The Great Race:  Personal Effects or 'Completed' Condo - Which Wins?

I no longer recall what's in my sea shipment, packed up last March, except some clothes, tax papers (woo ho) and 'other stuff.'  Shipment scheduled to arrive Wednesday.

my countertop smiling

Great, the description our workman just gave to the general contractor over the phone is that our countertop is bowed - "it is like smiling at you".  Wonder how they are going to fix this?

mini me not smiling

This leaves mini me feeling a bit sad - all seems so avoidable if only . . .

There is nothing so nerve racking as being in the house hearing the workmen banging, drilling and then muttering about how they cannot fix something.  Must be time for a beach walk, but if I go, will they depart without finishing?

"Smiling" Ledge
Trying to weight down countertop ledge
white walls are plaster that should be blue

13:15 on Friday the 26th September:  Now awaiting plumber who should be here by 2pm (we'll see) with a long list of fixes and installs for him, including guest shower and sink for sis' visit.

water!  mini me is delighted!
although sink seems set back a bit far

Hubby on the case to monitor what is going on.  Plaster applied Wednesday as a cosmetic fix to get the countertop to fit is still wet -- so much for the 24 hours to dry.  And two countertop pieces have to be redone as not done correctly first time.  Sigh!  So no painting of the kitchen today and hence workmen back in kitchen again - hopefully next week.  Good news is sink is back and small "disposal chamber" at back is very handy (with garbage disposal in it).

Plaster falling off wall

Next dilemma - most people have dishwashers immediately adjacent to sink, but no life sized me has a small cupboard in-between (trash bin); heavens!  This requires additional plumbing and I have already heard 3 times:  "Usually the dishwasher is next to the sink."

OK, now past 2pm, no plumber - 'it's to be expected' says hubby.  This is Florida, it just is how it is.

Cheerful, jokey plumber and son combo arrive around 3 pm.  Hum, local DIY store (national chain) sells sinks that don't meet code, so a workaround is installed.  More sighing about the dishwasher and extra parts required (this should have been known since July!). 

4 pm - workmen depart, work remains, no notice of when they might return.

Furniture delivery arrives, fortunately just before building fire alarm goes off; only hubby, me, a visiting Scottish couple and the Condo Board President (who has to meet the fire truck) evacuate.  Other residents claim they knew it was just a false alarm. Hmmmm. 

5 pm (on  Friday night) the plumber returns, guest shower and sink now installed albeit a small dent has been placed in the vinyl. Dishwasher connected.  As he departs the plumber jokingly exclaims "now the woman can start the clean-up after me [ie his mess]!"  Can you believe it?

Then weather alert radio goes off twice for flooding (2 inches in 1 hour forecast) - hold on to your children it says - and I get an AAA email alert for lightening.  Thunder overhead; storms roll in.  Nothing dull here in Mad Beach.

Mini me hoping for an uneventful weekend!

Oh joy, stucco and bucket 'weights' on my ledge for the weekend

Life size me still recovering from flooring fiasco - and feeling incompetent.

Sea shipment forecast to win the race.
Place your bets!

PS  Confirmed these are dolphins we are seeing (with curved fins; porpoise have triangle fins).  Apparently in 50's and 60's, locals called bottlenose dolphins porpoise - hence the confusion.