Two Weeks in Albuquerque
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wE SAW lots of bALLOONS IN THE SKY, BUT no bALLOON fIESTA for us THIS year.
It was Balloon Fiesta Week when we arrived in Albuquerque, which is the usual reason we visit Gentry and her family in October, but not this year. For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been in Albuquerque, New Mexico, helping Gentry (our original web mistress, if you’ll remember) and her husband, Eric, remodel their kitchen. This past year has been the year of ‘the house’, ‘the condo’, ‘the kitchen’… the get-down-and-dirty repair, remodel, and renovate. We volunteered for just one more project and, as expected, it was a mix of fun, frustration, and hard work.
By the time we arrived, they had nearly gutted their kitchen. Their entry hall coat closet had disappeared and was a gaping open space with plans to become part of an enlarged open pantry area in the kitchen. A knee wall separating the kitchen from the living room was shortened. All their kitchen cabinets were gone, and newly assembled cabinets sat in the garage waiting patiently to be installed.
tHEIR KITCHEN WAS GUTTED BY THE TIME WE ARRIVED.
David and Eric got into it immediately, wiring switches and ceiling lights, adding new pendant lights, under-counter lights, and relocating outlets, switches, and the refrigerator water line.
David was up to his arms in wiring tasks.
While the guys worked on the electrical, Gentry and I painted. We started in the entryway and quickly moved along the hallways, painting everything in our path. Gentry wanted new hall lights and had chosen a pierced tin design, which required rewiring new fixtures. With a few instructions from David, we women took over and voilà… classy new lights in the hallway.
Gentry chose rubberwood butcher block for her countertops. It was a new material to us, but we learned it was made from "Hevea" trees that are harvested for their latex and then used for lumber, making it an eco-friendly as well as a dense and durable choice. Eric beveled the front edges, and then Gentry and I began the arduous task of sealing and finishing the countertops. Gentry did her homework, and she’s thorough. Waterlox sealer is reputed to be durable, water-resistant, and food-safe, with lots of user reviews to back up the manufacturer’s claims. We began each day by working on the countertops. It reminded me of varnishing on Nine of Cups… not the most pleasant of memories. We applied two coats of a Waterlox sealer to both sides and all edges… one coat per day after light sanding. Then six coats of a Waterlox satin finish coat to the top and edges. The results were beautiful.
Sanding and sealing were part of our daily tasks in finishing the rubberwood butcher block countertops.
While we Waterloxed, the guys began putting up drywall on the pantry walls and ceiling, as well as the wall that had once been the entryway closet. Once completed, they installed lower cabinets on the stove side of the kitchen, and then we waited for the drywaller to tape mud and texture the installed drywall.
Eric and David figuring out their next cut for sheet rock.
The drywaller arrived much later than promised on a Friday afternoon and along with his helper, managed to tape and mud the areas that required finishing. He promised to return early the next morning. Great! We were on schedule for our planned departure and Eric’s return to work. The drywaller did not, however, return on Saturday morning as promised. Nor did he return on Sunday morning as promised. Therein lies the project's frustration.
The guys did as much as they could while waiting. They dry-fitted the kitchen side countertops and cut them to size. They cut the hole in the countertop to accommodate the new granite sink. Then they were at a standstill.
Cutting the hole in the countertop for the new granite sink.
To pass the time, we took a long walk one morning on the Paseo del Bosque Trail along the Rio Grande. David and Eric harvested sweet potatoes from Eric’s garden one afternoon. We frittered away our time chatting, taking more walks, reading, and getting more anxious and perturbed with each passing hour and each passing day.
The errant drywaller finally made an appearance on Monday afternoon and worked until late in the evening to complete the job. Unfortunately, Eric had to return to work on Tuesday, but David, Gentry, and I were determined to make some progress.
We lugged in the kitchen side countertops and watched as David butt-joined them with zip bolts. Next came the installation of the sink, then the faucets and plumbing, the garbage disposal and the dishwasher connection. He moved the induction stove into place and leveled it. Gentry and I painted the newly finished pantry area, the stove vent and adjacent walls and slapped a coat of paint on the entryway wall. A good day’s work.
Eric was off again on Wednesday and the guys got started early. They moved the new cabinets… one tall cabinet, two uppers and two lowers... into the pantry area. They fit like a glove. Next came the counter top, cut to size and installed. The undercounter lighting was hooked up.
Cabinets were moved into the new pantry space and they fit like a glove.
One aspect of the kitchen, they had not quite figured out was the stove vent. Gentry had an idea of what she wanted, but hadn’t yet found it. David made a few sketches. Gentry chose one and modified it to her liking, and the guys went about building it, including venting it through the outside wall of the house. Once it was drywalled, finished, and painted, it looked amazing… just like it belonged there. A final touch was adding some extra butcher block as trim.
Constructing the stove vent
The kitchen side finished except for a few details
The New Pantry was looking great.
Though not completely finished, the remodel looked outstanding. There was still much for Gentry and Eric to do, lots of details to finish up, but the bulk of the job was done and our time in Albuquerque was coming to an end. We departed with hugs and kisses, exhausted, but satisfied with the job. As we hit I-40 heading west, we decided no more house projects in 2025.