The Frankentable...Is Done

 Tonight, I lifted the three parts of the table and carried them downstairs where I re-assembled them to form a game table.

Of course, there's a story behind it.

We moved recently (you may be sick of hearing about that, but so much of our life revolves around this--new experiences, new adventures...). We also recently finished putting in a full basement. A few months ago I thought it would be cool to have a bumper pool table. We don't have the room for a full pool table--they're big and expensive, but a bumper pool table would be great. I remember my best friend growing up, Kerry Soper had a table in his house and we had a blast playing on that thing for hours and hours. 

So, imagine my surprise when a week or so before construction began on the basement I found the top of a bumper pool table at a local thrift store. We didn't buy it--it was only the top, after all. But that night I thought how coincidental it was that I thought it would be cool to have a table and, like magic, there it was.

I went back the next day and bought it.

I had to find something to put it on. Many times the thrift stores have tables, tables with solid bases. I had to just wait until I found one that would work. Luckily, a few weeks ago, I found my table. I took off the top, re-fit the base, and attached the game table. Tonight, I took it downstairs and put it all together.

It's not the prettiest table, or the nicest. Heck, I don't even know if I or my kids will like playing bumper pool. Kerry and I didn't have video games or cable back then. But I hope we do. I hope it's used. I hope maybe in forty-five years my kids may remember when they were kids, how they used to have a grand old time playing bumper pool with their dad.

Then, they'll have a story to tell.

A Blank Canvas...Or Basement

Back when we helped built our house almost twenty years ago, I was constantly amazed at the abilities of those who create things. In a matter of months, a bare plot of land transforms from nothing into a structure, then a finished product, then a functional building, then a home.

And I'm seeing it again.

We're getting our basement finished. It's a big deal for us--we moved from a house where we were living on top of each other, and now because our new house is only half done, we're back to the same thing. Putting in a couple of bedrooms, a bath, and family room will help.

I love seeing how skilled craftsman can take a stack of lumber and create. It's only been a couple of days, but they framed the rooms to prepare for the electricians, the plumbers, the HVAC people...now it's their turn to do their magic.

I know a basement isn't a home, or a hospital, or a monument, or a car, but it's still cool to see something be created from raw materials. And we can't wait to see it be built.