5/25-29/20 I went up to Camp Serendipity for 5 days: Monday through Friday.

I arrived at 11:30. The weather was overcast but it was not raining. I carried my gear up to the cabin, hoisted the flag, lit a fire in the stove, had my lunch, and then took my usual nap. When I got up, I carried 5 gallons of water up to Andrew. Then I took the wheelbarrow down to the truck and hauled a big bunch of yard waste over to the compost pile. Then I wheeled the DeWalt tool bag back up to the cabin.

On Tuesday I decided that I no longer need to light a fire in the stove for the rest of the summer, so I skipped that fun ritual. I spent the morning rasping, scraping, and sanding the joints on the rail structure getting them ready for varnish.

After lunch and a nap, I went into the woods and brought 5 gallons of water up to Andrew. Then I spent a considerable amount of time removing vine maples from around Cam. The vine maples had completely surrounded and engulfed Cam, so I opened it up to sunlight again.

Back at the cabin, I called Earl and we had a nice chat. I told him that I had seen an emergency vehicle at Ron Sideritz's place when I went home last week. I wondered if he was OK. We decided that I should try to call Ron and find out, and then call Earl back. I called and got an answering machine, so I left a message for him to call me. Then I called Earl back and we agreed to let each other know if we learned anything.

On Wednesday, I spent the morning again rasping and sanding the railing. It is tedious work and really stresses the fingers, forearms, elbows, and shoulders, but I took it slow and easy.

After lunch and a nap, I spent some time working on a fun project unrelated to cabin construction. I decided to make an "impossible table". I got the idea from YouTube.

I went out and watered Andrew and then did some more smoothing of the rail before I swept the pollen from the front porch and then quit for the day.

On Thursday morning, Dave called, and we had another delightful conversation. Then, I did the final sanding of the rail with 120-grit paper followed by another sanding with 220-grit paper. Then I removed the sanding dust and applied the first coat of varnish. I was delighted to be nearing the end of the last of the railing projects.

After lunch and a nap, I applied the second coat of varnish to the railing. Then I went into the woods, brought 5 gallons of water up to Andrew and discovered that the dribble bucket was plugged up and still nearly full. I unplugged the dribble bucket and left the fresh bucket there on the trail.

Back in the cabin, I did a little more work on the "impossible table" and then had my shower and dinner more-or-less on schedule. But after dinner, I went back up to Andrew and poured the bucket of water into the now-empty dribble bucket. When I came back, I applied the third and final coat of varnish to the railing. All that is left now is to clean up the tools and the mess. Finishing the railings was a major milestone.

When I went to bed, I discovered that a mosquito had gotten into the cabin and was circling me while I was trying to go to sleep. I decided that now was the time to set up the mosquito net tent over my bed, so I got up and got the tent out of the pantry. The mosquito managed to bite me on the leg as I was setting the tent up, but I managed to slap the mosquito to get my revenge. I finished setting the tent up, but I saw no more mosquitoes after that. I am now ready for the summer.

On Friday morning, I went into the woods and checked on the first couple transplanted cedar trees. I was surprised at how well they were doing and how they are growing. One is almost as tall as me. After bringing a bucket of water to Andrew, I returned to the cabin and did a thorough cleaning and vacuuming job on the first floor. I left for home at 1:15 happy to be moving on to the final project required for my final inspection: getting the floor insulated.