Archive for July, 2007
Kudos to Lowes for selling and promoting “Katrina Cottage” house plans. Small house plans aren’t easy to find, and having a quality plan would certainly make the building process easier. Hopefully more people will build compact homes after they see these plans prominently featured in Lowes ads.
The blueprints are priced at $700, and if you buy your materials from Lowes they’ll rebate the cost of the plans. 3 small 2-bedroom plans are available that are 544, 612, and 697 square feet. Other plans range in sizes up to more than 1,800 square feet for a 5-bedroom model.
I like the attractive traditional style of all the plans, and the 544 square foot one looks particularly easy to build. If that plan was available when I built my house, I probably would’ve used it. The 697 square foot plan is a real beauty.
July 29th, 2007
A few years ago I ate lunch outside on the second-floor porch of a restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. They had several flags mounted just below this upper porch, and looking out over the flags as they flapped in the breeze was great. I decided then that I’d have flags on my porch too.
My three flags are up and looking good. I’ve got two state flags from places I’ve lived (Maryland and Texas) and a University of Virginia flag.
The 3′ x 5′ nylon flags can stay out all the time — no need to bring them in when it rains. They’re not very expensive either. I wonder why more people don’t fly flags?
July 6th, 2007
Our town’s volunteer fire department used to put on a big (really) fireworks display, but that tradition ended two years ago. People really miss it, but we have other nice small-town ways to celebrate … and something totally unexpected last night.
On Tuesday evening, the ice cream social (free ice cream!) and community band concert at the town square drew a couple hundred happy folks. Wednesday morning there was the traditional non-motorized 4th of July parade (featuring decorated bikes, etc.) in nearby Accomac. After the parade everyone gathered on the historic town green for a reading of the Declaration of Independence, popsicles and another community concert. The county library in Accomac also held a book sale.
We had a cookout at my mother’s house in Onancock, and when it got dark my sister set-off some fireworks on the front lawn.
That’s when the unexpected fireworks started. A block away, down by the creek, a group gathered and set off some nice ground fireworks and some good aerial ones too. Over by the school, somebody shot off quite a few large professional-type aerial rocket fireworks. A restaurant at the wharf put on an impressive display. And when I got home, a few people were shooting good-sized aerial fireworks from the empty carnival grounds parking lot next door. Cool.
Fireworks everywhere in a town that wasn’t supposed to have any! Kudos to everyone who celebrated Independence Day by making a little noise.
July 5th, 2007
I put up my flag just in time. Our town’s “ice cream social” (featuring a concert by the community band) is tonight on the town green. I hope you enjoy the celebrations wherever you are.
July 3rd, 2007
