July 5 -- cycling and flooring

How are they alike ? this is a test ... I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog that when I was in the tile place it was like watching a pro race ... how ? you have to be familiar with the sponsors -- Berry Floor (laminate floor, sponsor with US Postal); Quick Step (laminate floor, major sponsor); Mapei (mortar, used to be a major sponsor).

Quick Step has on its team many major players -- Danilo Di Luca, Damiano Cunego, Oscar Freire, Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini ...

Flooring is the order of the day today. I puttered around a little until Sandy left, just in case she needed anything because once I started laying tile I was tied up, so to speak ... didn't want to come unglued ... can't think of any more puns.

Sandy left around 9a.m. and I got organized to start tiling -- mixed a small batch of mortar and got going. From then to 5pm I was busy laying tile -- it sounds like a long time and it was. It's slow going though -- I laid 41 tiles -- 6 rows of 7 tiles less one tile (out of mortar). Four batches of mortar in total -- the first batch was too runny so I got it more to the consistency of latex caulking -- that's probably the closest comparison. I don't have a container large enough to mix an entire bag -- a 5 gallon container comes close but not quite big enough.

41 tiles is 91 square feet -- the room is around 225 square feet. It will take 70 full sized tiles and 35 cut tiles ... so I'm making good progress with the full sized tiles. It's tiring work though -- I couldn't do this for a living !! The large tiles are awkward to work with as well -- and these 18x18 tiles are lightweights compared to the 20x20's that are coming soon.

Progress though -- that's the important thing.

I just talked to Sandy -- she is in Toronto waiting to meet up with Joyce, who had a dinner engagement and regretting that she didn't do some more driving this afternoon and take a motel part-way down to Philly. She's going to head out before 7am tomorrow which should put her in Philly between 2pm and 3pm.