Upward and onward

Dave's working on the landing here Wednesday afternoon. Deco's been shaving the treads and risers below him to fit ever so tightly and beautifully -- and we're all loving the way it looks untrimmed.

We already have cove molding in hand to cover the screws that will secure the backs and sides of the treads.

Nobody wants to use that trim. We love the clean lines. So: Do we go only with liquid nails -- which are engineered to be just as strong as nails or screws after all?

I'm inclined to see how that works for a month or two. We can always add screws and trim; it's awfully hard to subtract 'em.

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Oh, you wondered about my little time with the judge.

HARC appeals are the last on his agenda (he deals with Code Enforcement first -- zoning violations, bad permits -- and I'm not going to be at the back of the crowd at a certain Duval Street restaurant during a concert soon; I'm just saying); so I sat for 90 minutes or so waiting my turn.

I'd watched him lose his temper a bit, so I wasn't optimistic when I wished him a good afternoon and asked for a continuance. He asked me why. I told him that my problem seemed not to be with HARC, but with its guidelines, and said in my most confident and optimistic tone that I planned to change them. I smiled.

He adopted a bit of the manner you might use with a benevolent madman, and told me gently it would be an uphill battle, but one worth fighting if I had the energy.

He gave me 60 days to show whether the energy was moving anyone on the Commission. At that point I can abandon the appeal, argue my case or seek another continuance. Worse things happen.