Another good week of progress on the kitchen project. Also had Megan, Sam and Eleri here from Albuquerque (pictured above at the Riverbankc Zoo last Saturday). We had another great meal on Saturday starring pork chops marinated in apple cider, allspice berrys, and a bay leaf cooked on the grill. These were served over a bed of leaks creamed and topped with cooked granny smith apples with candied sause favored with some apple cognac. Leslie, Koty and Tyler had to go home so were unable to share eating that meal but Lauren and Vinny came making it another memorable evening with our family.
Kitchen side wall which is now sided but not pictured.
The trash from the roof project is loaded into the dumpster. The Home Depot dumpster was more than $200 less expensive than the company that picks up my weekly garbage.
Here is a pic of the steps leaving the new deck on their way to the back yard. Notice how the step treads, made out of deck boards, run 90 degrees from the way they would normally run. They are also 4' wide and 2' long with 7 1/2" rise. They go to alanding then down to the yard in back.
A view of the new deck. It is elevated from ground level approximately 10' which gives it some drama. Everyone that has seen it is truly impressed with the view and its overall appearance.
Rocking is certainly a pleasure but the opportunities to do so will not be very great until the project is complete.
Leslie and her niece Eleri at Riverbanks Zoo. Eleri is wearing a tie dyed hooded long sleeve tee shirt that she got in Berkley, CA and Leslie is wearing her signature beautiful smile.
The gorilla hung out and allowed us to observe him lounging outside the primate building.
Alfredo starts the base of the fireplace after constructing the wood storage box below.
This pic shows the wood storage area below that is roughed in as well as the beginning of the fireplace.
Ash clean-out on firebox floor and damper for the fresh air on the side wall. Please note that there is no-where in our town that has the fresh air kit for REAL masonary fireplaces so we had to fly one in from Tennessee overnight. Many places had the kit for fireplace inserts as they are the primary type that are use in our area.
A picture from the firebox floor picturing the flue in the top/ceiling of the firebox.
The whole unit to date. Firebox is 4 feet wide, 2 feet deep and 32" from bottom to arch top. Side walls are 24" high. There should be no problem placing 36" logs in the forebox to build a fire.
Just a view also showing the new doors/window with the new fireplace. 
