In a word, wow

When I got to the house Wednesday morning to show a prospective painter around the place so he could submit a bid, the sound track was a symphony of sawing, hammering and nailing.

Arnold was in the little guest room, and he'd already paneled the front wall.

Kurt and Brantley were way up the east ceiling in the master bedroom and going strong, notching panels so they could accommodate the collar ties (which, unlike those in the big ceiling, will be sheathed in paneling).

And upstairs, Frank was running a hot chop saw to start on the big puzzle: what Ref always called "that chopped-up roof."

In the top picture, looking out toward the loft (and the big ceiling, done but for a central trim beam), you see where Frank started: the second floor gable. The guy knows how to cut boards: Slice 'em right, and you can use the leftovers from Section A to face Section C, which is why you see pieces stacked and ready to go.

The second picture was from later in the day, and it reflected proportionate progress all through the room.

Around that time, Dollie stopped by on her way to the grocery to say hello.

"How about that ceiling?," I asked with a grin. She hadn't noticed, but she looked up in the big room and said, "Wow!"

I took her into the master bedroom, and she looked up where Kurt was working out the notches (as you can see in the bottom two pictures; at the saw, he's tilted the board for a tighter match to the ceiling tie). "Wow!," she said, and caught herself. "I should have something more articulate to say, but that just slipped out."

Then we went upstairs to admire Frank's handiwork. "Wowwww!!," she said, and then started laughing at herself. "It's the best word for all this -- but I really do need to spend some more time with my dictionary."