Mr. Benjamin
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| Mr. Benjamin, himself. |
We have the pleasure to welcome Benjamin Lindor, coming in at # 10 in the Laprade grandchildren department. Benjamin is the latest in daughter Amy and husband Vance's brood. He is their 7th child and no that was not a typo. Mom and the handsome little gentleman are doing fine. We did a little math and figured that if all 5 of our kids followed their big sisters example we would have 35 of those little suckers running around. Why, they might be able to support us in the manner that we would like to become accustomed to!
OK, back to the real world. I need another drink. Just sayin.
Show and Tell
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| And so it begins.... |
It would be an understatement to say that our taste in music run on opposite sides of the aisles. My considerable musical sophistication simply precludes me from being able to work with the likes of Perry Como or Tchaikovsky because to me, it sounds like music to commit suicide by.
The goal this go around was to put 1 measly little bedroom together. Might not sound like much, but when you consider that we started with a rough concrete box with no power or plumbing and the floor torn out, we had a way to go. The irony was that as you know, we rent our homes out when we are away and this room was added to the mix. We had 8 couples planning on staying in this room this summer when we started working on it in February. They, of course had no idea that it looked like this when they booked it.
OK then, let's have a peek at some before and after pics of our now complete master bedroom en-suite.
OK then, let's have a peek at some before and after pics of our now complete master bedroom en-suite.
Shower, anyone?
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| Wannabe toilet |
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| After |
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| Bedroom to be (before) |
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| As good as it's going to get |
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| Before |
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| After |
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| Of course, this is what it's all about. |
This now makes the property a 3 (usable) bedroom villa with 2 more to go after they are completed next year. Currently, those 2 are in the same state as the one we started with this year but do not have their own en-suite bathrooms.
As long as we were at it, we thought we would spiff up some of the finished rooms a little also. Just before we moved here from Brittany, we happened upon a wall treatment that blew us away. We immediately scoured the country for the manufacturer and a source to obtain the product. As luck would have it, it was available in nearby Cannes.
As many things we do, it is clearly not for everyone. In fact, it may well not be for anyone -but us. Anyway, it allowed us to make it a real 'feature' in a couple of rooms, spread out throughout the upper and lower villa to have a thread of continuity without going nuts and overdoing it. This product may look like paint in the pictures but it is most decidedly not. It is 2 coats of a stone black product mixed with real iron flakes and metal powder over a special undercoat sealer on a very smooth wall.
The next 4 coats are a rust developer. This is where the magic happens. That's right, a special chemical sprayed on the wall causes a reaction that causes the iron flakes and powder to rust before your eyes. This is followed by 4 coats of a special enhancer to give it a satiny look. That's it! A mere 11 coats and voila!!!
You may wonder why I write that we didn't go nuts but all three rooms show the treatment. That is because the product has a very short shelf life (days) and these were the 3 rooms we worked on this season. On the whole, they are pretty spread out.
The seaside restaurant in the bay low us just got finished with a $1.5 million renovation. It's amazing what cool stuff you can do with money. Nice upgrade to the neighborhood.
In our considerable amount of free time, we had some company this month. First, Ian dropped by overnight after taking Lyne and her daughter to the Nice airport. He was immediately bamboozled into taking the great pictures of the changes to the joint you see this month.
Next, we had California friends Ed and Marilyn fly in for several days on their way to Italy. Not totally put off by our reception, they will return this week for a few more days.
With a quick change of linens, friends Catherine and Loic arrived from our old stomping grounds in Brittany for a long planned visit.
Listen! Do you hear that? My baby is calling me and I will soon be there. Daddy is coming home and I promise to try to keep you dry this summer. Oh what fun we will have in a 55 horse (power) open sleigh!
As long as we were at it, we thought we would spiff up some of the finished rooms a little also. Just before we moved here from Brittany, we happened upon a wall treatment that blew us away. We immediately scoured the country for the manufacturer and a source to obtain the product. As luck would have it, it was available in nearby Cannes.
As many things we do, it is clearly not for everyone. In fact, it may well not be for anyone -but us. Anyway, it allowed us to make it a real 'feature' in a couple of rooms, spread out throughout the upper and lower villa to have a thread of continuity without going nuts and overdoing it. This product may look like paint in the pictures but it is most decidedly not. It is 2 coats of a stone black product mixed with real iron flakes and metal powder over a special undercoat sealer on a very smooth wall.
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| Are we sure about this? |
The next 4 coats are a rust developer. This is where the magic happens. That's right, a special chemical sprayed on the wall causes a reaction that causes the iron flakes and powder to rust before your eyes. This is followed by 4 coats of a special enhancer to give it a satiny look. That's it! A mere 11 coats and voila!!!
You may wonder why I write that we didn't go nuts but all three rooms show the treatment. That is because the product has a very short shelf life (days) and these were the 3 rooms we worked on this season. On the whole, they are pretty spread out.
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| Our previous master bedroom |
(After)
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| Living room looking toward the kitchen (before) |
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| (After) We also added a little stacked stone to the lower wall. |
The what else is new department
In our considerable amount of free time, we had some company this month. First, Ian dropped by overnight after taking Lyne and her daughter to the Nice airport. He was immediately bamboozled into taking the great pictures of the changes to the joint you see this month.
Next, we had California friends Ed and Marilyn fly in for several days on their way to Italy. Not totally put off by our reception, they will return this week for a few more days.
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| Loic and Catherine wishing they were showing off their new yacht |
With a quick change of linens, friends Catherine and Loic arrived from our old stomping grounds in Brittany for a long planned visit.
Tic tock, tick tock, nearly time to go!
Listen! Do you hear that? My baby is calling me and I will soon be there. Daddy is coming home and I promise to try to keep you dry this summer. Oh what fun we will have in a 55 horse (power) open sleigh!
