7 September 2009 (Labor Day)

Tasi, Kristen, & a grunt laborer spent the morning widening / smoothing the path down to the dock. Moved the new dock stairs down the path using the hand truck, then installed them, but couldn't get them perfectly level because of a fair-sized rock on the lake bottom that will have to be moved. Long swim after dark... soooo relaxing!

6 Septermber 2009

Returned to Fern Lake in the morning, threading through the Tour de Vermont bicycle race. Repaired the seal around the RV emergency escape rear window. Alverta, Tasi, & Kristen arrived mid-afternoon for swimming, canoeing, and campfire dinner. Approaching the south end of Fern Lake while out paddling with Kristen after dark, we were just in time for a private fireworks show being launched from one of the docks. Though not nearly as spectacular as the Calais show, talk about "in your face"!

5 September 2009

Drove to South Burlington to pick up Alverta, then up to East Calais for Labor Day weekend party at brother Steve's. Nineteen people camping there for the weekend. Hiked up Spruce Mountain with brother-in-law Perry in the afternoon... fabulous views of the Adirondacks to Mount Washington and everything in between from the old fire tower on top. Then had fabulous lasagna feast (prepared by sister Lynne), followed by spectacular, professional quality, fireworks show, which was extra exciting when one of the launchers fell over and fired sideways, fortunately NOT at the crowd. Caught up on news with many of the Calais neighbors. Back to South Burlington for the night, by way of East Calais to retrieve a left-behind cell phone.

4 September 2009

Modified dock railing so canoe fits on the dock better. Dropped a 16" diameter maple that was in the shed turning area... trickiest felling job I've ever undertaken. Notched the two trunks above the "Y" (20 feet off the ground) VERY carefully so they would break off when the tree fell and tried to hang up in a big hemlock that the maple was pointed right at and was DEFINITELY going to hit. Plan worked perfectly! After lunch, spent time widening / smoothing the path downhill from the yellow jacket nest (that still seems to be alive and well). While trying to remove a 500 pound boulder from the path using logging chain and come-along, sort of kinda lost control of the rock, which proceeded majestically downhill through the trees. Thought for SURE it was going to take out the dock then sink the canoe moored alongside. Instead the rock hit the dock shack fair and square... but did NOT go through, though a couple of siding planks and a 2 x 4 stud are no longer intact. Having done enough damage for one day, went for a swim and canoe. Circled around a loon who seemed to be convinced that the echo from his call was another loon answering back.

3 September 2009

Spent the morning attempting to lay out the shed elevations using an Egyptian water level. Not successful... very inconsistent results. So spent the afternoon venting frustration with the chainsaw (which worked perfectly... earlier problems MUST have been bad gas). Cleared trees for a turning circle that will allow a truck (or, hopefully, tractor) to be maneuvered into the below ground storage area under the woodshed. Swimming afterwards was sooooo delightful... water temperature is 73 degrees. This is why we bought lakefront property!

2 September 2009

No mouse! Alverta came down to pick me up to go up to South Burlington to pick up the Sienna to go to St. Albans to look at / drive a Ford F-150 pickup truck to Junction Auto for a pre-purchase inspection. Whew! And it weren't over yet. The truck had major problems so won't be joining the Perkins' fleet. After returning the F-150 to St. Albans and dinner with Alverta (one of the 50 recipes from A Man, A Can, A Plan), drove back to Fern Lake. Only 250 miles driven today... and Vermont just ain't that big.

1 September 2009

No mouse! Drove Delores up to Ehlers RV Sales and Service in Essex Junction to fix water leaks and the inoperative furnace. Had been warned that they were good, they were honest, but they weren't cheap. Right on all counts... "only" cost $500 to get the keys back. Back to Fern Lake by dinner... 1/4 tank (20 gallons) of gasoline lighter. Lots of activity around the yellow jacket nest at sunset so "treatment" didn't work. Nor did the ice cube trick that Ehlers recommended to solve the black water tank level indicator sensor problem. (Other than having the tank overflow through the toilet -- not a pleasant alternative -- there is no way to tell how much "stuff" is in the black water tank, 'cause the indicator hasn't worked in who knows how long.) Found a mouse nest (in plain sight... previously not seen because of male-pattern blindness) in the cabinet under the RV sink.