1 May 2011

An absolutely perfect, sunny, warm day… except that the black fly season started and will last for the next two weeks or so.  They weren’t too awful bad, but this is just the beginning.  Spent a couple of hours scrubbing Delores stem to stern in anticipation of company arriving.  Had just finished laying a course of rock on the between-column walls when Alverta made her appearance.  After touring progress in the cellar hole, she intimated that I have rocks in my head for the effort being put into creating a garage and a place to keep the rototiller… and which very few people ever will see.  Not saying she’s wrong… but this is the first really creative thing I’ve ever built… and I’m sure having a lot of fun (and some frustrations) in doing so.  Alverta and I then took a zillion measurements of the thickness that the concrete reinforcing walls will be so that I can calculate how much concrete to order for that pour.  While we were in the midst, Mark and Karen Evans stopped by to say hello, having kayaked over from their place across the lake.  After lunch, Alverta and I took elevation measurements the length of the driveway so that I can figure out the house elevation relative to the woodshed elevation and how much fill will be needed to achieve a more uniform driveway slope up towards VT 53.  Lynne arrived early afternoon, enabling us to put Hopea Kanootti back in the water.  Later on, Perry and Erin also arrived, whereupon we started to not cook dinner on Doug’s Special Campfire.  We only dropped two hot dogs in the dirt in removing the grill (multiple times) trying to foster some heat.  Hours later, dinner was delicious, topped off with Ghirardelli Chocolate Fudge Brownies (with chocolate frosting) fancied up with a cup of chopped walnuts, and served with Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.  Too soon the party ended…