I arrive back on the job site on Tuesday, October 8th hoping to find the painter ready to work on the gable shingles but instead find rain and mud. No one is at the house so I spend some time cleaning up sawdust. Judd has installed several of the interior doors and they look great. The upstairs windows have been trimmed including the large arched window in front which has turned out looking like a built-in with all the wood jambs.

I get samples of interior paint colors and paint a few swatches in various rooms to see how they are going to look. I also put a clear finish on some of the hard maple to have a true idea of the natural color and then try to get a nice cherry finish which will be the trim boards and kitchen cabinets. Now if I could just find the perfect wood floor that isn't too light or too dark!

I'm scheduled to work at the quilt shop in Tahlequah Thursday, Friday and Saturday which would not be a problem if it weren't for the rain days earlier in the week. I'll need some time Friday to work with the painter to get the shingles glazed for a 'weathered' look. (We are using Hardie Cement Shingles but want the look of real cedar.) Charlie surprises us all, by showing up Thursday afternoon driving a rented bright yellow Volkswagon Beetle. He had rearranged his flight back from the trade show to come through Tulsa and spend the night. It was nice to get his approval of the colors.

By Friday morning the top story of the house was looking pretty good. I worked with Gary at the top of the back gable to get the right amount of 'weathered' color on the shingles. It was hard to tell how it would look when dry so I took a hair dryer up in the man lift to speed up the drying process until we were satisfied with the look. By the time I got off work at 5:30 the gables were finished and the soffit and fascia were trimmed out in barn red. What a difference it is making!

Gary plans to work on Saturday and asks Judd if he would take the day off so there would be no sawdust in the air, but a front moves in earlier than expected and the north winds are too strong for spraying paint. Judd had stopped by to pick up some tools and ended up working all morning! The man-lift will have to be returned early next week, so we hope the weather cooperates so they can finish all the second story painting on Monday.