Johns Projects

Johns Photos Page

There's so much going on that it's hard to devote the time needed to describe everything.

Life has been great... just Ducky would be an understatement.

The project list is very large, but progress is being made at about the rate that projects are added to the list, so it is in a state of equilibrium.

I wish I had time to devote more effort to this page, but it is not even on the project list-- the only reason what is here has gotten done is that this is considered "recreation" and I have decided to take today "off". This is a rare thing for me (taking a day OFF).

Yes, Johnny has become a dull boy-- all work and no play. Or is that accurate for a person who so fully intermixes work and play that the two are really one in the same?

Here's some photos of my home near Empire Michigan.

We start the tour with the site back in 1993, then progress to 1996, and then to May, June, August and October of 1997 when the house was completed.

In 2000, the addition to the house was started. There are photos showing the foundation footings, foundation blocks,
flooring system, wall construction, roof construction, and even more photos from 2000. I even have a page devoted to the day I brought the furnace home from the trucking depot in Cadillac (that's Cadillac Michigan-- about 60 miles away).

Construction took a hiatus during 2001, with the exception of pouring the garage floor.

Construction has resumed in 2002 and I have photos from early July 2002 and then more from late July 2002. Sadly, few photos were taken as the project neared completion, so none are available to put here yet. One of these days I'll take more and post them.

I am happy to report that at the end of August (2002) the addition was completed. The county inspectors came and passed the job, and dad and I have "moved in" to the new areas (sort of). Glad to have that project crossed off the list.

Many thanks go out to Matt Benjamin, a good friend who toiled for hours with me on this. While most people run away when they smell hard work, Matt was always there when needed and greatly contributed to the successful completion of this project. THANKS MATT!

I've got a little tour of the wildflower garden that was planed atop our septic drain field back in 1997. Without any maintenance at all, it is still blooming in 2002.

I've also got a sequence of photos showing my most recent attempts at keeping my 1964 Ford Thunderbird looking spiffy. I've also got similar shots for my 1985 IROC Z28 Camaro. I've also taken ownership of a spiffy 1976 Ford Pinto Wagon which didn't need much work at all but got a new engine job anyway... and is a fine vehicle. Then there's the old green van....

And then there's my tractors.... Of course, I've splurged and put a two way radio on my lawn tractor!

Last but not least, dad and I have finally finished our "project house" renovation job. I've got some before photos of that to share. Now that we are done, I've got a page for the after photos but need to put them on the page! Beware when you watch too many episodes of This Old House or Hometime. Homer Depot must be related!

Winter in Northern Michigan. The left two are from the winter of 1999. The right one is from 2000. As you can see, there are some changes in the works! It's funny, now, to view the house without the addition. Below is how the place looks in January 2003 just after the roof was raked.

ARIZONA

We are making good progress on improvements in the Sun City West condo. The kitchen work turned out great. Exactly as envisioned. I wish I had some before photos to show, but there are none that I'm aware of.

	About the only thing 'original' in this photo (other than the actual cabinets and sink) are the greenish drapes at the right. the cabinets were originally finished in formica with a routed design on the front that was painted gold. Their original color was a yellowish-white. So that the kitchen didn't look as if it was a test kitchen for Marlboro 100's, I sanded, primed, painted the cabinets. They were spray pained with GM code 12 from an '89 GMC pickup. This is as white as it gets. It's the same white used on the refrigerator.
	That refrigerator was that '70's yellowish-tan color. Now it looks brand new and white. The cabinets and refrigerator match the white range and dishwasher perfectly. I painted it as if it was a car. Self etching primer, etc. I figured that the environment a typical car has to endure is much more severe than one would have in their kitchen. I wanted a good job that would hold up well. I tested different paints on an old cabinet door and concluded that the automotive paint was the way to refinish-- I was able to scratch off the other paints, but not the auto finish.
	You don't get to see it in these photos, but the grout in the floor matches the trim paint and also matches the grout in the backsplash and the trim on the cabinet 'routing'. When we moved in there was off-white cut pile carpeting on the floor. That was about the last place anyone should put that type of carpet-- stains appeared almost on the first day of use. We added a backsplash, new range, microwave, dishwasher. The refrigerator and sink are original. Oh yea... the old yellow-green 70's countertop was also replaced. All that's left is to replace the drapes (which give you an idea of the former color scheme)!

Hey... we finally got hi-speed internet (sort of). Being snowbirds, there are problems associated with being in two places that hinder ones choices when it comes to utilities. Not to mention that while in Michigan we live outside the range of DSL and Cable, our only alternative is satellite. We now sport a DirecWay - 1 way system. This means we receive data via the satellite at high speed, but when we send data it goes out through a regular dialup-telephone modem nice and slow. For what we use it for, it works dandy.

Here's our dish farm in the back "yard" of the Arizona condo. Eventually I will mount the DirecTV feedhorn on the special "DirecDuo" mount and eliminate the second dish (that's why I didn't put the plastic shroud on the feedhorn yet). That new dish, while still small, is monstrous next to the TV dish.

Here's the dish in it's temporary mount in Michigan. Since it was winter when I got the dish, I was limited in my mounting options as it was not the time of year to dig up the driveway to mount it near the DirecTV dish. I had to move it from post to post to finally find one (thank heavens-- as I was running out of places to try!) that had a clear shot without trees in the way. In the spring I'll mount it more permanently. While I planned to move it during the summer, it stayed there all summer and worked fine. Perhaps this coming summer I'll move it.

Well, the two shots on the left were the last photos their respective cameras ever took-- yup, broke the camera... er, umm... I'd like to say that the left photo shows the worlds largest bubblegum bubble-- but that's not quite the case. The middle photo has my friend "KC" on my lap. During the warmer months I get a weekly dog fix with a friends ever-so-attentive dog.

Finally, in honor of my friend Lou from Ohio (ham radio call sign n8kxm), I have marked the toilet flange in my new house in his honor. Lou was the recipient of the prized "wax ring" award a few years ago, and this is a fitting tribute to him.