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.