Little things

Sometimes a small change is all it takes to make a big difference. Here, for example, is an astoundingly boring mantel. It is just a board sitting on bricks:

Really, does this even qualify as a mantel? Probably not. Let's just call it a board. Because that's what it is. So Jim Fortune took down this board and built something beautiful to go in its place. Like so:

Yes, this will be an actual mantel when it's done. No more boards. Here's another picture of it close up, so you can see all the detail work:

He also had to build slots into the back of this pretty thing to fit over the brick supports where the old board was resting. That was not a problem. Jim can totally do that kind of thing. Here's the finished product:

Yep, now it is a mantel.

Not a huge thing. But so much better.

Signs of affection

Jim Fortune expresses his love for his family through action. He builds us stuff and he fixes our bikes and our cars and he plans trips for us and he makes sure things get done and people get taken places and everything is operating optimally.

This is a phenomenon I think of as engineer love. Do not wait for engineers to tell you they love you and would do anything for you and feel lucky every day to be part of your life. Just watch them work and interpret as appropriate.

All that to say, Jim Fortune built this for me:

Yeah, I know. Wow. 

This gorgeous thing is the very first thing you see when you come through the front door of Jim Fortune's house. It is a monument to engineer love. It has file storage on the bottom so I do not have to schlep upstairs every time I want to file a receipt. It has drawers to store our old CDs so we do not have to part with them even though we really don't need them anymore:

It has dovetail joints and inset doors and self-closing drawer slides and it is made to look like a built-in but it can be removed so that if we ever leave it can go with us. Because, yeah, this is MINE.

Babies have a lot of stuff

Our delightful friends had the delightful experience of having twins a couple of years ago -- a gorgeous little duo: one boy and one girl, one dark and one fair. They are the sweetest little set you ever saw.

Because our friends needed places to put the many things that accompany the arrival of two babies, Jim Fortune made them the prettiest set of matching shelves and cabinets, built into the walls around their bedroom window.

On the left.

On the right.

I have mentioned before how much Jim Fortune loves symmetry. This project made him quite happy.