7/30/17
Southport, NC
Posted by Bill

We have had a busy couple of weeks again, since the last post. There has been great progress on the house, and we have had several visitors to the area (one of the reasons we love it here). As for the visitors…a couple of our traveling partners and good friends, Mark and Jan on the other Island Bound, came for about a week. Their boat is still here in Southport Marina, and they came down from Kentucky to hang out. Then we attended the wedding of our friends Ben and Marguerite, in Chapel Hill.

It was a great road trip, an absolutely beautiful wedding and reception, and we had a really good time. I haven’t drank that much beer in a long time, and it bloated me out like a pregnant lady, but we ate well and had lots of fun. There were several other good friends there from D dock (Ben and Marguerite have their boat there with all of us) which contributed to the fun. We are all very happy for them!! After that, we met Tricia’s brother Rob and wife Sue, with nephew Patrick, and their aunt Doris, in Wilmington. Doris lives near by and the rest were vacationing in Topsail Beach. It is always fun to hang with them! Then we visited our good friends from Ohio, Andy, Kevin and Scott. They were hanging out at Kevin’s condo in Myrtle Beach, which is only an hour away, and it was good to catch up with them. Then we drove to North Topsail to visit with our close friends/family, the Hiltys. They were on vacation and we had a great time catching up with them.

The exterior of the house should be done this week. The inside has been roughed in for electric, gas and plumbing, and all we need outside is the front steps, paint, and the metal roof. Here is how it looks now:

We have had many people walk by the house while we have been there. Everyone tells us how great it looks. We couldn’t be happier!!! The quality is superb! In the next couple of weeks the interior will start. Wood ceiling first, and then wood shiplap walls…just like the old days! The decisions on everything related to the build have consumed us. There are several unique aspects to the interior that have taken quite a bit of our time, but we think it will end up being very cool.