5/31-6/4 I went up to Camp Serendipity for five days: Monday through Friday.

I arrived at 10:50 and after having a brunch, I went to take my nap. To my dismay there was a mosquito in the bedroom, so I decided this was the time to set up the mosquito net tent over the bed. After that was set up, I took my nap. I had just had my last COVID shot the day before and I wasn't sure if I would be getting any negative side effects, so I spent the rest of the afternoon writing.

On Tuesday after practicing the piano, I had my breakfast. Next, I carried some yard waste from the truck to the compost pile and then brought my tool bag up to the cabin. I rigged a come-along to lift scaffold frames. That required installing a big screw eye in the log wall between the two windows. Then I stood two scaffold frames up against the cross brace of the first tier so they were in a position to be lifted by the come-along.

Next, I dismantled my homemade 23-degree miter box, and then glued the rail of the bed liner back onto the truck. It had come loose.

Back in the cabin I did some writing before I had my lunch and a nap. Robert called and after I told him I planned to lift scaffold frames he asked me to call him back when I was done and safe. I went outside and used the come-along to hoist one frame up to the tower. I got it up and placed but it got too hot to continue working; it was 86 degrees. I went back in the cabin and called Robert.

On Wednesday I was up early to take advantage of the cool of the morning. I went out and lifted and installed the second frame on the tower and then installed the two cross braces. Then I lifted 2 planks up onto the third tier. I took a picture of the completed structure.

Back in the cabin I practiced the piano, talked to Robert again, and had my breakfast.

Back outside I set up a safety rope around the top deck of the third tier. I found two pipes that fit over the dowels on the scaffold frame, and I found 2 old shovel handles that fit inside those pipes. I used a combination of a pipe and a shovel handle to make a stanchion. Then I installed a screw eye on each side of the window and made a safety rope attached to those screw eyes and the two stanchions using Martin Differential Hitches.

After lunch and a nap, I practiced the piano, talked to Robert, and then found my window washing equipment including the soap and squeegees.

On Thursday morning Dave called and we had another great conversation. When we hung up, I put together a kit of tools and materials I would need to fix the crack in the windowpane. I was all ready to work on it and today was the day. I brought my box of tools outside, got it up on the top deck of the scaffold tower, climbed up and began work on fixing the crack.

I was immediately met by a complete surprise. I discovered that the cracked windowpane was on the inside and not on the outside at all. The outside pane was undamaged. I couldn't imagine how that could happen, but it obviously did. I would have to fix the crack from the inside.

The scaffold tower was not a waste though because I will use it to wash the outside of the window which I had planned to do anyway after the crack was fixed. But I'll wait with that until I repair the crack. I came back down off the scaffold and went back in the cabin. I practiced the piano and then had my breakfast.

I spent a considerable amount of time thinking and strategizing on the sequence of events necessary to be able to access the windows in order to repair and wash them.

The strategy was to erect a scaffold on the inside using the old hanging brackets that I had used during the construction of the cabin. The brackets were stored in the privy and I wasn't sure how easy it would be to get them out. I took the wheelbarrow up to the privy and started removing the brackets. I was pleased that they were easy to get out. I got two of them, loaded them into the wheelbarrow, and wheeled them down to the front porch. I brought them up onto the front porch along with two 12-foot 2x4s that I planned to use as diagonal supports for the brackets. Then I went in and had my nap.

When I got up, I changed my plans. Instead of using the 12-foot 2x4s as diagonal braces to support the brackets, I decided to use through-bolts and use the holes in the log wall that were already there that I had used before.

I found two allthreads that I used for bolts, got four half inch nuts and washers, and then tested the allthreads to make sure I could spin the nuts all the way down without using a die. One of them was a little sticky, but by turning the nut all the way, using a wrench for part of it, I was able to clear it up. Next, I brought a ladder inside and used it to hang the two brackets to the wall. One of them gave me a little bit of trouble but by using a big hammer I got it installed. Then I went outside and secured the two nuts and washers to the bolts from the outside.

On Friday morning Robert called do check in and report his progress. After practicing the piano, I found the planks I needed to make a deck on the inside scaffold. I brought the extension ladder inside and used it to lift the planks up and install them on the scaffold, including a handrail which I screwed to the stanchions. I took a picture of the structure when I had finished.

I left for home at 1:10 reasonably happy with the progress on the window repair, and happy that I had felt no side effects from the vaccination.