Framing, bathroom and closets, oh my!

Look! Our new bathroom!

I swear that's what it is. I probably got you all excited, because you were expecting actual tile and fixtures and walls and stuff. Sorry. But progress is progress. You can see where the walls will be, and where the plumbing will go (hint: the white tubes sticking out of the floor = plumbing). We find this terrifically exciting. I admit it requires a little imagination. It's great to really be able to see where everything will be.

Lest the other parts of the basement feel neglected, here are some photos of all the framing going on elsewhere. In the left-hand corner, you might be able to see some shiny new copper pipe, and a fancy 3/4 turn valve handle. This is our main water line for the house, replacing an ancient, mineral-encrusted faucet and lead service line. We're very excited to have less-contaminated water that one may even be able to drink right from the tap, without reverse-osmosis filtering first.
Framing for the utility closet on the left. The white whale/albatross of a hot water heater will soon be gone forever, replaced by a sleek little wall-mounted on-demand tankless heater, so we can be all chic and European and not run out of hot water by the end of the second shower! (Note to all consumers: before buying major appliances such as hot water heaters, etc. do a Google search for any ongoing class action lawsuits affecting said major appliances. Turns out our hot water heater is a worthless piece of crap, yet Lowe's continued to sell it even as thousands of people were suing over its crappiness. We did get our spare parts which were our due award as part of the class. I'm sure they will look lovely on the scrap heap next to the hot water heater tank.)
A closet! A real live closet! Wow. Seldom-used camping equipment and old paint will reside here in resplendent organized storage someday.

And back to the bathroom for a moment, if I may. This shot was taken a few days later than the ones above, and if you look on the left, you will see a pale green panel. This covers the giant hole in the wall that is soon to become the bathroom window, filled in with opaque glass block to filter in the southern light that comes in on that side of the house. Imagination here, people, please.

Meanwhile, back in the yard. The plants are doing just fine on their own, and growing like mad without me to bother them. This year just does not seem like the year to care about the garden. I do sneak back behind the construction debris to cut herbs once in awhile, and I'm always shocked at how much they've grown. It's done nothing but be alternately wet and sunny this spring and summer, and hasn't been too hot, so the plants are flourishing. So are the weeds, so don't look too closely there. If you squint, it's all just a big blurry lush green loveliness. Next year we'll try for pretty and a bit more well-groomed.