I will post pictures of house number three soon .

The third house is up north and is half way in the process of the major renovation.

Tim

Haven't written about up North yet!

I haven't really written about the house up north yet. We moved in 26 years ago and basically put off major repairs until this ;ast spring. We are replacing the windows ,roof , adding a large master bath ,walk in closet , and workout office for Deb. Also all new den with fireplace and out door fireplace on patio also. Basically redoing the entire house.

It should be beautiful and have all new doors windows and air and heat and 5 fireplaces.Also all new furniture and decorations. We have been displaced since June and living at the shore . They are getting the house closed up now so they can do the walls and floors and such. Major renovation I guess.

We need to get it done and then move back up north and spend the summers in LBI and the winters back and forth and some time down in the islands or somewhere we like. These are all fortunate problems and I am by no means complaining just relating our situation.
BTC

Gobble Gobble!!!!!

Thanksgiving is here and we have our permit on the big bay house. The temporary electric pole is in place and demolition will start next week. We are excited about the project it is a dream come true. There are many reasons to build or own a large shore house.My wife really gets it! It is simply about the people you spend time with at the shore. Once you own a house at the beach, not only do your kids come to see you much more often, but you can entertain friends family and loved ones . The times here are so special, because everyone is relaxed and at their best. The shore becomes the center of the family time.

The core of the universe.
It is truly the place where memories matter and love abounds. We are heading north for Thanksgiving but back on the weekend with the kid all visiting .

Even all the Dogs are showing up so we will have a house full. Thanksgiving is the best of all holidays because there is no false pretence and no gifts and no pressure. It is about family time and good food, good company, football and sleeping on the couch.

It is quite that simple.

BTC

America is Dog crazy!

Took our two dogs to Pet Smart today. Only in America do we have stores where you can bring your dog with you and spend ridiculous amounts of money on our animals. I can't help but think of Mexico and Costa Rico where dogs run in the streets by the millions and have no creature comforts (Pun Intended.) Most people from third world countries would not understand or believe the insanity that is the pet world in America.
I am not saying it isn't OK because there is no finer animal on earth than the house hold Dog. Unconditional love and they literally fill up the lives of the owners. YOU can get anything in America for your animal at Pet Smart. It is almost embarrassing. Almost.Anyway we made I.D. tags for our two Dogs and laughed through out the entire process. Anyway regarding the houses we signed our contract on the bay house today and hope to start within two weeks on demolition. Getting excited but ouse will take 11 or 12 months to build.

Boats are up and the Winter is starting.

Today the boats are out of the water. The sail boat is up on the lift and covered. The motor boat is at yard being winterized and scrapped for next spring. The fall has been particularly warm and we have just now gotten temps in the 40's for the first time on November 17th. I think global warming is really nice if this is what it's about. Now don't take offense to the comment I am just kidding around. Still waiting for the plans to be approved for both houses at the shore. Once approved we will dive in. The house in Essex Fells finally had the windows show up and they are being put in as we speak. Now some are the wrong windows and some are put in incorrectly and some are not fit properly. The window company will make it right. The good news is they are beautiful windows . Le Page from Canada.

Anyway we will get them in soon and then the inside of the house can be finished . Anyway the design of 7 Camden house is finalized and today we saw one elevation design with combination of wood shake and clapboard siding . I really like it but the final decision will be Mikes.

See picture!

Dogs , Music ,Visiting my Dad and building three houses at once.

I spent the day up North yesterday and went to visit my dad in the place he now lives.nHe is 86years old and has dementia or Alzheimer's. What I am writing about is the effect that my visit had on the people in the infirmary, and the effect it had on me.
I brought my toy labradoodle "Honey Pie" with me . She is a great ice breaker, and gives us something to occupy the time that I am there. Dad doesn't offer much anymore, and I find myself at a loss for words.(Believe it or not) Honey Pie creates quite a stir when she arrives, and elderly people who have not spoken in months ,wake right up, and relate a dog story from their life. Smiles abound as the visit goes on. Yesterday was a very special day ,and they had a fellow come by to sing songs ,with a guitar and a synthesizer . He was great and sang songs like "Under the Boardwalk." What I noticed is that Animals ,especially Dogs (Sorry for the Cat people out there) and music have a amazing ability to cheer the human soul.

What is amazing is how music and Dogs are universally able to brighten up a r0om ,and the positive energy is pure. Both have a kind of unconditional love aspect that change things immediately. If there is a supreme being, these two things were made a part of life to ease the pain we all face in our daily lives. Anyway the effect was remarkable, and I will continue to bring the dog to the visits ,and to listen to music for obvious reasons. Regarding the house projects, we met with the architect and builder on" New Moon" today , and the plans are going in tomorrow for approval.

We have plans submitted on both houses at the shore now. Once approvals are received we will be aggressively moving forward. Hope by the 20th of November we will start both houses.
I'll keep you posted and the blog should soon become about the actual building of the houses from then on.

BTC

Atlantic City and living at the shore.

Yesterday We went to see Dennis Miller at the Borgata. You have to lean right a little to enjoy his very intelligent style of humor. Even if you disagree with him politically you have to agree he has a way with simile and images that make you see what he is talking about and feel what he means.

This is a gift. We laughed and enjoyed the show he was truly entertaining. One of the joys of living at the shore is having the shows so close. Could care less about the gambling. Stupid putting money in a box or on table, and having someone take it away fast and over 99% of the time. Think about it ?

Anyway we didn't gamble, but we had a great dinner, and a lot of laughs at the Miller show. Ray Davies is playing at the Borgata in late November and I can't go . I would love to see Ray as I think he is a musical genius. The Kinks wrote and played such a simple style of music . Not evident in today's music much. We are in Limbo on the houses waiting for the boroughs to approve plans in both cases. Once approvals are issued I am sure we will hit the ground running.
Patients is a virtue, yet I am not sure I understand being patient as it has never been one of my strengths.

PS: Above is a picture of my life long friend Bootch's back yard in Hawaii. Never been there but maybe in the next few years. Paradise!!!

More Later!
BTC

70 BAYVIEW

Today I have chosen to write about 70 Bayview. Since Deb and I have been coming to Long Beach Island we had talked about having a house on the Bay We never thought that day would come, but we are about to renovate 70 Bayview in Loveladies. The architect we chose on this project was Jay Madden a very established designer on LBI and his associate Amanda.
They have been nothing short of wonderful on the project, and our plans are being submitted for approval as we speak. As previously mentioned we selected Dan Cummings to be our builder as we have seen the workmanship he represents, and his quality is exceptional. He is a no BS kind of builder ,and if you don't hold him up he doesn't hold you up.

Anyway he is close to starting, and we are excited about the project.Above are a few drawings of 70 Bayview that Jay and Amanda have finished. We are building this house for a few different reasons. One being we will have plenty of room for family and friends to visit as at 31 Panorama we loved the house but could not comfortably fit everyone. We love to entertain and have visitors and family down. Also I imagine in a few years ,we will live there for 8 months a year. Hopefully renting or owning a house either in the islands, or somewhere warmer. Anyway that is the plan ! I will take some pictures as we progress on this project, and the others.

PS:
By the way the surf is huge today, and once the wind kicks around from the storm, tomorrow might have great surf.

BTC

Rendering of New Moon Cottage

You will see a rather large depiction of Mikes house at the top of this blog site.




Thanks to Richard Bubnowski Design LLC, we are close to submitting plans to the borough and should have submitted by next week. We are submitting plans to Borough today on 70 Bayview. Oh Well here we go. Last night Barack Obama was elected as President of the United States. No further comment at this time. I am not a re-distributionist but he is my president and I will back him when and if I can.Enough about politics.

Anyway we are starting projects in a few weeks . I know it seems like I keep saying that but these things take time. I'll post more once we get approval to start.

BTC