Today started with a quick bacon and egg breakfast sandwich at home, then a trip to Home Depot to pick up parts. Back at home the guys cut and installed the cement board on the wall with the shower plumbing.
They also built a small ledge along the outside edge of the shower area.
After all the cement board was installed, it was covered with a coat of thin-set, which is a little wetter than mud. This will hold up the Schluter.
The next step was to put up the Schluter (a waterproof barrier) around the whole shower. Between the concrete board, the thin set and Schluter, I don't think a flood could get through these walls!
Apparently Schluter has to be installed upside down...
All of that stuff has to dry before continuing, so they left it and moved to the bathroom floor. First step was to remove the spacers, then clean up the debris, using our new Shop Vac.
Then they mixed the grout in a bucket outside, and spread it over the floor tile.
In just a few minutes the grout had set enough that Randy could wipe the excess grout off of the tiles.
While everything was drying out or setting up, they brought the toilet in and installed it,
and hauled in the little vanity and set it in place. We kept the vanity that was in the original bathroom; I like the curve of it, so I painted it a lighter color so it would go well with our new tiles.
The Schluter needed a lot more time to dry out so we called it a day, got cleaned up, and went out to eat at Eaton's Beach Sandbar and Grill in Weirsdale. This place is home to a dish will go on our "Best Food on the Road" list: Shrimp and Grits. Even if you don't care for grits (as Aaron didn't), this is worth trying. Aaron took Randy's suggestion and ordered it, and agreed it was awesome. The shrimp is cooked perfectly, the grits are flavored with a white wine cream sauce, and it's topped with bacon and chives. What's not to love?
I keep meaning to order this but get distracted by other things on the menu (supported by the knowledge that I can filch a little of Randy's Shrimp and Grits). This time I ordered their Mac and Cheese, and suddenly I have another "Best Food on the Road" dish! This was perfect - creamy cheeses, flavored with spicy Andouille sausage and Tasso (a Louisiana pork product that adds flavor to any dish).
Since the guys had worked most of the day, it was a little late to do much else. So we drove Aaron out to see a little of The Villages. It's hard to convey the scope of this community, but currently it's home to over 157,000 people. And all of the common land is landscaped and manicured.
We drove around the Spanish Springs Town Square, then on to the Sumter Landing Town Square, where we parked the car and walked by rows of fancy golf carts to admire Lake Sumter.
Along the waterways that lead to the lake we saw large Carp in the water. And I learned something about Carp: they make round nests in the water, clearing away debris by swimming in a circle.
We left the fish to their business and walked to the Square where we listened to a duo play music for awhile, before calling it a night.
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