Steps, Trees and Mantle

Good morning all. Are you bleary-eyed from watching last night's final presidential debate? I let DH watch it and I skipped it. I've already voted and really didn't need to get my blood pressure up listening to the two candidates spew. DH is in a fix, though. He's a lifelong Republican who hates Donald Trump and refuses to vote for him, but he hates Hillary and the Clinton Foundation just as much. Fortunately Tuesdays are his normal day off, so if he decides to vote, he can get to the polling center in mid-day when the lines will be much shorter, and he doesn't need to make a final decision about voting until November 8th.

DH spent Tuesday working on the steps. He redid several of
them and then shaped and placed the capstones onto each
one. They're looking good, aren't they? 

In the meanwhile, he's working on the steps for the castle. He spent Tuesday laying out the capstones and cutting them to shape. They're beautiful now, and if things dry out enough by the afternoon, he might try using the adhesive on a few of the steps. Everything has to be dry for that, though, and in our fall temperatures, the morning dew takes a few hours to dry from the stone.

Here's a detail look at the first two steps with their capstones
on top of them. If all goes well today, he'll start gluing
those capstones into position. 

I had John from Monster Tree out yesterday to look over the yard and give us a quote. He was fabulous - extremely professional. He had his tablet computer or iPad with him from the beginning, taking measurements and photos and making notes. He spent almost 45 minutes looking at each tree, finally came up with a number and before his car had left the driveway, I had his quote in my email inbox. He came in more than $1000 less than Twin City Tree, and that included grinding the stumps. If we decide to skip that, it would knock almost another $1000 off the bottom line. I have one more guy scheduled for next week and then we'll decide, but Monster is probably who we'll end up with.

I really love their logo. We will have to be
careful with whoever we hire and watch them
to make sure the right trees are removed and our
castle walls are left intact, but we would have
to do that with anyone. I have one more bid set
up for next week, then we'll make up our minds. 

Finally, an on-line friend of a few years asked for a picture of my mantle. She posted one of hers the other day and I commented that mine was nothing like hers - very true. She's a lovely artist with a flair for color and accent pieces, and I really loved her cozy and warm mantle. My mantle extends the width of my living room and, since I have a vaulted ceiling, goes up pretty high. DH and I have been involved in the Native American art field for more than 30 years, and our artwork reflects that with three masks by Peter Ray James (Navajo), a central acrylic original by William "Bill" Rabbit (Cherokee), and a guache on the far right that we picked up in Santa Fe. This piece changes in different lighting and I love it. So there you go, Kaishin.

Above the mantle are ceramic masks by Peter Ray James, and two
paintings. On top of the mantle are a variety of items - tinwork from
Mexico, Navajo baskets and a Yeibichai processional set, candles
and figurines. The hearth is marble, the fireplace, while having a
working chimney, has never been used for actual flame. 

I'm off to the pool, then on to the shop. I got the next piece for my holiday cards in the mail yesterday, so I want to try some trial runs with my embosser before working on the actual cardstock for the next phase. Have a great Thursday!