Topped!

No leaks here! 

The roof is complete! The expanse of roofing tiles is glorious, and it defies raindrops to do their worst.

Well, not their worst- I'm sure they could find a way in during a lake storm, but barring a hurricane I think we're good to go!

Michigan doesn't get hurricanes! 

In case we've forgotten, we'd better do some before and afters. They are the mainstay of the blogosphere, after all!

Before

Bell Tower Decay

Much better! 

Sweetness! Thank you Picard Builders!

I feel the Grindstone Pioneers would heave a sigh of relief that the church has a new topper. They are a constant presence around Grindstone Corners.

There is activity across the street as well. Captain Aron G. Peer's house made of Grindstone got a beautiful facelift. It gave me a good feeling to watch the work on this piece of history. It was done with love and care, and with strong hands. Just like the original must have been built. That's why the benevolent ghosts of the many souls who toiled and triumphed here are so omnipresent.

Winterized porch

Plotting and Planning

Come on in!

Just amazing. Beautiful, hand made porch, in the fashion of the past.

Everyone's smiling, even the Church!

Grindstone Corners is blessed! 

Fore and Aft

This project is all about Before and After. Progress. Taking a decrepit, aging old church, a church that no one has  much cared about for decades, and stopping the decay. Restoring what was, and possibly making it even better.

For us, one of the most exciting things to see was the restoration of the bell house. We had been dying to see the bell itself, to try to get a clue about the age of the church. 

1882! The bell says 1882!

The Precious Bell House. It needed a facelift. Thanks to Ron and crew, it got one!

Beee fore...

Ahhhh fter! 

The bell house is the crowning glory of the church, but even more important for the life of the building is the repair of the roof. It's big, steep and in quite bad shape. 

North side roof, you go first. 

Before

After

After the North side was done, Ron Picard and his crew moved on to the Bell house, as you saw. Then they moved on to the South side. I climbed up with camera in pocket to see the view.

First the tiles get peeled off. 

Then comes the OSB over the old planking.

Whoa! Don't look down!

We have a new appreciation for what Ron and Crew are doing up there!

Be careful up there!

We had to leave before he was finished, so we can look forward to seeing it complete next weekend, weather willing!

Very exciting!

But even more has been done. Back at headquarters, some cute-ing up needed to be done.

Beloved Cottage! 

The cottage in Port Austin has always been a haven, but since we bought it 8 or so years ago, we've put a lot of time money and hard work into improvements. New roof, new siding, new windows. New roof on the shed out back, we put in a garden and a compost, and other little things we've done over the years. But I always wished it were a little cuter when you pull up. I've tried flowers in front, shrubs, rocks, driftwood. It always looked awful.

Raggedy grass and old concrete. 

So we asked an expert! We knew we wanted a patio, but there wasn't enough clearance for wood decking, so we went with concrete. We also tore up the grass this winter since we drove on it so often,  so we thought it was time for a driveway. I personally didn't want that much concrete in my front yard reflecting hot sunlight, so we went with crushed asphalt as per recommendation from several people. But the finishing touch was something to make the front face cute. We had thought of shutters, but there wasn't enough room between the windows. We thought of awnings, but that was expensive and maybe wouldn't look very good. What we never thought of but which now makes perfect sense, is the color in the gables! The beachy blue siding that makes the front pop- and the sides when you see them! It was the perfect solution!

Before...getting a patio and driveway...

After! Yay!

Obviously we're not done- I see some comfy patio furniture and some pots full of colorful flowers in my future. And I'm going to dig up the tulip and daffodil bulbs and find a new home for them. No more raggedy plants out front. I'm going to acquire some shade loving flowering trees or bushes, and call it good.