2nd floor as never before

The days have really blurred together: without having taken photos, I no longer remember what happened in the 2nd week of April - our 53rd week of construction. Let's see... D came up with a really nice tile design to complete the front bathroom (which was half-tiled by an artistic Italian many years ago). We endured several visits from plumbers and electricians, finishing up the ceiling lights and radiators and trying many times to install D's beautiful urinal (which still sits on the floor, bedeviled by missing parts and non-standard fittings). Never to be outdone, Charlie got a spiffy new urinal too.
Finally, last week the 2nd floor really seemed to move. NY's bravest and strongest got the grand piano up onto dollies and into the kitchen, and slid the full wine glass cabinet halfway down the block to join it. I'm glad I didn't see either feat. Many thanks to the neighbors who pointed out that, when we can store a grand piano in our kitchen, we really don't have anything to complain about.

Except for the kitchen, the 2nd floor is completely cleared. The front guest room (my former office) is packed full of furniture and sealed off, as is the front bathroom. It echoes! Except for the elevator shaft, there's nothing to stop a soundwave for 100 feet. Charlie got one chance to see it, but was surprisingly timid. After being coaxed downstairs, he explored only half the space before running back up to his (formerly our) cozy bed.

Next, the sanders. Many were joyful that D's son had talked him out of trying to sand the floor himself, and that our woodworking friends knew several affordable floor guys. Quotes for refinishing the 3500-ish square-foot floor ranged from $2,700 to $12,000. The work was remarkably fast and breathtakingly attractive. Most of the sawdust went into vacuum bags, to be resold for MDF or whatnot. The red oak floors sanded to nearly white, but when treated went back to golden. We should be able to walk gingerly on the 2nd floor tomorrow, and move furniture back down by the end of the week. Big question: can / should we arrange a multi-troop dance improvisation to "warm" the floor before cluttering it up with stuff?