It might be difficult to see at this time, but this construction project will soon be a Santa Fe style territorial cottage. In the second image, the garage is shown facing forward. The final placement is with the garage door facing to the right.
Above: The current state of the cottage. Click on the image to enlarge.
Below: The model we originally selected for our retirement home.
Ramírez offers this view of the Administration’s economic policy making process . . .
Just in time for Patriot Day 2010, our Never Forget Tribute just ticked over 65 million views.
Buck Up for Wounded Warriors will be having a car show and riding their motorcycles in a police and fire-escorted 9/11 parade in Prescott, AZ today. Visit their site for details.
As we have done for several years, we are again honoring our 9/11 victim, Mark Zeplin and all the victims of Islamic Terrorism:
Damsel and I are very proud to be able to honor Marc Scott Zeplin on the eighth anniversary of the Islamic Terrorist Attacks against America on September 11, 2001 and to be part of the 2996 Project. This is the fourth year we have posted about Marc Scott Zeplin.
“Zep” is what his friends called him. Zep was one of the 2996 victims who perished in the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Marc Scott Zeplin, age 33.
Place killed: World Trade Center. Resident of Harrison, N.Y. (USA).
Marc Zeplin worked in the World Trade Center offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services company. Reading what Marc’s friends and family have written about him, Marc was well-liked and respected by peers, friends and others who wrote words about him following his death.
The following is from Zep’s tribute at the memorial site that his company set up to remember their employees that were lost in the attack:
Date of Birth: January 12, 1968
Department: Equity Sales
A group of friends named and registered a star in the heavens in memory of Marc Zeplin. How fitting as he was a star in the eyes of so many.
Successful as an equity trader, he formed close relationships with his clients but he was foremost a family man. Marc was very caring and devoted to his wife Debra, sons Ryan (3 yrs old) and Ethan (10 months), parents, sister and in-laws. He adored his children and treasured the time he spent with them. Marc was very proud of the new home he and his wife built in Westchester and enjoyed the change from urban to suburban living.
Raised in Long Island, Marc attended Oceanside High School and the University of Michigan where he also continued to earn a master’s degree in the acclaimed business school. Marc’s first career calling was sports casting. He loved sports of all kinds and enjoyed broadcasting games in Michigan during his college years. However, when he returned to New York, he found immediate employment in the financial world and soon after started at Cantor Fitzgerald where he became a partner.
Marc was truly a “master of the word.” He knew how and what to say in order to put you at ease, make you laugh or help you resolve a problem. Marc loved people. He had many friends and demonstrated a zest for living life to the fullest. He was tops in every way. He even worked at the top. The right position for so many years unfortunately was wrong on only one day – September 11, 2001.
— Debra Zeplin and Leora Zeplin, Marc’s Wife and Mother.
Please join us today as we remember Marc Zeplin and the rest of the victims of those attacks, and please, NEVER FORGET.
Ramírez’ take on the whacko Qu’ran burning . . .
Personally, I think the burning ought to start in Iran, nukes first.
We decided to visit several tourist attractions in our new town today. One of the stops on the self-guided historic walking tour of the old downtown area is The Jail Tree.
This is one of several sculptures in the old downtown area. Damsel and I were both amazed at the realistic appearance of the shackled outlaw sculpture. Click on her photo to the right to enlarge.
The sign says “The Jail Tree – from 1863 to 1890 outlaws were chained to this tree for lack of a Hoosegow – escapes were unknown.”
The tree wasn’t actually a jail according to Weird U.S. . . .
Myth has it that convicts were sentenced to the tree and chained there until they either died from exposure or, if lucky, they completed their stretch. But, in truth, the tree was simply a holding facility. Offenders were shackled or tied to the tree only until a Phoenix lawman could make it up that way to retrieve them. Still, according to Wickenburg’s Chamber of Commerce, this could be anywhere from two to five days. At least they had some shade.
Weird gets it wrong, though. The nearest jail was in Prescott and prisoners were transported there.
This is a typical scene along Arizona State Route 74 near Lake Pleasant, about 30 miles east of our new town. We drove into the Phoenix metro area to do some shopping and take care of some business. Traffic along U.S. 60 was messed up due to road construction in the area, so we took the scenic route back to town. Click on the image to enlarge.
The contractor we commissioned to build our new home in Arizona has really come through. We were out to the construction site today and walked through some of the particulars with him today. We settled on locations for computers, TVs, special requests (like installing a gun safe) and a myriad of choices for cabinets, doors, finishing hardware and styles that the Damsel selected since she has the artistic talent in the family.
Image: The new home as of September 7, 2010 – click on the image to enlarge
The best thing about this project is that we have met most of the people supplying and working on the new build. Our contractor assembled a great crew from trusted sources and not the lowest bidder. We made a lot of progress toward realizing our new home today.
The framing should be done this week in spite of the Labor Day holiday. Next week, the electricians, plumbers (gas and water) plus other tradesmen will show up to do their collective magic. We can hardly wait!