Still kickin' (well, not really)

For those tuning in for the first time, I recently, a couple weeks ago, moved from Peoria, Illinois to Dallas, Texas, effectively bringing with me cooler weather- 72 for a high today- equally as effectively extracting the cold from the north, leaving P-town with a high of 86. We've a pool here, eye candy so far, though beckoning even me, the human anchor, in expectation of those heat stroke causing Dallas summers. Interesting will my tan be once I remove my water wings after a day of basking.

From the first day here, a plan  was implemented to convert our private bathroom into a handicap friendly environment. In this particular part of the house- originally a separate structure designed as an in law room or less, the construction proved to be more rudimentary than expected. I had my guys, carpenters from Peoria, spend a week here buffing up some roof areas, making minor repairs and, you guessed it, restructuring the bathroom from the ground up- literally. Special thanks to Rachel and Gus

 for plying their weapons of mass destruction in gutting the room. Before it was re-built, I could have dug worms from the dirt floor. The difficulty for me lied in the fact I would have been stuck in the soil, too thick to bury and too heavy to remove. Consequently, I stayed in my chair, safely distanced.

The re-structuring of our bathroom required a complete frame up process. My familial demolition crew had to remove a vanity, a toilet, not elongated, not comfortable, a 30" shower (a husband/wife showering scene best left to the imagination), sheet rock off walls, ceiling, removal of the flooring, (ceramic tile on Durock), the sub floor sheathing, the floor structure and debris underneath, where the soil, a foot below, contained the worms I would never rescue for the hook. After all was gone and exposed, the plumber installed his waste and supply and my best friend Jim re-built a floor system over and around the pipes. The bathroom was reconfigured, designed by Amy and Sarah, to accommodate a 60"x36" roll in shower, a small vanity, two recessed cubbies, a recessed medicine cabinet, an elongated (thank you Lord) ADA approved, chair height toilet, soon to be equipped with a high tech Swash 1000 seat, (look it up if you really want to know), ADA approved grab bars in the shower and alongside the toilet, a recessed area within the shower to accommodate shampoo bottles, etc. and a plethora of other amenities too numerous to mention.

Presently, the distance from our bedroom to the nearest bathroom is approximately 70'. If I tried to walk the distance in my present condition, I would likely pee myself at least twice before I got to the commode. Thanks to Jazzy, I can make the trek in less than ten seconds barring any obstacles like kids, toy or dogs. Most times I succeed. The new bathroom cannot get done soon enough.