Last Thursday we closed with the bank. After an hour of signing my name on countless pieces of paper the funds were transfered and we officially became owners of the house. Shortly after classes ended on Friday Mary and I packed up the jeep and headed for home for the first time.
We arrived at the real estate office a few hours later and in a rather anti-climactic series of events were given the keys to the front door. Kind of a let down, but what was I expecting, balloons and party hats?
Upon arriving at the house, we had hardly walked in the door when Mary started ripping up carpet. I stopped her long enough to get a picture of the living room before we started any major work.
After several hours of hard work, the carpet and linoleum came up revealing beautiful hardwood floors. Here is a post-carpet view:
A bit dirty, but after a good sanding and new finish they will have never looked better. We also stripped all of the old wallpaper off and found some neat stuff on the old plaster. The plasterers signed and dated the wall (What appears to be Fred C. Johnson and Pafier Kanger, 7-19-35).
Also, there was some stenciling around some of the windows and along the edges of the walls.
Here is one of the lamps that hang by the fireplace.
And finally, to give some perspective, a nice shot of the outside of the house that I took just before leaving back for Dordt on Saturday night. I had to use the fire hydrant as a impromptu tripod, but I was pleased with how it turned out.
I think Mary is planning on going back down to the house this weekend, and then the following week we are spending spring break working on it. I will make sure she brings the camera to document her work.
Until next time...
