Speedwell Forge B&B, a Lancaster bed and breakfast

The YMCA triathlon came through yesterday, and I didn't even know about it until it was all over. Hopefully it wasn't marred by controversy, like the year the police commissioner refused to provide traffic control because the YMCA had a reading program that included Harry Potter. (Nope, not making that up.) Next year I hope to do something to support the triathlon, and get in a little marketing as well. (Bottled water comes to mind, given all the springs we have under the mansion.)

I would like to extend an apology to any of the participants who were almost run over by a blue Subaru Legacy -- Dawn was not having a good day. She is really under pressure to get the windows finished before winter, but with all the subcontractors there now she has to spend most of her day dealing with them. So she spends all weekend working on the windows by herself, and you know what they say about "all work and no play."

I, on the other hand, had a pretty good day. I revised the cost estimates and the restoration costs are down considerably, mostly thanks to Dawn. We've also had fantastic luck -- except for the summer kitchen roof, we've had no major problems, nothing worse than expected, and everyone on the project has been friendly, hard-working, and conscientious. I know I shouldn't talk about this because it might jinx us, but we're approaching the halfway point and I'm quite happy with the progress.

Of course, we're still way over our original (and totally unrealistic) budget. I'm not happy we have to sell our house in LA, but I realized today that in the 10 years we've owned our home, its value has increased by 350%, which is an extraordinary amount. And the increase in value is almost exactly (within 2%) of what we need to finish the restoration! That's an extraordinary coincidence.

While I was in this euphoric mood, I was also reminded what a remarkable person Dawn is. Not many people could give up their lifestyle and deal with such a massive project like she has. In fact, I think I'm much more stressed than she is. But what I think is really amazing is that when the last nail is driven and this project is over, Dawn will just move on. After fourteen months of directing a crew of a dozen people, she will go get an office job and nobody will ever guess what she just accomplished. And when we start welcoming guests at our B&B, people will think she's done it all her life. She really is remarkable, and I'm very lucky to be marrying her.

But for all her talents, she still takes crummy video: