The Journey is the Reward

The problem with creating your own things is that there are very few surprises with the finished product. And without those quirks, twists, and surprises, one is always ready for the next big thrill after completion

Now, not everything has to be self-made. The impetus, of course, is that nothing else available is fit for the task. This might be because of location, time involvement, cost, etc. But, I'm not going to shoot my own movie because I can't find one I like. It must be hell on a director to have one in the can. Lots of excitement watching it all come together; pride in the finished product, but the satisfaction is one entirely different from that of a cinema go-er. At least from my perspective, it would seem the discovery and intrigue of whatever it is that I'm seeking would outweigh the DIY route. But the DIY route ensures the job is done right, and can put the end goal within reach without moving to Maine, or spending years putting together someone else's failed project.

There are car guys out there that will pour 10's of thousands of dollars into a restoration and once complete, they sell the car for a loss after only a short time. For them, it's a loss of interest. They're ready for the next project. Odd as it may seem, there are those that sell the car off incomplete and never even ride in it…because of that same loss of interest. I believe the term for that is "quitter".

All else aside...how does one evaluate this kind of situation? And where does the satisfaction lie?

The Many Faces of Jack Nicholson.....

Bus Driver's Holiday

Here I am at work. Except I'm on vacation today. Well, turns out I was a little nervous about cure time of my cement that we placed under the new building's steel columns. Better safe than sorry. Plus it was windy as all get-out yesterday. So I'll put in a few corporate hours today and shoot for Wednesday late afternoon for the big beam install.

Sunday, Couldn't even sheath the place. "Luckily", I had all sorts of other things to attend do.

Got the ol' table saw out and ripped my 'rare as hens teeth' half-inch board into thirds. Then to the miter saw for appropriate cuts. A test-fit along the gangway and they're ready for a coat of paint. This led to a bit of consternation as there are a couple interior cues I would have done differently when it comes to the beltline and accents that this feature will tie into. Things to be attended to down the road when the other building is finished and there's actual floorspace to move about in. So, I snapped a few photos, loaded them in the computer and made myself some notes for 2012.

I found myself heading to the pole building for saw horses, next thing you know I had the tractor out. Well, I attempted it. Battery went flat. Had to jump it to get her going….that building just kept getting further away as the afternoon wore on. Put the tractor on a ramp, started the battery to charging, blocked up the mower deck and proceeded to actually break loose the LH threaded bolts holding on the mower blades. Thank gawd for cheater bars.

Knowing I must make hay while the sun shined, and after anchoring and cementing the columns in place earlier that day with Cara's gracious assistance, I got out the saw, tape measure and square and man handled twenty-eight I-joists, cutting each to length. Then set strings, took measurements, etc. etc. before sitting down to dinner. A full day it was.

Saturday was just as crazy, with sales, construction, and a little R&R that night. Despite Panthers Pride's claim, they were not open 24-hours a day on the weekend. Still craving dinner, Cam, Ben and myself headed for Tony's on main. Slow service, abrasive environment, and annoying patrons. The pizza was quite good, however.

We've entered May, and spring must certainly be on its way. We have grass starting to green. Trees are budding, but the nights are still cold and the weeds aren't just dewey, they're downright frosty as of late. Even though we're running heat upstairs, I could go for a night 'round the old bonfire any day now.

Anthropomorphization

Never thought about it, but it's absolutely true. I do it all the time.....

http://catb.org/esr/jargon/html/anthropomorphization.html

....yet so mild!

I had a delivery scheduled for Thursday PM, and by lunchtime that day, had already accrued enough OT to take a few hours off to see things got setup properly. Only problem? The materials were dropped off that morning. Best not to let it go to waste then.

So, I scooted downtown to visit my glass guy. Missed him by minutes. Alright then, to the parent's to pick up a package, and then time to get busy.

Toiled the afternoon away on walls and columns, only to discover the top plate of my central steel column was out of level. Not good. What else to do while the sun shined? Or rather, as clouds rolled in.

Patched the roof of the pole building. Anchored the EIFS up where water is taking its tool. Added a few drain holes. And came inside and cleaned up. Beat. Met Ben and Cam at the PL for a few brews before calling it a day.

Friday, a blur. Up and out the door with the column to have a new one fabricated. For a C-note plus, it had better be right the first time. Back to the lodge to take on an indoor task. I asked Cara to put together a list of incomplete tasks around the lodge to compare with my list. The summed tome then went into the computer. When the weather is too poor to work outside, I turn to this list, grin, and bear it. By mid afternoon I had the difficult work complete on the east triangle window trim-out upstairs. Even a couple of the trim boards shellaced. I took a brief intermission when my dad stopped out and gave me a hand hauling additionally constructed walls out to the foundation. Then back to my work in progress. Trial fits. Glass cleaning, and an application of anti-fog before coming off the ladder.

Late afternoon I rushed over to pick up the column. Discovered (the hard way) that Leversee road was closed for a section due to construction. Made it to the fabricators with only minutes to spare (and mud on my hood). Then back by the parents to load the new GE fridge for the lodge into their vehicle. Got things set and headed back to the country; Cara accompanied us right off of work. Column unloaded. Fridge unloaded (in the rain). Got the old fridge off the kitchen platform with a bit of ingenuity and the new one in. Parents took off. We scrubbed the interior of the GE a bit, then changed and went back to town for a grand dinner at Panther's Pride. Excellent food, mediocre service. Now to the lodge again (boy this was getting old) to install the turquoise refrigerator door and set things to running. Cut the last trim board under a dark sky, gave it a good shellac'ing, a little dry-time and installation. Then a Mad Men. I think.

Saturday. I have no idea where the day went. I recall putting up the last two 8' rear/side walls with Cara's assistance and hauling yard stuff to the pole shed. Also adding top plates to the walls. Oh yes, then framing the front walls which required a run to the lumber yard for 34 additional 2x6's. Then cutting everything to length and finishing the rough framing. Then it was dinner time. I got to work on Easter's banquet- macaroni salad with bacon bits, key lime pie with homemade whipped cream, and lemon sugar cookies. Cara took care of dishes as fast as I dirtied them.

Finally, night fell and we were able to sit down and enjoy a movie for once. LA Confidential. Very good, indeed.

Sunday- Easter. Full spread. Full stomachs. Spent the afternoon with family and animals before throwing in the towel late afternoon. Then it was time to get to work. Gave the old arm a workout building up the 2x6 column "stacks". Each one made of 5 "plies" of 2x6's which will ultimately support steel beams. Integrated these with the Saturday framed walls, and one by one, hauled them with the Blazer to the new foundation. Meanwhile Cara went to town with the mop and vacuum, making the place shine. With sun setting and legs aching, I put away the tools, poured a drink and we took in a MadMen before heading the sack.

Now that's a weekend!

Talk is Cheap

Monday. Overcast. Raining. It's been two weeks of semi-glorious weather since we've moved (back) into the lodge. A lot has happened, including wall-framing, hole-digging, sill plates, footing & pier pouring, wall erecting and bracing, not to mention that little bit about actually hauling our things back in, getting the lodge operational, awakening the tractor and wagon, etc. etc. Oh, and friggin' 11-hour days at work. Funny that now that I'm on the cusp of 8-hour workdays, the weather goes to pot.

Update- Tuesday. Worked last night prior to darkness and the rain moving in. Made up the 5-ply load bearing column of 2x6's that'll go in the west wall. Also got the final section of the rear wall framed up and ready to haul into place while Cara shoveled up broken cement chunks in the yard that have been our bane for sometime. And...cut studs and layed out the plates for the final section of west wall for when it's not raining out.

Rain. Water. It truly ruins everything. About all you can do is build a dwelling out of stone. Top it off with a terra-cotta roof. If you could deal with the cold and moisture intrusion, you'd be about as weather proof as it gets for the long run. Asphalt shingles will fail. Roofing felt will deteriorate. Plywood walls will crumble behind soggy, chalking siding. Wind will attempt to rip off just about any roof with a wide overhang. And rain will find its way around and into every window, door and crevice.

I hate rain.

Forecast for the following week? Rain.

Back in the High Life

It's been an interesting last couple of weeks. First there was the trip to St. Louis for Blake and Hannah's wedding, rounded out with a brewery tour and some time around the arch. No sooner than we had gotten back to town than I started re-packing for Europe. Destination Germany. Monday morning I was in the Blazer headed down to CR with a bag packed and laptops aplenty. The initial leg to Detroit was quite favorable and I was able to experiment with various window configurations for the new building using the MBA. Oddly, the woman next to me spent much time flipping through her binder of what appeared to be window configurations and cross-sections. After a short while she realized what I was doing and we struck up a conversation about...windows.

The 4 hour layover in Detroit went much quicker after a burger and a couple beers and after a bit I was in the air. I remember looking out the window as we went over St. John's Bay and watching the lights disappear into the darkness of night; next stop, Frankfurt.

The week was a blur of large and delicious meals, dark beers and little sleep. There's much to take in and much to wax philosophically about. Eventually I concluded that the people I traveled with were oblivious to their surroundings. I was searching out details- comparing and contrasting human behaviors, energy saving schemes, road signs and markings, construction details, similar but different items in stores, etc. They were searching out...bars. Eventually I got over the jet lag...just in time for the return trip. The 8 hour flight was made easier by the "on-demand" video system. I rewatched the highlights of The American, took in Unstoppable, and an awful movie, Hereafter. Described as "a thriller centered on three people who are haunted by morality". "Thriller" is not exactly the word that comes to mind.

Now it's been a week back in the country and I'm pretty much over the jet-lag. However a new problem...Construction Season.

Since we've been "on shutdown" I've had a little time to line the ducks up for April. Not only is the official move-in this weekend, but if weather holds for Sunday, the initial stages of construction will begin. This means hammering out details and drawings for the steel beams and columns, gathering materials for the downstairs framing, and at the same time getting the lodge back into shape. Today's post-work task was stocking up on 2x6's that were actually straight and usable, loading them all into the Blazer, and hauling them to the lodge. All 42 of 'em. Yesterday it was treated lumber post-work. The day before it was hauling the trailer to Waterloo for a load of glass and jalousie windows. And the day before that it was a lodge visit (damn mole!) and getting the trailer roadworthy.

Tomorrow, a visit to the steel fabricator's and the engine rebuild machinist. Plus starting on the Lodge's spring punch-list.

I think it's time for bed.