Thursday, December 31, 2009

265 75 R16

It's not very often you find yourself scrambling eggs, watching MacGyver on Hulu and drinking wine at noon in the kitchen...all while noticing the neighbor's TV set being placed into a red Ford Aerostar. On a Thursday. But such is a life "on break". And pushing out the lines that form the letters, this has really been a lazy one. Last year at this time days flew-by. I was trenching in along the tracks in rubber boots, making use of the AM and shivering in the cold after an 8 or 10 hour stint. Day after day. Working on cedar above the gangway. Finishing out the closet. Prepping the upstairs for carpet. And other things I swear could have taken place last year...or was it the year before? ...Now there's a recurring theme.

But this year's xmas-new year's break has been anything but. Made it to the lodge once so far and spent the afternoon working on getting the LV-wiring up to snuff; felt good to get something done and fight my way out as the sun set and the cold came down. Christmas was good, but this is possibly the most remote I've felt compared to my personal barometer of yuletide engagement. On the upside, Alex visiting definitely improved things. A trip to the PL-turned Cypress for Schlitz, pool and debauchery. My first visit to the much-talked-about Spicoli's, topped off with an evening of bowling with Blake and his lady-friend H. A drop-in on Ben S. after a pitcher of draft-Busch light at everyone's favorite foundry-hangout, BJ's. Complete with 80's picks on the jukebox at Narey's 19th Hole. Cara and I even worked in a nice evening of martinis with Cam and Alex on his last night in town. A real good time, all around, and now we've got New Year's and weekend trip planned as well.

Of course, throw a few wrenches into the mix, like today's temperature of 10 degrees keeping me apartment-bound instead of walking open fields. Or Cara, cracking open her oil pan on an ice ridge and dumping 5 qts of black diesel oil down the drive. Some quick work and we had an overnight replacement part, german gasket sealant, and a little R&R in an 80 year old garage with an equally old electric heater I grabbed along with my tools to get her up and running. This was to be a short-lived victory, however, as her window clips failed the next morning, leaving her to place the (now free) passenger door glass pane in the seat next to her and enjoy Hwy 20 in full Iowa-winter goodness on her way home from work yesterday. The world is a strange place though. I waited an hour and a half for tires while she was at work and now, after a month's wait, still can't get use to taking corners without sliding across the powder pinball-style. Small improvements do a solid concept make.

So that's been a rough recap of the last few days. Today has been much like Monday; it wouldn't take Matlock to convince me I've pissed away the day. Something tells me, though, that these days will pay dividends down the line. It really has been a long time since I've had a moment where I thought "I'm bored", or "what can I muster to pass the time". Thought. And writing. Ideas may be pent up and waiting to be put to paper, but I haven't much inspiration for pencil lifting as of late. But thinking is something else. I mean, consider the day-ins and day-outs. I get up at the behest of the alarm, shower, dress, clean the percolator while making a cold lunch, drive half an hour to work in the dark, put in 10 hours and return to slump in my chair to check email, websites, and then dinner over TV. Maybe ironing, bill paying and then get ready to do it again.

Boo frickin' Hoo. That's the price of trading one's assets to make an earning. But it sure doesn't give much time to gear down to boredom stage and reconstruct one's mental surroundings. Move a dresser and discover a window. Beat the dust out of the old rugs. Then again, maybe that's just me. Takes a couple days to get there.

Course it's tough when there's arch websites to troll through and Family Ties on CBS.com to ignore in the background.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Jason and the Arggggonauts….

Just a little check in on this experiment I call "my job". The drive is further, the hours both longer and inflexible, and the "cultural level", for lack of a better term, will drag you down like a skewered otter, but the political BS is remote, gray hair seems to be slowing, and my exhaustion at the end of the day is from constant motion and solving other peoples' problems rather than desk-jockeying in a sea-of-sameness.

That said, the cold and dark when I leave after work has done little to fire up any enthusiasm for lodge activities. Plus the snow. I slept like a gunny sack of wet sand this past weekend, after staying out with Cara till 1 or so Friday night at the parents for a 500 party, then doing my best to try to work in the Panther Saturday night after braving the mall. My enthusiasm was lacking though, and I was home at a reasonable hour to promptly head for bed. Sunday was a touch better, and the night was capped with a redbox viewing of Public Enemies and dinner.

And so started the Holiday week that is unfortunately not going to deliver on being an easy slide. It was a long Monday with an equally long drive home, immediately topped with a trip to Walgreens with Cara to print our xmas cards in some pretty slushy conditions. The photo machine, however, had the image resizing ability of a cobbled-up Xerox Parc, and while we could crop to our heart's content, shrinking our pic to fit on photo paper was not an option. Knowing under that façade there was probably a copy of MS paint that could do the job without having to drive home and fire up photoshop didn't help matters. The icing on the cake was tearing Cara's weatherstripping off her car by performing the act of opening the passenger side door. After dealing with German eff-ups in design and materials for 11 hours straight that day, I was none too pleased to see her and her VW get hosed by the same 'better-than-thou' mentality. Happens every winter; this time it yanked the rivets out, too.

It was a little over two years ago I decided that instead of taking a "lifer" path with my career I'd opt to gain some experience in other areas to help round out where life may eventually lead. Areas, some might think, are far enough off the corporate path to be beneath them. I don't think many realize I went out of my way to get here (which is fine with me b/c it's like being a stranger in your own town); occasional condolences prove that out. Sure, it may not be something someone wants to do forever, but getting in a different environment and out of my comfort zone will end up being a good thing in the long run, and helps shape where I want to bounce to next before my (self-set) clock strikes 12.

I have some high hopes for this xmas weekend, what with Alex and Blake back in town and some genuine time to sleep in (or at least not have to greet the day at 5AM). Let's hope things pan out!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Give 'em the Old One-Two!

Now this time I can't complain. Friday rolled around and the sun and temps had driven most in the office to use vacation. By the afternoon it seemed like I was 10% of the staff on hand. I cashed in a few built-up hours and got out around 1. Stopped by the apt for sundries, then the parents for a turntable and all the LPs I could lay my hands on, plus a card table, CD's and whatever else was on my list. By this time it was after 4 and I headed for Fareway; busy place. As much as I like shopping HyVee for their variety, Fareway seems even friendlier without making a show of it. Simple aislesand markers. Low ceilings. Everyone in uniform. And very reasonable prices. The checkouts are a bit odd, however, and it's always a little awkward when they wheel your cart out to your car….of course if they did that at Menards….hmmm..

Friday night was a blast, though. I rushed out to the lodge, now after 5:30, and set to getting the refrig running, groceries put away, blazer unloaded, kitchen/dining area tidied and upstairs, getting the turntable set up with the amp (and getting the cart aligned) and trying things out. Back downstairs, I threw together a yellow cake and quickly changed before Cara and Cam showed. Dinner at The Goat- the cuban was excellent and the potato a winner but it seems we always get stuck in the same booth- not that the sports-bar side is much better. However if you like heavy coughing, we were in the right spot.


Jason and Holly joined us for cards, drinks and quad with Ben making an appearance and we made a rather late (for us, anyway) night of it. For a long day I was still humming along but I didn't complain at the prospect of a good night's sleep.

Saturday I putzed away at my weekend list, getting in deeper and deeper sorting out what's where. In between outside jobs (painting the flag pole smoke gray), I got things organized under the main work bench, sorted and boxed up electrical misc- plates, devices, Despard items, EMT related items, and so forth. Then went for the plumbing. Came up short on a few things so got a list going to tackle the odd jobs and by this time I had a decent pile of unused things to return (stuff like roof flashing and PVC fittings). By the time Cara returned from shopping I was back at the copper washing machine supply lines. Got things pretty well done while catching some bad TV downstairs. Did some reading out on the deck as the sun set.

The next day I tried my hand at french toast stuffed with cheddar cheese with a side of maple sausage and OJ. Not too bad but I need to pick up a skillet proper. I finished up the copper hot water supply and with Cara's help we transported it into position along the back wall. From there, some torching and the critical parts were in. With a makeshift washer hose I got things pressurized and checked for leaks. Found one connection that would seep just a touch- drained the works, blew out the line and re-flowed; all okay. Caught "A Day in October" while I worked.

With sun shining we headed out for returns and to complete the short list. First to the parents for some materials downstairs, then to Jo-Ann where Cara picked up some "on sale" yarn while I continued leafing through a shoebox of recent receipts pulling out anything HomeDepot. We stopped at Menards with a cart full of miscellaneous dating back to '07. With the "you find it" terminal (not it's actual name) we came up with receipts for quite a bit and kept the friendly girl at the return register busy. Even with monopolizing her for half an hour it was still smiles and small talk. Got what we needed in the store, spotted Ben and his copper pipe, and got out for Home Depot.


You'd think coming in with defacto receipts for roof flashing would be all that's necessary for a refund. Roof flashing from this summer even. Not so. In fact, all you can get after 90 days is store credit. Receipt or no. Served up with attitude, of course. We looked at tool chests (good luck finding anyone to point us in the right direction) and were pretty much appalled at the variety (your choice of 2!) and the steep prices. Now after dark we headed back to the Lodge. I got the Westinghouse running with a load of bleach to clean things out and then got busy getting a dryer operational. Next was installing towel hooks in the bathroom through the holes I drilled earlier in the day through the tile. This meant grinding the concealed screw heads down to virtually nothing so they'd fit the ill-conceived IKEA "hook" design. Also, melting the plastic anchor flanges pressed into the tiles so the hooks would sit flush, which they now do.

Completion of Sunday night? Pizza, Twin-Fin, and some light electrical work yielding an interior island light. About time I put that electricity to good use!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Red Skelton's Comedy of Errors

To coin in oft-used phrase, "it started off innocently enough"…. I had just sat down with a brew when Cam walked in to the PL. The Dodgers (LA or Brooklyn, we're still working on it) were gearing up to play New York on the sets over the bar. That also meant no jukebox action. After an hour or so of chatting we ordered up a second round and worked our way over to the pool table to discover the pool light wasn’t just off, it was inop. My tinkering and Mel's glaring didn't seem to be working and the lack of music was definitely a problem. So, after enjoying an egg, we made our way to The Cypress to discover open tables and cold Schlitz. I had finally cornered Cam 3 to 2 and went up for more quarters only to be greeted by the friendly bartender opening two more bottles of the good stuff and coming my direction. Crap. In retrospect we can see why he thought we were thirsty as we later studied the change machine on the nearby wall, but that didn't change the fact we each still had full beers on the table. Hmm. By the end of a rather craptastic game we were Schlitzed out, but with a score to settle, we headed back for the PL even though the juke was playing some good stuff downtown.

Herein lies the rub. It started when a middle aged guy was having trouble loading the juke while we were gearing up for pool. I made the mistake of striking up conversation. This turned into a looong conversation with the three of us as he regaled us with unbelievable stories about 'nam? Libya? and his other shenanigans while on tour. Doing my best to pretend it was a Friday night I stuck it out through the game (both pool and the series) with Cam aka "gramps" besting me with his fancy bridge-skills. Our friend took off, leaving us 5 free picks on the juke which of course, we put to good use.

Today, November 5th, can go down in the books as the first morning of the year leaving a heavy frost on not only the cars but roof-tops everywhere (time to dig out the scraper). Let's hope this winter doesn't get too crazy.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Hey! No Statistical Voyeurism!

A bit of a forced weekend it was. Got some things done but mostly I feel like I'm drifting as of late. The realization about the lodge project being more than just the time it took to build, but the time it took to design, the scrimping and saving, the hunt for the land, the build of expectation…everything leading up to groundbreaking, well, there's a lot of personal commitment there extending back beyond the horizon of construction time that's sort of hitting me right now. It's not that I'm not excited for the next stage, it's just that I feel exhausted and I know I shouldn't. There's still things left to do and little energy to do them. And that gets back to a more fundamental problem, err, discussion, about paychecks and jobs and the other little things that take over your life even after you leave the office. Regardless, November is a helluva time to come to terms and simultaneously light the rockets. If I had it my way I'd be looking to curl up in a warm cave for a few months and wait it out.

I buttoned up my 15 month project at work on Friday, had an interview for the next round in the AM, gave a bang-up presentation mid-morning and got rid of A LOT of files I had been dragging around the last couple moves. By the PM the office was pretty quiet and I was in good spirits. I was also looking forward to some pool action at the PL before packing up and heading to the Lodge for the night but it wasn't in the cards. I had gone a little nuts at Target so we ended up with a cornicopia of dinner choices but the buffalo chicken wings turned out to be too hot for Cara. I finally got the Sansui quad unit connected and wire run to all four speakers. Config'd the LD player for CD operation and fired up a song of two from the H&O box set before calling it a night. Yeah, pretty much blown away by the sound.

Saturday and the weather was improving. We took the long way to Waverly, which involved randomly turning down winding gravel roads. At one point I found myself standing in a ditch trying to lure curious horses up to the barb-wire. Found some books at T&T, stopped at the CV humane society to see the pups, did a drive-by past the giant billboard poles from the backside, and explored an abandoned house. That evening, Hamms, pipe, books, music, gun oil.

We slept terribly. Could explain my Sunday malaise. While Cara ran errands I hung out at the ranch. Tore down the WP dryer that had been taking up floor space (gotta keep cleaning house), planted a pine in the side yard, and while I had the shovel out I cut down a high spot of fill near the septic tank. Inside I cut and glued up the bulk of what will be the drain system for the washer area but I still need to pressure test and drag out my copper supply systems from the parents. Upstairs, I reassembled the cage and back of the Emerson and called it quits. Still no HV to light the screen; I need a repair cart and tools out there to get some of this stuff up and running.

Monday, October 5, 2009

2010: A Pivotal Year

The last several months have been a mad dash, leading up to an intense couple of weeks, nay, hours, nipping at the heels of the great Lodge unveiling. Setting a firm date undoubtedly was the smart thing to do, and I don't think I was too far off with the pacing- it's pretty hard to hit an exact day when you're laying out what's to be done several months prior. But we pulled it off, with no small thanks to Cara and the parents. The transformation was nothing short of a TV renovation series, especially when you factor in family coming into town (and missing flights), food and party planning and execution (pulled-pork has to roast for a day or two before serving and half a dozen cooks makes it all the more difficult) and last minute material pick-ups, like the glass for the framed art over the workbench. Cut Thursday night, picked up Friday and framed and hung minutes before the party Saturday. All the while we toiled moving scrap lumber out to the trailer, sorting for the fire piles, moving bulky TV sets and appliances out and even working-in picking up the '59 (in the rain) after a several year hiatus in storage…and dealing with a loose distributor cap resulting in a stall-out on Hudson Rd near the University ave intersection at 5PM. Cripes.

But the party was a success- Despite receiving less than a dozen RSVP's, we knew we'd have a full house. Don and Carissa came from Indiana as did Cara's father and his wife. An aunt flew in from Boston, grandparents from MN heading for Texas, cousins from Davenport, Micah and Alice from Moline, and a strong showing from local friends and family. The "house warming" gifts were equally as varied (and appreciated) ranging from a platter of gummy to a bottle of Early Times. By my estimation at least 40 people showed and we didn't let the weather get in the way. In fact, it worked out well that there was plenty of interior room to set up lawn chairs inside to escape the cold. Unfortunately, the (extremely heavy) keg was out front; probably could have moved more PBR with it inside. Midway through the eve, the gangway served as an excellent platform for Don who gave a moving toast; a standup guy.

To my surprise, an intrepid group were able to get a wet pile of lumber to burn and by night's end we tried our best to play bocce by fire-light. Around midnight the last guests parted and Cara and I fished out the (half frozen) garden hoses and doused the ashes. It was cold enough that night that we ran the upstairs heat, which worked surprisingly well. We did our best to sleep in but were still exhausted when morning came. Late in the day we had dishes done, floors swept and vacuumed, food packaged up, records put away and the place shut down, but not before more fire dousing and a quick fill of the '59's radiator to assess mechanical damage. In a cruel and ironic twist, the day of lodge completion also marks the beginning of another time and money intensive project due to my own "absent-mindedness".

Nevertheless, this is a very odd time for me. On the construction side, the hardwork is done and I can actually sleep in, or relax in a comfy chair and watch a movie after work, or go out to eat with Cara on a whim without having to schedule it a week in advance. That'll take some adjusting. The place is also livable, but winter is heading this way, and a new set of snow tires won't guaranty passage season-long, so with that comes a new set of decisions to make. The parent's basement is still chock'ful and a storage building is the only practical way out; I'd like a break first (and a chance to actually bank some earnings). I've got a new job starting this month, AND an intense program I'm currently trying to wrap up in my current position. Bottom line, I've just gotta roll with it, be thankful for friends and family, and take some time to enjoy where I'm at.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

One Expensive Breakfast

Back at the grind. It was still only a 4-day work week but the difference was playing desk jockey on a Friday, thanks to Labor Day. This resulted in a standard weekend for lodge work, which was about all I could handle. My legs ache and my system could use another, say, 10 or 12 hours of sleep. Since my task list gets blown away and evolves daily, I figured it wise to jot down this weekend's accomplishments before excel wiped them from the face of the earth. Lord knows I couldn't recite half of these from memory….

Friday night, the Blazer was loaded with lengthy trim boards, aluminum extrusions sticking out the tailgate hatch, 125 pounds of black oxide cement coloring and 3 ungainly panes of 1/4" glass. Somehow I managed to the lodge without incident. Ripped down and duped a beltline board, then mitered to size and installed. Knocked off the shoulders and divided a stack of treated deck planks, installed screws (oh yeah, a FF stop after work as well) in the existing decking and unloaded everything as the sun began to fade. A solid 3 hours. Rushed in, cleaned up and headed over to the PL to meet Cam for drinks and pool. The place started with sufficient energy but had cleared out pretty well a couple hours later. That was OK with me, morning would be calling soon enough.

Saturday and things were clicking along, the only hiccup being running short on conduit in the afternoon and making a trip to Waverly for supplies. I finished the side deck in the AM doing my best to match each plank to the countours of the ones prior. A cloudless sky with a light breeze, the sun really handed me a beating. Completed the work by cutting out the outline with the circsaw and lengthy guides a little after noon. Cara joined later in the day and as evening rolled around, she put some coals on the grill while I worked on getting the porcelain lights installed inside above the garage doors. In between, drilled through beams and added screws for center uplift prevention, got out the rustoleum and pan and rolled more red on the new sections of steel railing, and installed strip lights and wiring in the kitchen cab. That night, burgers, twice baked potatoes, and the soft glow from the new interior (and now functional) exterior overhang lights.

In classic fashion, I'm finding that I spend Sunday making up incomplete Saturday tasks, and losing the one big Sunday task until, well, sometime later.

Sunday Summary:
Drilled and fished romex up through kitchen wall from cabinet to false ceiling, wired in.
Shellaced finish board for top-of-stairs install (2 coats with sanding).
Install security closet magnetic latches.
Build light fixture for over-bed.
Surveyed and set pins for driveway cement pad.
Started work on bathroom pocket door-track and handle.
Took measurements for clerestory boards.
Cut/countersink/attached aluminum rail over shear wall with Cara's assistance.
Installed precarious glass panes over wall, shimmed up and adjusted "just-so".
Measured for pane #1 and took all the glass back down.

But, I really can't complain. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and things are getting finished up. Cement work kicks off this week and I've got one more big order of steel tubing to put in prior to Friday. In just a couple weeks we'll have our hands full not only "finishing" the construction but trying to decorate AND manage the details of the shindig. Who am I kidding? A couple weeks is NOW.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

A Fistful of Yen

Another 4 day weekend, this one pausing just long enough before throwing me back into the work-week. Sleep doesn't come any easier at the lodge so far but hopefully that'll change once the glass partition is installed over the upstairs dividing wall. Another slew of work accomplished, though I suffered a late start Thursday night after leaving work later than usual and making stops for supplies and groceries at Target. Friday it was more of the same with a run to Menards for lumber for the side deck mid-afternoon and a return to tearing apart the kitchen floating soffit, rebuilding with freshly cut and painted perf steel. Also installed a choice faucet upstairs and had all but one piece of the drainwork in. Spent the night at the apt as Saturday I would not be lodge-bound.

In fact, I spent Saturday clearing out the parent's garage, all the while wondering just where in blazes half this stuff was going to go. I pared down the automotive stuff pretty good but was left with box after box full of vacuum tubes. A legitimate plea for Cold Storage II could be heard (mostly from me). Made a mad-dash to the apartment late in the afternoon to change and was off with Cara and company for a wedding reception at Hartman Reserve. This did much to resolve my grumbling attitiude from shuffling through krep in the hot afternoon sun on little sleep to the point that, at night's end despite being exhausted, we were still able to work in a Mad Men viewing.

Sunday I was out the door early, grabbed some caffeine and got to work on the side deck, squaring up boards and working the angles. Cara joined me later in the afternoon and helped as I hand mixed cement and set the deck posts. I've gotta hand it to her, she did a bang-up job of cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, too. As the sun-set, I fired up the Weber and tossed on some italian sausage, taking in a picturesque Iowa evening with a cold one in-hand and the AM playing. After dinner, I built the next soffit light fixture before joining her on the deck, her with a novel, me with my latest copy of Dwell.

If only sleep came as easily as the work. Monday I got a start on attaching the cross braces and perimeter to the newly set posts and knew we were going to be one board short. Cara returned from running errands later in the day with another pressure treated 2x6 which I promptly worked in. I ripped down the planks into 2.5" strips and then we set about loading wheel barrow after wheel barrow with fill-in dirt to dump at the side entrance to help with drainage. Then the weed-block cloth and rocks. Finally, cleanup and home to decompress.

Not as much got done this weekend as I had hoped, but I can't really complain. The effort was there and the time wasn't pissed away by excuses or sleeping in. Come end of this week, the "big stuff" list should be halved. I'll be working right down to the wire, certainly, but without plausable milestones and end dates, all you're really talking about is a hobby. I may not remember exactly what a hobby is, but I’m pretty sure this isn't it.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Lost Weekends

The "out of my hands" work is underway now with the brick progressing nicely. If all goes according to plan, the final wash will take place tomorrow and we'll be set for caulking and fixture install. Next the cement contractor can start the driveway pad job. Meanwhile, I can begin boring on the east side to sink timbers to support the side deck approach.

Inside, things are moving about as well as can be expected. Fixtures getting built, panels going on. Staining and painting to do. A mad rush for sure. That being as it may, Cara and I had wanted to see Inglourious Basterds and were talked into joining Ben and Cam Friday night. Afterwards, Ben cut out for a more exciting venue leaving the 3 of us to hold our own. PBR and cut-throat followed and we were home a little after 12. Not too shabby for some old folks.

After several days of mulling I've arrived at the following conclusions:

What I liked about the film:
Attention to details.
95% perfect casting.
Tarantino's ability to keep you second guessing with every twist.

What I disliked:
Wooden dialogue.
Length- Once or twice I found myself thinking, "get on with it". 10-20 minutes could have been trimmed.
Inconsistent pacing (and not in a good way)
Character development.

I make these conclusions based on some preconceptions going in. I was expecting Dirty Dozen-Guns of Navarone setup and action coupled with Tarantino's penchant for violence, in-depth character development and his general ability to take even a lackluster setup and somehow manage to crank the knob to 11. Even though a good attempt is made at showing the comraderie and backgrounds of the basterds early on, there was nothing that really stuck with me through the film to cause me to really give a fig about any one in particular. As far as I'm concerned, Hans Landa is the only one that ever delivers on who he really is and isn't just cashing the check. He may be an outright weasel and just plain ful'o hate, but wanting him dead is no less powerful an emotion than wanting any one good guy to live.

As a showcase of skill, talent and expert cinematagraphy, the film doesn't dissapoint, and on those merits I'd consider seeing it again, but I found it terribly difficult to cling to anything the way films such as NCfOM or There Will be Blood, so easily offered up. Even Tarantino's "Death Proof " had me immersed.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Disc #35

Wednesday was a real mess, and I mean that in the best way possible. Time flew by at work, and I finally got to relish in those situations I miss at the factory, where the sky is falling, things aren't working, choreographing discussions and rework, etc. etc. A huge downpour came through around 3 and I decided I'd meet a couple Moline folks at a local fab shop at 3:30. Conveniently, alarms and lights sounded for a hazardous gas evacuation leaving a full building of people to wonder if this was just a test, for real, or bumbling security. Now, imagine 3 floors of people, many that have decided this is as fine a time as any to shut their computers off and head home, trying to get through a single turnstile-type door. Why security didn't open the adjacent man door and hit the release so the turnstile would default open, I have no idea. To add insult, security then thought this would be a good time to perform a "bag check" because nothing speeds an evacuation like holding up the line to root through purses and lunchboxes. Several hundred people had turned around by this point and were heading back and word was spreading of a false-alarm, which caused others to peel off the "leaving" line and head back. The hallway was packed wall to wall. Meanwhile, the rain continued to pour. Learned later on it was not a false alarm. Eh.

Thursday, another quick day punctuated by a visit from Don and a viewing of The Junkman with Cam and Ben. An impressive film in the 70's weak-plot and smash-em-up genre. Released in '82. The next morning I slept in until 9 or 10 and generally took a breather; had been a while. Spent the afternoon at the lodge and got quite a lot done, enough to justify taking Ben up on his offer of the PL later that night. Standard fare, different clientele. And oh, the pickled eggs. So good.

The beautiful weather on Saturday was too good to pass up so when Cara got home from work around noon I roped her into doing some heavy lifting. Together we got the canoe up on the Blazer, and with paddles and vests stowed, we were off for Waverly. It was a gorgeous day for a canoe ride down the Cedar but the trip down to the C-57 access may have been a little overzealous. Underway around 2PM, and with little river current, we eventually made it…5 hours later! The sun had practically set as we drove the VW back north to fetch the Blazer, stopping for groceries on the way. Knowing we wouldn't be able to repeat the feat of getting that 18' monstrosity on top of the Chevy, upon return to the lodge we hitched up the trailer and went back for the canoe. Now around 10 we were ready for a shower and a hot meal! A good night for sleeping, if not too chilly.

Sunday, then, taking up the slack. First order of business involved opening the garage doors and cutting/gluing/nailing rubber strips to the lower edges to keep rain out and prevent wicking. Easier said than done as the residential grade rollers are leaving something to be desired. The big question, what to do with all this construction krep? Patched a little water damage in the kitchen, smoothed wall gouges in the bathroom that were to be covered by tile, but not anymore. Took inventory of materials req'd to finish the beltlines. Marked and drilled out the C-channels for the soffit lights to discover the lamp holders have no fasteners with them. Had a lunch of dessicated pizza rolls. Finished the day by getting most of the upper cabinet components cut to size and ready for final assembly Monday. Home for a shower, wine and a viewing of a recent Amazon purchase. Totally wiped.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Red Skelton was Right

A strange week for sure. In the classic style, I'll start with Thursday. Not that I can really recall what happened Thursday, but I'm sure long hours at the lodge were involved. I may have picked up the tempered glass for the shower doors, mid-day. Or Friday. Anyway, this week is different, but I'll get to that. Friday night I was beat and ready to cut loose, or hang loose, or hang ten, or something like that. But decided that I really needed to finish the bulk of the remaining tile job now that I actually had tile. I ended up running right up until the clock was out, went straight to the apt, showered quickly and headed down to meet Ben at the PL. Cam was a no-show but Cara dropped in after work and the three of us ordered up PBR's. I can't say Ben nor I picked up a pool cue the entire night, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves (though they really need a decent alternative to Select on draw).

Sat AM, up and at 'em. Pulled myself together in clean, though grubby appearing construction clothes, and strolled down to the PL to collect my car. Grabbed a bite on the way and gave the iPod a run. Saturday I worked like a mule knowing I'd be staying over night. Stopped at the parents in the afternoon to collect more large items to drag out to the lodge. They followed in their vehicle to lend a hand with tasks they knew they could assist with. Dad and I loaded the trailer with all the sumac I had cut down earlier this year while my mom finished up the last bit of mowing. We also put up fencing around our two trees and dragged the massive dead branches I had cut down from the ash tree over to the burn pile. Then it was interior time - finishing the sisal. They took off and I finished the shower tile and cleaned up. But….sundown was no longer a physiological calling that the day's work was done and I didn't mind pressing onward. So, I grouted the place, and warmed up the oven. The wind began to pick up around 9 as I tried to enjoy a very thin, tasteless pizza on the front deck. The overnight is a blur of tossing, turning, wondering what time the storms were going to blow through, opening windows, closing windows, searching out earplugs, wandering in the dark, etc. etc. When the morning came there was no "sleeping in". Not with umpteen windows and zero curtains.

Sunday was a long smear of tasks punctuated by an aggravating run to Menards for a can of laminate contact cement, but at least it gave me a chance to return the myriad excess items I've had in the wings for a while now. Called it a day around 6 with quite a bit of work behind me. Ready for a reprieve, I fired up the French Connection on LD; neither of us had seen it before.

Monday, on the road to the quad cities. A long day of testing and driving. Made extremely good time on the way back and found myself in CF around 7:30. Alas, blew right by the I-80 Truck Stop. Bed was calling but the conscious refused me to even consider that after an aggregate of 5 hours behind the wheel accomplishing little. Went for a walk with Cara to calm the nerves.

Tuesday, continued need of recharging reared its ugly head, but we tackled the invites and laundry (all Cara) after work. By that time I was in no shape for construction work despite having changed. An hour of daylight left at the most. Tonight'll really sock it to me, but I have to make up for yesterday's list.

Onward, ho!

Friday, August 14, 2009

"Built Fun Tough"

Thursday was car day. The weather was pretty decent and I was ready for a post-work change of pace. It's been a long time since I can recall dressing "casually" right after work. I ran a few errands, dropped off the recycling and kicked things off by washing the '85 Coupe; noting the ravages of mother nature, and cruising her out to the country for pictures. I bought this car a few years back as a "project" with a slipping trans but great paint and interior. Changing interests and new responsibilities caused her to sit far too long, in the rain, snow and summer's heat. Another season outside wouldn't be right. I'll list her this week with a modest reserve.

Next was cleanup of the '76. A quick cruise proved she was anxious for the road, but impending rain sent her to the garage for the night. I went home, cleaned up, and got some sleep.

Most of the office was out Friday and those that were there bailed out after lunch. Despite that, my dad's AM retirement "roast" was a success. I helped myself to the coffee and breakfast pizza and enjoyed the speeches, photos and backstories. Nowhere else was it so apparent how many people were lamenting my his leaving and appreciative of all his efforts over the years. The afternoon ended fairly somberly but work picked up around 3.

I managed a couple hours at the lodge then came in for drinks at the PL. My "Glass Tower" was especially minty, but enjoyable, nonetheless. Pool and music were pretty decent, too.

How to almost miss a wedding:
First stop Saturday morning was at the transfer station to unload a bunch of scrap metal from the trailer. From there, Cara and I hit up the art store on the parkade to see what cardstock and envelopes they offered; didn't find exactly what we wanted. Then to the parents. Cara got a load of laundry going, meanwhile I loaded the riding mower into the trailer. We headed out a half our later and put in an hour or two at the lodge in prep for Saturday night. This meant building the platform for the bed using 3/4 plywood that I had freed up the night before while Cara wiped down jalousie panes and took them upstairs. The temps were rising and the spotty rain earlier in the day only added to the humidity factor. Keeping our eyes on the clock, we finished our tasks and headed back to the parents to swap laundry and get the '76 out. Then to the apt to cleanup, pulling ourselves together in the stifling heat and getting to the church a quarter 'til; meeting Ben as he strode down the front walk.

The Dave and Rebecca wedding went off without a hitch. The heat and humidity were oppressive, but being use to donning a sweat-soaked t-shirt on a ladder 16' up in lodge-internal, where the summer's sun has superheated the surrounding air while the cement below radiates waves of moisture, it wasn't _that_bad. A quick ceremony and we were headed for the Rotary. I got the distinct vibe the group of us were "the outsiders" at the event. Whatever the case, the A/C was blowing and the diet Mountain Dew was working overtime to keep my head off the table. Around sundown we took our leave for Andrea's parents' place.

The selection of games was seriously lacking from the last visit and it was apparent the heat of the day had taken its toll on everyone. But once Trivial Pursuit was out there was renewed energy in the room. Ben and Robert put up a good fight and between Cam, Micah and I we were able to slug through some oddball questions. What we couldn't figure out was how to play, or even the name, of a game that involves the phase "the deal has been made". I seem to recall a lot of ear-tugging and nose-tapping that went along with that one. Anyhow, it was past 1 when the shindig broke up and we parted under a clear night sky with a fairly full moon.

A quick walk down the RR tracks from the Rotary and a jaunt through tall grass and weeds in the moonlight lead us to the Lodge. The heat of the day had dissipated and a shower really hit the spot before bed. The next morning, light was streaming in the windows, but it wasn't long before the mists came. Then rain, thunder, lightning and a black sky. I turned on the '48 television and consulted the charts for KWWL's transmitter location. We got a picture of the radar pattern showing a big time storm (with digital TV the pics buffer and when the signal drops, they freeze). But without a good signal we had no audio at all. Terrific. Got a call from the parents that things were going to be getting bad quickly. We closed up shop and ventured out into the storm, moving along the tracks as fast as we could to get the '76 home before the hail storm. We made it, but a friend's place near Eldora was hit pretty hard by the storm system with strong winds, half dollar size hail and lots of tree damage.

There'd be no picker work or lawn mowing the rest of the day. We went back with the truck and worked another six and a half hours with Ben showing around 1 just in time for another storm system. We loaded up a couple Maytags as the skies opened up. Once again, I was drenched. Did manage to change the blade and fix the mower, ripped some stock for the workbench, cleaned tile and even grouted a good portion of the bathroom. Cara cleared the area under the stairs with the shop vac and proceeded to vac the downstairs, and I mean, the whole downstairs!

Already beat, we closed things up around 6:30 and headed in to get our laundry and grab a bite. Home by 8 and ready for the sack. That's a weekend.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Random Thoughts

(written Thursday the 6th)

Finally, the slow crawl to Thursday. I can't complain too much, though the yawns are starting to take hold. After a day at the office and a night in the country I’m usually out as soon as my head hits the pillow. Not so this week. I must have gotten an honest recharge this past weekend and the ideas (and obligations) continue to bounce around long after the lights go out.

In other news, the Gen 3 iPod is back on the road. A tear-down and inspection at the ESD station at work under the microscope revealed a little problem. 3 surface mount components were literally sheared off the PCB! Yes the board, case, hard drive, etc were fully intact. Tweezers, a steady hand, and a very fine soldering iron tip put things back to operational. Half the battle was finding a torx bit roughly the size of a ball point pen's tip.

The Lodge clicks along with directional lighting and the complementing 18' workbench completed last night. Gaining a foothold on the tools, materials, and good usuable scraps you'd expect to accumulate in a bldg under construction is the next big thing. Flashing, 2x4's, strips of cedar, paint cans, ceiling tiles, tar paper. You name it, it's good material and its' got to go somewhere, lest the finished product end up looking like Sanford and Son's living room. OK, it still may end up looking like that, but with far more interesting, umm, pieces.

I may have mentioned before about how, as the place progresses, I can start to give legitimate thought to more permanent facilities for some of the hobbies that otherwise haven't seen the light of day in years, or never really had the proper venue to fully enjoy. Enter, the Quad bug. For once I'll have a large enough room to permanently set up a real quadraphonic system without making a bunch of half arsed concessions about equipment, speaker locations, furniture placement, etc. This means I get a shot at doing it right, and as I know all too well, trying to do things the right way costs bucks.

And the bucks be flying. At some point you have to ask, is the service worth the price tag? When you do it yourself, you're already of the advantage of knowing you can use premium materials and come in far under the asking price of the cheapest hire-ons. You also can put legitimate prep work and finish time into whatever it is you're doing and get superior results because your goal isn't to get in, get paid, and get out in the shortest amount of time like the majority of "pros". But when the work doesn't call for exacting tolerances and the bulk ends up as labor, like say, pouring and finishing a cement slab and requiring some heavy equipment that doesn't make sense to rent, all bets are off. Ultimately, you either suck it up and pay the man, or open a big ol' can of worms. But said can of warms could save a couple grand, so what do you do? One thing I know for sure, it's tough to get a lot of warm and fuzzy dividends from a slab of cement, regardless of cost. Whatever that means.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Do Not Belittle the Logarithmic Scale

It started Thursday night, with a retirement party for my dad (good turnout) down at VooDoo, followed by a quick bite at Toads (no longer carrying Schlitz), a brief stop at the new Target with Cara, and finally westward on 20 to bring home the cherry picker while she packed her bags. Got things set up at the lodge, unhitched and home around 9:30/10. Friday then, off like a shot for a day of bucket work in the sun.

Installed the final upper corner fascias, trimmed, fastened, coerced the aluminum drip edging into place, then trimmed the shingles in 4' swathes across the front and east side. Gave the east and west fascias another coat of paint and installed some cedar exterior corners around the clerestories. Around 9 hours later I was beat, but the job was finished. Things went well enough except for my earbud cord getting snagged early in the day, forcing my much beloved 3rd gen iPod out of my vest pocket and out of the bucket for an 18 foot fall! Several things in my favor: It ricocheted once and landed in the pea gravel garden drain rather than the very firm ground. The poor thing would have been in 10,000 pieces if it weren't for the rubbery slipcase. And the harddrive was parked as it was in the middle of a song at the time. I plugged my headphones in to find it still playing…though all controls are unresponsive. Thankfully it was on a shuffle and the volume was at a good level so away we went for the next 5 hours. I'm afraid it's time for the soldering iron.

Met the gents for some beer and pool and had a rather enjoyable evening down at the PL, topping things off with Christopher Cross' "Sailing" and a Rusty Nail.

Tile work consumed my Saturday, punctuated by simple tasks on the list to spice things up. Since we have a television out there now (a '48 Emerson) I was looking forward to taking in the evening air, a cold one, and putting on Guy Lombardo. This would mean an earnest attempt at receiving the new digital television standard. I finally did get Lombardo, but the DTV converter generated enough RF noise on its own to hash the picture, and any feeble attempt to adjust the antenna resulted in frustration. Unlike real-time analog, results are not instant, and the theory that you either "have a picture or you don't so this really should be quite simple" doesn't hold water since you can also have a picture that breaks up every 5 seconds or so with sound that cuts in and out. You get up, approach the antenna, the signal improves as you get near the antenna, you fiddle with the UHF loop, the rabbit ears, the rotary control on the amplified base, etc. Just when you think you've got it, you get a few feet away and it all breaks up again. I'd like to see the take rate on satellite subscriptions since June's intro date….

With the fun sucked out of that, I put things in order, swung by the parents to pick up a package that was in and finished the eve off with the Criterion LD of North by Northwest.

Sunday, a little sleeping in, a lot of flat tire. Pulled the wheel while waiting for a ride, then proceeded to sit on the steps of the apartment house, fitted in construction rags, reading the Saver in the Sunday lite like this was the projects and I was in the wrong century. PM: ripping, cutting, fitting corners for the pumphouse. Shellac'ing panels. Some staining. Brought out a load from the parents and my mom offered to paint the bathroom. Who am I to complain? Cara happened along late in the day, fresh from her weekend trip visiting family, and caught up on her reading while I put things away. Then…digging the full-size spare out from under 10,000 vacuum tubes (of course), pizza and "The Game". Doesn't hold up quite as well when you know the ending, despite years between viewings.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Progress in the Art of Electric Metering

Bewildering week it was, with a change-up weekend. At least I feel exhausted now, as opposed to a few days ago where I could barely do anything intelligible outside of work, and yet wasn't feeling particularly sleepy. In bed by 8-something after a try-and-fail lodge expedition Friday night helped charge the batts a bit and made getting a crack on things early the next morning all the more easy. On the upside, I didn't burn another vacation day...sitting through 8 hours of Friday boredom, and I was able to get the necessary bricks and mortar ordered over lunch.

Saturday, then, progress central. Finished the last upstairs wallpaper. Gave the upper fascias a good coat of paint so they'll be ready for installation next Friday when I get the picker. Masked and stained the interior clerestory window trim. Started work on the west soffit light and bullet lights. Mixed up mud and gave the east wall another skim coat before the "Sisaling" slated for this week. Plus finished the formica on the last kitchen countertop (on the island). Lights and upper cabs in there and we're done. Came home around 6, washed up and hung out with Cara and took in a fantastic LW show from 1960; Tribute to the Big Bands. We meandered up the hill for some pipe tobacco and cider. Pretty quiet out.

Met Cam and Ben at the PL and we ventured up to Janesville Days for excellent weather and semi-cold beer…in the street. Highlights also included taking in a fight inside the Panther. Pepperoni pizza under the stars at Suds, idling outside the Raceway watching people pay 25 bucks a head for the Night of Fire and a brief stop at the Hydrant to let us know what we weren't missing.

The fantastic weather continued Sunday but a lack of usable wall texture meant I'd have to sacrifice part of the afternoon for a Menards run. After hauling the old gates from the road to the lodge with the trailer, giving our trees some attention, masking the bathroom and cleaning up test efforts (outside) to use mixed popcorn texture, I set forth to the parents to get laundry started. Menards could also hold legitimate claim to "busiest place on earth" for a Sunday afternoon. Got what I needed, more laundry at the 'rents until I get a proper hookup at the lodge, and then load-up time. Some furniture, a mattress, a '48 television. I set out like a bad episode of the Beverly Hillbillies and managed not to get the mattress (tied on to the roof) airborne.

Mixed the texture, drug the heavy compressor upstairs and sprayed the bathroom walls; turned out alright for a first effort. The parents showed to give a hand with the mattress and the Steelcase furniture I packed in their Outlook. Highlight of the weekend was really dinner on the deck with Cara. A legitimate spooling down without obligation knocking at the back door. Sun setting, deer venturing into the fields, Sub City and a cold libation. And not 1 but 2 rabbits working busily on the clover. Big deal you say. Well, when you build a place in a cornfield all the trimmings and expectations of suburbia do not necessarily follow. Orioles and gold finch we have plenty of. Now if we could attract a few squirrels.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Thomas Jefferson was a Jerk

Brief weekend, to put it bluntly. I took Friday off to get a jump on finishing the front-upper fascias, and you'd think that'd be nice to get a day away from work. But when you burn vacation on projects that just won't end, instead of lounging in the sun someplace, the time off is bittersweet. Of course it means I can work late Thursday nights with wreckless abandon. Which I ended up doing (let's not get too crazy here!). And meeting late in the eve with the mason that will take on the brick job as his schedule permits.

Friday was off with a bang, spent the AM fixing and finishing the rear PH siding, then moved onto interior staining, followed by the front fascias per the plan, and burning an hour or so directing gravel to be spread along different portions of the farm lane. It's a good thing I don't measure cash flow in terms of Mac Mini's. Or Airport Expresses, for that matter. Packed up shop a bit after six, and met up with the crew at the PL around 8. A more rambunctious night than usual, and Cam and I closed the place down in high style!

Saturday. Slow, methodical, 8 hour bathroom tile session. But the day was saved with a late dinner with Cara at Bourbon Street. Note to Beck: turn the treble down a touch on your background music. Then to the parents to help with the iMac which has been a touch flaky the past 6 months. It should not take 2 hours to boot up, and do so without errors. Even after a fresh install on a formatted drive.

The cool weather made Sunday perfect for working outside but the sun let you know who was boss by the end of the afternoon. We started with an early morning run to Menards, then hauled up a trailer-full of treated lumber from the lodge to the road to work. I cut back A LOT of fence weeds while Cara ran in for some 2 stroke oil for the inaugural run of the post-hole digger. I wished we had snapped a "before photo" of the entry off the road. End of the day we had a complete north fence from road to gate installed and painted, half the work completed on the south side. One of two new gates installed and painted, and prep work for the other complete. A real Kodachrome transformation with vivid blue and white oil-based paint and green grass and flowers. Plus a lot of gawking from passers-by, probably wondering why we were dressing up the entrance to "just a field".

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Right to Dry

I fell short of my rather ambitious list of things to get done at the lodge this weekend, despite putting in almost 30 hours of solid time in 3 days, plus a visit to Menards. But Cara put things in perspective for me last night. At the end of the weekend we had a fully padded and carpetted upstairs. The top-of-stairs door was modified and hung. The kitchen sink was installed and we had leak free plumbing…huzzah, running water! The countertop backsplashes were 90% done. Kitchen island totally banded and needing only 1 sheet of formica to go. Plus all our yard work punctuating Sunday. Cara ran the riding mower for 7 hours straight and I gave a hand up at the road with the push mower and weed whip. Finally, measurements for the fencing.

Friday evening both the carpet installer and myself were totally beaten but the temptation of cold beer at the PL was too good to pass up. After seeing the installer out I finished the few things I was working on and Cara and I joined Cam, then Mia, then Katherine later in the eve to share stories of "the storm", but the 10 hour day, compounded by only a couple hours sleep had Cara and I packing before midnight. Slept like a log.

Saturday night made up for lost time that morning running to Menards for supplies. I had Dick Bartley on the AM, and working on countertops in the kitchen meant an inaugural meal of Pizza Rolls in the '60 Frigidaire oven was not out of the question. Fired it up around 10:30PM and broke out the ice cold High Life. Not bad. Hitched up the trailer in the dark around 11 and headed in, keeping my eye on the low, orange moon.

Sunday then meant prying our lifeless bodies out of bed, getting on the road, forcing the riding mower into the trailer and annoying just about every speed demon that came along on North Union. Long day. But sunny, and not nearly as humid as Saturday night. Cleaned up around 9 and we hit up the OP for cold Schlitz and fantastic pizza.

Which brings me back to Thursday night. I got home late from the lodge and ended up not getting to bed until at least midnight. Only a few hours in and we were both awoken by that unmistakable sound of trees being shaken by high winds and torrential rain. We raced around the apt in the dark, closing windows and surveying how much water had come onto the porch when the lights up and down the street went out. Through the sheets of rain Cara pointed out through the bedroom window that the top of our backyard tree was gone. I could only make it out aided by the flashes of lightning and thought it merely double over on itself. Clearly, this was more than a thunderstorm. As the wind escalated and the noise level outside grew to deafening proportions I wondered, "Why weren't the sirens going off?" Seconds later it got very violent. We hit the floor as hail pounded the building and the cracks and groans of the old trees let us know they were giving way. The rain pounded the glass and siding and we expected the windows to blow in at any moment. No joke. In fact, the windows in the apt downstairs did.

Then….the winds calmed, but the rain would not let up. 3" worth when all was said and done. With a flashlight we started drying things on the porch. It was approaching 4AM. Then it hit me. If the parents (who were in MN) lost power the way seemingly half the town had, the sump pumps wouldn't be pumping. The amount of damage this would cause is unthinkable. We grabbed whatever clothes we could find and raced down the steps in the rain, did our best to avoid the ankle deep lake in the backyard and made our way to the Blazer. The tree I thought had doubled over had actually split at the crotch and dropped 40' worth of trunk mere inches from our cars. It had come to rest both on the ground and supported by the trunk phone and cable lines over our vehicles. Getting across town was a lot more difficult than we had imagined. First with the alley blocked by a tree that had also fallen on a Mercury. We 4x4'd our way to pavement with the wipers running on high. Second, almost every turn yielded a blocked road. At one point on 18th I was driving through water that was up over the truck's frame and doing my best to figure out how we were going to proceed with 2 blocks of snapped power poles in front of us. House lights west of Hudson Rd. gave us some relief and we found the pumps running at the parents. But the carnage through town was pretty amazing. Rather than a tornado's wandering path of destruction, it seemed as if the whole town had been hit with equal force from above. Thankfully, the only damage to homes was wind torn fascias, broken windows and lost trim; cars didn't fare so well with all the falling detrius, however.

Next, to the lodge where we had some water intrusion, but the place was still there (and the road a freakin' river). Then to my grandma's around 4:30AM where trees had toppled ripping down her feed from the transformer. She slept through the storm, but without power, her basement was flooded.

We returned home, and eventually got an hour or two of sleep as the idiots in the frat house behind us tried to noisily clear a path out of the alley. I ended up using a tow rope to drag the blocked limbs clear and with some help from Cara and others we drug it out of the way. That's how you start a Friday.

Monday, July 13, 2009

More Bang for Your Buck

Even though the 4th has passed, it still feels like summer is just getting started. Maybe it's the current, hurried pace that keeps me from glancing at the clock too long, or the oddly cool weather we've been having the past week or two. Whatever it is, I'm not going to complain.

Cara and I set off last week for the annual N. Minnesota pilgrimage, and, leaving on the 3rd, planned our route accordingly to avoid the heavy holiday traffic around the twin cities. While we added a couple hours to the drive, never once did we find ourselves at a standstill or for lack of genuinely interesting scenery. Getting out of Iowa, we managed 57W to Sinclair, surveying the recovery of last year's tornado that destroyed their elevator and snapped hundred year old trees like twigs. Then on up 14 through Greene, eventually onto the 4-lanes "to make time" as far north as Owatonna. From there it was a laundry list of small-town Minnesota. New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, Hector, Willmar, etc. Allowing plenty of opportunities to stop and snap pics or do some snooping. Walmart provided a) a new car battery and b) fixin's and an ice chest for lunch. After a few hours more we stopped for lunch at Sibley State park, found a nice grassy spot in the shade near a stone and timber shelter likely built by the CCC, and had ourselves a meal while being scolded by a red squirrel. Then onward another couple hours to our destination, the final leg intentionally taking some very back roads to see the scenery.

An after-thought before we set out that day, I cross checked several of the small MN towns against a list of closed Drive-in theaters to see if we had any hits. Indeed. But finding them without addresses, nor knowing whether there were any remains, was the challenge.

Sidebar: Drive-in cataloging is difficult work, given the great number, and short lifetime of some drive-in theaters, especially in areas that couldn't support such a theater for more than a few years. Having only screen and snackbar, mother nature can work fast recovering what was once there, and developers especially like already graded plats making it ideal to plant a megastore right on top of an old DI location. One gent uses Terraserver satellite images to investigate a locale once he knows a drive-in existed in the area. Sometimes you can make out the "baseball diamond" footprint of an old theater, though cornfield or walmart usually makes that very difficult.

Hector, MN supposedly had a DI but we couldn't find it. A gent in town pointed us to one he knew once existed in Buffalo, MN, so down the road we went. All that was left was the snack bar now storage building, and concrete piers that once anchored the screen. Wadena, MN had a DI and the towering tin of the neon sign/marquee still stands, though if it were to disappear, one would never know given the trees and brush that have taken back the land over the past 20 years.

The Long DI in Long Prairie opened in 1956 and is still operating today. I was able to snap off a few pics along a fenceline in the rain, but being the middle of the day, the gates at the road were locked and it was a long, wet approach into a wooded area to get to it. Must be something to see in the twilight...
So yeah, we found a few DI's.

Never a dull moment- boat rides, fireworks, the annual trip to the transfer station to stand in awe of appliances accumulating in the sun. And to date many of them, easily providing service for 5 or 6 decades continuously. Think about that for a minute. Even worked in a trip to the parents new place to help get a 300lb diving platform into their lake.

We made the mistake of taking 4-lane back to CF and ended up in stand-still traffic north of Minne, likely due to an accident as it was mid-day Tuesday. A sly exit and our 2-lane escape plan put us back on the road. Even with what must have been a 3 hour stop at IKEA, we managed to get home shortly before dark, Blazer loaded down. Now if only we could get a vacation to recover from our vacation.



The Cedarloo HyVee on top of the StarLite Drive-In outfield.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

A Week of Sundays

The ring is in sight, but of course the 4th Holiday makes this a short work week, and an oil change, haircut, carwash, etc. is in the cards for tonight (and getting a jump on sleep would be nice), so that's meant packing a week's worth of duties into 3 days. Burning 2 hours vac Tue and Wed meant _almost_ getting in a full day of work at the desk job jockeying meetings and surprisingly fitting in another honest 7 hours each night at the lodge. Not that I'd want to do that regularly, but I've had weekends that've felt more taxing out there. Last night was nice, though. Cara came out shortly before dusk to christen the freshly-installed commode (or at least hit the flush lever a few times for novelty's sake) and we had pizza out on the deck as the sun set, watching the deer roam the fields. Afterwards, she watered the crab apples while I glued down the last black VCT in the washer area.
July will be a month of tying up loose ends, contracting out cement and brick work, and getting down and dirty with the outdoor assignments. Oh yeah, and that whole moving heavy, awkward, irreplaceables out to the lodge that has Cara a bit worried.
Poor Walmart. They know they'll no longer be the only game in town and they're putting on their best poseur threads to fit in with the cool kids. The whole exterior has been painted (light beigy brown from the old blue) and comically, their new outbuilding sign is now light blue with white type. Speaking of type, they've dropped the Sam Walton era typeface and gone with a "cool" softer look that's so very now. They've been studying the playbook pretty closely: setting their aisles on diagonals, building a freestanding pharmacy, adding "dramatic" lighting and track grids over the bakery and produce areas. They even changed out the bulbs in the upright freezers, or at least pulled the diffusers, for a "crisp" effect, which isn't as "crisp" as it is hard-on-my-eyes. They even had a landscape crew busy out front Tuesday but their asphalt wasteland is no match for all the trees and green across the street. The only good to come of this is that when I stopped in after leaving work, I noticed the prices were once-again hitting reasonable levels. Loaf of bread: <$2. Two liter of Vault: $1. Totinos: $0.98
Still, they falter. I hear the merchandise continues to move around the store inexplicably. And in the great beigoning, someone thought it'd be a good idea to paint all the rough-face block while they were at it. Oh, the desperation.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Selling the Sizzle (written Monday)

It's been a busy month trying to hit the goal of "ready to move things in by end of June", but barring any unforeseen snafus this week, we should hit the mark. Drawings and funds have changed hands for the carpetting, scheduled for when we return from the July 4th vac. Wall tile is up and grouted in the bathroom and the toilet should be going in tomorrow after sealing. The VCT floor will be finished this week along with laminating the kitchen countertops. Plumbing was done yesterday so the kitchen sink can drop in once the Formica is adhered and trimmed. Umpteen tasks are in-process, like painting the clerestory surrounds, putting up the last strips of wallpaper, and installing the shower doors.
The shower doors is an interesting one. I started installation last week and discovered the doors and frame are taller than the fiberglass tub by 1.25". Pretty standard, but looks ridiculous. So the aluminum framing is now cut down and installed, the sliding doors are torn apart, and I'm waiting on a call for replacement glass panes that are 1.25" shorter from a local glass shop. Tempered of course. (You can't cut glass once it's tempered) Never a good sign though when the glass pattern is commented on as "never seen that before". Great.
I spent Friday out there making big progress and got a call from Ben about the time I was heading out, around 6. Went home to clean up- still unbelievably muggy and temps hovering between 90 & 100F upstairs so I was a real mess. The big news of the evening was the replacement jukebox at the PL, the old one was practically an institution…a very similar model to the Tap's before that was replaced by an internet jukebox (and a good reason why I haven't been back). The PL's was cantankerous, often ignoring quarters and requiring you to beat on the page turn buttons every once in a while. You quickly learned which songs to avoid choosing as it would pass them up (likely due to dust or scratches I assume). A Rowe "CD Phonograph" that had a motorized CD on display, top-center, long since frozen. The new model isn't a total bust; many of the CD's were transferred over and it is NOT an internet model. But no longer can you get 3 plays for a buck, and the LED lightshow this thing puts on is seizure inducing.
After a couple hours Ben took off in typical fashion and Cam and I made good on our promise made months ago to hit up Suds as we knew the college crowd was out of town and the evening temps couldn't have been any more perfect. Enroute we made a quick stop at the Hydrant and I witnessed possibly the finest rendition of Totally Eclipse of the Heart I had ever seen. Words cannot describe this duo's performance.
The ice cold PBR at Suds did the trick and a new discovery was made. Their juke actually pre-dated the old PL machine and was equipped with A) the same discs we found popular at the PL (but no one else found popular, apparently), and B) discs I had never seen at any other juke in town anywhere, and could have come right out of my itunes library. "CD-Phonograph", indeed.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Why Don't you Monkey with the Monkey?

I was sweltering at the lodge Tuesday, doing my best to keep the sweat out of the fresh shellac as the mercury approached 100F upstairs. An hour or so before the blue sky and bright sun made snapping some kodachrome slides ideal (gotta finish that roll) but now there was a wall of gray approaching from the west. Around 4 I stepped out onto the front deck to take view of this and in the course of 30 seconds standing outside the yellow door, the trees practically bent over, the black clouds rolled in, temps dropped 20+ degrees and a very forceful mist, almost like needles, pummeled the lodge. I rushed in to fight the side and back windows closed as the winds intensified. The mist was much like you'd see in a movie like the perfect storm, where rain is falling vertically, wind pushes it horizontally, and you crank up the windspeed until you don't really have drops, just a wall of fine water coming at you. This kept up for a few minutes, coming directly from the NW pounding the glass and siding. The radio was going nuts with storm warnings and reported on the wind as being in excess of 70mph. A few minutes later the large drops were falling and yet the wind refused to let up. I was still running around inside, lights on, checking for leaks, peering out the windows listening to the radio when I got a call from Cara saying a tornado had touched down a few miles away and they were in their shelter at work. Time to ride this one out. Water was now running down the cedar wall near the uppermost window. I can only surmise the storm was forceful enough to get in the uppermost fascia corner outside (needs a flashing cap), drive around the insulation, and follow the interior of the soffit down to the wall where it found its way inside. Pretty wild, really.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Charlie M.

Whatever bug I picked up early last week is still hanging around. At least I'm mobile, but the tossing, turning and coughing doesn't bode well for Cara's sleep. Monday post-work at the lodge I felt the fatigue hit while opening a paint can. Middle of the night I'm awake with sore throat and a fever. Tuesday was spent mostly in bed catching up on my classic game shows on youtube, and a living room viewing of Das Boot. Terrific pic.
 
Wednesday I went back to work but wasn't feeling so hot. Handled loads of laundry and an evening of trying to back up the parents' iMac that night. Something was seriously wrong as the transfer rate in FW mode was pathetic. Thursday and Friday I was back at the lodge, sealing grout, laying VCT, tackling the sundry tasks. And Cara came out with me Saturday morning and we really went after things. Slathered up in sunblock, she started mowing on the rider, I went for the east fascias. I kept a box fan running up on the deck as I worked and between us we went through several gallons of chilled water. I took over the mower for a few passes when she went in for the Mo*air Pear sidewalk sale/lunch and realized the SPF50 wasn't working so hot when you're continually drenched in sweat. Unloaded the shower door, finished the outer angled fascia, glued down a portion of the VCT pattern and gave the trees a good drink. Before getting back to mowing Cara gave me a hand pasting up the final length of wallcovering we had on hand for the bedroom.
 
I ran the pushmower around the sideyard and cleaned up where the rider couldn't get to, then set forth to scraping and cleaning the NE clerestory for screen installation. This sucker still had painters' tape baked on from the staining operation, and the crud of 10,000 asian beetles. Done. I met Cara out front, we loaded the mower on the trailer at 6 and headed back to the parents for unloading and cleanup at the apartment. Tired, sweaty, generally beaten by the heat and humidity. But at least it was starting to cool. A cone at 4 Queens hit the spot, and with a cooler of ice and a fresh change of clothes, we turned right back around for the lodge for some bonfire action.
 
Plenty of scraps to burn, including the old OSB that made up the front false garage door walls. I salvaged what framing I could to be re-used as bracing as Ben pulled up; he made quick work of dragging off the separated sheets to the fire area. Wasn't long and we had a good blaze going and a rather nice night for it. Cam joined in and it was after 1 before we called it quits. I was still going strong, oddly. Back at the apt around 2 for some sack time.
 
Sunday, then, was a nice change of pace, as the sore throat came back and the sunburns kept us preoccupied. I treated Cara to a delicious breakfast at W*ffle Stop, then to the parents to finalize software installations and backups as our work clothes were washing. Saw off Brittni and John on their adventure back to Europe, and finally made our way lodge bound for interior painting. One little problem….we were too pooped to climb the ladders. The oppressive humidity didn't help matters either. Change of plans- we set up shop outside and hand sanded all the glass-stop trim on the vintage door that goes at the top of the stairs. Took _forever_ but we managed to get it in shellac-ready condition just as the rain started to fall and the tornado warnings were brd'cast on the radio.
 
It's been an interesting June. For Iowa, the weather has been oddly perfect until this week when the A/C units fired up all across the valley. Getting sick was unexpected and hurt productivity a bit. The wedding and family in town was a nice change but really took it out of all of us. (So….much….summer sausage….) The Wright and Like tour at the beginning of the month was fantastic. Looking back, it hasn't been such a bad month at all.
 
The "ready to move things in" goal still stands for end of June. Approx 2 weeks left and it WILL be busy. Countertops to build, bathroom walls to tile, interior painting (clerestories) to do, and the real PITA, front fascias to finish. (Plus all the little stuff.) The heat index will be the limiting factor I imagine.