Vintage View Vednesday Washington DC 2004

We were recently on vacation so as I began looking through the archives for this Vintage View Vednesday these pictures from a short vacation in 2004 caught my attention. These are from June 2004 in Washington, D.C., our nations capital.

We were making a revival loop through northern Virginia so we planned a few months ahead to meet my brother Steve and his family for about three days.

Steve had been there when he was in high school so he was put in charge of the itinerary. I took charge of the campground locating service. That was easier said than done because decent campgrounds with spots big enough for our trailer at the time in the DC area are about as rare as hens teeth.

We made reservations at the only game in town and the trip was set! We were in our trailer, Steve, Karen and their kids were in a tent and we took public transportation into town every day.

We commenced to having three great days of fun mostly walking around to the absolutely awesome sights in our nations capital. There is no way to cover even a portion of "must see" things in three days, but we had a blast trying to see as much as possible.

One of the highlights for me was the World War II memorial which was newly opened then. We went during the day and went back at night. It was tremendously moving to me. 

That visit was the beginning of me learning a lot more about the contributions of the greatest generation of Americans. I try to visit the WWII memorial every time I visit DC now.

It is true that we have been back to Washington D.C. since then, but we have never had as much fun there as we had those few days. I may be ready for another vacation soon!

I hope you enjoy the Vintage View pictures.

Davy

Time For Some "Home Interior" NOT!!!

Odie and Kelly Jo have been gathering ideas and material for this moment for a long time. They have also been working with friends trying to pull all of this specific theme together. It is very rewarding for them to be closing in on the finished product.

All the pictures hanging in the house were taken by people we know. The pictures you will see were taken by Shavona Deane, Ron Conner and Odie took one too! We think that is a really neat aspect of the decor. We personally know the photographers.

These two are by Shavona

Shavona Deane

Shavona Deane

Coat closet

Closet in the 2nd bedroom

This is the master closet/safe room. 

I am sure we will add and change the closets as we find out exactly what Odie needs in order to function, but this works for now. It is difficult to know what is best for Odie without some trial and error. Keep in mind she has been living in and RV the last 16 years!

Odie has 120" of hanging space in this closet which is about three times the amount the whole family uses in the bus. Plus she has 72" of hanging space in the closet of bedroom number 2. She should be able to muddle through and get by.

This is her storm bed/chair combined with some very nice storage.

We have more storage in the closet because we hope to eliminate the need for dressers in the bedroom. We want Odie to have plenty of room to move through the rooms with her wheelchair. Dressers along the walls in her room give her more targets. The less targets the better!

There are only two pieces of unpainted wood in the whole house. Odie wanted all the wood to be simple and white to enhance the beach cottage theme. She made two exceptions and they are both in the master bath. I installed them Friday.

The first on is a small vertical board with boat cleat hooks next to her shower entrance. This will serve as a hook for towels and clothes.

The second unpainted board is installed behind the commode and next to the sink counter. It has has five decorative and useful hooks.

The two boards have an interesting story and that is why we incorporated them into the house decor. One of these boards came from my grandparents log cabin house in Kentucky and the other came from my Grandpa's barn. They are rough cut lumber with the saw marks clearly visible and the nail holes exposed. 

Grandpa Godfrey Isaacs died in 1985 a few months before Odie was born. Grandma Bessie Isaacs died when Odie was two. We have no way of knowing when the piece of wood was added to their house, but the original house was built in 1937. That makes the wood very special in our eyes.

Kelly Jo applied a coat of oil modified polyurethane to make the boards a little smoother, but I doubt they need any protection from moisture. They have been on the outside of the house and barn for decades. Pretty cool.

In the picture above you saw the grab bars in the master bath. The small bath got one too. I had blocked for all of these in the framing stage.

It is beginning to take shape although it is a fluid process and I am already seeing things in different places even after I take pictures. This is what it looked like Sunday night.

Ron Conner picture below

Ron Conner

Odie's camera system.

Odie took this one in the Bahamas

Ron Conner

How do you like that? Odie likes it. Kelly Jo likes it. That makes me love it!

Odie has a few more great pictures to hang, but she does not want the walls to look cluttered. She and Kelly Jo are searching for the right places and may switch some of them out from time to time.

Thank you for dropping by today.

Davy