Getting around to it...

Weekend Wrapup:  (written the weekend prior)

 

It had been a rather atypical week, starting with the usual late-night lodge activities M-W evolving into a Moline trip Thursday, topped off with more late night work with Cara that evening, buttressed with pizza and laundromat chores. On the upside: free beer. Having been tired hours prior, it was after 11 when we got home. Friday, then, I scheduled a half day to make up for the time shifted to Brittni's evening wedding festivities. Spent the afternoon at the lodge tiring myself out; home for a much needed cleanup and a good sit.

 

The rain started about that time, but couldn't dampen the spirits of my sister's rehearsal dinner at island park. The food and bev's really hit the spot and there wasn't a soul that didn't enjoy themselves. Cara and I pressed on at 8 for a PL meeting with Cam and Ben, Cam and I sticking it out after Ben tired of cut-throat. Pretty decent eve no matter how you slice it.

 

Saturday was the big day. We headed over to the house and jumped right into the chaos to prepare for the reception. Utter madness, but I like it that way. Everybody had their own idea of how a job was to be done, and many forgot this was not their wedding…or even immediate family they were dealing with. Must've been a dozen people working in the kitchen, a dozen more in back moving tables, laying out flowers, setting up tiki torches, moving tables again when someone wasn't looking, etc. Thankfully, both the dance floor and large tent had been set up the day prior, and practically came to blows I hear. Despite the best efforts of covering the parquet floor, Friday night's rain had found it's way onto the surface. We set forth dismantling the whole thing, drying both sides of the soaked panels in the sun and reassembling elsewhere in the yard. Not an easy process.

 

The sky did finally clear, all arrangements were in place, and the ceremony went off without a hitch, including a sermon prepared by the groom's dutch friend/pastor Tim. As getaway-driver, and Cara as my co-pilot, we took the bride and groom downtown, tin cans trailing behind us, rice everywhere, horns a blowing, leading two cars in-tow with the bridesmaid and her BF, and the bestman and his GF from Holland. I parked the car and strolled into the Stuffed Olive after dropping everyone off out front, only to find the group standing around in front of the bar, dressed to the nines, with odd looks on their faces. Why? The server demanded ID from the bride. Seriously. This was also news to the Europeans who found the concept of ID'ing very foreign. I made it clear this was ridiculous, and lead the wedding party out front, along the street where two men with guitars began seranading the group, and marched everyone into the Blueroom for a line of shots! Red-headed sluts. The Euro's loosened a bit and after a quick jaunt through Cedar City, we hit the reception where the party went well past 2 I hear. The band from Minneapolis was fantastic, you couldn't have asked for better weather, and everybody had a great time in the backyard. Upon arrival, rose petals covered the driveway and candles in bags lined the edges leading everyone up to, and around, the house where a thousand+ white xmas lights glimmered in the twilight.

 

Sunday, up and at 'em. I forewent any lodgework to help with the day-long teardown of the backyard, punctuated by socializing with other close family on the deck, and enjoying reception leftovers. The evening brought a heated bocce ball competition, culminating in a post-meal walk about twilight, and total collapse back at the apartment. 10,000 other things surely elapsed, too, but this entry is boring enough without additional assistance.

"1580AM....The Goose"

Wright and Like Tour '09: Madison, Wisconsin. We set sail Friday in the untested '85 ETC after several days of pulling out hair trying to figure out a part throttle bucking problem and going through hell and back in diagnosing, substituting and outright replacing worn parts. Thursday after work I rolled the dice, dropped the fuel tank and changed the pump and hoses. Finally, success! Cara dropped by and we set to cleaning her up for the trip.

 

So we hit the road, stretching the car's legs for the first time with luggage onboard and a picnic lunch packed. It was around Dubuque that we discovered a serious problem. Transmission+Extended driving (heat) + coming to a stop = slipping and loss of 4th gear. We pressed on to Blue Mound state park in WI in 3rd gear before stopping for lunch and looking seriously at the situation. Fluid level was OK. TV cable was adjusted properly. Bottom line: McScrewed. We decided to press onward the half hour to Madison and rent a car for all the starting, stopping, and darting in the heavy construction zones the city offered. This was a real shame, too, as the car was simply flying on the interstate pulling in 25mpg and doing it so effortlessly. Hotel. Phone calls. Shuttle. Airport. Sentra. And a little peace of mind.

 

Fantastic weekend. I'll keep most of the thoughts in my head, but many architectural details gleaned from one of the masters and his apprentices. It was refreshing to both see how these buildings were not perfect and never had been, and to compare some of my atypical solutions to design problems that never creep up on conventional dwellings and see that they jibed pretty well with these structures. For the most part, it was a shot of inspiration and understanding that I once had, before starting work full time, dulling the senses and sucking a whole lotta' creativity out of me. I've also been so close to the lodge project that it's very difficult to tell anymore what is appropriate and what is ridiculous in completing it. A good example is the flying railings upstairs, meant to evoke a soaring, trepidatious response in visitorsr. I stood there last night, asking myself, "this is it?"

 

Bottom line: creative surge, newfound respect for a man I have viewed from both sides, and of course, food for the soul.

 

I should point out, Friday night's visit to "http://www.theoldfashioned.com/" down on the square could have justified the trip in itself. Ice cold PBR draws for a buck seventy-five, and Cara's Schlitz served up in a pilsner glass with logo was icing on the cake. Food was to die for, and the ambience and vintage decor, perfect. And yes, there are 150 Wisconsin beers.

 

Sunday, the ETC rewarded us with 4th gear and TCC lockup on our pilgrimage to Spring Green to see Taliesin. Afterward, it fought the hills OK, pulled in bucco economy, and then we hit Dubuque with their stoplights. And so it was, 3rd gear and a steady 55mph to keep the revs down all the way back on 20. But we made it… And with a case of Blatz tallboys to boot!

 

Cue the Skee-Lo

Thursday night, Cara came along for an evening of lodge work when I checked my phone. Hmm. Missed call. Hit the connect button to discover Bob and Barb visiting the lodge…and we were about 10 minutes out. Gave 'em the full tour, and with an evening so perfect, it was tough to get to work after they left. Alas, we did. I scraped clean the bathroom tile floor with a razor blade while Cara sanded her door. Painted fresh nail heads. Cut and installed the PH roof flashing "tails" and glued down the rubber corners. About dusk we retreated the deck for a drink and discussion on where to plant the trees we picked up. More decisions.

 

Starting my Friday off without coffee was an amateur's mistake. The intent was a day of fascia work but my focus was lacking, and the fatigue of the week had caught up. Nevertheless, I managed to get a 14-footer up with the correct compound angle (took most of the morning), and Zinser'd the remaining boards in prep for final paint. Vac'd the debris off the bath floor, liberated a bird, and headed in for lunch.

 

The ETC was ready for the pressure test so I figured I'd shift gears and work on the car over lunch (if I can get it ready by Friday we're takin' it to the road). Filled it with coolant, cranked her over and she fired up. Drove it around the block; no leaks. But still plenty of bucking. Ran to AZ to return the pulley puller that was "loaned" and picked up a temp sensor. On the way over I ended up in a bottleneck of 4-lanes reduced to 1 on 218, and 4mph cruising speed. Passed a late model Buick lacking most of its front end. 3 fire trucks, couple ambulances. Didn't look like anyone was majorly hurt.

 

The Sat radio in the parents new Outlook has me thinking about a subscription. Being able to pull up hits of the 40's on demand is a great perk. True 50's hits (without the dominating late 50's popular songs everyone knows). Plus they've got a 90's channel that was not the same old krep over and over like FM. They swung the full span of the decade, playing Genesis, En Vogue and grunge as well.

 

Back to the car, changed the sensor, had to solder/shrinkwrap on a weatherpack connector, then on a hunch played with the EGR. A Ha! Not. Holding. A. Vacuum. Ran a can of Sea Foam through her and returned to the lodge. With measuring cup in hand, I mixed up the sanded grout and got to work. Grouted the floor and set to planing and ripping fascia boards while waiting for it to set up. Got everything squared away upstairs and hand sanded the boards outside. Sponged and wiped the tile, then put the works away and headed in around 7ish to clean up and meet Cam for pool and drinks at the PL. Walked down to the PL where the ice cold beer really hit the spot. A good time was had.

 

Now for the real work. The big Saturday job was installation of the SE garage door and knocking out the false wall. Cut/installed 3/8 plywood on the rear of the pumphouse to help with shear. Then ran up to S&R in Waverly for a 1x8 and took stock of their wares (not bad, but pricey). Prep'd it and another board, then got to work knocking out the old OSB and framing. Cleared away the debris, and once again, the place did not fall in on me. Now I could run all the (heavy) PH siding outside to my makeshift assembly line. Spent a couple hours staining those and setting them in the sun to bake, then cutting track and filler for the door when the parents arrived to give a hand. Together we jockeyed the door sections around and into place with only a few crushed hands. Mounted the door hardware and let the parents flee. It was going on evening but the door must be stained, so I got after it as the wind eased and the sun set. Long Day. Jockeyed the siding inside and got to the apt around 9:30 for cleanup and a viewing of "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" on LD.

 

Up and at 'em on Sunday to first, chase a bird out of the lodge, thenm clean up after it. Note to self: get a hand to help plug the 3" gap over the new door. Grabbed my tools and wrapped the PH in tar paper, getting it ready for siding. Marked and snapped lines for fasteners. Brought out the 10' siding strips that still needed stain and got after them, then ripped some starter strips, stained them, and brought out the drip edging for paint. Put in the remaining garage door hinge screws and drug the new trees out to their respective positions (to watch them blow over in the gale wind). Late afternoon, time for lunch. Contributed my part to the sister's wedding plans by calculating electrical loads for the number of party lights and available ckts. Grabbed a bite, then back at it to install the trim and starter strips. My mom came out to lend a hand holding the opposite ends of the siding strips and by nightfall, all the siding was up. Closed up the bird opening and once again, arrived at the apt at 9:30 for a hot shower, cold beer, and some sleep.

 

Busy weekend, but a little recoup is on the way!

*Update Monday night: Crap, home at 10PM. 

I'm in the Mood for a Paradigm Shift II

Wednesday: What an utterly crappy day. The skies never cleared and it rained off and on all day, with reports of flash flooding possible from the local creeks. My optimism for knocking out the evening's small lodge tasks started to dwindle as the day went on. I languished at my desk going out of my way to keep occupied, and once home, managed to change and get out there with the returning trailer following me in.

 

The good news was the garage door we installed and stained on Monday still looked good despite the stain being very fresh, and the rain very wet. I set about my tasks, worst being cleaning up tile mortar in preparation for grout. Changed some fluoro bulbs downstairs, took inventory of our oddball tile for the bathroom wall job, filled voids in the front soffit with plasti-wood, confirmed materials for front fascias, etc. etc. The bulk of the 3.5 hours out there was spent rearranging and cleaning up the downstairs. The elephant in the room made itself heard as I stared at things like the router table, table saw, and stacks of building material too useful to toss out, but completely inappropriate to store inside the lodge long term. The PumpHouse is designed to handle outdoor things like the mower, shovels, rakes. But not sheets of plywood nor appliances in-limbo. This is Cold Storage II territory, and I shudder to think about the cost in building that.

 

Around 8 I headed for the parents to pick up Cara's dress. I ended up checking the garage for an AIR pump belt for the ETC, came up with every size but, so figured might as well install the (pricey) one I bought. Frustration time. By 10PM the car was all buttoned up, but I remembered there was one bolt that captured two bracket eyelets behind the alternator. I spent the next 30 minutes fighting to get both brackets inline, even pulling the alt, starting the bolt through both and trying to wrestle it back into position. Was NOT GOING to WORK. I frankly couldn't remember if both had been attached prior or if the last mechanic had the same problem. I should point out, this is a fixed bracket, yet the alt is designed to revolve around a pivot to take up belt slack. You begin to get the picture. With hands black as the night and a frayed temperament, I cleaned up best I could and went home for some sleep.

 

PBRMeASAP!

A lengthy writeup for a lengthy weekend. To recap: a succesful Damfest, an enjoyable Saturday break, and enough labor to cause every joint in my body to ache by Monday night.

 

Having been putting in long hours at the lodge last week, and spending Thursday night arms-deep in the ETC waterpump R&R 'til after dark, I cashed in a little vacation Friday, giving me an extra hour of sleep before bouncing into work with a devil-may-care attitude and a couple hours off in the PM to give a final coat of paint to trim boards, and measure for carpet out at the lodge before heading in, changing, running over to the parents at 4 (after buying the requisite High Life) and getting a jump on the great round-up.

We have the Damfest mat'ls down to the essentials, and while they stay put over the winter, it's always a burden to drag up speakers, the card table, the giant cooler, the filthy grill and then go hunting for all the small stuff like the lights, toolkit, powerstrip, banners, etc. I had everything lined up by 5 when Cam stopped over and we loaded up the goods and headed to the dam. From there it was a whirlwind. Unfortunately, a bamboo reed on one of the tiki torches diced my finger up pretty good mid-evening and from that point on it was tough to shake the pain; a real king-hell papercut. Other than that, excellent turnout, great polaroids and thanks to Ben and Cara for handling the grilling after I opened an artery.

 

Saturday morning went pretty much by the book, hitting up the ReStore in CR mid-day for some decent finds, than onward to Coralville for the one distributor that carries the commercial brand of carpet that possibly has the color I want for the lodge. As always, dealing with carpet sales people is a struggle, especially when they're blowin' smoke. From there we hit up the Old Capitol Mall and drove around taking in the scenery and eating a tasty meal at Boston's. Cara caught some rest on the way home but I was driving and struggling to do so. Once at the apt it was light's out.

 

Sunday was spent at the lodge, then a reprieve mid-afternoon for lunch and unloading of Cara's car and mine, still full from Damfest. Then right back out to the lodge until 10PM or so. I set the cut tiles for the bathroom floor, taped and mudded the 20x16' high east wall with an exterior extension ladder (that was fun), put up the final exterior red beltline board, trimmed steel up on the deck and managed to install, trim and touch up a good portion of the Pump House fascias before it was too dark to see my own hand in front of me. Meanwhile, Cara had been doing a bang-up job cleaning at the apt, scrubbing floors and running errands. Around 10, with temps just right, and a light blue sky to the west, I cracked a beer and sat on the deck; listened to an owl off in the woods and regained my composure. Finally, home to pass out.

 

With a 6AM alarm sounding, we struggled to wake and pull ourselves out of bed. My body was not pleased with all the ladder climbing and contorting from the day before, but we were up and on the road by 7 with the trailer in-tow heading for Menard's. 2 hours later we had what we needed, including impulse buy ornamental trees (hey, when you've got a trailer to haul 'em, and 22% off, might as well). Loped over to the parents and loaded their riding mower, then got to work. Even with the rider, we were both impressed that it took almost 4 hours to mow the yard. While Cara ran the tractor, I finished up on the Pump House mitering, adjusting, fitting and end-painting the last fascia board, then painting all the nail heads. Finally, installing metal flashing along the rear edge, trimming and fitting the pieces to length and getting out the oh-so-messy roofing glue. Roof: Done. Next, the moment of truth…

 

False-walls have been in the garage door openings for a couple years now, in fact I put them up shortly after getting the roof on, to keep the place closed in. This means the steel beams spanning the openings were effectively shored up by the framing. They were even in place when the cement deck was poured. However, Monday, the south-west false-wall was torn out to make way for the actual garage door. What might happen without the shoring in place was anyone's guess. Would stress cracks appear in the EIFS? How might the cement deck respond? Cara kept mowing while I went about pulling off the OSB panels and methodically knocking out studs and pulling out plate sections…until all was free. The place, DID NOT, fall in.

 

After some prep work and installation, the parents showed around 3:30 and we set forth to shuffling around door sections and going for the full install. Ben stopped by, dropping off anRR and TV, and helped lift and clamp the upper panel into position, allowing the lower panel to be slid into place. Then the top panel released, and hinges tightened. It was obvious I was beat, and my bumbling in fetching hardware didn't speed matters any. But we were done and without a lot of sweat, or so we thought.

 

With rain looming and winds getting ridiculous we discovered the plastic to protect the wood door was soaked all the way through. Tarps and piecemeal visqueen were a lost cause in the high winds so we weighed our options, and the parents, Cara and I got out the rollers and stained the door right then and there. I will with-hold conjecture about the door for now, but suffice it to say, it's in, and hopefully held up to the rains of last night.

 

Then to the parents to unload the mower, grab some pizza, load tires, and limp home while the skies spit rain.

 

Now That, is a weekend!

Third Time's a Charm

My legs ache. My arms are heavy. It was one of those good old-fashioned summer-time weekends where you lay there in the morning wondering what kind of train hit you. It all started out innocently enough. If your definition of innocence is intentional ass-hattery. Received a call Wednesday AM. Inspector said the electrical installation looked top notch and he was releasing permission to the PoCo to put the meter in that afternoon. Huzzah! Electricity.

Received a call mid-day from major-jerko at the utilities. They concurred, the install was top notch. But he was not going to hook me up. Sorry. He'd like to see that meter a good 2' higher. I went round-and-round citing exceptions, but eventually gave in, taking it as a personal challenge unto myself to correct the situation before this guy had time to even consider resting on his laurels. Sidebar: this chump has been a grade-A jackass since my dealings started last year. Additional sidebar: You cannot simply move the meter up 24+ inches. There's 50' of heavy cable underground, already cut and installed in the base and plumbed through a maze of conduit and connected at the other end.

Weighed my options that evening and acted on my bill of materials Thursday, calling chumpo to let him know I would be ready for the flowing electrons Friday PM. He was caught off guard and tried to wiggle out…."the crews don't work on Fridays". I found this hard to believe. Later, "they work but must have a call by 1PM for dispatch". OK, then, I said I'd give him a call. I also was not in the mood for additional surprises and told him what would be waiting Friday PM when they got out there. I could see his face twist up over the phone; he figured I'd have to pull 50' of 4/0 triplex and replace it with 52' of 4/0 triplex. I was installing a disconnect. This would cost me some change but would not require total rework of what was in place. Additionally, my underground feed would now be protected. A win-win.

Next thing I know I'm getting a call from an inspector summoned by chimpo. I explain it to him. I get a canned answer back about grounding. I explain why that's not necessary in this situation according to the code. He pauses confusedly, and says I better talk to the other inspector. Sidebar: neither meter nor disconnect are located on a structure, both are paired and over 100' from the main point of service.

Friday: 7:30AM busy working at the lodge getting things ready. New struts in the ground, couplers in place, enclosures properly located. One problem. Can't get a hold of the inspector. Clock is ticking to get CFU out there. He finally calls and I tell him to drop by. He has a different take on grounding and I offer up code-compliant alternatives. He was a nice guy, don't get me wrong, but it all seemed to slide in one ear and out the other without processing. If burying a ground wire will appease, so be it. He gets chimpo-chump of the POCO on the hotline. That's agreeable to them, but they will not be coming out today. Mind you, it's 11:30. I'm still an hour and a half away from even needing to let them know whether or not to come out. The inspector passes my words on that I'll have it all set in the next hour and a half, but chumba-whumba has made up his mind and no crews will be visiting today.

Spent the rest of the day toiling in the sun. Staining, painting and prepping the shear wall for wall covering. Called it quits around 5, totally beat, and headed in to clean up. Then it was box-store trifecta for returns and materials, topping the evening off with a Pan-Normous and a viewing of The Godfather.

Saturday, a break from the mundane, but more taxing than you might think. We went over to the parents to help pull up carpet and pad, and yank all the little staples out of the subfloor in preparation for new carpeting. This included moving all the furniture too ('56 RCA, anyone?). We pulled up the living room, dining room, library, two sets of stairs, hallway, both downstairs bathrooms, the landing and the guest room. Plus snuck in an oil change on Cara's car. By nightfall we were really feeling it. Headed home and collapsed.

Sunday up and at 'em. Gorgeous day to say the least. Cara got started mowing after a bit of mower jerry-rigging. First mow of the season. I started digging the trench and laying the ground cable. After buttoning up that little issue, I headed onto the pumphouse roof with a bucket of glue and a roller and started adhering the rubber roof membrane, fighting to keep air pockets to a minimum. Got the job done in a couple hours but what a mess. Later, trimming and clamping. Then mowing. Then hauling brush. We hobbled to the truck around 5 and limped ourselves back to the apt to cleanup (after a delightful Mc'Ds shake and some forever stamps). Then put in a big Chinese order to surprise my mom for mother's day, eating in a kitchen that included lamps, tables and a piano.

Today, then, we find out whether or not there'll be power. I moved out there to escape this bureaucratic nonsense, and barely got in under the wire.

PostScript: Rolled up at 4:30 to find 2 PoCo trucks and 3 guys....installing 1 meter. We are officially ON THE GRID!

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!