Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Falling Leaves

Sorry for the lax updates, it's been tough to find the time to write with all the great weather we've been having. Perfect evenings, gorgeous sundowns, no bugs to speak of, and an air temp that's still right for leaving the windows open overnight. That translates into some good productivity. But of course, it's all going to come crashing down like the US dollar. Because, as we're being reminded everywhere, things haven't been this bad since WW2. And if you say any differently (while discretely hitting the confirm button on that ebay must-have), well then, you must be misinformed and out of touch.

OK, sorry. Not going there. Let's turn to that wildy unexpected blog standard, the construction update. This week's accomplishments? Got lots done. What exactly? Dunno. That's the problem with my ever-updating list. Knock off last night's tasks, blow 'em off the spreadsheet and move up the next batch; trickle-down what didn't or couldn't be done. It's no longer big stuff like "put up the east wall", it's in the (equally time-consuming) details stage now. I won't bore you with those details (okay, maybe a little), so I'll move right up to this weekend.

Last year, Thursday nights were typically my night off. That shifted to Friday nights as the 'grand social outing' for a close of the work-week became ever so inviting. Of course, this meant I could still squeeze in an hour or two of construction work after the day job before cleaning up for a little unwinding. What that means is 7-days a week progress without losing that necessary steam-blow-off time. And so it was Friday. Took care of a few tasks, aligned the tumblers for Saturday, and even eeked out some sundown/Ketel One time on the deck before getting a call from Ben around dusk. My stomach was demanding PIZZA. Which we found. Along with a $3 pitcher of swill.

The next two days went something like this: Get up far earlier than one should be on a Saturday. Fight the box stores and spend far too much money. Meet your EIFS guy at noon and discuss your front overhang treatment. Generally, get a whole lot done, go grab some lunch and meet with Cara, come back out and keep at it. This includes FINALLY getting the replacement tub drain parts solvent welded in (not going into that one), shower heads installed, interior trimboards fastened, paint some steel, plane a bunch of expensive long-length 2-by cedar down to an inch, etc. etc. Call it a night around sundown. Repeat the next day, but without the box stores. Also, now that Menards had their pine drip-mouldings back in tolerance I was able to finish the miters and fitting of the upper-deck front window trimout, and apply coat after coat of exterior paint before going in for lunch (and starting umpteen loads of laundry). Returned with Cara; she tackled mowing while I re-fitand installed said trim. Added a few dabs of silicone as shock absorbtion to prevent glass-rattle should things loosen with temp cycling. That afternoon I was also able to test out the tub and shower-head plumbing and check for leaks, adjust the trip-lever stopper, and all that good stuff. If I had tile on the floor I could drop the toilet in and we'd have a functioning bathroom. Fancy that! If the yellow accent tiles weren't an 1/8" smaller on each edge, that floor would already be in. Such are the difficulties of demanding colors that are no longer made. Concluded the day by staining a sheet of soffit plywood, transferring Cara's dafodil tree to a giant terra cotta pot and planting my prairiefire Maple in the side yard.

Somehow I still managed a decent night's sleep but it sure didn't feel like it. Anyhow, further updates (how about some photos?) will have to wait. Obligations this week preclude work at the lodge beyond tonight. See you 'round the bread line!

Monday, September 15, 2008

The Compleat Colour Catalogue

A strange weekend to say the least. The weather was cold and dank, and the sky misted strangely like we were in a supermarket produce section, and a low-level malaise kept at me. Closing down the Panther with Ben Friday night probably didn't help matters. Note to self: Rumpelmanz on the rocks..why?? But with soggy-ground and misty-sky Saturday morning, Cara persuaded me to hit up an estate sale we had heard about. I only wish we had been there opening day.
 
Good gawd it was a timecapsule of perfection. Not only was the 50's ranch in impeccable condition (no kids) but the owners had been extremely wealthy but lived modestly. That translated to a medium-sized home that oozed craftsmanship from the cut-flagstone façade to the 18" charcoal-gray roman stacked-bond brick fireplace in the finished basement. A basement, I might add, that had starbursts embedded into the parquet floor, gold glitter in the recesses of the 1x1 ceiling tile, and a kitchenette with built-in appliances that had literally, never been used. The haul from this sale? Exquisite.
 
That was, obviously, the highpoint of the day. We made a run up to T&T but came up pretty much empty-handed. Topped the day off though with "getting' things done". That is, a trip with the parents to the box stores. They had their list and we had ours. Ours, unfortunately, was heavier. 2x4's, soffit plywood, stain and a giant terra-cotta pot amongst the less interesting items. The dual-purpose of the trip was to see what trees and shrubs were still available. Menards had dropped to 50% off _everything_. Lowes could care less if everything died in a snap frost. Wouldn't budge an inch. We finished with dinner and much rest.
 
Sunday then, despite wanting to curl up next to a fire and watch a movie ALL-DAY, I pressed on at the lodge while Cara ran errands. I put the groundwork in for the upstairs railing install so that after lunch, I could talk the parents into coming out for 30 minutes to lift the railing assembly to the second level, get set into place at the 30 degree blocks I installed, then set the proper height; which we did. And just as the computer model suggested, it gives the impression of being both  well-proportioned and properly scaled while also suggesting you're about to fall to your death. Cara and I planted 7 yews as the sky continued to threaten and we cleaned up around 7PM (that's sundown now…yikes!) and headed in for pizza….and collapsing.
 
 

Monday, September 8, 2008

21E

It's good to get away from the every-day, even if you are bound by expectations and obligations on such a trip. Getting yourself to a place you've never been, meeting up with people you scarcely know, and getting yourself cross-country with the risk that your plans could be derailed at any juncture has a way of making just a few days in the physical feel like a million miles in your head. And that's a good thing. Add to that the fact I had a book with me with a title that didn't include the words Construction or Design and it was a very good thing.
 
Came back not only well-versed on the business end of things, but also with a newfound interest and a certain compassion for FLW and his affair with Mamah Chenay. The book? Loving Frank. One of Cara's novels; based on fact but with many degrees of freedom in the prose. Get me on a plane and I'd pull that thing out. Also, got a little head-clearing time as well. And head-clearing leads to inspiration and newfound creativity. I knew it wouldn't last past Monday but any is better than none.
 
Friday, 6AM, I found myself the only "outsider" dropped into the middle of 10 rows of football players on the flight out of Spokane. Good gawd. Left, right, fore, aft, I was surrounded! The fellow to my right kept himself occupied with his iPod and caught some zzz's. The assistant coach? to my left enjoyed lacing together profane utterances toward the end of the flight when it was clear he was READY TO GET OFF THIS THING. Pinned in between, I kept at my reading. The flight out of Denver with the tattoo'd fellow was much better.
 
Driving back through CR I decided to stop off at the habitat store and dropped a small fortune on soap dish holders. I kid you not. Actually, it was a cache of NOS Miami-Carey bath accessories. Some for keeping, others on the 'bay to help those desparately seeking. Finished out the weekend with some construction progress as well. Managed to drill and bolt up the gangway railing (with mucho assistance in getting the thing in place). Installed the last 8' sheathing sheet under the concrete deck (with more help). Connected and tested the internal water system at the lodge (1 slight fitting drip). Knocked out more PVC work to get the wash basin hooked up (1 pc short) while Cara mowed the yard. Managed to assist in breaking up and moving concrete with the neighbor and his loader, planted 6 yews with Cara, sanded and poly'd more of the upstairs door slab, and we worked in a Sunday eve box-store run for more shrubs n' things. Plus pizza and ice cream of course!
 
Today…Rain. And weather turning. Time to firm up my fall lineup before the snow flies!
 
 
 

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Weekend Wrapup

To re-hash that old archetype..."I could've used an extra day". But what a weekend it was. Jam-packed with progress, leisure, shopping and entertainment. I did manage an extra four hours though, which is better than a kick in the head. Giving me Friday afternoon to snipe an eb@y auction and work in some extra time at the lodge. The weather: glorious. Took care of some small jobs about the place- more plumbing work at the supply entrance, 3/4" conduit standoffs on the electrical, paint on some long-length 1x12 trim boards for installation on Sat, etc. Packed up at 6 and headed in, coincidentally about the time Ben had dropped by the apt. So after a quick shower and change we were off for pizza and drinks at The Library. Judging by the lack of cars in the apt parking lot over the weekend a good majority of the students likely headed home. This was true too at the Panther where we put in a few games of cut-throat and had control of the jukebox while Nina served up drinks. Note: there are good Doors songs, and then there are those that are gratuitous permutations of Love Street.
 
Saturday morning, knowing I needed a couple of pex fittings, I set out for FarmFleet. Ran into a friend from work also looking for plumbing fittings which resulted in inevitable construction/remodel talk. (and it wasn't Bob or Timmer) Left with neither pex fittings nor the copper street elbows I was looking for and tried Ace. What a mistake. Time lost and still no fittings. This meant Menards but I didn't have my shopping list and wasn't going to blow more time and fuel. Went out to work anyway and knocked out some other tasks including the layout of the electrical heating wire in the bathroom floor, and mixing a 50lb bag of mortar to give the whole thing a scratch coat. Make no mistake, it was hot and the work frustrating, but it looks like it took; scrubbed the dried cement off my arms and continued onto the next thing. Also pried down my 3/8 overhang plywood on the east and west sides to use as templates for the Dens-gold panels (and fought some wasps!). It's the only way to ensure an even transition on the overhangs. Then put up the initial 12' of "tempered trim" inside. Went in around sundown to meet Cara who put in a full day at work herself. Made dinner and had a low-key evening (and some attic snooping that yielded a box full of vintage spice tins). All in all, not a bad day.
 
Sunday morning, 8AM and up and at 'em. Laundry, ads, eggs and other sundry tasks before heading out the door for supplies. I had managed to rope Cara into giving me a hand at the lodge and first things first, we needed some additional materials (never smart to go shopping on a Saturday anyway, the new ads are only a day away). Stocked up on this, that and the other. Discovered 25% off all trees and shrubs at the M-store and had a perusal. They had a couple specimens that were on my list (Japanese Maple for one). To hedge our bets we dropped in on bLowes which has a bigger selection (and less picked-over). Plus, as they say, their prices will not be beat. OK then. We took a look, grabbed lunch, and returned knowing whatever we bought would have to fit in the Blazer and that I'd give my "specialty" buys to the local nurseries. Picked up some nice foundation plantings, grass seed, my ornamantal juniper and Cara found an unusual flowering daisy tree. Yes, tree. Plus a nice Hibiscus. Went to check out and we had to throw a little weight around. OK, they'd honor the competitor 25% off, but only this time! Oh bLowes. From there we headed back to CF (inspected plants at Jordan's + more laundry) and caught part of the IPTV series on FLW, before heading north of town to unload the plants, try out the new 120' garden hoses and generally "get stuff done!". We worked 'til dark, me cutting out dens-board while Cara stained the upstairs closet door and casement. And she really gave it her all as we foisted an 8' panel of the exterior sheathing into place under one of the overhang corners. Even with 2x4s to help prop things up the shear heft of the panel was enough to try anyone. We finished the bulk of the east side and I rotozipped the prominent edges before we lost all daylight. Took down the scaffolding, moved our plants and headed in for some rest, after all, Monday was going to be a day to RELAX.
 
And so it was! French toast and hash browns at one of the local eateries (read: not Bonanza). Followed by a leisurely return to blow the dust off the bikes. Took 'em down to the Rapp station for air and gave the trails a-go. Temps and humidity were enough to break a sweat just standing still, which meant we had a lot of trail to ourselves with only the occasional walkers or serious cyclists blowing by. We took the route through Cedar City and out around Big Woods Lake, then down to the Main street bridge where we headed south along the river noting all the mud-covered "stuff" still left in the woods by this summers' flooding. We then proceeded to the shelter/playground/restrooms in Wyth park, over the 218 bridge near the Greenhill exit, then through (along) Hartman to Pfeiffer park with a return through downtown CF. No idea on the mileage or speed, but not a bad tour considering it's been many years for us both. Caught some tube and more laundry and fired up the '76 for a jaunt to HyVee for some grillin' items. A quick battery swap was required (seat solenoid apparently stuck-on and drained the bat). A little twilight grilling and drinks (joined by 8 wild deer) with a viewing of Dirty Harry on AMC. A fitting end to a fine weekend.