Our extremely affordable apartment makeover...the reveal

We have finished furnishing our apartment, so I thought I would post some pics. All the furniture, furnishings, and decorations we either found for free at the Take It Or Leave It or bought at a bargain at garage sales...all for around $500.

For the "before" pics click here and here.

The living room:

The spare bedroom:


The office:


And our master suite:

Nantucket Limerick Challenge

Here is the Nantucket Limerick Challenge. Pawtucket and Manhasset are actual places.

There once was a man from Nantucket,
Who kept all of his cash in a bucket,
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man,
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.
—Princeton Tiger

But he followed the pair to Pawtucket,
The man and the girl with the bucket;
And he said to the man,
He was welcome to Nan,
But as for the bucket, Pawtucket.
—Chicago Tribune

Then the pair followed Pa to Manhasset,
Where he still held the cash as an asset,
But Nan and the man
Stole the money and ran,
And as for the bucket, Manhasset.
—Exchange

Nan had it sent up to Alaska,
It’s farther, she thought, than Nebraska.
Did she and her man,
Fool her Pa with this plan?
The next time I see her, Alaska.
—mailed to us by 'A California Dale,' who credits
his inspiration to Margaret Dale, whose contribution
to this tale appears at www.yesterdaysisland.com

Let’s be clear on Miss Nan and her mate,
The bucket of cash sealed her fate,
Though her motives were pure,
And the good life seemed sure,
‘Twas a community property state.
—Peter Homes,Washington, DC

Okay! Who's got their own limerick? Post it here!

Welcome Baby Emma Louise Potter!!!

Christy and Brian are now the proud parents of a second girl. Christy went in for her scheduled C-Section on Thursday morning and delivered a beautiful, healthy girl. Emma Louise Potter was born Thursday, August 20th, at 8:40 am and weighed 8lb 5oz. Over the course of the pregnancy, Christy's doctor was unable to determine the sex of the baby, so when the baby was born it was a complete surprise to see a baby girl. Kind of romantic, in my opinion. Congratulations Christy & Brian!!!

Hurricane....Shmurricane....

Well, my first hurricane was one big fat disappointment. There was none of the running to the plywood store for the covering of the windows....or the stock-piling of the flashlight batteries and the bottled water for the power outages...or any ensuing panic whatsoever. In fact, if it hadn't been on the news, we wouldn't have even known there was a hurricane. It passed several hundred miles out to sea. This is what our friend Eric (aka Big Daddy) had to say about it: "Hurricane Bill? Hah! It didn't even blow hard enough to knock over the gnomes in my garden."

That being said...a few people were washed out to sea at Acadia National Park. I hope they are okay. "Hurricane Horror: Two Missing After Young Girl, Others Are Swept Into Maine Sea"

Oooooo! There's a hurricane a comin!

Check it out. Hurricane Bill is forming in the Atlantic and is heading our way! Crazy, huh? we're not sure how bad it will be. Probably just severe storms. Michael and I agree on our emergency plan....we're just going over to Brian and Christy's. They have food!

Check out the hurricane at Stormpulse.

Afternoon at the beach

Our group beach self-portrait...guess who's foot is who's...

Here is Michael making new friends on the beach. They are apparently relatives of the Kennedy's. Later, after much wine, Michael would not remember meeting these guys or asking them to be in a picture with him...but I have the proof!

I've got my binoculars and my beef jerky. All set!

Doesn't this look fake? Like he's in front of a painting or something?

Check ONE item of MY bucket list

When I grew up we only had 5 TV channels. The three major networks and two PBS stations. So, I watched a LOT of PBS! My favorites were the movie musicals, the after school shows like "3-2-1 Contact!", and the live concerts. Nearly every weekend Mom, Dad and I would watch the Boston Pops in concert. I idolized them. And Saturday night I got to see them LIVE on Nantucket. It was a thrill for me and an item that is now crossed off my Bucket List.

This is an annual concert and from the way those around us prepared for the evening you could tell they do it every year. These people brought racks of folding chairs, collapsible tables, enormous coolers, candles, gas lamps, and lots and lots of food. As for Michael and me....we had 2 bottles of wine, a bag of jerky, some corn chips, and a huge blanket. Just what we needed to sit on the beach, watch the sun set, and enjoy one of the most entertaining orchestras in the business.

Can I first say that Keith Lockhart is short. I mean, I knew he was short. I remember when he auditioned to replace John Williams as conductor how energetic, cute, and well...short... he was. Seriously, the guy is tiny.

The show started with an introduction by Chris Matthews, who is host of MSNBC's "Hardball" (Boo! I can't stand that show). He was surprisingly charming and funny. Then the National Anthem was sung by a local high school girl with a lovely voice (Lucky girl! I'd give and arm an leg to sing with the Boston Pops). Then Keith came bounding onto the stage proudly wearing his Boston Red Sox Jersey and launched into a series of baseball and Fenway Park themed songs. (Lisa, you and Anita totally should have been here!)

The second half of the show featured Michael Cavanaugh. Michael is the star of the Broadway Show "Moving Out", which features incredible choreography by Twyla Tharp set to the music of Billy Joel. He was FANTASTIC!




Oh! We had a celebrity sighting too! We just happend to sit down 10 feet from John Shea and his family. John Shea I know best as Lex Luthor from the 90's TV show "Lois And Clark". He was also on Mutant X, Law & Order, Sex In The City, and Gossip Girls. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0790291/

This concert couldn't have come at a better time. The last few weeks have been trying for me. I thought coming out here would be refreshing and exciting. But I've been kind of depressed. We have been working so much that I rarely have energy for anything else. And to be honest, cleaning houses isn't my favorite activity. Plus in the back of my mind I can't help but worry about being so far away from my family in Idaho and my dad who is still in the hospital. So, I've been questioning why we came here. But here now is a perfect reason:

Where else am I going to so easily see the Boston Pops live right on the beach?

Cheers,
Ernest

Summer is...here?

Hey everyone! I'd like to say that it's sunny and beautiful on Nantucket...but I'd only be half right. The weather is still mostly rainy. :-(

We've been working pretty much non-stop Monday through Friday. We landed two new jobs thanks to Ashley who was organizing and needed help. We're making money but my word am I tired. And that sucks because today, Saturday, is a gorgeous (and I mean gorgeous) sunny day!!!!

Anita and Lisa to the rescue!!! We received a wonderful care package from the ladies of the Gingerbread Factory as well as a nice card from Rachel. And that made my day. They sent us so many cookies -- too many for us to eat -- that we are spreading them around the island to our friends.

We have one confirmed visit coming up. Anita and Lisa are bringing 2 friends to the island in September! That has me excited. It's also going to force me up and out of our nice apartment to explore the island more, so that I can play tour guide when they visit.

So come on! Who's coming next?!?!?

Cheers,
Ernest

Happy Independence Day Everyone!

I hope you enjoyed this year's Independence Day as much we did. Finally the weather cleared and we had a beautiful sunny day. We attended a wonderful dinner party at the Upton's. These are the people whose house we clean weekly and where we have been helping Ashley decorate. It was a fun party and such a clear night that we could see the Nantucket fireworks, the fireworks on Martha's Vineyard, and the fireworks at Hyannis on the mainland.

I was a bit surprised when one of the guests at the party, a mother of two, asked what the 4th of July actually meant. So....now a "History Lesson!"

Many people confuse the celebration of the 4th of July for the end of the Revolutionary War. Not true. The Revolutionary War lasted from 1775 to 1783. July 4, 1776 is the day we adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring our independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Our 2nd continental congress voted in favor of an independence resolution on July 2, 1776 and the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, was approved and dated July 4th. Because of the date on the Declaration of Independence, we celebrate this day.

Here is some interesting trivia:

Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two founding fathers of the United States and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the United States' 50th anniversary.

In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island, in honor of the 13 colonies that declared independence from Great Britain. Thus began the tradition of the 13-gun salute.










Michael and Ashley.

An Island Traffic Jam

We encountered this little guy while driving in to town. So, as you can see, we may not be a big metropolis.... but we do still have traffic jams!!

Pics From Home

I didn't have my fancy camera with me, but I still managed to take some decent pictures with my cell phone. I was born in Malad City, Idaho, and lived there the first 18 years of my life. It is a beautiful mountain valley located in the south eastern corner of the great state of Idaho. I grew up on a 700-acre ranch where we raised alfalfa and wheat and ran 300 head of cattle. This is a view of the valley:

Here is a picture from the front deck of my parents' house. You can see the log cabin where my great-grandfather was born. And way off in the distance you can see the highest mountain in the valley, Oxford Mountain. My family is a true cowboy family. Each year in early summer, our cowboy friends from around the state would join us on an old-fashioned cattle drive. On horseback, we would drive our 300 head of cattle from the base of Oxford mountain to an upper valley, where they would graze until the end of summer.

This is a view of the yard and corrals at my parents' ranch. You can see one of my mom's ubiquitous flower beds and also the John Deere swather. I used to spend 10 hours a day on one of these swathers cutting down the hay. I always felt so out of place running these huge pieces of machinery. Just imagine me plowing the field from sunup to sundown all the while listening to Broadway show-tunes, which would have me crying my eyes out!

The front side of my parents' house:

This is a view of the meadow. Beneath that tree is a small swimming hole that I used to spend hours and hours in.

More Pics From Home

The Wasatch Mountains run along the eastern side of Salt Lake City, Utah, and they are the western foothills of the great Rocky Mountains. This is the view from the 8th floor of my dad's hospital in Salt Lake City:

My mother's lawn and yard is HUGE! She has a row of lilacs that is at least 70 feet long. Plus she has flowers everywhere:

The first week I was home it was impossibly sunny, and the thermometer pushed 90 degrees. But the last two weeks were filled with big, LOUD, wet thunderstorms. Most of the time midday looked like this:

But...when the rain cleared we were left with beautiful sunsets. This is the view from the backyard of my parents' ranch:

I made it back to Nantucket

I am back on Nantucket exactly 3 weeks from the day I left, and I want to thank each and every one of you for your kind thoughts, your text messages, and your prayers. They definitely helped. My dad is not completely better, but he is better than before.

When Shay, my sister-in-law (usually a pillar of strength and not one you would want to cross...!), called 3 weeks ago, I could hear her shaking over the phone and I knew I had to go. My dad has been diabetic for over 2 decades, had congestive heart failure several years ago, and has been on dialysis thanks to kidney failure for the last 18 months. His heart normally functions at around 67% capacity ejection fraction....for those of you who don't know, 0% means you're dead and 100% means you're a miracle....and it was at 31% when I got there. He was so weak that the muscles used to swallow food had stopped functioning and we were forced to put him on a feeding tube. He was also incoherent some of the time. Talking to people that were not there and not even recognizing me some of the time. The doctors ran every test they could think of, but were not able to discover the reason for his sudden and rapid decline in health. They adjusted his medication and by the end of the first week, Dad was feeling better. He was even joking with the nurses. For instance:

Nurse, "Tom, you're looking better today."

Dad, "I ain't never gonna look too good."

Nurse, laughing, "Well, you look better than you did yesterday!"

And he did look better. So he was released from the hospital and I became his 24/7 nurse. He was embarrassed at first, but I was happy to do it. He took great care of me as a kid and I told him so. Each day he got better. I made sure he took his medicine, ate his food, hooked up his dialysis machine each night, and got some physical therapy each day (which usually consisted of walking across the yard, hopping in the pickup, and going for a long drive).

Unfortunately, he started getting nauseous by Sunday and after throwing up all night long, we ended up back in the hospital exactly one week later. Well, I spent another week in the hospital and he improved again. He is still in the hospital as I write this, but only because the doctor wants to make absolutely certain he won't be getting nauseous again. He'll be out by the end of the week.

It was nice to be able to go home and help out so much. I have two amazing parents. I was shocked at the number of phone calls, and visitors Dad received. He is a longtime AA member and has sponsored more people than I can remember. So many of those people called to lend their support and to tell me that he saved their life. How cool is that?!? It makes me proud to be his son.

I do wish he was better than he is and I feel guilty about coming back here to Nantucket. But my mom and brother said it was time for me to go, that I was a Godsend. I don't know about that. I'm real happy to be back with Michael again and we do really need to make as much money as we can this summer...but I'm ready to fly back at a moment's notice.

Thank you so much for all your kind thoughts. You really helped me through this.

-Ernest

I'm flying home for a family emergency

My dad is in the hospital. He's been there for 11 days now, and we're pretty worried. He took a turn for the worse 2 nights ago, so I'm hopping a flight home. He has heart problems, kidney problems, and diabetes. I can only hope he recovers, but we just don't know. If you can find room to pray for him, I would very much appreciate it.

Michael is staying here in Nantucket without me. We have a big job that needs to be finished this week so that we can get paid. And we need that money to pay rent. I'm sorry I have to leave him to do it but I have to go home. If my dad isn't any better by next week, I want to fly Michael out too. We had planned on making a trip to my home in Idaho this summer anyway -- I've been wanting him to see how beautiful and expansive our place is -- I just wish it were under different circumstances. So...Michael could use your support now too.

I love you guys. Thanks for all your kind words.

Cheers,
Ernest

I FOUND STARBUCKS COFFEE!!!

Thank the Lord in Heaven! I found Starbucks coffee.

A small store called the "Trading Post" has 6 different types of Starbucks coffee, fresh donuts, and the owner is ordering our cigarettes. And the best part is that it's only 2 blocks from our apartment. How sweet it is!

I'm looking forward to the warm weather

More pics of our new place

I'm so stoked about this apartment. We have so much room! It's not the condo in Leavenworth (I LOVED the condo in Leavenworth), but it's a good second.

This is the bonus room. We think we'll put the TV up here with the surround sound, so we can turn it up as loud as we want! We may also put another bed up here or use it as a workspace.


And this is the spare bedroom and misc. other pics.

We got our apartment!!!

We met Mark today and signed the lease. Woohoo! Now, I can finally talk about it. ;-) I'm not usually a superstitious man, but we wanted this apartment so much that I wasn't taking any chances.

The apartment is a large 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment occupying the 2nd and third floors of this house. On the main floor is a large bedroom with lots of storage, a second bedroom, which we may use as an office, a full bath with that most glorious of inventions - the bathtub, a large kitchen with all new appliances, and a large front room. Upstairs is a bonus room that runs the length of the house. There is also a washer and dryer in the basement and a deck off our kitchen.

Here is the kitchen and front room:


We managed to negotiate a lower rent. He was previously getting $1850/month. But after we talked a while and we built some rapport, I was able to talk him down to $1500/month. Score! That's a fantastic price for such a big apartment. This is the first place we looked at and initially we walked away discouraged. He wanted first and last month's rent and a security deposit up front. Even with the lower rent, that was just too much for us to afford. Then, Michael had the brilliant idea of moving in on the 15th (effectively cutting our first month's rent in half) and spreading the security deposit over 4 months. Mark said yes, so here we are.

Here is the larger bedroom:


As you can see, the apartment is NOT furnished. We'll be sleeping on the floor for a while...! But Mark thinks he has a couple beds and couches from his other rental properties that we can use. And there are some large garage sales coming up!!

We now have plenty of room for you to visit, so please consider it.

Ma' Nature's Lyrical

....with her yearly miracle! Spring! Spring! Spring!

The flowers are blooming and the trees are flowering and the birds are chasing each other from branch to branch. It's a wonderful sight. There are so many different kinds of birds here, because much of the island is a bird and wildlife preserve. I may have to invest in a telephoto lens to try and capture the busy suckers on film.

The lighthouse in this picture is at the Sankaty Golf Course. It only costs a mere quarter of a million dollars to join the club and golf here! This place is so exclusive that they initially denied President Clinton access when he visited. Eventually they relented. But for those of you planning to visit (And we hope you are!!!) who like to golf, don't despair! There is another golf course open to the public.