I Miss Our Wood Floors

When I entertain my fantasies--or occasionally, think of the realities--of moving, I lament the loss of various aspects of our house in Metairie. Most of all, I would miss the hardwood floors. They were installed during the summer of 2004 by a skilled craftsman who was down on his luck at the time. Homeless, he spent most of every day at our house for many weeks--he and his two dogs. As well as laying down the hardwood floors in our living room and dining room--and we're talking the real thing here, not laminate or anything the slightest bit prefabricated--he painted four rooms and a hallway, and recarpeted one room. He did it all singlehandedly, which made the process last forever, but the end results were beautiful in my eyes.

Here are two shots from the living room of our Houston apartment. Joel is sitting on a media lounger from Target, assembled by Katie. It is the only chair in the apartment that does not fold up. Across from him (out of camera range) is the television. Amid the white built-in shelves is a pass-through window to the kitchen. In the background of the first picture is the dining room, which is entirely empty. The lower apartment photo with the windows and the bird cages shows the entryway, where one of the van's seats is stored.