One of the problems we faced with this floor plan is that there is an area in front of the kitchen island that is too small for a table and chairs for eating yet too large for just a walkway. It has the island on one side and windows facing the lake on the other side.

We couldn't really figure out exactly what to do in that area. So we went back to New Hampshire to visit Tom and Karen's house in progress to see in person exactly how large the area was. We had decided the area needed a couple of small chairs and possibly a small table. If that didn't work, we might get by with a set of bar stools and a pedestal table. We looked for weeks through several furniture stores looking for just the right chairs but couldn't find anything we really liked.

On a later visit to Tom's house, because of the flight schedule from Houston, we were forced to spend the night in Manchester, New Hampshire. The hotel we stayed at was the Nashua Marriott. After we checked into the hotel and went to the room, Jan noticed the chairs were the exact style and size we needed for the "mystery area" of our house. I doubted that we could load them up in the back of our rent car, so we turned them over and looked for a tag on the bottom that would tell us who the manufacturer was. No luck. No sign. No tag. Nothing.

Christmas was approaching and I decided to call the hotel and see if they might consider selling a couple of chairs that they might have in storage. The manager of the hotel was very understanding and somewhat flattered that we liked the chairs so much. He was the guy who designed the chairs and had them manufactured for the hotel. They didn't have any extras, but appreciated the call. After a couple of weeks, he called me to let me know they were remodeling a room and changing from two double beds to a king size bed in that room and would have two chairs available if we wanted them. When he came up with a price for the chairs, he said we could have them for $35 each. What a bargain! But he would not pack them, ship them or anything else. They could store them until we came to pick them up.

Three weeks later we went to pick up the chairs and visit Tom's house again. We checked into the hotel and explained to the manager about the chairs. He finally found them the next morning and we went to the lobby to pick them up. I got up early and found a pack and ship place that had large cardboard boxes we could pack them in and deliver them to the pack and ship place without getting them wet since it was snowing and we had rented a pick up truck. We boxed the chairs took them back to the pack and ship only to find out that due to the size of the boxes, they would cost about $375 to ship. Each!

Ok. Back into the truck they went. Nashua is too small for a FedEx office, but I found a FedEx truck and stopped the driver. He measured the boxes and called in only to find out FedEx charged $500 each! Ok. Back into the truck they went. We drove back to Manchester and went to Continental Airlines only to find out they would not ship the chairs at all since I was an employee! Back into the truck they went. I gave up and took them to FedEx and was prepared to pay the $500 only to find out they were too large and FedEx would not accept them at all! Back into the truck they went. We were now thinking we could rent a vehicle for a week and drive the stupid thing to Houston for less than it would cost to ship them. Stopping to fill the truck with gas, the clerk at a local convenience store asked me what we had in the boxes. I told her the story and she said "try to take them to C&S trucking down the street. They might do it." We did and they were very nice to help us. The shipping ended up being about $200 total. Here the chairs sit in our current living room. Moral to the story....Buy the furniture a town that will deliver to your house when it is finished! Oh well. At least the chairs have a story to them.