A working vacation

I am on a one week 'working vacation'. A time to relax, pull out the hammer and saw and build things! No I am not finishing my office, but I have been basically the entire rest of the house while i work on that huge project and, besides, I got sidetracked when my mother-in-law's house got flooded back in May...

My brothers-in-law and I tore down the bottom half of all the walls in her basement (Why, oh why did she have so much sheet-rock down there?) and are replacing them with good ole plywood and, in the more finished parts, wainscot panel. It's taken all summer, and my home projects have suffered accordingly.

Dad came over today (thanks Dad!) and helped me put up a new bookcase in the hallway into our master bed room. Fun work that really took only a day. Now I just have to prime and paint. Tomorrow I do a few odd things and maybe get back into the office for a bit. Thursday, Dad comes over again and we build cubbies for the front hall. My wife has been clamoring for cubbies and the boxes of books have been clamoring for shelf space for a lot longer. Friday will be dedicated mainly to painting and cleaning up.

I write software for a living, and I guess I find a similar joy in the craftsmanship of woodworking. What I think I like most is the sense of accomplishment when a substantial project is done and done well - especially, if it comes together just they way I planned it.