Box City

The boys took advantage of an empty garage and big cardboard boxes. They built an entire hot wheels city.

We had a beautiful sunrise this morning. Today is finish the deck day. The boys are dressed and ready to hit Menards for the final push.

Memorial Day

We spent Memorial Day relaxing and doing nothing other than running a few errands.

We picked up a patio set from Menard's and it's really nice to be able to sit and enjoy our new deck.

Once we put up the windscreen and get a cooker mat, we will move the grill.

Sweat Equity

Last night we stayed on the warm side of the jet stream and did not have any storms. This morning it was muggy like Florida - 85°, sunny, and hot. I drank at least 8 diet cokes along with 3 v-8's and a gallon of water. I am so out of shape I sweat like one of the thugs on the Sopranos.

Today was the day! This afternoon we completed the decking on the deck.



As soon as the tools were put away, our neighbors came to inspect our workmanship. I normally don't like to toot my own horn, but "TOOT, TOOT!" the deck is looking awsome.

We were able to sit on the new deck for a couple of hours before a big storm from Kansas rolled in. It was moving at 55 mph and had 70+ mph winds. Note the small maple across the street. Tonight's storm only lasted 20 minutes. This was the scene two nights ago, except that the other night, the wind was continuous and lasted for two solid hours.

Windstorm

Thursday night, we were awakened at 2:00 by a massive lightning storm that gave us an inch of rain. Last night at the same time, we were awakened by the wind. There was a little rain and lightning, but mostly it was wind. I checked the radar and it showed a small squall line passing thru, but the wind kept blowing and howling, and moaning.

JP got up and we tried to see what was happening outside. We saw a piece of siding flying around between the houses, and JP spotted the little blue-white dot of one of Gary's solar garden lights boucing across his lawn. The wind kept blowing at probably 50 mph for two hours. It wasn't gusting, just blowing continuously. In the morning, I checked the Lincoln airport, and they only showed 20-25 mph winds throughout the night. After talking with everyone this morning, it looks like only South Lincoln was affected.

The piece of siding we saw came from our neighbor's house. It ended up down the street.

Yesterday, JP painted deck boards all day. I helped her after work and we went until 9:00 before giving up.

Today, we were back at it and were able to install 3/4 of the deck boards. We are using some invisible deck board fasteners called Tiger Claws. They work very well, but they make for slow progress. The top surface of the deck is made of continuous board (no butt joints) and has no nail/screw holes. Nice.

Maggie is very excited to be able to use the kitchen door again.

Pergola Posts

Tonight I blew off the last week of trap season to put up the tall pergola posts. We have one more railing post to install next to the kitchen door.

Menard's called today and said that our deck planks would be delivered sometime tomorrow. JP is psyched to start painting them.

We will have a 54" high privacy windscreen between the tall pergola posts to block the wind so that our BBQ will stay lit on a setting lower than plasma torch.

Another year of Scouts gone

Tonight was our annual spring scout picnic where the boys graduated to their next rank.

GP moved up from being a Tiger Cub to Wolf.

CP is now a 1st-year Webelo. It seems like yesterday that we attended our first pack meeting with CP and the Webelos all looked so old and mature. Now we're there. It's kinda like jumping around in a room with a strobe light - you hit the wall before you think you should.

Last year it was cold and rainy. This year it was beautiful but ticky. JP is ready to shave us all bald so she can spot the ticks easier.

GP's 1st Baseball Practice

Tonight GP had his first baseball practice with his YMCA team, the Athletics. CP has absolutely no interest in organized (or disorganized) sports, but GP is all over them.

We have practice one night a week, and starting in June, a game every Sunday. It should be fun.

After practice I installed another pound of screws in the deck and attached the facia between and under the steps. JP picked up the screws today, and I figured we only had six boards to put up, so one box should be enough. Wrong - Back to Menard's.

Another Deck Weekend

All last week we worked on the deck in the evenings. I'm beginning to feel like the Dunkin Donut guy - "Time to work on the deck..." all the time.

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous and we worked from sunup to sundown. By the end of the day, we had the stair footings in the ground and level as well as the stair stringers. JP & I are sitting on the step boards that are just sitting on the stringers.

Sunday was even more beautiful than Saturday - 80°, sunshine, and no wind. We attached the railing posts and got the top two steps screwed down. JP painted boards all day and sunburned the backside of her calves. Our deck boards should arrive Thursday this week - JP is looking forward to painting all of them, top and bottom.

The 10' 6x6 pergola posts are notched, stained, and ready to go up. We ran out of energy and sunshine today, so we will have to get them up sometime this week before the deck boards arrive. I had them clamped in place to see how they fit, and I think the pergola will look nice.

JP sold our old patio set in a garage sale yesterday (Nebraska Furniture Mart, here we come!) and bought the boys a Bonzai skimboard thing. It looks like fun. The boys watched the instructional DVD and the entire time bragged about which of the insane stunts they would perform. Each of them made it 6" before falling on their tailbones. I'll have to shoot some video before they turn pro.

Friday - No Wind deck construction

Today was picture perfect - 75, sunny, and NO WIND. I had a Dr. appointment (A1C=6.3%!!), so I got to take off from work early. My doctor moved his office from the far north side to the far south side of Lincoln. I was home from my 3:00 appointment by 3:15. I loaded up my wheelborrow tool caddy, grabbed a cold pop, and headed out back for a beautiful day of deck work. JP left to pick up the boys and I immediately locked myself out of the house. I was missing my radio and shovel, but was able to find enough to do to keep myself busy for an hour.

Tonight I finished digging out the footer and was able to lay half of the concrete blocks for the stair risers despite being accosted by Gary the beer guy and my other neighbor that has a keg of cold Sun-Dog summer wheat ale on tap in his basement.

Just another weekend

Saturday, 5/10, we started work on the deck at 7:00 and by 9:00 it started raining. Usually it will only rain for a little while, so I paced about the house all day waiting for it to end. It rained all day until 9:00 that night. After the rain, the wind picked up and we had 18 hours of 40 mph winds.

Sunday morning we went to Home Depot to purchase more pieces for the deck. As we battled the wind crossing the parking lot, GP remarked that the calendar might say it was Sunday, but it should say that it was cold-and-sunnyday.

We completed the deck framework and built some prototype stairs that were per my blueprints but we found to be too shallow. I spent some time in CAD land redesigning them and we built another set which were much better.

JP called for pricing on the 8x8 x 10' cedar posts for the pergola. At $375 each, we decided that we could live with skinnier 6x6 posts. Menard's is having a sale on cedar, so JP ordered the deck planks and bought the 6x6's.

On Tuesday, the city inspector came out and approved our framework. Full speed ahead! Our goal of completing the project by Memorial Day is looking good.

More Deck Construction

Friday night I installed the posts onto the poured concrete footings. Later that night we had a storm race through that dumped 6" of snow in western Nebraska.

Saturday morning we went to the Mayor's Race downtown. Normally I like to get an early start on the day, but it was so cold & windy, I didn't mind starting at 11:00. By Saturday night, we had 4 of the 5 outer frame pieces up, squared, and bolted down. JP kept her hooded winter coat on all day.

On Sunday, we were treated to warmer temps and less wind. We Hit Menard's and purchased the remainder of the structural lumber. Total so far: $1700. We installed all of the normal joists, the 45° facia, and one of the mitered joists. We have three more joists, one more double-beam, a few seismic ties, and then we can call the inspector.

I had my shirt off most of the day and I feel like I've been out in the desert for a week. My back aches & burns, my hands are throbbing, and I am looking forward to spending the day in my office tomorrow. I enjoy construction projects, but every time we do one, I am reminded why I chose my profession.

Mayor's Run

This is the weekend of the Lincoln Marathon downtown. The day before the big race, the city holds the "Mayor's Run" for all the kids. It's a 1-mile run around the capitol building. CP had no interest in it, but GP was fired up from the start. JP got him positioned in the pack and decided to run it herself.

We had sunshine, temperatures in the 30's, and a nice 15 mph breeze to keep everyone nice & cool.