Last week, Richard and I made a trek to Kennebunk to The Old House Parts Co.  We needed some parts for our old house – specifically spindles for our front hall staircase.

Entrance to Old House Parts Co

The Old House Parts Co specializes in salvage and restoration “parts and pieces” needed for homes built in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.  Whatever you need for your “old house”, you are sure to find it at The Old House Parts Co.

First Impressions at Old House Parts

Perhaps you need a corbel, spindle or bracket.

Corbels & Brackets

Or maybe a replacement door.

Over 3000 Doors To Choose From

Seriously, I am not kidding – they have over 3,000 doors!

More Doors in More Styles Than You Can Imagine

Looking for an old tub to restore your bathroom?

A Tub For Your Bathroom

Maybe you need a newel post for your stairway.

Plenty of original newel posts on hand

The right lighting will add style and panache to your home.

A Gorgeous Example of Period Lighting

Need a special window?

An Abundance of Old Windows

The right mantle will dress up your fireplace.

Mantles of all types

We found the exact spindles we needed for our stairs, replacement hinges for several doors, doorknobs in need of replacement parts and one very special item.

I found an old “attic vent” that I plan on transforming into a magazine rack.  When this project is finished, a follow up photo will be posted.

Old Attic Vent Project

If you are near Kennebunk, be sure to stop into The Old House Parts Co at 1 Trackside Dr.  For a sneak peek at everything they offer, click here to visit their website.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

So much is happening to me and my my business.  I am blessed with wonderful clients that are sending referrals (new buyers and sellers) my way.  And I am excited that my new website is finally launched.  As many of you know, I have been creating and working on the new www.EdCashwell.com for almost a year now.  Now, it is real and launched.

Before launching the site, Richard and I took a two week vacation.  Yes, two weeks!  When he told me he wanted to take two weeks off, my first thought was “How can I possibly take off two weeks?”  He convinced me that it was possible and so we did.

So for my first blog post, I want to share with everyone some of the places we went and people we visited for two weeks.

Our vacation started in Boston with a visit from my dear friend Scott of Richmond, VA and his nephew Robert.  They took the train to Boston and we picked them up at South Station.  After a quick car tour of Boston, we headed to Ogunquitt, ME for a seafood dinner at Jacquie’s Too in Perkins Cove.

The following day, July 4th, Scott treated us to the James Taylor and Carole King concert at Tanglewood.  We had seats five rows back from the stage under the shed.  For years I have loved both JT and Carole.  What a treat to see them perform in such an intimate venue.  Afterwards, we enjoyed a great display of fireworks.

I grew up in North Carolina yet I have never seen the Outer Banks.  On my to do list is “travel the entire Outer Banks” and so we did.  We stopped at Cape Hatteras to see the lighthouse and spent the night on the tiny island of Ocracoke.  The next morning, we took a 2.5 house ferry ride back to the mainland and continued down the coast to Ocean Isle to visit my Uncle Johnny and Aunt Betty.  I have been craving “Calabash Seafood” from  my favorite childhood restaurant, Becks, in Calabash, NC, a small fishing village on the Intracoastal Waterway.  I love flounder, calabash shrimp and deviled crab.  And it was delicious too.  Afterwards, we enjoyed the visit with Uncle Johnny, Aunt Betty, my cousin Michael, his wife Karis, and their kids Van, Caleb & Laurin.

The next morning we slept in and then we drove to Charlotte to see my best friends, Leigh Ann & Mark and their son Zack.  Charlotte is my home so I love driving around to see all the exciting changes and growth that has occurred since I moved away. While I am not a big NASCAR fan, we both were surprised at the beauty of the new NASCAR HAll of Fame – it was visually stimulating and exciting to see.

Our next stop is Nashville, TN and we took the long way to get there – all the way through the Great Smokies through Nantahala Gorge and Murphy, NC.  Why?  Because, I had never been to the eastern most point in NC – Manteo on the Outer Banks; nor had I been to Murphy, the westernmost point in North Carolina.  Now I can truly say that I have been from Murphy to Manteo.

We spent two days in Nashville with our friends, Rob & Kevin.  They treated us to a great southern biscuit Breakfast at the famous Loveless Cafe.  We had so much we forgot to take photos.

Returning to Boston, we took three easy driving days.  We stopped in Kentucky to see the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, found a Dunkin Donuts in Lexington for an iced coffee break then spent the night in Huntington, WV

The next day, we headed out again stopping in Grantsville, MD to lunch at the Penn Alps Restaurant on the Old National Trail.  Then we drove north to Pennsylvania to visit the Flight 93 Memorial near Somerset.  This was likely the most moving stop in the entire trip.  Much of the grounds are original.  A permanent memorial is under construction.

We spent the night in Altoona, PA and returned to Boston the following day.

WOW!  Two weeks on the road.

Stay tuned forfuture blog updates including restaurant reviews, day trips, occasional real estate information and interesting tidbits as I come across them.  Feel free to drop comments and make suggestions.

Warm regards,

Ed