Pardon Our Dust

Here at the Schroeder Store, we're busy remodeling to serve you better at our new location. Or just to serve you at all, I guess. We have contractors hard at work rehabbing the building. One of them told me the structure is in better condition than it might look, and should be very dependable when they're done.

(R) You may be able to make out the original sign advertising "Used Furniture & Antiques" -- but that's not all you'll find at the new improved Schroeder Store! So watch this space for news!

Meanwhile, I've been ordered by the boss to fix up the 277 in various places, some of which I showed last time. I now have the wood I need. The first project was to make the window sill sections, and I trimmed the first one to shape and installed it in the 277, as seen here. It takes a while to make the various adjustments, but the end result is a nice tight fit.

I also made two corner post moldings we'll need for the bad center window post.

They were then painted with white primer. I also slapped as much paint as I could on the wood under the new window sill. I should be able to install it on Saturday.

I also worked for quite a while on excavating rotten wood from the two posts shown here. Unfortunately the absent-minded professor forgot to bring his good chisel set along, but I was able to make progress with the department's tools. Next time I will try to smooth it out some more and start cutting the post replacements I made today to fit.

And I now have a matching color for the 319 vestibule floors, which are different from the rest of the floor.

In the evening I went to the visitation in Wheaton for Julie Johnson. (Frank had been there earlier.) The funeral home was packed, and there was a large crowd of IRM members. Pete Schmidt came in from Baltimore, and there were others who came long distances or made special efforts to attend. I can't begin to list them all. It was good to be able to talk to some of Julie's relatives, and to join the large number of people who came to pay their respects to the memory of a life-long member who did so much for the Museum.