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I got back from Rhode Island a couple days ago after paying my first visit to our new (old) house in East Greenwich. I had a great time, and got lots of visits from people I haven't gotten to see in a long time.

My mom came out from Santa Barbara to check out the place and help me paint the kitchen cupboards (before: dark purple; after: white). She also helped me do my very first electrical project, which made me feel like a complete girl (Are you SURE the power's off? These wires are scary! Eeeek!) and distracted me just enough to make me forget to take any pictures. My dad and stepmom, Kathy, also came over (even though Soren wasn't with me!) and treated Mom and me to a nice dinner at the nearby Post Office Café. Sunday was a veritable parade of friends -- Jay came by in the morning, followed by Brian, Edith and Sam in the afternoon and then Hannah that evening. It was so good to see everyone, and to finally see the house! I can't wait to come back in December.

The place is in really good shape, both structurally and aesthetically -- the dark purple cabinets had to go, but everything else is fine for now. I'll repaint other rooms eventually, but there aren't any wacky colors to drive me crazy in the meantime. I've even come to peace with the pink tiles in the upstairs bathroom. It's a good thing, since those 1930's tiles are about 3/4" thick and their removal requires a major commitment to swinging a sledgehammer.

The yard is looking pretty good, too; there might be some shrub removal in order, and the grass will need some TLC before it can serve as a proper croquet lawn, but the ancient elm (?) tree in the backyard is amazing, as are the ancient rhododendrons and the ancient burning bush and the ancient clumps of irises. We'll see about the ancient yew bushes. I'm known as Yewbane after the destruction I wreaked at our last house.

Ooh, and the flight back to Alaska was pretty amazing. The glaciers I've seen so far in Alaska have been cool, and I like the blue ice and all, but I'll admit I wasn't totally sure what the big deal was. Then, over the Yukon, I saw views like this at 38,000 feet (not my photos, though I wish I'd taken some):




Now THOSE are glaciers. Or at least those are great views of glaciers. Now I understand how they end up carving the landscape.

Hey, speaking of really old, slow-moving things, happy birthday, Dad! I kid because I love! Ha ha!