Done Deal

MEL’S DINER
We go down to San Clemente for breakfast. We have a view of the ocean and pier. There is an elderly man sitting at one of the outside tables in front of us. David announces to our family that he will be that man one day. He will sit outside this restaurant and talk to every passerby. In fact, he will come here each day because he will own this place. “People will call me Mel and they will call you Flo...” He gets more excited by the forkful. By the end of our meal, and it’s a good one, David is set on moving our family to San Clemente. We take a walk over to the pier — breathe in the ocean smells, watch the surfers, and it’s a done deal for David. He’s looking for realtors. Our next anniversary will be spent in the cute little hotel around the corner. We can shop, and go to all the restaurants here. Our oldest son is afraid he’ll never see his friends again. We're not even half way done with our kitchen. What is he thinking? We see a condo with an open house sign. It’s a 3-bedroom, beautifully decorated condo with an amazing view of the pier and ocean — and a price tag to match. The high price helps the boys and me. “Okay, maybe not so close to the ocean”, says David.
Rats!

ALL IN THE FAMILY
We hired the plumber’s brother-in-law for electrical. He was the most detailed and helpful of the three electricians we talked to. He turned out to be the most reliable vendor we’ve ever used. He comes over at 8 am sharp or calls when he can’t (which is rare) and comes soon after. The plumber is more likely to promise 8 am and not show up for two days. True, there are a lot more plumbing emergencies than electrical, but we’ve been put off so many times, it’s not funny. One time the plumber’s office said they completely cleared out Keith’s schedule and told everyone not to divert him to any emergency. I know this is true because our electrician came in one morning and told me he saw the schedule board at the plumber’s. It said Keith is at our house all day Wed. We both laughed. The electrician told me about a new code that requires a certain amount of florescent or LED lighting in your kitchen. We got these requirements faxed to us from City Planning so we can request more money from our insurance. We did the same for smoke detectors. Those are now required in each bedroom.

NEXT POST
Check back next Monday for more restaurant stories and our kitchen remodel progression! Scroll down for the photos.