak floors would maple cabinets compliment an oak floor??

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  3. That kitchen installation looks really good!! Excellent job. As for the camera, I think you are handling it wonderfully....the photos are 100% in my book.

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  4. Thanks for your comment on the photos. Going down to the lake on a photo-shoot was fun this morning after a week of finalizing kitchen plans.

    That floor is oak--the oak that the builder put in. I hate the finish--too shiny--too plastic looking. But we're refinishing it two to three shades darker than the cabinets. Wood floors are big here. They're warmer and easier on the feet than ceramic tile. The countertops for this kitchen will be granite. They've done the templates and the countertop will go in next week. There's a lot of it. The back splash goes in after the granite. It's tumbled marble with bronze metal insets. There's a tile lay change under the hood sectioned off with mitered crown pieces. More metal insets will break that design up. It's going to look terrific if the client doesn't make any last minute changes. I'll show you when it's done.

    The floor is natural oak in my kitchen. I'm going to stain it coffee/with just a tad of cream when we re-sand--which should be next year. the floor is twelve years old--but it has five layers of polyurethane on it so it's wearing pretty good.

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  5. Amusing post. Enjoyed it. :)
    The kitchen's looking great. So are your photos - love your lake photos. Especially the first of the lot - a semi abstract photo with great composition.

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  6. Also, the trend seems to be black wood floors.. Are u familiar w/ Restoration Hardware? I've seen homes that have the all white cabinetry and the black wood floors, which I think is different.. kinda shappy chic look.. I like contrast in a kitchen as well as any room.. different textures, color, no matchy furniture gives a room character...

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  7. Thank you Ann. I'm doing okay with the camera, but it still doesn't feel at home in my hands, which is to be expected I suppose. It's only a week old.

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  8. Evelyn, your comment means a lot to me. I find your photographic work outstanding. Thank you!

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  9. Black--or near black--is popular here too with off white cabinetry. But that style wouldn't have suited this client. I suggested we make the island a dark cherry or mahogany and use a different, but coordinating granite on it. The kitchen is big enough to mix it up. I also would have liked some pendents, (down lighting) over the island--Merano glass, artisan glass, etc. But she wanted to keep it simple.

    Yes, I know Restoration Hardware. We have a few stores here and have done business with them.

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  11. LW-

    Great kitchen. Stunning, bright and functional.

    Continue to enjoy living. Embrace it all and tell folks you eat G & P and chips for medicinal purposes. It usually stalls 'em for a minute or two.

    I'm Southeastern PA and the waterlilies are just blooming now, which is in season. I zoomed in on your photos and see buds. They should be blooming any day now. Also check back in stronger daylight. They close up shop for the night.

    Nanina

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  12. Sorry--I messed up the previous message.

    I cure my camera shakes by using the timer. I set it on 2 seconds; that eliminates the need to press the shutter when I actually take the photo.

    Nice lily pads.

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  13. Greetings LW. Roth,

    I have been known to inhale a bag of Good and Plenty ever now and then because i have a need to fill, only to go on a diet the next day feeling guilty.

    The kitchen is a nice large space with plenty of room and I agree that staining the floor darker will also help with how it all fits together and give some depth to the area.

    The lake pictures are wonderful though the water looks cold.

    Wishing you all the best,
    Egmont

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  14. Nanina, I wouldn't give up an occasional pig-out with GP or chips ever. I've given up enough of my vices that I'll hold on to a bit of sugar and salt every now and then. I would like give up the damn pill though, but protocol and survival rates are not to be taken lightly.
    The water lilies were blooming yesterday and I got it: they close at night and open when the sun hits them. Gorgeous.

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  15. Excellent thinking Hallie! I was also trying out the Dusk/Dawn setting and pushing the telescopic range. My trip to the lake really was a new camera excursion. It takes a couple of weeks to feel at ease and learn what you can and can't do. I love the experimenting.

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  16. You guessed it Egmont. That's exactly what happened. Pig-out one day, remorseful dieting the next. I suspect I'll stay on that merry-go-round--but I also suspect I'll be leaving myself out of photographs at those times.

    Thanks for your compliments on the kitchen. It is a very sizable space and it's coming along nicely--but slowly. Client has a life that gets in the way.

    --on the contrary, the water was a lovely eighty two degrees. I was very surprised when I jumped in.

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  17. Love the kitchen! It is looking beautiful- and those lake photos are awesome! I have also been getting the hang of a new camera, and while I am only beginning, I really love the photos and they are improving.
    I also love your sketch- very fun and colorful!

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  18. Thanks Mermaid. It does take time to get adjusted and to be able to make the adjustments quickly since photo ops keep moving at such a fast pace.Sketching is all I feel like doing this summer. Take it easy and enjoy your move. It'll happen.

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