Back to School

Doesn't Mr. Fix-it look likes he's warding off a bear? I don't know what that pose was all about. Here he is mid-way through our latest project. The "girl's door" had been blocked in with lumber (and later, by us, with plywood) on the outside and lovely shocking pink painted masonite on the inside. When we took the outer layer off we found the original door, along with tons of mouse poop, shed snake skins, empty wasps nests and even what I think were bat bones. (Now you know why the Mr.'s wearing a dust mask.)

The finished project from the outside:

Finished project from the inside (kitchen):

Our nearest neighbours found it all very interesting:



They like to visit when we're BBQ-ing (which is kind of sick, don't you think?)

The other cloak room with coat hooks installed:



Note the bright orange Elmer Fudd hat for wearing during hunting season.

The painting's done! Ceiling lights all replaced!

Remember this photo?

If you were going up on a roof of this height, what's the first thing you'd do?
If you answered, "Tell someone I'm going up on the roof," congratulations -- you're smarter than Mr. Fix-it.

There's me, relaxing near the end of a busy day, when I hear all this banging and clattering and I figure he's dislodged a stack of lumber in the lean-to and I'd better go see how deep he's buried. Turns out the upper ladder slipped while he was tying off, leaving him hanging from the roof peak over the lean-to (you can see the scrape marks where the ladder slipped down the wall). Since he wasn't tied off yet he eventually had to let go. Didn't break anything. Didn't learn to fly either. Scraped up one hand pretty badly on the edge of the metal roof.

The great thing about obsessive personalities is they accomplish a lot. Sometimes they need to be reminded they're mortal!

I do remember the photo, very well.

Chihuahua! Tie off!

Glad our craftsman is ok...

So we're heading north again tomorrow with a trailer full of gear as usual -- electrical stuff mostly, baseboards and wall plugs, stuff that doesn't require ladders

First we're going to take a couple of days R & R out at the west end of the island -- Meldrum Bay, population 40, and the odd bear -- to recharge the old batteries for the next round of renovating. See you in a month.

I'm not sure I thanked you by pm for the postcard, tai. It was a real treat. Have fun...

another awesome pictorial

love the work and the staff!

Thanks osso! Thanks ehBeth!

Things are really coming along now. (Still can't imagine where all the furniture is going to go. Mr. Fix-it keeps telling me it's the perfect size for one person, but hey, I'm not the one who fell off the roof!)

I love your pics Tai Chi - think it is so great that you all can do this each summer! Thanks for sharing! Have lots more fun and stay safe!

I so love when this is updated. Amazing progress, Tai Chi!!!

if anybody wants to see another pic of tai chi's neighbours, and some other island wildlife, you can check out my pics on roberta's beautiful animal thread

http://able2know.org/topic/89445-210#post-3685399

the snake and ruffled wood grouse are two of the neighbours, the deer and the herons were found near where i was staying

Thanks dj - will do.

Got a couple of ceiling fans installed this last month, as well as all the wall plugs and a couple of baseboard heaters.

I have been drooling over an old-fashioned screen door at Rona for the last couple of years but couldn't justify the cost given we already had a perfectly serviceable old storm door. Two things happened: we got tired of finding garter snakes curled up on the inside door sill (old storm didn't fit all that well) and we discovered this gently used wooden storm at the "Restore" (Habitat for Humanity's re-sell store). I love it.

Our neighbours, the cows, hang out here when they're not staring at us over the fence: