Sledge hammer happiness

destruction
Originally uploaded by michael j nolan.

This week we took possession of our "second home." It felt good to go through the apartment here in Philly to cull out items to take down to the cottage in New Jersey. We bought some new towels so a few of the old ones could go down there. A few of the mugs and plates I don't like much were packed up for the trip. Same with some extra blankets and that old butterfly chair. It was great to finally move my tools out of the storage unit in our garage and take them to a place where they'd be put to use.

After the closing on Monday evening, I couldn't wait to drive to the cottage, set up a chair, a lamp and a place to sleep so I could begin the renovation the next morning. I had underestimated just how funky the place is. It smelled awful, and the amount of dirt and grime made me wonder (once again) about the sanity of the previous occupants.

I had brought one of the mattresses from Jackson's bunk bed, planning to put it on the floor. I couldn't bring myself to do that though until I ripped up the carpet in the front room and drug it outside. Otherwise, the smell would keep me awake all night.

I took Sami the dog for a stroll along the beach, amazed by the clarity of the stars as seen over the Delaware Bay on a warm November night. A soft glow in the distance must have been the lights of Philadelphia, about 60 miles away. When I came back to the house, I drank quite a bit of wine so I could fall asleep.

The next morning after going down to the Wawa for a cup of coffee and a donut, I came back and started at the place with a sledge hammer and crowbar. It was satisfying work, but harder than I imagined. As I swung the hammer, I thought of people like George Bush, Dick Cheney, Rick Santorum and their ilk. This picture shows how much progress I made. It used to be a kitchen.