The butcher block for the island and bar top arrived early this week. G opened the crates today .. and woola! The walnut is a little red, but very purty. The guy did exactly the opposite and put the grain the long way, instead of the short way so the seam is noticeable. I took the photo from the kitchen looking towards the liv/din room. You can see the pile of boxes, still. We are waiting on him to fix the upper cab and finish the corners, and counter. Contractor has made so little progress for the last four week that G had a really 'nice' chat with him. We will see if that helped.