You Snooze, You Lose

What a week it was. Let's see if I can recall the goings-ons to help settle my nerves….Concurrently, I'm in (or was in) a rush to button up the electrical service for inspection so we can get the power flowing from the PoCo. Juggling arrangements for the cherry-picker to finish the front fascias before a crafty bird decides to move in. Playing JIT with the pumphouse build. Figuring and ordering the Formica sheet goods for the kitchen, searching for the perfect brick, and knocking out the day-to-day tasks that keep the wheels turning. In the past, April was the big spin-up month after a slow winter, with May reaching new heights of activity, but this past winter wasn't as loathesome as the previous, and having side soffits in made working out there all the more tolerable during the cold months, so I didn't get much of a break this year.

 

Getting the secondary feed in place meant visiting the local electrical supply house for a meter base specific to the local PoCo ($$), then trenching in conduit and 4/0 aluminum. Then locating a suitable 200A weatherproof disconnect (special order, but available, thankfully). Since these parts end up in the pumphouse, that structure has to exist. The framing plans had been done for some time now, but getting the necessary siding, ripping it lengthwise and then cutting the sections to width took a little doing. I put the framing up Friday after ordering the formica and picking up my brick samples, then plumbed in half the service conductors into the disconnect that afternoon. Took note of what was needed and added it to my list of lumber to acquire Saturday morning (needed to construct the roof). I  was in good shape inside the lodge, having fought the heavy cables previously in the week and landing them in their terminals. Plus getting the low-voltage relays connected, the water heater bypass switch operable, etc. Friday night: The PL with Cara, and a drop-in from Ben.

 

Confession time: I took Monday evening off. Between leaving work late, struggling to keep my eyes open, and skies threatening, I finished up some geometry on the ol' PowerBook and took in Two-Lane Blacktop, compliments of Cam.

 

And the geometry paid off. After braving the box stores Saturday morning, I cut up the majority of the roof 2x6's, gave a tour of the place to the visiting grandparents, and finished up the total pumphouse electrical conduit run, after capping the walls with 10' plates. We're now ready for inspection, and ready for a roof. Finished up at 7PM and enjoyed the sundown with Dick Bartley, cold cider, Computing Before Computers, and my pipe. Perfection. Joined Cam at the PL at 9 and won a few rounds of pool before playing teams and losing to a guy that could barely stand up. After our 10 free juke selections had played out, we headed downtown for a cold one at the Cypress before closing up shop around midnight. Not bad at all.

 

Sunday AM, back over to W'loo, then out for more sun (and sweat). By late afternoon the sections were ready for assembly and I had the 18x18x14 roof put together with the minimal number of parts to allow it to be carried over for installation (tentative help today). Headed in to the parents with the tools and helped correct a crooked deck step that had heaved every which way over the years. Then home for shower and a dinner, and Cool Hand Luke.

 

OK, so if I keep running at full steam I should be able to put a lot of this to bed, but it'll take all of this month. It seems that if I have a general interest in a project, I can manage it no problem. Tasks are broken down by days, weeks and months, many contingent upon other seemingly unrelated tasks. All on a sliding scale to accommodate new issues that pop up, or a day or two of slack that can be better utilized. You wouldn't want to install carpeting, then weld the adjacent railing. But carpet has a lead time so it should be ordered early. However, you can't weld the railing without power (which we don't have). If you get the pex crimper for a day you want to make the most of it to attach all the final stops for the sinks and such, but you can't do that upstairs unless the vanity is in. Can't put the vanity in (even though it's built) without tile in place. But you don't want to install the kitchen countertops before the valves downstairs, so you have to strike a compromise of all the events those requirements hinge upon. I could tile the bathroom now, but it makes more sense to spend a weekend on the garage doors so the masonry boundaries are defined.

 

The wrench in the works is that I'm also getting one car ready for eb*y, and another fully roadworthy ASAP (waiting on parts, now). One less car in the driveway means the '59 can come out to play.

 

And lest we forget, Damfest!

Post Script: The roof has been hefted and installed!

Plans...Thwarted!

I found myself on a gorgeous Friday afternoon sitting behind the desk in an empty office, light on work myself. It had been a quick week made long by excessive tasks and loose ends not quite ready for the tying. Finally the day yielded and I was off, headed for the box stores. The special order electrical panel was not yet in, and too many variations in size for the Formica order put a hold on things until I firm the plan this week.

 

Ran myself ragged (our stain color is being discontinued, also) and was back on the road by 6, creating quite a stir with my 16' masonite siding (loaded in an 8' payload Blazer). Picked up Cara while rain threatened and headed straight for the lodge. With groceries in tow, we watched the storm roll in from the deck and I commented the last time we tried this (last year) I was so PO'd the soffits weren't in that I could scarcely enjoy sitting up there. (They're in now)  We closed up shop with lightning cracking all around and made it before the gully-washer hit.

 

Sat AM Cara went on her walk for the March of Dimes (in the rain) and I shipped out for some decent finds at the JV city-wide sales. The break in the rain coincided exactly with my arrival at the lodge and I took the opportunity to dig out the dust mask and circ saw and ripped the siding to length. Worked inside the rest of the afternoon while it rained off and on. There would be no staining or PH siding-install this weekend.

 

Met Cam and Ben down at the PL for a few drinks (and a good sandwich) that eve and shot some pool before Ben unexplicably took off as things got going. Cam and I set sail for The Cypress, had some cold Schlitz and looked on in disbelief at the packed house. Made a brief stop at Toads but weren't in the mood for the mindless patrons and slow service and cont'd on to the BR where the live music and foosball entertained.

 

Sunday, more interior work at the lodge while the skies pounded. Watched the fog roll in the low lying areas and escaped with 4WD late in the afternoon. Spent Sunday eve at the parents while Cara worked on a dress and I tackled laundry. All eyes were on the TV as the storm kept on and the tornado sirens sounded. Set a new record for rainfall totals as well. I kept tabs on the sump pump and ended up filling half a 5gal bucket with silt and clay scooped by hand from the bottom of the pump pit. This fill over the years had effectively raised the bottom of the pit, offsetting the float's normal working range. With the range offset, the duty cycle of the pump was skewed such that I feared the thing would burn itself out. Saying that'd be a bad deal would be the understatement of the year.

 

This week? More rain.

Egg. For your Face!

I mentioned before how this month is just screaming along, but as far as Aprils go, we've had much worse. Looking back at my records, May has always been the biggest month for knocking off tasks. This April might be a tie if I don't peter out.

 

Took Friday off to knock out the SE corner blocking and soffit sections. Took around 5 hours but was more bearable than the SW corner done two weekends before. How it can take so long is beyond me. The temps topped 70F and with a clear sky, it got hot working in the sun.

 

After assembling the new drop hitch and airing up the low tire on the trailer (while the generator knocked and puttered for mercy trying to start that big inductive load), I hauled said trailer to the rear fenceline and commenced filling with sumac, saplings and all manner of sharp, difficult-to-load brush. Brought the trailer to a heaping load and parked it in front, resuming upstairs electrical work. Went home, took a much-needed shower, and headed out for the eve, meeting up with Cam, Cara and Ben, then finally closing down the PL with Cam after some seriously questionable jukebox selections and pickled eggs with all the fixin's. Strolled home in short sleeves taking in a pretty nice night, hitting the hill just in time to watch droves of drunken college kids stumble out of every doorway within sight.

 

Sat AM my stomach was demanding answers (*Note to self: No vodka tonics after a night of hops). But pressed on with some coffee and once I was working out at the land things really clicked. Prepped the meter box for the elec service. Found some 3/8 bolts of proper length for the rail mounts. Drilled and cutout the openings in the front soffits for the can lights. Installed the SE cedar deck corner, then hitched up the trailer and headed for the landfill drop-off.

 

Ventured on into Cedar City where the dump was once upon a time. I remember the dirt path from the Biarritz era, a tune before there were paved biketrails meandering back in the woods and prior to the chain link fence guarding the slightly unnerving one-land bridge over the swamps. A steady stream of vehicles were either dropping off leaves and brush, or helping themselves to the complimentary wood chips. I got everything unloaded without poking out an eye and headed in for lunch and materials from my private stock.

 

All day the skies had been threatening and light rain occurred off and on. After lunch I got busy with the shovel, digging a trench from the xformer to the pumphouse base. Still plenty hot out, more of a balmy hot, especially digging. Managed to thread the 50' triplex up through previous conduit in the PH foundation, then used the 2 sticks I had on hand to lay the cable. I began backfilling as I went which turned out to be a good move, for after getting the conductors in the general vicinity of where the risers need to go (need more conduit), the sky opened up and I knew this was the real deal. Having an open hole and a pile of black dirt is a bad situation if it rains. So, I quickly filled the void, threw some scrap plywood over the meter area, gathered tools, and hustled inside for some late afternoon elec panel work. Also managed to adjust the front deck cans and install the glass trims and power things up. Nice. Made an earnest record of what breakers lead to what (my master list went missing) and decided to head in around 6? 7? for dinner with Cara. Stepped outside to unhitch the trailer and take in the rolling fog.

 

Cleaned up and settled on Rudy's Taco after trying our hand at Gary's (closed). A fine meal indeed. Capped the night with further elec catalog planning back at the apt, and a good nights sleep.

 

Slept in Sunday, but we were still up at 9-9:30, greeted by a chilly, windy, overcast day. Cara came out and we went gangbusters on the upstairs for a couple hours, vacuuming, sorting tools, hauling out scrap in prep for the grasscloth install in the afternoon. The parents met us at 1 and around 5 hours later we had knocked out the living room side of the shear wall and all of the bathroom exterior. It all turned out very well for a bunch of amateurs working over walls that had a finish level intended for paneling. By the end though my nerves were shot and the burning question on everyone's mind was "can we go now?".

 

Finished with pizza over laundry and The Apprentice while the dryer did its thing. We arrived home both completely exhausted.

 

 

Chip a tooth, win a prize!

(written Tue)

A very busy week so far and if I take Friday off to put in a day's labor at the lodge (anticipating Saturday's crappy weather), I'll really need a recharge. But, we're moving forward.

 

Last Friday was a holiday and I spent it working on soffits and odd jobs. A real taxing day, just couldn't find my rhythm. Ended the night well enough though with drinks at Toads, and later, The PL with McC and crew. A very enjoyable outing. Keeping my word about trying again Saturday night, Ben, Cam and I hit up the Tap only to find a pool tourney underway and the place overrun by JV 20-somethings. We left after our $1.20 beers.

 

At the PL, we doubled the occupancy and took control of the pool table and juke. I end up feeling like a heel asking if they'll turn the lights down. It's SOP, but someone always forgets behind the bar. Despite having worked all day at the land, ripping, sanding and staining cedar, replacing a blown out part of the water system and burning off the weeds with Cara, plus a drop-in visit by Cam, I ended up staying out quite a bit later than planned and enjoyed every minute of it.

 

Sunday then, Easter with the family. A walk around Timberledge. Laundry and automotive work in the late PM. Zero engine maintenance by the PO on the ETC resulted in seized t-stat housing bolts. Seized to the point of snapping an easy-out off in there. Started yanking the fan and and pulleys off the front to gain access to pulling the waterpump. Should get interesting.

 

It may only be Wednesday but the weekend feels like it's almost here. A surprising phone call Monday from the local poco informed me that I would need to pull a permit and request inspection for the service entrance before they can drop their meter in. This code went into effect March 1st. Even though "Chet" Culver signed this thing last year, and is a state-wide utility requirement, it somehow slipped their mind until this week despite payment and project kickoff incurring last fall. What this means is a new level of complication. As there's no local jurisdiction to set requirements in the rural area, it's entirely the inspector's call on what he likes and doesn't like. You might think there's a right way and a wrong way to do each job, and you'd be wrong. Simple things like grounding or bonding can vary wildly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; state to state. In my case, I have the meter 25' from an intermediate panel which is 25' from the main panel. All feeders underground. Nothing wrong with this, but it's so atypical as I know it'll cause some consternation. You can't just invite the guy out on a pre-inspection as each visit racks up bucks for the state. Way to go, Culver.

 

Handily, the local Poco also followed through on their meter base/socket requirements. My choice of 2! You see, back in the day, the poco would provide the meter, the meter socket and everything up to the socket. Then they'd place their meter in the socket after the house was connected, and close up the box with a padlock-type seal. Your responsibility was downstream of their meter. Nowadays it's the same, except YOU furnish all of this stuff for their end. (and in my case, everything up to the road, though they "own" it.) The cheapest meter socket for this provider is over $200. The $30 socket from the box store is sufficient for all the other providers in and around the county.

 

So, it's been crunch-time getting my ducks in a row, playing out disconnect scenarios for various equipment. Determining sources and pricing, etc. On top of the daily list. That's not a complaint by the way, just fact I guess. 

 

Yesterday, post-day job, I arrived to work on more of the same (gorgeous evening, btw) and found the farmer busy tilling, two fullsize JD's running in the field. May is going to be here in a the blink of an eye.

Hannibal Harbinger

This winter weather business is really getting old; not only the havoc of working out in the cold but dealing with mud and the road erosion on a daily basis takes a toll. Seems like a far cry from last Friday when we had terrific post-work weather. A little windy but warm enough to work shirtless from the bucket. Before sundown I had the side casement windows dismantled, masked, primed and frames painted. Much better. We hauled the picker in to town and headed for the apartment to collapse.

 

Only to spring up hours later and hit the road at 6AM. Destination: St. Louis. Summation: Picked up the precious turquoise cargo, strolled about the arch, had lunch on the riverfront with Cara's friend and family. And endured the agonizing 6 hour drive back. Not only was it a long day, but someone stole my hitch between Friday night and 6AM Saturday.

 

And then the snow came Sunday. Thick, slushy snow. There would be no picker transport today. Road crews couldn't keep up and Hudson Rd. was such a mess that after pulling out from an intersection, the Blazer remained motionless, spinning its rear wheels in place. Kept the 4WD going all the way out on Union. Drove in, noticing something wasn't quite right. The 4WD light was no longer lit. Hmmm. Did the bulb go out or was I really without front wheel assist? Pretty sure it was the latter after sticking the Blazer in the wet mud near the lodge. Trudged up the hill, wet snow piling and water dripping from the brim of my hat. Worked a couple hours building the bath vanity before heading to the Blazer and trying my luck. No dice. The snow was really flying by now and I walked to the road (laundry bag in tow!) to get a ride from Cara. We (and the parents) returned to the scene a couple hours later to see if we could break the beast free, even jacking the vehicle up and placing plywood under the wheels. But, without 4x4 action, this was a lost cause.

 

Monday: After some internet detective work Sunday night I took a stab at the Blazer's problem. Had a part sent down from Waverly to the local auto store. Trudged out after work with tools and slid under the frame on a sheet of scrap plywood with a new thermal axle actuator. Bingo, bango we were back in biz. Got the blazer out and toiled until dark on const activities. Finished things up by moving the "new" stove into the kitchen. Then home for cleanup and some Cary Grant. My body says, take a break pal.

 

This week- more of the same.

 

The Lido Shuffle

(Written earlier this week)

The weather Friday wasn't too bad. A little chilly, but an indicator of things to come. I stayed at work an extra hour to make up some time I lost over lunch and didn't make it home until 5. Just enough time to change, head to the parents and flush the cooling system of the ETC. Then back to the apt to change and rush down to the PL with Cara to meet up with Ben. I had been running at 120% all day and was looking forward to a good sit and hobby talk. Got there and the place was standing room only. To add insult, the best we could get was a wobbly table in the (too well lit) corner by the ATM. If it's one thing I can't stand, it's the tables at the PL.

 

Saturday AM, waiting for things to warm up. Finished a book due back on Sunday. Made some sausage, brewed some coffee, went over the receipts and hit the road. Spent the next 5 hours working on soffits over the deck until the blowing snow made the concrete dangerously slick. I found a good stopping point and managed to get to T&T in Waverly just before close. Verdict: high prices and poor wares. Paid more than I wanted to for a picnic basket and drove back into town via Winslow road; sipping coffee from the thermos and cruising at 50MPH. "So this is what it's become," I pondered.

 

Another exciting Saturday night! (actually, one of those nice quiet nights in). Paid the bills while watching Guy Lombardo, then turned my attention to the pumphouse blueprints. Worked out the math for 3 different scenarios that I ended up modeling and revising. Would take some further analysis. Despite getting to bed before midnight, I was still beat come Sunday morning.

 

With a solid blanket of snow on the ground, we patiently waited for temps to hit 40F around 1PM. You see, Sunday was supposed to be the big weed burning but the weather put the kabosh on that. Instead, Cara and I took up the tools and tackled brush, tree trimming and a whole lotta sumac cutting before spring gets sprung. Totally worn out, nightfall nearing, we still managed to unload the '55 Frigidaire without incident. From there, Sub City, hot shower and a little decompressing before total collapse.

Weekend Wrapup

As far as weekends go, they don't get more pleasurely productive as this past one. There's a fine line to walk- you can bust ass all weekend and not bring anything to completion. Result: unfulfillment. You can peter out halfway through the day or sleep in a little too long. Result: Shame and guilt. If you're feeling it, you can work at 100% for 100% of the time and when the alarm goes off Monday morning you can't lift yourself out of bed. Result: Sweet satisfaction, but you've set yourself up for Monday fail. Ideally, I like to run at #3, and then force myself out there for Monday action (and bed….early). Trouble is, if I don't get myself to bed at a reasonable hour the rest of the week, the fatigue rolls on down to Friday like falling dominos. This is not good.

 

They say variety is the spice of life. True that. Got off work a little early on Friday and checked on the cars in storage. Things looked ok and the batt in the '59 appeared to hold a charge. Maybe I'll get it out next month. Wrote a check and headed into town to change. The skies were looking unfriendly so instead of pounding nails, I decided to turn wrenches; added Friday's list to Saturday's. Spent a few hours working on the ETC. Put in the new gas lift cylinders for the hood. Worked on getting the batt to take a charge. Started pulling lights and dash parts. Swapped brackets and connectors to put the Biarritz radio in. Discovered all 6 tailight bulbs were either blown entirely or only had half good sections; plus sockets full of crud. Flushed everything with lots of brake cleaner and started making a list. One taillight extension had been installed after repaint pinching a wire between metal and metal. Fixed that. Yanked the aftermarket fog light wiring and got down into the fuse panel. I would have guessed replacing two open fuses would have brought back the Climate and Fuel readouts. They did not, but I was getting closer. Swapping the climate head made no difference either. Followed the trouble-tree and schematics in the shop manual and made it all the way to the very last step in the guide with my meter: Replace A/C programmer. Hmmm. I did have a spare board downstairs, missing the solenoids. Worth a shot. Swapped it in and still no luck. Then I had a thought. I replaced both it AND the climate head and we were back in business! Plus a functioning warning chime. Tore apart the head and found a severely burnt resistor in the power supply section. The programmer must have shorted and taken it out. OK, now I had a list.

 

Sat morning, the real work began. Moved the picker to the east and let the sun soften the shingles. Finished the last panel of aromatic cedar in the closet, installed the freshly painted exterior recept cover, installed the last piece of red cedar on the gangway wall and drug the stain outside to warm in the sun. Managed to drill and install the aluminum drip eding on the east side, followed by (very messy) tar to seal nails and shingles back down. Measured for cedar corners while I was up there. Fixed a kink in some z-flashing and folded the picker up to move to the west side. Once there it was 'beat the clock' with the sun moving overhead. With brush and handi-pail, stained the west siding to remove all traces of the white paint faux-paus (finally!). Riveted the dip out of the west flashing and then proceeded to carefully and tediously cut the shingles flush to the flashing in 4 ft sections with the shingle knife. Did a little electrical wiring, then decided I better put a drop of white paint on the rivet head up there. Done and done. Gorgeous day to hang out in the bucket.

 

Now late in the afternoon, it was time for errands. Picked up automotive supplies, bulbs and a new battery. Home in time for Guy Lombardo (yeah, yeah) and a viewing of Taken. I'd probably feel cheated if I were paying at a theater, but being action-driven, it loses something on the small screen. Tough call.

 

Sunday. Crappy, crappy weather. Toiled on the second garage door, section #2, for a couple hours to the point where it was ready for a 24 hour adhesive setup. Headed to the parents with bags of laundry and got things going. Spent the afternoon running laundry and working on the car. Swapped taillight lenses and bezels (ETC's have painted bezels and (non-OEM) cracked lenses, apparently). Loaded fresh bulbs. R&R'd a socket that was too far gone. Shimmied underneath the rear to find both backup lamps were toast. Replaced. Still no workee. Tore apart dash for a deep cleaning. Found a broken mount on the wiper control pod. Replaced from my stash. Paint monkeys had snaked the RH remote mirror cable out and botched that control pod. Removed, scrubbed clean and re-heat-staked the faceplate (and re-routed the cable). Polished all the dash chrome, scrubbed the nicotine off the soft parts. Pulled driver's visor. Swapped batteries. Soldered in a 15 ohm resistor into the control head and that fixed that. The car now runs without any error codes but still surges under load. Clean as a pin underhood.

 

That is one of the nice things about these cars- yes, lots of plastic, which is the way of the world since around the '70 models, but everything can be removed with screws, repaired if you're careful, and put right back in. No mega-assemblies, proprietary components or 'break-clips' to remove type parts. So far only money spent has been on maintenance stuff- battery, coolant, light bulbs. Well worth it for the therapy of making something better than when you found it.