Sanding, Vacuum, Sanding Some More

Well we were able to put in a couple of days of work over the weekend as the girls head back to UT for thier final five (5) weeks of undergraduate school.  Their graduation date is May 11th.

Brent spent a lot of time on Saturday sanding the second coat of mud and the applying the third coat.  JoLynn had a lot of fun vacuuming the dust and she was able to apply a prime coat on the column material.  We did head into Sevierville just before lunch to get a few things from Home Depot.  We also took a few detours to some thrift stores and did make a stop for groceries at Kroger.  On the way back to Blackbearry Ridge, we stop by a bakery in Wears Valley to sample their cakes and then placed an order for the girls graduation cake.

On Sunday, the third coat was sanded with a few items that required another coat, but the overall wall turned out great.  We also were able to apply three (3) finish coats on the columns and installed two (2) full columns on the stairway.

The work this weekend was hampered by rain which prevented Brent from cutting wood outside.  We do expect to apply the primer and two (2) finish coats on the wall this upcoming weekend along with painting all the stair risers and skirt boards.  JoLynn should be able to start staining the stair treads which should be installed over the final few weekends in April after all the finish painting is compete.

We can post any progress pictures this week because the camera was left at Blackbearry Ridge.

The first time (that we know about) that the "Beetle" and the "Spyder" enter the Smoky Mountains.

Jessica in her "bug".  Looks like she has her mp3 connected.

Jennifer about to head to UT in her Spyder.

Heading back to UT after successfully backing down the drive way.

The dogwood tree in front did not bloom as much as last year but it still is pretty.

A Spyder and Beetle

We headed over to Gatlinburg Friday afternoon too late to perform any sanding on the wall.  Saturday, we were able to sand the sheet rock and apply another coat.  Brent was able to face another beam on the stairwell and install the small amount of sheet rock on the side of the stair well that opens to the den.  Got up early Sunday and headed back early with the girls in tow.

We surprised them each with a convertible for their upcoming UT graduation on May 11, 2012.  Jennifer got an orange Mitsubishi Spyder and Jessica received a Volkswagen Beetle.  The were both surprised excited and appreciative.  We topped it off with each driving us to eat lunch at Pappadeauxs.

It was a great day.

Jessica's Beetle on the left and Jennifer's Spyder on the right.

Lunch, Dinner and Lunch - The Three Essentials

We did not head over to Gatlinburg this weekend to work for the first time in a while.  Instead, Becky and Tommy were dropped off by Rebecca and David for an overnighter.  We did make the most of it, that is in eating out.  After arriving on Saturday around noon, we wasted no time in heading over to a local restaurant Riccos World Kitchen for lunch.  Oyster poboys was the unanimous choice and it was a correct one.  These were great.

So after lunch, napping and shopping were on the menu as we prepared for dinner.  We headed to Mi Mis' which was a  new restaurant for us but one Becky and Tommy had eaten in before at Las Vegas.  The food was great and afterwards we headed over to Starbucks for some coffee.

Then after a full night sleep (minus one hour) we were prepared for the main event.  After David, Rebecca, Conley and Stella arrived, we loaded up headed over to Pappadeaux's.  As usual, the food was great and we had a good time.

It was great to take a break from the work at Blackbearry Ridge, but the work still needs to get done before the May 11th graduation date, so we will be back in action the upcoming weekend.

Good News - Bad News

The good news is that Jessica did not break and/or damage any ligaments in her ankle.  The bad news is that she does have a severe high ankle sprain and must wear a boot for one (1) month.

We have decided to take the weekend off and not work on Blackbearry Ridge this weekend.  We will have two (2) more weekends to work before heading down to Louisiana for the first week in April..

Jessica withering in pain........ha ha.  She was showing her acting skills in this photo, but she did get the boot.

The girls in their living room at UT.

Hitting The Wall

This was a rough weekend at The Ridge.  Brent was at meetings in Wyoming and did not return till late on Friday.  We dodge all the bad weather (tornadoes) on Friday night and made it to Gatlinburg around 10:00 pm.

Sleeping in is goes only as far as what Cookie allows so we were up and moving early.  We did manage to get all the sheet rock installed on the stair well wall, but we were too tired to tape and put the first coat of mud on Saturday night.  We did have a fire going all day and never left The Ridge.

We received a call Saturday night from Jennifer telling us that on returning from the UT basketball game, Jessica had fallen and had a very swollen ankle, which she could not put any weight on to walk.  So after they hobbled back to the apartment, a trip that night to the emergency room was on tap.  X-rays proved negative, but ligament damage was a high probability, so crutches and an appointment with an orthopedics were given.

Sunday morning we applied the tape and first coat of mud with a few pieces of trim.  After all the travel this week, Brent hit the wall and we decided to leave early and stop by Knoxville to check on Jessica.  The morning brought several snow showers  that were pretty constant throughout the morning did not leave anything but a dusting.

After spending some time in Knoxville with the girls we headed down south and made it back around 8:00 pm.  The pictures will show the progress made this week.

The last section of dry wall to install and the starting line for this weekend.

The "Little Giant" ladder has been very useful on the stairs.

The first two (2) pieces of dry wall are installed.

The tape and first of three coats of mud.

Oh boy.  We get to look forward to more sanding.

The four pieces of drywall went up fairly quick, but the amount of taping and mudding  seemed to never end.

Another shot of the canvas we will have to sand.

Some of the trim work has been installed along with more drywall on the left side of the stair well.

Jessica with her injured ankle and new crutches.  Her foot is not swollen she just got those big feet  from Grandmother.