Spent the morning looking at pickup trucks for sale and loader / backhoes for sale and rent. Had to change my shirt afterward ‘cause of all the drool stains. Repaired the shower enclosure (again) and the exterior where two storage compartment door latches had been ripped out. Met Gerry Flint, neighbor directly across the street, who also is a member of the Zoning Board. He said that in Leicester there are 1,000 rocks for every person and 1,000 mosquitoes for every rock. Chree believed him. At noon we went down to the lake to take measurements and elevations needed to design the dock, gazebo, sauna, and other necessities of waterfront living. Made the mistake of taking the dogs with us. Both spent the better part of an hour in the water, Geisha swimming almost the whole time. Bet she sleeps well tonight! Shlomo found a couple of dead fish which he both wanted to eat and to roll on. Tried taking Shlomo for a canoe ride; lasted about 20 yards before he was over the side. Needless to say, we took virtually no measurements or elevations. After a late lunch, went back down and got the measurements, sans dogs, but beat a hasty retreat before getting any elevations when a thunderstorm rolled in. Spent the balance of the afternoon reading. While cleaning up after dinner, a black bear strolled by the RV, headed for the Lapidus’, just as Perry was arriving with three 55 gallon barrels that will be used for storing cement mixing water. Perry reported that he had chased two deer off our driveway as he backed in. Would have been a good day to have the furnace running…
KNOWING that the chain saw is still acting up, arranged with Dave Bishop at Champlain Valley Equipment to have the seals inspected and the cylinder pressure tested, per a suggestion made by the Stihl dealer in Virginia. Just to avoid further embarrassment, ran the saw to replicate the flooding / stalling problem, BEFORE taking it into Middlebury. Note to self: never, ever let a piece of equipment know that it is going in for repair. The saw ran absolutely PERFECTLY, no matter what I did. Also working normally again are the Sienna air conditioner and the RV refrigerator. Installed the barrel rack (built in Virginia) and the water barrel that will be used for cement mixing activities. Pink tinge to the barrel comes from former contents: the antibiotic solution used to clean the milking part of a cow. (How’s that for a family-friendly way of not saying “udders”?) Mike and Charles from Limbwalker Tree Services (that’s Charles in the center and Mike top right and proving that you have to be young, strong, AND fearless to be a limbwalker) arrived early afternoon to remove dead branches threatening the RV and the (to be built) woodshed / outdoor storage building roof. Mike said, after climbing up 75′ and not coming close to reaching the top, that the 3′ diameter white pine next to the shed is at least 100′ tall. Went for a swim at dusk… very agreeable 74ยบ water temperature (measured 1 foot below the surface).
