4/4-6/00 I went up to the property for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

I arrived at 11:45. There was a light rain and it was 50 degrees out. A lot of the snow had melted so I made eight or ten runs at the snowbank in front of the parking place to smash it down, and then with a little run at it, I drove right over it and continued on up to the trailer. There was some snow on the roadway and I had to back up and make a second run at the top part, but I made it with no trouble. That makes it a lot easier to move my stuff into the trailer. Now all I need to do is de-winterize the trailer and I will be back in summer mode with showers and running water. It still freezes at night so that will have to wait a couple more weeks.

It was pretty windy and I couldn't start the pilot light on the furnace. The wind seemed to blow the pilot flame so it didn't hit the sensor. I set up some plywood outside around the vent to try to cut down on the draft and I tried for quite a while to light the pilot, but I finally gave up. I figured the wind would probably go down in the evening and I would light it then.

Even though it was raining, I started working on the fascia because I could work under the porch roof. I glued and screwed 1x2s to the web of a 34 foot TJI just under the top flange. This is to provide backing for nailing on the cedar fascia boards. They are not wide enough to span the width of the TJIs.

When that was done, I carried up six ten foot 2x4s that I had brought with me to use as studs. Then, since it was raining, I worked inside and framed in the bearing wall on the front entry room using the new long studs. I used 3 inch screws and my new screw gun. I also used a bit and an extender that I had gotten as a birthday gift from Doctor Dick, and they worked great.

When I went in for the night, I still couldn't start the furnace. The pilot flame just didn't reach down far enough to hit the sensing element. I used an electric heater to warm the trailer up instead.

On Wednesday morning I worked on the furnace until 10:30 and got it fixed - sort of. I made and installed a small sheet metal baffle. I actually made three but the first one was too small and the second one dropped inside the furnace and got lost. The third one worked like a charm, although it was a very hard job installing it. The pilot assembly is fastened to the furnace with two stove bolts that have the heads inside the furnace and the nuts on the outside. The heads are almost completely inaccessible, and without holding them fast, they would fall down and disappear with my second baffle if the nuts were removed. I was able to stick a long Philips screwdriver into the furnace through an access port and figure out that it was indeed a Philips screw and also get the screwdriver into the screw head. Then, holding this screwdriver with one finger, I did the same thing with a second screwdriver and the second screw. Then with some duct tape, some wire, and a piece of wood, I secured the screwdrivers so I could let go of them. Then I removed the nuts and the gas line so I could get the pilot assembly out of the furnace.

I went through this whole process to install and lose the second baffle, and then I went through it a second time to install the third baffle. I was very happy that the pilot stayed lit after putting everything back together, but when I shut it off and looked in the pilot lighting hole, I saw that my baffle had fallen off the pipe I had clamped it to and it was resting on the pilot sensing element. I think that the heat had expanded the baffle so the clamping action had let go. I don't really know what happened, but I was disappointed. I tried lighting it again with the baffle in this new position, and was very pleased that it worked just as well. The flame sort of gets involved with the baffle and gets down to the element. I think that the baffle also conducts heat to the element which helps make it work. Anyway it continued to work fine for the rest of the trip so I won't put any more energy or thought into it unless it fails again.

There was no rain so I went back to work on the fascia. I did my batman walk up on the roof and fastened a come-along to one of the big ropes that goes over the roof. I was hanging on to the other one. The cable and the hook from the come-along dangled over the edge of the roof at about where the center of gravity for the TJI fascia (or I guess I should call it a sub-fascia) would go. Then I fastened a short loop of rope around the middle of the sub-fascia TJI. Since the hook and the loop were about 12 feet apart, I used a second come-along attached to the Grid G purlin to lift the sub-fascia up within reach of the first come-along's hook. Then I went back up on the roof and cranked the sub-fascia up under the OSB roof sheathing.

I set up a 20 foot extension ladder up against the roof at the end of the 34 foot sub-fascia TJI to see how the TJI lined up with the center of a rafter. Then I had to go back up on the roof to move the TJI by moving the rope loop. After three or four such trips back and forth between the top of the ladder to look, and up on the roof to move, I got the end of the TJI lined up with the center of a rafter. This rafter is eight feet from the other end of the roof and I will use an 8 foot piece later to complete the sub-fascia on that end.

With the TJI aligned, I started screwing it to the rafters starting at the corner of the roof under the walkway. I used long clamps to hold the TJI tightly up against the roof sheathing and then drove in screws near the clamp. Then I moved across the eave clamping and driving two screws into each rafter as I went. When the eave got too high to reach, I made scaffolding out of planks, and brackets that hang from ladders. I got about 25 feet of it done by the end of the day. That last part will be hard to reach because a 20 foot ladder doesn't quite reach the roof and the ground is very steep rocks so it is hard to set a ladder up on it. I think I will have to set up a steel scaffold tower to reach and finish the job.

On Thursday morning, my back was really stiff and I spent a lot of time on my back exercises before I could move very well. It was raining and occasionally snowing so I decided to work inside again. I started by plumbing the frame wall that I had built and attaching the top plate to the log wall to hold it in place. Then I decided to bring all the TJI joists for the loft inside and put them in place on the beams and in the hangers.

I looked out the southeast living room window at the stack of TJI joists and there was a pine squirrel on the joists. He saw me but he didn't make any noise or seem to be upset and after looking up at me for a while he went back to what he was doing. He was licking a six or eight inch wet spot on the top of one of the TJIs. I figured I must have a leak in the tarp over the porch roof and this little guy was licking up the water that had dripped down. He licked up and down the wet spot in a systematic pattern and when he had covered the entire spot, he did it all over again - three times. I figured that more water must have been dripping and he was going back after it, but I couldn't figure out why he wasn't getting dripped on.

When I was pondering that, he moved down the TJI a few feet and he started licking it in a dry spot. Then to my amazement, he made a new wet spot about the same size as the first one just by licking the wood. I don't know if he was after glue, sawdust, or what but he really seemed to like licking that wood. When he moved on and started a third patch, I decided to quit wasting so much time watching him, and I went to work.

I went outside and stood up the 24 foot and all but three of the 20 foot TJIs that were stored at the front of the building. I stood them up so the tops of them went through a front window. Then back in the building, I pulled each joist in through the window and put it in its place on top of the beams and with one end in a joist hanger. I didn't nail any of them but just set them in place.

Then I went down to the porch area and did the same thing with the 14 footers that the squirrel had been licking. By then my back had had enough exercise and it was time to pack up and go home. It was gratifying work, though, because it was very visible and now I can see the structure of the loft floor for the first time. There is just a six joist gap at the end waiting for some new joists. I left for home at about 1:30.

4/7/00 Spent a lot of time with Curt Pritchard at his place talking about having him put on our roof. We mostly talked about logistics about how to get the job done and exactly what I have to do to get ready for him. He also agreed to come up and visit the property in the next few weeks. Then toward the end of the visit, we started talking price and I got sticker shock. His cut and drop price for the materials is $135 a square and his installed price is $400 per square. Since our roof is about 54 squares, this is over $21,000 before taxes. Gulp. After I got home Dave told me that the price is way too high and that I should look at some other alternatives. When Ellen got home, she said the same thing, so now I need to start looking at roofing alternatives.

4/9/00 It finally dawned on me that our roof is only 27 squares, not 54. I don't know where the number 54 came from. That puts Curt's price in the same ballpark as the other roofer for an installed top of the line metal roof. I am not sure I need the top of the line, and if I don't use 40 foot panels, I can do the job myself. I will price alternatives and decide what to do.

4/11-13/00 I went up to the property for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

I arrived at 11:45 and it was 60 degrees out. When I was moving in, I noticed a grouse sneaking around in the woods near the trailer. I saw her last week also and I suspect she has a nest nearby. Almost all the snow was melted and it left a big pile of steel straps exposed that had been used to secure the lumber delivery. I picked it all up and moved it to a less conspicuous spot.

I built a crib of short 6x8s to form a base for a 20 foot ladder in order that it could reach the south corner of the roof. Then I set up a plank on brackets hanging from this and another 20 foot ladder so that I could reach the end of the eave. Then I finished screwing in the sub-fascia TJI that I started last week, and then I made an 8 foot piece of sub-fascia and screwed it in place to complete the eave. That was the easy one - now for the hard one on the northwest side.

On Wednesday morning, I called Russell at Marson and Marson and got details and prices on roofing materials. One choice I need to make is concealed screws vs. exposed screws. The concealed is about twice the cost of the exposed but would no doubt stand up longer without problems.

Since ladders won't reach most of the northwest eave, I decided to erect steel scaffold towers in order to install the sub-fascia and the fascia there. The first tower had to go right where the winch shed was, and since the winch was no longer useful in that spot, I decided to move the winch inside and dismantle the shed to make room for the scaffold.

The shed also covered my main electrical distribution box, so this was the time to move it into the building. I had to disassemble a 4x4 box I had at the end of the wire so that I could feed the wire through the conduit in the foundation. I was just working on this when Earl stopped by for a visit. He hadn't seen the floor yet. When he left, I finished the wiring.

Next, I made four footings for the two scaffold frames. It took a while to do this because they have to be very solid and very nearly level. When they were ready, I set up the first two scaffold frames. Since I no longer have a crane available, I had been thinking about how to lift the frames up. I had figured out a way in my head and now was the time to see if it would work in reality. I laid two frames on the ground so that they were connected as they would be in a tower, one on top of the other. Then I laid a 16 foot 2x4 sort of diagonally over them so that the bottom of the 2x4 was near the bottom of one leg of the lower frame. The top of the 2x4 was two or three feet above the center of the top frame. Then I fastened a bunch of short 2x4 pieces to the long 2x4 with 3/8" bolts so that the short 2x4s formed a hook that hangs over the top rung of the bottom frame, and the other short 2x4s sort of hang on to the frame to keep the long 2x4 in place. Then I attached a block and tackle to the very top of the 2x4.

This formed a portable crane that worked perfectly to raise new frames up onto the tower. I expect that it will work just as well when it comes time to remove the frames. I had just finished making the crane when Harry and Jean Metzger showed up to take a look at the project. After they left, I used the crane to add the second tier to the tower. By then it was time to quit for the day. When I went in for dinner, I replaced the screens on the windows in the trailer.

On Thursday, I used the portable crane to add the third tier to the tower and I did a lot of thinking about how to get access to the rest of the eave. I only have four more frames - enough for two tiers. While I was thinking about this problem, Larry stopped by to visit and we talked about my options.

One problem is that my scaffold frames are the tall (7.5 ft.) type that go over sidewalks so you can walk under the frame. They don't have rungs across them for planks except at the very top. There are some narrow rungs on the sides that you can climb on, but you can't lay a 2x10 on them except for the top rung. The three tier tower is only a foot or so lower than the eave, so it would be awkward working from a plank on the top, and the tier below is way too low.

I decided I would make some rebar hangers that would hold a 2x6 across the frame so that a plank could be supported at a level lower than the top. I also decided to use a 10' 4" plank to span between this tower and another 2 tier tower. That one would be up the hill high enough so that 2 tiers will be tall enough (I hope). Then further up the hill, ladders will reach the eave and I can do the same thing I did on the southeast eave to reach that part. It all takes time and I take it slowly to make sure that it is completely safe. I left for home at about 2:00.

4/17/00 Wired up a string of four porcelain light bulb fixtures with a plug on the end of the wire with the intent of getting some additional lighting in the crawl space.

4/18-20/00 I went up to the property for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

The weather was a beautiful 60 degrees when I arrived at 11:00. After moving in, I installed the string of lights in the crawl space. It helps a lot. When that was finished, I hauled all but one of the short 6x8 pressure treated timbers that Earl had given me, and which I have earmarked for making the deck ledger, to the other side of the building. I used them to build a crib to support the downhill frame of the second scaffold tower. I screwed the structure together with planks so it is nice and solid. I got it about half finished.

Since the weather was so nice and the leaves and bugs weren't out yet, and also since my back was hurting a little, I figured this would be a good time to check on the trails and the spring. I discovered that a couple of pretty big trees had fallen across the trail and a lot of other brush had also grown or fallen on the trail. There was also evidence that a bear had been tearing rotten logs and stumps apart. There was an especially big one, about 2 or 3 feet in diameter, near the spring that was really ripped open and spread around. I kept my eyes open to make sure the bear wasn't active back there while I was.

The spring was in good shape with just a little debris accumulated around it. There was a new thick growth of bright green sphagnum moss on all the rocks sticking out of the pool so when I cleaned the area up, it looked rather picturesque. I am happy with how the spring has turned out. So far it has required very little maintenance and it reliably supplies me with really good water the year around.

On Wednesday morning I decided to take Mother Sow into the woods and cut the bigger stuff away from the trails. I figured that I might as well do it before the bugs get too bad. After cutting a 5-foot chunk out of each of the trunks that were across the trail, it dawned on me that the logs would be good enough for use as deck joists. At that moment I regretted cutting the chunks out of the middles of them. I got my tape and cut six 17-foot logs out of the two trunks. As it turned out, I didn't lose anything by cutting those chunks out of them.

Then it was deja-vu all over again when I got the axe, the spud, and the cant hook and went back to limb and de-bark the logs. I haven't done any logging for quite a while. One of the butt logs sounded like it was rotten inside so I decided not to use it. I dragged the remaining five good logs out of the woods and stacked them in the rack at the saddle. I had to use come-alongs to drag the biggest two of them over the uphill stretches. That was a lot more work than I have been used to lately and every muscle in my body was sore and exhausted.

That was finished by early afternoon. Then I went back to erecting the second scaffold tower. One of the cross braces that I needed for the tower was being used to brace the F3 and G3 PSLs near the top. Now that the roof was nailed to the purlins, that bracing was no longer necessary, although I still need some lateral bracing for the middle of the F3 PSL until the deck joists go on. I spiked a 16 foot 2x4 to the house, the F3 PSL and the G3 PSL near the deck grade to provide this support, and then, using a long ladder, I removed the scaffold cross brace. That took quite a while and several moves of the ladder.

Next, I removed all the stuff that was hanging on the last two scaffold frames that were still set up in the crawl space. It had been a handy place to store chains, ropes, and other stuff, but now I needed to get those frames out of there. By then it was time to quit for the day.

On Thursday, I set the first two frames up on the 6x8 cribbing. It was about 8 inches too low on the downhill side, so I added another level of 6x8s that brought it to about the right level. Then with adjustments to each of the four pads, I got the first tier nice and level.

One of the frames had gotten bent about 3 inches by a heavy snow load, so I used this as the bottom frame so it wouldn't matter that the legs weren't the same distance apart as all the rest of them. Since the top of the frame was also a little out of line, I was a little worried that the next frame wouldn't fit, so I tried it before I set the frame up. It worked, but it was a little tight.

When I was rearranging things in the crawl space, I came across an old desk top that I had saved for no good reason except maybe to salvage the boards. I also had a set of wrought iron legs that I had saved, also for no good reason except salvage. It dawned on me that with my new screwdriver, I could easily attach the legs to the top and make a desk. Now that I had a floor upstairs to set it on I figured it would be a good thing to do. I was just in the process of screwing the legs on when Larry stopped by for a visit. We chatted while I finished putting the desk together and then we talked about problems and alternatives concerning the scaffolding.

After he left, I moved my portable crane to the second scaffold tower and erected the second tier. The top of it will be at the perfect height to reach the eave so I will only need four rebar hangers to hold two 2x6s on the other tower in order to support planks at this level all the way to the end of the first tower. The rest of the eave can be reached using scaffold hangers hanging from 20-foot ladders. I was happy with how the scaffolding turned out. Now it's just a matter of putting it all together and getting the sub-fascia and fascia boards in place. After all this trouble of making the scaffolds, I intend to install both the sub-fascia and the finished fascia before I dismantle the towers. That means that I will have to choose the finish for the cedar fascia boards pretty soon. I left for home about 2:00.

4/25/00 I skipped working at the property this week because I took Gus to the hospital on Wednesday. But on Tuesday, I took Gus, Priscilla, and Vera up to the property just for the day so they could see the progress and collect some pine cones.

4/26/00 Bought 3 gallons of TWP from WoodCare Systems in Kirkland for finishing the fascia boards. This will probably be the same finish I use on the exterior of the log walls.

5/2-4/00 I went up to the property for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

The weather was mild when I arrived at 11:00. I measured and cut three 1x12 fascia boards for the northwest eave, and finished both sides of them with one coat of TWP. Then I made 4 hangers from #4 rebar for holding 2x6s to the scaffold frames. After making one in an 'S' configuration, I decided it would work better if I made the other one of each pair in a 'C' configuration. That way, the 2x6 can't twist at all. I climbed up on the scaffold tower and installed the 4 hangers and the two 2x6s.

On Wednesday it rained off and on all day. I started off by applying a second coat of TWP to the three fascia boards on the rough side, which will be the exposed side. Then, since it was still raining, I took the opportunity to install the last three lag screws in the loft rim joist. I was three screws short when I installed it and these three screws have been waiting for this opportunity.

Next, I glued and screwed 1x2s under the flange of a 33' TJI that will be part of the northwest eave sub-fascia. Since this was under the porch roof, I was able to do this work out of the rain also. Before the end of the day, I raised planks up onto the scaffold towers so that there are two planks on the top level and one on each of the lower levels.

I also raised a big 3 inch thick by 10 foot 4 inch long plank up to span the tops of the two towers. I used the portable crane that was left in the same position that it was in to lift the last frame to the top of the second tower. I used a rope and a single block to lift the other end of the plank to the first tower. The plank barely reached from one tower to the other, but I rested the ends on top of the 2x10s that were already on the tops of the towers. It seemed a little precarious, so I left the lifting tackle in place and tied the ropes off so if the plank fell for some reason, the ropes would keep it up in the air.

On Thursday, there was almost no rain. I started working on the handrails and got them installed across both towers. Using screws to fasten them works a lot easier and better than nails. The handrails make a huge difference in my confidence up there. Without them, I am very slow and nervous and feel very insecure. Once the handrails were screwed in place, I can stand on the planks without holding on to anything and feel as comfortable as I do on the ground. I remember the same thing each time I raised the scaffolds while I was working on the log walls.

Before I left for home, I took a 100' tape and did some measuring of the roadway. I wanted to determine how, if at all, I could get 40' roof panels around the hairpin turn. As soon as I started measuring, I realized that it would be much better to cut across the hairpin turn and bring the panels up over the retaining wall and directly to the walkway. There is plenty of room to maneuver. More importantly, if I build a lower walkway from the lower roadway to the top of the retaining wall, the pitch of the path would be the same as the pitch of the upper walkway. This is important because when the panels are carried, they need to stick out about 10 feet in front and behind the people carrying them. If the pitch of the ground varies, the ends of the panels could hit the ground. I just happen to have a bunch of 8x8 beams near the trailer that will work out great for making the lower walkway.

I left for home feeling pretty good about the roof. For the first time, I can see that I can put up 40 foot panels by myself, with one helper when it comes time to carry the panels up onto the roof. Since that is the roof system that I want, and since I want to install it myself, if at all possible, I felt good. My confidence also got a big boost now that the handrails are on the scaffolds and I no longer have that uneasy feeling when I am up on them. I left for home about 1:30 and thought about the details of the plan for getting the roof on almost all the way home.

When I got home, I typed up a 21 step plan for finishing the roof and estimated the time for each of the 21 tasks. They totaled to 16 days which means 8 weeks at my rate. If that estimate is accurate, I should finish installing the roof June 29. We'll see.

5/5/00 Met with Curt Pritchard of CP Sheet Metals and ordered metal roofing material. He assured me that I will be able to handle the installation myself except for the job of carrying the 40 foot panels up onto the roof. I will need one other person to help me with that. I feel really good about the plan for the roof. He said he will deliver the material either this coming Wednesday, or next week, or the week after. I am not in a hurry because there is a lot I need to do before I need the panels, but I will prepare a rack right away so that I can take them whenever he delivers them.

5/9-11/00 I went up to the property for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

I arrived at 11:45 in a light rain. As soon as I finished moving in, I de-winterized the trailer. Then I got Mother Sow and went to work building a rack for the roof panels. The saw started and ran very well. I ended up with 8 or 10 logs lined up in parallel about 6 feet apart and I got the tops of them pretty close to even. I am sure it will work fine for a rack.

On Wednesday I figured that I better cut and finish all the fascia boards because the TWP doesn't dry very fast. I want to get two coats on the boards and I would like to have them nice and dry before I install them. I had estimated a half day for this job, but I could see right away that it was an underestimate. By about 3:00 I had the first coat on all the boards.

Next, I resumed work on the northwest scaffold. I had estimated a whole day for this job, but I finished it before I quit for the night. I cheated a little by deciding not to put handrails on the last half of it, but it is nice and sturdy and I don't think I need them. I used two of my big 10' planks and two ladders with scaffold brackets on them. The planks didn't quite reach far enough, so I got two of the steel 'Z' brackets that I had used on the same planks for the building scaffold, and used the brackets to connect the two planks. That worked perfectly.

On Thursday morning, I installed the first 33 foot section of the northwest sub-fascia. I used a block and tackle to lift it and the installation went pretty smoothly. One complication was that I had to cut a thin wedge out of the bottom of the TJI so that it could bend in the middle to accommodate the crown in the roof caused by the B2 PSL being too long. This just slowed me down a little, but ended up working very well. Larry stopped by before I finished and we chatted while I finished screwing the TJI in place.

I had lunch, packed up, and left for home at 1:30 feeling very good. I was about a half day ahead of my schedule for completing the roof June 29.

5/16-18/00 I went up to the property for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

I arrived at 11:20. It was a beautiful day and hardly any mosquitoes. This is a very light year for them so far. I hope it stays that way. I started out by installing the last 8 feet of TJI sub-fascia on the northwest side. Then I installed the finished fascia boards across the complete northwest side.

I was happy to see deer tracks around the salt lick and I have been hoping to see the deer. Late in the day when I came out of the privy, I slammed the door in the usual manner when I left and I heard a noise from up by the salt lick. I just caught a glimpse of a deer running away as a result of the noise I made. Maybe if I exit the privy a little quieter and look up there from now on, I might see some deer without scaring them.

On Wednesday morning before I made breakfast, I got a call from Curt Pritchard saying that his guys were on the way up to deliver my roof material. That made me very happy and got me all excited. I hurried up with breakfast and went up on the roof and peeled the tarps back away from the northeast gable edges of the roof. I was going to need exact measurements for length and I figured the guys would want to look at the roof. I also swept off all the needles so that the footing was good up there.

I had just finished measuring the roof when the trucks arrived. They brought two pickups, their panel making machine, and three coils of steel each weighing from 1800 lbs. to 2000 lbs. It was fascinating to watch that machine fabricate the panels right on the spot. We started out trying to use power from my pole, but the power failed seconds after the machine started. Since I typically have problems with the GFI breaker blowing, I thought that was it. When I went to reset it, I found that it hadn't tripped after all. Since there was quite a wind blowing overhead, I figured it was a coincidental power failure. Since their rig was equipped with a generator, they used their own power to make the panels.

There wasn't much I needed to do to help them so I just watched and took pictures of the process. They finished around 2:00, took a brief tour of the building, and then left. I had my lunch in a darkened trailer and got an old phone to work well enough to get an operator who connected me to the neighbors. My regular phone doesn't work unless there is power. The neighbors said that they had not had a power failure, so I figured there must be something wrong at my power pole.

I got my meter and toolbox and went down to the pole to see what was wrong. When I opened the lid I could see that the main breaker had tripped. I felt very foolish that I hadn't even thought to look at the main breakers. This is the first time one of them had tripped so I wasn't used to it; all of my previous failures had been from the GFI breaker in the outlet. At least it was an easy job to restore my power.

I spent the rest of the day finishing the last coat of TWP on the fascia boards. Earl stopped by during the process and we had a nice chat. He volunteered to help me carry the long panels up onto the roof when the time comes. It is a relief to know I can get some help for that job. The wind had torn one corner of one of the tarps loose and had flapped back about 20 feet of it. I went up on the roof and fastened the tarp back down before I went in for the night.

On Thursday morning it was sort of chilly so I decided to start the furnace before I got up. I hadn't started it yet this week. I tried for a long time and it just wouldn't start. The baffle I installed wasn't doing its job. I am going to have to fix it better before next winter. I used the electric heater to warm it up in there while I did my exercises and before I fixed breakfast.

All of the metal for the ridge and the edges of the gables and eaves comes in 10 foot sections. They were all stacked with the main roof panels. I decided to carry them all up to the building and store them under the porch roof. When that was done, I started making the lower walkway.

First I hauled a bunch of rebar that was in the way up and stored it in the building. Then I moved a couple of board piles that were also in the way and sorted them into those that would work for decking, and other boards for other purposes. Next I reorganized and moved a bunch of stuff that was stored just east of the trailer. It was odds and ends of boards, pipes, wire, etc. and it was stacked on top of a rack made of big 8x8s. I needed those 8x8s to make the structure for the lower walkway. When the timbers were freed, I dragged each of them up to the site of the lower walkway. I got a good start at putting the structure together before it was time to leave. I left for home at 1:30 pretty much exactly on schedule for a June 29 completion. I had kidded Earl by telling him that I should get a golden screw to install as the last one on that date. He asked me what time I was going to drive that last screw in on the 29th.

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