27 May 2015
Left Fern Lake at
crack of dawn and got back to Springfield 8 hours 45 minutes later, to a joyous
welcome from Geisha and Shlomo. Chree
was pleasantly surprised, as was the intent, when she got home from work. It’s HOT here in the tropics!
26 May 2015
With no geese in
sight, or even on the horizon, spent the day packing the Tacoma with all the
“stuff” that needs to go back to Virginia.
Sean came by late afternoon for a 2-hour visit and Woodchuck Hard Cider
blind taste test. We reviewed all the
punch list and other items I’ve put together over the last month. Fingers crossed that he’ll have a crew here
to start installing doors and windows on 15 June. Discovered that Delores is dripping gasoline
from her tank. Good thing she doesn’t
smoke. The lake is 14″ below the top of
the dock and is a refreshing (once you get in) 69°.
25 May 2015
The weather forecast
was for a 40% chance of rain showers. We
had rain showers for 40% of the day. Too
bad, as Marty and I had planned our own version of rolling thunder to celebrate
Memorial Day... them beans were good
last night! Spent the morning taking apart the shingle drying clothesline
contraption, putting the 5-fold purchase (technical name for the block and
tackle that Gene Zukosky gave me several years ago) back together, then making more
sawdust a ramp which, along with the 5-fold purchase, I hope will persuade
my monster wood planer to mount the Tacoma bed.
After lunch, took apart all the framing we installed last summer when we
decided to make the two Guest Bedroom windows smaller. Since I then ordered the originally planned
windows by mistake, the rough openings had to be restored to their original
sizes. Even though the framing was
mostly screwed together, not all the screws were accessible from inside the
basement, so the Sawzall and a large beating iron had to be used on some of the
more obstinate pieces. Very therapeutic,
destroying part of the house before it’s even complete.
24 May 2015
A fairly warm day… and
almost no mosquitoes (think I saw 3 all day, and only one tried to feast on
me), so either the hard frost or the spraying have had a very positive
effect. Finished staining the last few
shingles in the bundle that was open, then finished installing the Sauna
building west-facing shingles… which, if you’ve been keeping track, means that
all the shingling be done. Had a few
dozen stained shingles left over (will be used as the starter course on the
house, ‘cause they will be totally covered by subsequent courses) and 3 bundles
(¾ square) that will be returned to Goodro’s for credit… as them critters ain’t
cheap! Marty and Merry came up the hill
for BBQ chicken, potato salad, semi-homemade baked beans, with Ghirardelli
brownies and Gifford’s ice cream for dessert.
Yummy summertime fare!
23 May 2015
Winter jacket weather
this morning! There was a freeze warning
on the weather radio, so maybe the mosquitoes done croaked. Har, har, fat chance! Stained what I think was the penultimate
batch of shingles. Finished shingling
the north side of the sauna building.
Just as I was turning out the lights, heard the BLSG spray truck make
two passes down Lake Dunmore Road… but the truck did NOT go down any private
drives.
22 May 2015
Another cool windy
day, so minimal bother from Leicester’s official town mascot. Word has it that the BLSG Commission has been
granted a license to spray on private roads starting today. Can’t wait!
Stained another batch of shingles and installed the batch from
yesterday. UPS delivered 25,000 stainless
steel staples (a case) needed for shingling the house.
21 May 2015
Fairly cold again last
night and early this morning, so stained another batch of shingles before the
mosquitoes came out. A good thing, too,
as the headline article in the local newspaper was about some idiot in the
State Department of Agriculture who suddenly has decided that the BLSG Commission
(in operation for at least 50 years) is a municipality. The person who made this decision needs to
get away from his/her desk more! As a
municipality, so the lack of reasoning goes, the BLSG is not allowed to spray
for mosquitoes on private roads, i.e., virtually every road around Lakes
Dunmore and Fern. The Dept of Ag idiot
wants the BLSG to apply for a non-commercial spraying license, which would
allow them to spray on private roads.
(Sorry, I’m confused: if the BLSG is eligible for a license that allows
them to spray on private roads, doesn’t that mean they are NOT a
municipality?) Of course, until this all
gets sorted out, the mosquitoes will continue to multiply because no spraying
is being done. Living in Washington
these past two decades, I thought the Federal government was screwed up. Guess the Vermont bureaucrats have been
taking lessons in how not to govern.
Finished putting shingles on the south side of the Sauna building. When not staining or stapling, worked on the
detailed design for the benches that will be built inside the sauna.
20 May 2015
A raw, cold, windy
day. Not many mosquitoes as a
result. Unfortunately, a further result
was that, by the time I finished staining 49 linear feet of cedar shingles in
the morning, couldn’t feel any of my fingertips and was borderline
hypothermic. Decided maybe it was time
to put the liner back in my winter work jacket.
Warming up in Delores’ comfy confines, updated the House Specifications
document based on the HVAC conversation yesterday. Chree emailed me a quote from author Ruskin
Bond, “Red roses for young lovers. French beans for longstanding relationships.”
So, in honor of Chree’s and my 43rd
anniversary, made beanies and weenies for dinner.
19 May 2015
Errands in the Big
City (or what passes for a metropolis in Vermont). En route, stopped in Vergennes to meet (very
briefly) with Sean at the Goose Creek office, then at length with Dennis
Senesac at Ryan’s to talk about the house HVAC design. We did a back-of-the-envelope heating load
calculation based on -9°F outside temperature and 70°F indoor temperature,
which showed that a 3 ton geothermal heat exchange system would produce about
10% (3,000 BTU / hour) less than the heat energy required. However, given that we also will have a 15,000
BTU / hour woodstove and emergency electric resistance heating available, we’ve
decided to go with installing a 3 ton system, rather than step up to a 5 ton
system, which is the next available size.
As soon as the 72 hour well capacity test is complete, Dennis is going
to order the major HVAC system components so that he can figure out how to get
that 10 pounds of “stuff” into the 5 pound sack represented by the Utility Room
dimensions. Picked up Alverta at her
Residence, retrieved my compressor from Burlington Tool, got the special garage
floor sealer at A.H. Harris Construction Supply, then headed for Calais. We enjoyed a nice lunch and visit with Steve
and Mary, and I also picked up 3 gallons of maple syrup from my supplier, Paul
Orlander. The black flies were
horrendous!!!! After helping Alverta do
some grocery shopping, arrived back at Fern Lake at 5:30, where the mosquitoes
were still out in droves.
18 May 2015
Although I heard lots
of geese on the lake all weekend, none showed up for work this morning. Didn’t want to start a big project, so was a
piddling around kind of day. Called
Burlington Tool, who has had my compressor for three weeks… and has found
nothing wrong with it! Nice of them to
let me know. Staged everything (except
the compressor) needed to finish the Sauna building siding. Rigged the “clothesline” for drying cedar
shingles. Played around with the Kubota
for awhile. Spent a bunch of my monthly
cellular plan minutes arranging tomorrow’s logistics. Thought about going in
the lake, but realized the mosquitoes would drain me dry before I could get
down there. Just as I was thinking about
what to have for dinner, Marty called to say they were suffering from a surfeit
of salmon… and would I like to help them out of that dilemma. Dinner, as always at Chez Lapidus, was
delicious and delightful.
17 May 2015
When Dave Todd
(life-long Vermonter) says, “(Mild blasphemy for emphasis; hint: starts with a
J), the mosquitoes are bad this year!”, you know they are bordering on
Intolerable (a town in New Hampshire), which is quite a ways from here. Decided to put the KOMA trim on the 4x6 post
holding up the southwest corner of the Sauna roof, in keeping with last fall’s
voting results. But, alas, found that
the post, rated for over 6½ tons of load, has bowed ½″ to the north over the
winter. Scratch that project for the
time being. Leveled the ground by the ∆□O sign, then moved the mailbox back from the road edge 3 feet, hopefully
far enough that the snowplow won’t clobber it next winter. Shoveled (literally) out the basement, which
was knee-deep in sawdust and other detritus from the Sauna woodshed and deck
projects. It being a warm, sunny Sunday
afternoon, decided to see if (a) the lake water temperature was any warmer and
(b) the mosquitoes were less dense out in the bright sunshine down by the
lake. Answer was no to both. Instead, Delores provided a refreshing and semi-insect-free
shower.
16 May 2015
Amazing how much
progress you can make when you’re running at more than 10% power. Still a ways from being at full throttle, but
finished the Sauna deck today. Not
perfect but, as Chree would say, good enough for old naked fat men (and others foolish
brave enough to join them) to sit around drinking beer approved sauna rehydration
beverages. Used the anti-mosquito
lantern all day, which worked like a charm to keep those nasties (who were out
in swarms again) away from the work site.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
15 May 2015
Worked all morning on
the framing for the transition between the Sauna deck and the wooden
walkway. After lunch, went into Porter
Hospital to get shot. Turned out to be a
nonevent except for the initial Lidocaine injection in the groin which, by the
way, is a great way to make sure you get a full confession. Just about the time I was wondering when the
actual procedure was going to start the doctor said, “Okay, you’re all done.” Jury’s still out as to whether the cortisone
will return me to full functionality… or at least what passes for such in my
dotage. Back at Fern Lake mid-afternoon,
where the mosquitoes and I finished the transition framing. Though it may look like the walkway and the
deck are attached to each other, they are just touching, not bonded into even
the semblance of a civil union. Called
the BLSC spraying folks as I think the swarm has started making off with some
of my tools… and way too much of my blood in spite of bathing in DWO.
.JPG)
.JPG)
14 May 2015
Another gorgeous day,
defined as mild temperatures, bright sunshine, and minimal trouble with
blood-sucking flying insects. Jimmy
Ploof stopped by to be paid for his recent activities and to discuss next steps
(septic system installation) and the timing thereof (sometime between the end
of May and July). For at least the sixth
time, finally figured out the framing layout needed to transition from the
wooden walkway onto the Sauna deck. Hope
this time I have it right, as that’s the way it’s being built. Worked on that puzzle and laying deck boards
all morning, then transitioned into campsite and Delores cleaning mode. Delores wishes Marty & Merry would come
up for dinner more often… We enjoyed the
first barbeque of the season...some NY strips imported from Virginia.
13 May 2015
During breakfast,
finally solved a very difficult Sudoku puzzle (without guessing) that has had
me completely flummoxed for a couple of weeks.
Riding the wings of that achievement, went to see Tim Combs at Goodro’s
to alert him to the problems I’m encountering with the drive sockets in the heads
of the Clubhouse decking screws; they have been stripping before the screws get
fully seated. Once the head strips, you
can’t get the screw in any further… and you can’t get it out! So far, in spite of my absolute best efforts,
five screws (out of about 400 driven) have stripped. Got most of the rest of the Sauna deck
framing built during a great day for working.
Sweatshirt temperatures, a steady wind, which meant NO mosquitoes. The level part of the deck intercepted the
wooden walkway exactly where I had envisioned it doing so, back when I was
using the leveling sight to establish the elevation for the Sauna footers. Not too shabby with the surveying, he says,
patting himself on the back.
12 May 2015
Looked in every one of
Delores’ cupboards and drawers… TWICE!!!! trying to find the dryer softener
sheets left from last winter’s anti-mouse mission. Knew EXACTLY where I’d put them! No could find, so bought a new box at Hannaford
on my way to doing 42 pounds of laundry in Brandon. Back at the scene of the crime late morning,
went to put away the new box of Bounce… right where the old box was hiding…
sneering at my blindness. Along those
same lines, discovered, way too late to do anything about it, that I have
completely blown the Sauna deck layout.
Where is some adult supervision when I need it?!?! Did get some of the framing built in the
section that so frustrated me the other day.
Finally figured out how to do with ½ person what I was convinced it
would take two people to accomplish.
After lots more rain overnight, the mosquitoes were very pesky all
afternoon.
11 May 2015
Must
have been even more wiped out than I thought from yesterday’s exertions; went
to bed at 7:30 last night and didn’t get out again until 7:00 this
morning. A good thing there were, again
today, no stream geese here looking for work.
Was supposed to be a showery morning (it wasn’t), so spent some quality
maintenance time with Mr. Jonsered, who was feeling neglected. Mid-morning the sun peeked out, so continued
putting the Sauna deck frame together.
Got the areas in front of the door and woodshed done and didn’t feel
like wrestling with the section that so frustrated me yesterday, so started
putting on the Clubhouse decking. Glad I
made that decision, as the deck plank width plus spacing is 3/64″
narrower than I was figuring. Doesn’t
sound like much, but that tiny discrepancy results in a ⅞″ narrower deck, which
the framing needs to be shortened to accommodate… or else the framing will
stick out from under the decking, which, in construction-speak, is a
no-no. After last night’s rain, the
mosquitoes made their first appearance of the year, but nothin’ a couple dabs
of DWO couldn’t handle. Tom & Tim
stopped by late morning to retrieve the rest of their “stuff” and give me their
bill for the two holes they made last week.
The amount was exactly what they had estimated… and less than half of
what we had budgeted. Color me
smiling! Dave Todd borrowed my trailer
yesterday and returned it today along with a manly serving of red asparagus
(was delicious with dinner) and some homemade horseradish that will curl the
ends of your mustache, i.e., just right!
And finally, a correction to the blog entry for 5 May: Chree got a
missive from the Town of Leicester today raising the assessed value of our Fern
Lake property by 63%.
.JPG)
.JPG)
10 May 2015
Completely enervated
and totally frustrated all day. Now know
why golfers throw their clubs in the water; my tool belt would have been at the
bottom of Fern Lake if I had had the energy to throw it that far. In honor of the day, used a two-word phrase
beginning with “Mother” almost constantly.
Started out by taking apart the last pieces I put together
yesterday. That set the pattern for the
day: put it together, take it apart, put it back together. By the end of the agony had assembled eight
(yes, one per hour) pieces of the Sauna deck framing. The first thunderstorm of the season rolled
through just as I was about to test the lake temperature. Decided to cool off with a G&T
instead. MUCH more therapeutic!
9 May 2015
Schlepped
into Goodro’s right after breakfast to pick up all the Sauna deck things I
forgot to order yesterday. Story of my
life! Based on my experience with the
“floppiness” of the Clubhouse decking material and after conferring with Tim
Combs (one of the Goodro’s owners), decided to use 12″ on center joist spacing
for the deck, vice the 16″ on center spacing the manufacturer says is
allowable. Also went to the Middlebury
Hannaford where, surprise, surprise, my prescription processed through just
fine. Spent the rest of the day
installing all of the Sauna deck rim joists that are attached to the
building. Most of that work had to be
done while kneeling, of course, which currently is #2 on my list of least
favorite positions. My wish came
true! The lake water temperature is up
to 66°, so went in for the first dip of the season. Took a looooong time to convince myself go in
past my knees, a sure sign that I’m not as brave foolish as I used to
be. Or maybe not, as I did take the full
immersion cure eventually. With swimming
also not part of my current repertoire, didn’t stay in the lake very long…
8 May 2015
While Tom & Tim
were busy this morning finding another 44 gpm at the bottom of a second 80′
bore hole, I paid a visit to Champlain Valley Orthopedics to find out that what
I thought ails me (old age) is, in fact, what ails me. I suggested a 9mm treatment plan, but the
physician’s assistant ordered a refill of my Vitamin I horse pills plus a
cortisone shot in my hip. Went to the
Hannaford’s pharmacy to pick up the Ibuprofen, only to have Tricare (the
military heath care insurance plan) reject payment. After being passed to three different people
in three different organizations, finally discovered that the Social Security
Administration had informed the Department of Defense that all new Medicare
recipients with January birthdates had a Medicare Part D (prescription drugs)
supplemental insurance plan. Very much
not true! By the end of the day, my DoD
file had supposedly been corrected. Our
government at work! Back at Fern Lake,
Goodro’s delivery truck showed up just as Spafford’s was pulling out, creating
a small traffic jam. This delivery was
all the rest of the materials for the Sauna deck. Based on the cost, I’ll probably have to take
a damage deposit before allowing anybody to actually walk on the deck. Unfortunately, the twenty very floppy
20′ long Clubhouse Brookstone 5/4 x 6 PVC deck planks (better living through
chemistry) had to be moved from the top of the wooden walkway down to the sauna
site by hand. Not the most fun hour I’ve
ever spent. On a positive note, with the
outside temperature in the mid-80’s (and
90° inside Delores), the house basement was a cool and inviting 66°. Now if only the lake were the same
temperature!
7 May 2015
The correct way to put
on flashing is to install the flashing, then the siding. Spent several hours this morning trimming off
the bottom course of cedar shingles on the south end of the Sauna building,
then trying to slide 8″ aluminum flashing up under the next course, with “good
enough for government work” or “looks good from Marty’s house” success, i.e.,
minimal. Then spent the rest of the day
(when not gabbing with Tom & Tim) trying to figure out how a flat deck in
front of the Sauna is going to smoothly intersect a sloped walkway. Started cutting to length the 2x6 pressure
treated rim joists for the deck, discovering that much of a pile of them
critters salvaged from an old (but good????) deck have become infested with
white mold… which has rotted the wood.
Meanwhile, Tom & Tim moved their drilling rig to the spot for the
second well, got set up, and put 40 feet of casing pipe (2 lengths) in the
ground by quitting time. Next length
should be back into water, he says optimistically. Down to Marty & Merry’s for another
fabulous repast, fetching along a delicious bottle of 2013 Schmitt Söhne
Riesling.
6 May 2015
The best $1,000 we’ve
spent… EVER!!!! That being the cost to
modify our Potable Water and Waste Water Disposal System permit. Spafford’s pumped our first well for an hour
this morning and got 44 gpm of absolutely clear water. The water came out of the well at 53.6°F and tested
with 12 grains of hardness (translation: mildly hard and borderline for the
health of washing machines and hot water heaters), no iron, and a pH of 7…
which you’ll remember from your high school chemistry class is exactly
neutral. Before Spafford’s arrived, I
dug a spoils pit for the second well drilling operation. This being Leicester, hit one of them
“nuggets” right where the hole was supposed to be, about a 2 tonner, well
beyond the capability of the Kubota to extract.
Eventually got a hole big enough to satisfy the drillers, but had to go
most of the way to Cornwall (on the New York border) to get there. Hole dug, went into Middlebury to do errands,
including buying a new pair of walking shoes.
Have had three pair of New Balance walkers fall apart in well less than
a year, so won’t buy them again, and won’t buy shoes made in China, but finally
found a pair of Under Armor shoes, made in Indonesia, for a decent price at a
local sporting goods store. We’ll see
how they hold up to the rigors of house construction… Back at Fern Lake, put Zip Tape®
on the Sauna Woodshed roof seams, then attached the metal roofing material
salvaged from the old Dock Shed. Decided
to get creative with the front fascia, so took that down, did some trimming,
and reinstalled that piece. That
completes the Sauna Woodshed project… the only building on the property done
without any outside help. (Hint: that’s
the answer to one of the blog trivia contest questions coming at a later date.
.JPG)
.JPG)
5 May 2015
Break out the Dom Pérignon!!!! Spafford’s hit first water at 58 feet and was
getting 45 gpm, with no ochre, at 70 feet. They stopped drilling at 80 feet. The water is somewhat cloudy (due to the
drilling) but expected to clear up quickly.
Meanwhile, I spent the day cutting, splitting, moving, and stacking
sauna wood, filling the new woodshed by mid-afternoon. Took six Kubota bucket-loads of wood, which
should be a four to six months supply… and hardly made a dent in the pile of 8
foot logs awaiting their turn in the sauna stove. And in the more good news department, the
Town Lister stopped by today and was shown that there still is no reason to
raise our tax assessment. He’ll be back
in October…
.JPG)
.JPG)
4 May 2015
Had left a voice mail
with Sean yesterday saying that if I didn’t see his crew here by 9 o’clock I
would assume they weren’t coming. While
waiting, built a crude stone retaining wall in the place where the Kubota keeps
getting stuck going down to the Sauna (between the wooden walkway and the
monster retaining wall). With no geese
in sight, left at 9:03 for a quick trip to Goodro’s for hurricane rafter tie
nails. Was working away in my basement
shop just before noon when I sensed a large red truck passing by the door. Spafford’s arriving! The graded area that Jimmy Ploof created last
week worked as advertized: the big red rig slid right into place with no
problems whatsoever. By mid-afternoon
had finished the Sauna Woodshed except for putting on the corrugated metal roof
panels. Before those panels go on, need
it to rain on the Zip System® roof sheathing to wash off the dirt
and sawdust that would keep the seam tape from sticking, like what didn’t happen
on the house roof. 50% chance of showers
tonight… Used the Kubota for an hour to
fill in and level out the “driveway” down to the Sauna building, fill in the
well spoils pit out by the road that won’t be used, and move several bucket
loads of wall building boulders from that area down to the collection near the
burn pile. Sean called late afternoon to
see if I’d figured out that his crew wouldn’t be here today. Looks like next week to start the exterior
windows / doors / trim installation. First
truly warm day and the lake is looking mighty tempting. But with the water temperature only up to 60°,
sounds like a lukewarm shower might be just the ticket. I know, I know, awfully wimpy for
someone whose early diving experiences were under the ice in Antarctica!
.JPG)
.JPG)
3 May 2015
As to be
expected, ran out of the special 9 gauge by 1½″ nails used for putting on
hurricane rafter ties with two (of the six) rafters not yet fully secured… and
Goodro’s is closed on Sundays. Scavenged
five pieces of destined-for-the-burn-pile Advantech Zip System®
sheathing and cut them to size for the Sauna Woodshed roof. Installed the top three pieces and clamped
the bottom two in place to make sure they fit.
An absolutely gorgeous day, far too nice for working, so it’s a good thing
I didn’t get much done… maybe. Or maybe
I just was dehydrated, ‘cause an end-of-day G&T sure is sliding down easy.
.JPG)
.JPG)
2 May 2015
Worked most of the day
on the sauna woodshed: two steps forward and one step back. Put on all the left side siding, only to
remember that I hadn’t yet put in two nails in each of the hurricane rafter
ties that I had just covered with said siding.
Fortunately, all those boards were screwed on, so removing them,
pounding in the nails, and reattaching the boards only cost an hour. Tried to go for a bike ride with Marty
shortly after noon. Let’s just say that
that particular exercise is contraindicated with the present state of my right
hip / buttocks / thigh. By the end of
the afternoon most of the sauna woodshed roof rafters were securely fastened in
place. Lost water pressure in the middle
of my shower. Might have had something
to do with the water tanks being empty… Down
the hill to Marty & Merry’s (sans wine) for another wonderful evening.
1 May 2015
Painfully slow
progress today; if it gets any worse, I’ll be going backwards! Got the battens (2x6’s that will brace each
end of each row of firewood) and the floor installed in the sauna
woodshed. Took a break after lunch to fetch
10 gallons of water and 10 gallons of off-road diesel fuel. Now if I can just remember which goes into
the Kubota… Kate showed up unexpectedly
and brought positive vibes with her… the Spafford’s crew hit a seam of water
(somewhat cloudy but a respectable 30 gpm) at the 241 foot mark. Kate and her faithful companions (Maddie, a
Wheaton Terrier, and Molly, a Schauzer) came over for dinner. To celebrate Kate’s aqueous achievement we
finished off all the rest of my wine.
I’d like to say that a dog was to blame, but am pretty sure there was a
“u” in there somewhere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)