So at around 3AM this morning, our new, revamped website went live at www.717north.com ... of more import is the fact that I still had any hair on my head when it did...

Part of the fun in rehabbing 717North is keeping everyone updated, so when a friend who happens to be a talented and prodigious blogger was making me jealous with her slick site and posts that would seem to be a combination between Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and how I imagine Ruth Graham - with a little extra kick only those raised in SouthEast Texas possess, I decided it was time I put in a bit more effort.

After finally finding a design program I liked compatible with mac, and working for several days on laying out the bones of the site, I FTP the files to my server only to realize my image thumbnails didn't link properly to full size versions... so I retool the pages and FTP again, only to find that iWeb FTP now crashes constantly and the page is half uploaded in a weird cyber-purgatory type way. Add to that fact that iWeb is no longer supported by Apple, and our nice new Apple Computer almost got an all expense paid vacation to the front lawn, complete with one way air travel. I finally found a freeware FTP program called Classic FTP, and painstakingly transferred each of the 250 or so files individually to the server. The site is still rather basic, but after I recover, the Holmes family section will be expanded and I'd like to include sections on Newton history, Thomas Williams and The Long Leaf Pine Forest that built the Southeast US.

All this really makes me feel rather computer illiterate, I really havent kept up with the times, I feel like Im a few neurons away from thinking the DVD drive is a cupholder... oh wait, computers don't even come with those anymore :-|

So in the end, just know, projects begun in jealousy always bring angst... but patience can salvage any debacle. Just kidding, I wouldn't call it jealousy... so maybe we should close with "as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another".

I realized as I was leaving work today that I may have a slight problem... as I was waiting for the elevator I noticed a spot of white paint on the wood trim surrounding the elevator entry and was surprised by an almost irrepressible urge to scratch that paint off (followed of course by sanding, staining, varnishing, filling, etc). Yes, we have been working on trim restoration for far too long. But Mrs. Sartain would be proud - upon our first meeting, the almost centenarian daughter of Thomas Williams (as in Autrey-Williams House), who grew up in the home, told me of her dismay that the virgin long leaf pine moldings had been painted white. The virgin pine forests are gone she rightly said, then quipped "so are all the virgins" - I hope I have half as much wit at her age ;)

So in it's hundredth year of existence, I'd like to think of all our hard work (by "our" I mean mostly my Mom, haha) as a birthday present to a home I have admired for as long as I can remember. We still have a long way to go, but I wanted to take a moment to recognize the progress we have made.

The Foyer, before (July 2011) and nearing completion (April 2012)

The Guest Bathroom Main Floor before (Sep 2011), in progress (April 2012)

 

So just to make ourselves feel better,  I wanted to showcase a few pictures that show the progress that has been made. It can be daunting when you think of everything that needs to be done, but just as in life, sometimes you have to slow down, zoom in, forget about the big scary 10,000 foot overview, and enjoy the journey.