1 June 2013

Went into Middlebury first thing (where does all that ice cream go????) to not get the SD10112 screws (used to attach the RTB22 hardware that joins the stringers to the longitudinals) that I had special ordered from Goodro and which, supposedly, had been delivered to said lumber yard on Wednesday.  No could find anywhere.  Then I didn’t get the 5″ galvanized lag screws at Aubuchon Hardware (had to settle for 4″), but did find the last two galvanized 60d spikes needed to finish the walkway.  Returned to Fern Lake mid-morning and started putting in the three really tricky in-ground posts that form the 20° bend that is needed just before the walkway reaches the waterfront.  Two-thirds of the way through that chore an intense thunderstorm rolled though, knocking out power for an hour or so.  Seeing the storm coming, hit the switch to retract Dolores’ main cabin door steps… you know, the ones I paid $600 to replace not three years ago.  They went in, spastically, and then wouldn’t come back out.  Oh $%%#@!!!!!, said I.  So, after the storm passed, I put some concrete blocks in front of the door so that I could clamber in and out of the RV with only moderate difficulty.  Opened the door to exit awhile later and the RV steps deployed… right into the concrete blocks, doing neither of them any good whatsoever.  Oh $%%#@!!!!!, I said, diving out the door to throw the concrete blocks aside.  Recipe for the perfect gin and tonic: after a hot and humid, not very productive, and Dolores-is-giving-you-fits kind of day, put 4 ice cubes in a large beer stein, squeeze in a quarter of a lime, add 10 oz. tonic water, and fill up the glass with gin.  Guaranteed to slide down real easy.