"This past summer my wife wanted the old kitchen torn out and new cupboards put in. It was July second when I took the old cupboards out. Since we were planning to drive back to Alaska in my pickup on July seventh, I had a limited amount of time to put the new cupboards in.

When I started taking off the old plaster and laft I thought that it wouldn't take that much time. But I had to fix the electrical wiring and add some more outlets. Then I had to put in some new plumbing. After those jobs were done we took a window out and replaced it with a new one, then we replaced another window with a door. After I had started the windows, I realized I was taking too long, so I hired a carpenter to help put in the new cupboards.

My wife also wanted the washing machine moved from the basement to the kitchen, and I did that the day before we left. My son Marc came over to help put the finishing touches on the project.

The irony is that after 24 years of wanting to fix up the kitchen, my wife didn't even get a chance to use it before we left. Our daughter Lorah will be the one that uses it for the next nine months."

Richard Olsen