The Fantastic Four

This is the crew who came to do carpentry work on our house yesterday. From left to right, is Mr. Dale Reulet, Mike, Clint and Chris. Below is the ad I cut out of the newspaper. I'm so glad I did and that Cappy called Mr. Reulet.From the second they got here, they worked like dogs all day, and their work was really sharp. I can really appreciate their craftsmanship, too, and being an artist, I noticed that even tho they deal with hammers and tools, etc. they are no less artists at heart themselves. When they first started installing my beloved tin ceiling tiles, right away they spotted a problem with the house not being square and brought me in to appraise the situation with them. We thought there was going to be a real problem with crookedness by the time they got to the edge of the room. I don't know how they did it, but it's gorgeous, perfectly fit and square.

One of the projects will have to wait to be posted because I want to paint it and finish the room first. There was a lot of give and take of ideas, my not having thought the whole thing completely through. Cappy was in my ear on the phone and reminded me that compromise was very important, too, and for me not to be unwilling to accept another way to accomplish the same effect. He was right, because just when things got pretty confusing, Clint, came up with the perfect solution. See? Another 'artist's' opinion saved the day, and Cappy's advice tuned me into the idea to 'listen' just when I needed to, or I might have insisted on doing it my way and taken a lot more time and messing around instead of settling for an easier, better way. And Mr. Dale came up with some great problem-solvers that made our home look pretty darned classy for a small 'gingerbread house'.

Chris, although working right along, up and down on ladders all day, had a cheery attitude and took the time to let me know how things were progressing or actually asking my input about matters. Not only are these burly hardworking men, but I very much appreciated being treated with respect as to my opinion, and not 'walked over'. HOW...very refreshing and how very professional. Chris is Clint's Dad. Mike is Chris' father-in-law. You should see this team work! Some families might not get along, working with one another so well, but migosh, this family works like a well-oiled machine. A talented hard working machine! And of course, so is Mr. Dale. The man is everywhere, all at the same time, it seems. He was in the attic, at Lowe's store, on the roof, measuring, investigating the problem with our septic system, up on ladders...I mean everywhere. While he was in the attic and on the roof, he remedied a situation that has irritated Cappy and me for years. We had water leaking through the ceiling in the bathroom causing a permanent ugly gash that was not pleasant to look at, for sure, and who knows what kinds of mold lurks in the attic because of it, not to mention any number of other problems it was causing. In a flash he fixed a flashing on the roof, and a rubber gasket which was all dried out and allowed rain water to pass on down into our house, then into the attic he went....it was roaring hot outside, so the attic had to be hot as 'hayo'...he replaced a PVC joint which wasn't sealed well, so now...NOW...yeehaw, we can have a decent ceiling in our bathroom, after all these years. (We could never get it done before, having so little time for Cappy to be able to take care of it.) The roof dilemma tho, that being solved, clinched the deal.

Mr. Mike, poor soul, had to be outside most of the time in that terrible heat, running the saw and equipment they had set up in the driveway. Whenever I passed by the window or stood there washing dishes, I saw him busily measuring, sawing, just busy, busy, busy back and forth working hard out there. You should see the precise, sharp crisp corners he made on the crown moulding for the bedroom. Everything the guys inside needed to install, Mike had it ready at hand for them to grab and put up just when they needed it, and done so well. I'm telling you, this was amazing to watch. And tiring. I was exhausted at the end of the day...whooped, from just watching these guys work. Craftsmen, everyone of them. When they were finished, they just as quickly packed things neatly into their trucks, tidied up....can you believe that?? Tidied up after themselves, picked up after themselves, and as neatly as they worked, they all left our driveway at the same time, the same as they had arrived. What a fantastic bunch of good guys!!!