STEPPING UP

 The drag bike seat served as a good chin rest for Miss Snoopy yesterday morning.

Moving a bunch of dirt away from the back of the deck and the house was the first order of business yesterday morning.  Along with some concrete block, the dirt served as the transition from the deck, down about 3 feet to where the motor home is normally parked.

 

With the dirt out of the way, and some measurements, I dug a trench at the depth I thought was correct for the landscape timber.  My method for determining the correct depth was not exactly an exact science, as I had to adjust the depth of the trench more than once.  When I finally got the step anchor in the right place, I attached the step risers to the deck, and the timber.
 

By the time I had the step boards screwed down, it was about 5pm, and time to call it quits.   There's a pretty good sized area at the bottom of the steps, between the house and where the shade cover/motor home will be positioned.  I think some sort of paved walkway from the steps to the shade cover will work until I decide what to do with the rest of that area. 

If the county sent out the letter to the railroad when they say they did, today is the 15th day, and the end of the objection time frame.  With no opposition, and as soon as I receive the engineered plans and calculations for the building, I'll be able to get a building permit.  I cut a deal with the local concrete company, and even though their minimum delivery is 5 yards, they will supply the approx. 2- 2 1/2 yards, and only charge me an extra $50.  That's $100 over and above the normal price for both footings, but I won't have to buy all of the materials to frame up the other side.  Savings - about $100.

 A little deck paint, and the steps will match the rest of the wood.

Patty and Nancy fly back to San Francisco tomorrow from Costa Rica, then Patty returns home on Sunday.  Lets hope that all goes a little more smoothly than their departure fiasco.

PLANTING & DIGGING

These two pictures show the finished landscaping around the tree that I planted a couple of days ago.  Adding the two support poles came just in time, as the infamous "Vail Gale" blew pretty hard last night.  The driftwood is part of Patty's collection, and is either from Alaska, or the Oregon Coast.

While at Lowes yesterday, I picked up another growy thing, and planted it in front of the house.   It's called a Dodonea Hopseed, and I liked it because of its bright green color.  If I keep planting stuff, it's going to force me to hook up all of the irrigation lines that I buried before the garage project.  Like I said before, there's no shortage of things to do around here.

With two big projects (tractor port & RV shade cover) on hold, I decided to start working on the area at the end of the deck, where it slopes down to the front of the future shade cover.  The grade drops about 3 1/2 feet from the deck, to where the motor home will be parked.  I had some blocks stacked as steps, but that was only temporary, and they all got torn out yesterday.

The first order of business was to level the area under the end of the deck, and stack the block as additional support for the deck.  Next will be the building of wooden stairs, down to a level area, that will either be concrete, or perhaps some sort of pavers.  When going to, and from the motor home, fixing this area will make the path safer, and more pleasing to the eye.  Back to Lowes today, for more materials.  I think if I were to add up all of my recent Lowes receipts, the total might be a causative factor in some sort of medical episode.  Scratch that idea, I'll just stay blissfully in the dark regarding my contributions to corporate America.

 

SWITCHING GEARS

 Miss Snoopy starts her day either in my lap, or on top of the desk.

I finished the first RV shade cover foundation/footing yesterday, adding two rows of rebar, and framing the last section with more boards.  It's now ready for concrete, but until I get a building permit, it will have to wait until an inspector takes a look, and deems it acceptable as a foundation.  I'm hoping to get the engineered plans sometime next week, and by then, the 15 day objection time frame will have passed, and I should be able to get the permit.  In the meantime, this project is on temporary hold.

The tractor port project is also on hold, until I get an approval from the H.O.A.  Building the garage roof extension will take some time, and I don't want to start that construction until I get the RV shade cover up.  So, two projects advanced as far as possible, and what to do?  Actually, there are a whole bunch of other things to be done, but one small project that had advanced to the top of the list was the planting of a tree at the corner of the house, near the garage.

I wanted an evergreen, and after some advice from the folks at Civano Nursery, decided on purchasing a Red Tip Photinia Tree.  It will withstand high heat, and more importantly, below freezing temps which we get during the colder months.  Back at the house, I carefully dug a small hole with the backhoe, making sure I didn't damage the electrical & water lines to the garage.  Once the tree was in the ground, I mixed a bag of concrete for a small planter edge, then finished the project by securing the tree with some lines, to keep it from being blown over by the wind.

The planting of a tree on Veteran's Day, somehow seemed appropriate in my mind.  Every time I walk by this tree, it will serve as a reminder of the many sacrifices rendered by our vets, and their families.  I don't always agree with our country's military engagements, but there can be no disagreement that our active duty forces, and all that have served, deserve our respect and admiration!

A KID & A CAT

When Laila stays with us, weekend mornings have been fairly predictable.  There's usually a few cartoons on the TV that are part of the routine.  Then, I always fix a bigger breakfast than someone can eat.    With the new kitty in the house, the little feline has become part of the mornings activities.  While I fixed some bacon and pancakes, I snapped this picture of the little girls, as one was trying to watch a cartoon.  I must have counted a half dozen times where Laila would retrieve Snoopy from one of the bedrooms, carry her to the sofa, only to have the kitty disappear once again.  When the TV commercials would come on, that seemed to be the right time to go and find the cat.  Maybe if the cartoon Tom & Jerry had been on the tube, the kitty might have had a little more interest. 

Marc & Chandra arrived at about 10am to pick up Laila, and I went back to work on the first shade cover footing.  It wasn't long after they left, that I ran out of the 16 foot 2x6's, and made a trip to Lowes for several more.

Today, I'll finish framing the footing, and lay the two rows of half inch rebar into the trench.  Then, I have to make a decision.    This first scenario is most likely.........Wait for the permit, then pour this first footing.  The only problem is that I only need about 2 yards of concrete, and most companies have a minimum delivery of 3-5 yards.  The second course of action would be to frame up the other side, and do the concrete for both all at once.  As far as buying concrete, that makes the most sense, except for the fact that I will need to purchase the lumber, and metal concrete stakes for a second frame, rather than doing just one at a time.  Cost for buying materials for the second footing would be over $200, so at this point, not sure which one pencils out the best. I'm hoping to get the engineered drawings from the metal building company by the end of the week, and with no objections from neighboring property owners, the building permit shouldn't be too far away.

I see that Nancy posted a new blog, and commented on my blog post "New Dig" of a few days ago.  Glad to hear that she and Patty are OK, and nearing the end of their trip to Costa Rica.  They fly back to S.F. on Friday, and Patty flies back to Tucson on Sunday.

FIRST FOOTING & PIZZA

The first of the two foundation/footings for the metal building was the objective yesterday.  I started digging the trench closest to the house with the backhoe, and finished it with some good old fashioned labor at the end of a shovel.  When I had the small ditch pretty close to level, I started framing the 12"x12"x48' footing for the concrete pour, which will hopefully happen in a week or two.

Between the noise of the tractor, and my IPOD stuffed in both ears, plus the fact that my hearing isn't the greatest, recognizing the cell phone ring in my pocket was truly a miracle.  But, somehow I did hear it, and answered a call from Marc, as I was getting close to finishing for the day.  He wanted to take Chandra out for a nice dinner, and wanted to know if Laila could spend the night.  Of course, the answer was yes, with the stipulation that pizza was on the dinner menu.  A good pizza was long overdue, and with the physical exercise exerted earlier in the day, it was easy to rationalize a less than healthy meal.   A new pizza restaurant had just opened in Vail, and it was the choice for dinner.  Laila and I drove into town, picked up our Italian pies, and by the time we were finished, decided that it was pretty good.  A little TV with my Grand Daughter snuggled at my side, was the end of a pretty darn good day.

A NEW DIG

Having finished the "small wall" that will support the extended garage roof for the tractor port, that project is now on hold.  Yesterday, I pivoted back to the area on the north side of the house, where the RV shade cover will eventually be built.  Before digging the two trenches (footings) that will be filled with concrete, and support the walls of the metal shade cover, I needed to start the process of moving the 50 amp electrical service, and the water connection.

Currently, there's a 50 amp plug, and water spigot next to the house, but with the motor home pulled straight into the yet to be built shade cover, those services would both be on the wrong side of the RV.  So, digging an 18 inch deep trench from the existing connections, approx. 25 feet out to where the left side of the new building will be, was the first order of business yesterday.

With the new dig completed, I glued the electrical conduit, and the pvc water lines together, laying them in the new trench.  With the outside ends near where they will be against the north wall of the RV structure, and the other ends near where they will connect with the existing services, I back filled the trench, and can now start construction of the two 48 foot long frames for the two concrete footings/foundations.  I can't pour any concrete into the footings, as they must first be inspected by the county, as one of the conditions of the building permit, which I don't even have............yet.
In order to keep up with the anticipated delivery, and construction of the new building in a few weeks, I've got to keep moving forward, keeping an optimistic frame of mind.  Less than a week to go before I should be able to get a permit.

While at Wally World the other day, I saw the "Cats Meow" device advertised on TV.  Talk about an impulse buy.  I just had to have one, thinking that the new kitty would go bananas trying to figure out this latest and greatest cat toy.  When I first turned it on, she just watched from under the bed, never even coming out to investigate. What the.....?   Later in the day, the second time I turned it one, her curiosity overcame her scardycatitis, and she tried to catch the uncatchable.  It was, and will be worth a few laughs. 

Still haven't heard from the girls.  I have to assume they're having a good time, and no news is good news. 

A SCHOOL FUNDRAISER

Chik-Fil-A is a national fast food business that specializes in a variety of chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, and other chicken related food.  Several times a year, one of the local franchises sponsors a fundraiser night for Laila's private christian school.  On a selected evening, like last night, the store donates 20% of it's profits to Laila's school.  Judging from the crowd, and lines at the registers, I have a feeling that the donation was pretty significant.  

This was the second Chik-Fil-A fundraiser  that I have attended with Marc, Chandra, & Laila.  I think the kids look forward to these events, more for the store playground, than anything associated with the chicken meals.  If I had placed a decibel meter inside the enclosed playground room, it probably would have registered an ear splitting reading!  These kids were having a blast, and their noise level was commensurate with their enthusiasm.  When our food arrived, we enjoyed some good chicken in the separate, less noisy restaurant area, and socialized with many of the parents, and teachers from the school.  

When Laila called me on the phone a few days ago, inviting me to go with them to the fundraiser, I couldn't help but think that this little girl is growing up way too fast.  Marc & Chandra's choice for Laila's school environment couldn't have been any better, and they are providing her with a solid foundation for a bright future.  Yep, not ashamed to say, I'm a proud parent, and grand parent!

DID THEY MAKE IT?

It was late Monday evening when I got a phone call from Patty, who, along with Nancy, was still at the airport in San Francisco.   By then, they were supposed to be in Costa Rica, enjoying everything associated with this Chamber of Commerce organized vacation.  Even though they boarded a bus in Sonora, CA at 4:45am, it appears that the travel agency didn't allow enough time for the trip to the airport, and the entire group of 18 missed their flight.  Some of the group stayed over at a hotel (at their expense) in S.F., while Patty and Nancy were about to get on a red eye to Miami, then a later flight to Costa Rica.  I think it's safe to say that there weren't a lot of happy campers in that group.

That's the last I heard, so I guess no news is good news, and they're both enjoying their tropical vacation.   Nancy was going to try and text, and/or send photos to Dottie Poole, who was going to forward them to me.  Not completely sure why this round a bout path is necessary, but you have to understand, that I'm still the guy with a dumb phone, so a lot of this tech stuff is above my pay grade.
 

IT'S SOLID

 This has now become a morning routine!

A full pallet of 60 pound concrete mix bags put the little trailer to the test yesterday morning, carrying over 3,000 pounds.  By the time I had mixed over 40 bags, the wall was filled with concrete, and this phase of the tractor port was finished.   With the stud brackets fixed in the concrete on top of the wall, the next step will be building the wooden support structure, that will hold the roof extension.  That will probably be on hold for awhile, as I'm about to shift back to the RV shade cover concrete footings. 

I'm about 1 week into the 15 day period, where the county has notified the Union Pacific RR, giving them the opportunity to object to my shade cover.  Stranger things have happened, but this  notice to the RR should be nothing more than a formality.  I've been reluctant to put any more site preparation work  into the shade cover, until I know I can get a building permit.  In a week or so, I should have the permit, then I'll  have to scramble, and get the 12 inch by 12 inch by 48 foot concrete footings framed and filled with concrete.  According to the metal building company, they're going to be ready to put up the structure in about 2 weeks.  I have a feeling that things are going to start moving real fast, real soon!

MORE BLOCK

An early trip to Lowes yesterday morning, and I had another load of standard 8"x8"x16" construction block.  Because my trailer isn't very big, I've tried to limit the amount of block to a maximum of 75 per load.  That's still pretty heavy at approx. 2,600 pounds.  As it turned out, it was enough block to finish this "small wall", that will serve as a foundation for the garage roof extension, and as a retaining structure.  Because the grade slopes down toward the rear of the garage, I staggered the wall to conform to the bank on the other side.

When late afternoon rolled around, I had all of the block stacked, and glued together with another form of concrete called mortar mix.  Earlier in the day, I made the mistake of first trying to use a half bag of mortar that I had in the garage.  I had forgotten that it was quick set mortar, and by the time I had it mixed with water in the wheelbarrow, it started to set up so fast, that I almost ended up with a permanent load.  By the time I scrapped the stuff out, it was already hardened, and useless.

Today, another trip to Lowes for about 40 bags of concrete mix, which I hope will be enough to fill the wall.  On another note, a little over a week to go, and hopefully, I'll be able to get a building permit for the RV shade cover. 

Patty called yesterday evening, to report that the group of 18 had missed their flight out of San Francisco, and were possibly on a red eye to Miami a little later in the evening.  Read Nancy's blog post for more details. 

THE LIQUID QUARTER MILE

 My day started with a cat in the lap.

When the boys were preteens, we first started attending the drag boat races in Central CA.  I guess you might say that drag boat racing is part of our DNA.   Back in those days, the fastest boats (top fuel hydros) went a little over 200 mph, and there was no such thing as safety capsules, or self contained breathing equipment.  A crash helmet, and a parachute strapped on the drivers back was about the extent of safety gear.  It wasn't uncommon to see lots of crashes, and unfortunately, a lot of driver injuries, and a few deaths.  The sport has made tremendous progress regarding safety, but still hasn't gained much traction with the general public.  There were a lot of empty seats at the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports facility yesterday,

 Problem Child  on it's 260 MPH pass.

The top fuel hydros are always the main attraction, and there were six at this last race of the season.  Problem Child, driven by Daryl Erlich made one of the fastest passes ever, recording a speed of 260 MPH during the first round of eliminations.  He wasn't able to back it up however, so the official speed record remains at 258 MPH.

 Rebuilding the engine in the pit of Problem Child.

 

 Marc posing with the driver of  Problem Child - Daryl Erlich.

 During qualifying on Saturday, Problem Child crashed, destroying the boat.

Unlike in the old days, this was a safe race, with no boat crashes, and most importantly, no driver injuries.   Walking around the pits, we checked out all of the boats, their massive engines, and enjoyed a bright day of sunshine, with hardly any wind.  By the time the last two top fuelers ran the final race, it was a little before 5 before we started the drive back to Tucson.  Problem Child was the champ in a thriller final where the other boat Whiskey River almost crashed, and Daryl Erlich ran out of his lane before being declared the winner.

 Two safety boats include divers, and other rescue equipment.

The diet went out the window yesterday, but this sausage sandwich, smothered in onions & peppers was delicious!

A NEW FRIEND

Finishing the concrete footing, and the first row of block was my goal yesterday morning.  Another 22 bags of concrete, and I was done by 1pm.  With the rebar horizontally in the footing/foundation, and vertical rebar sticking up through each block, it's probably overkill as far as reinforcement is concerned.  By the time I fill this small wall with concrete, it will serve as a very stable base for the wooden structure that will be attached.

Marc & Laila came out while I was still mixing concrete, and picked up the trailer to haul some yard waste to the dump.  While Marc and I were outside, Laila found Holly/Snoopy in the house, and made instant friends with her.  It's still a work in progress for me to gain the kitty's trust, but Laila seemed to get over that hurdle very quickly.

After I finished the days work on the wall, I cleaned up, and drove over to the kids house, helping Marc move our old big screen TV downstairs.  When we moved here a year ago, Laila inherited the 10 year old monster TV, and it lasted a few more months before finally calling it quits.  When we had muscled the thing down the stairs, it went outside and into the the trailer for one last journey to the happy hunting grounds for old TV's.

This morning, I'm picking up Marc at 7:30, and we're headed for the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Races in Phoenix.  We had a little rain last night, but the weather looks just about perfect for the races today.

I got a call from Patty last night, as she and Nancy are just about to start their adventure to Costa Rica.  I have a feeling that by the time she gets back in a couple of weeks, me and the little kitty will be best buddies.  I can't keep her out of my lap this morning as I'm trying to type this post.  Have fun girls!

SHE'S OFF

Patty left on a flight out of Tucson yesterday morning, first destination - Fresno, CA.  When Nancy picked her up in Fresno in the afternoon, I think they were headed to meet Barb & Tom Westerfield for dinner.  Tomorrow, she and Nancy will drive up to our old hometown of Jamestown/Sonora, and spend the night in a motel.  They have to get on a bus at 4:45 am Monday morning, thus the reason for spending the night near the start of their trip to Costa Rica.  I don't think Nancy was taking her laptop, but I did hear something about her possibly emailing me some photos of the trip.  If she does, I'll post them.

After leaving the airport, I picked up a few things at Wal Mart before returning home to pick up the trailer.  By the time I got back home from Lowes with more block, concrete, and rebar, I decided it was too late to start mixing.  I didn't want a repeat of the other day, where I had to work the mud right up to just before darkness.   I'll get an earlier start this morning, after Marc comes out to get the trailer in order to haul some yard waste and junk to the dump.  Tomorrow, he and I are headed to Phoenix to watch some drag boat racing at Wild Horse Pass Raceway (the old Firebird raceway).

PLAYING WITH MUD

When it's mixed with water, it kind of looks like mud, but the proper name is concrete.  The one thing about this miraculous mud, is the fact that it knows no hours or minutes.  It dries on it's own schedule, and it you're not prepared to stay with it, what you end up with may not be what you intended.

Returning about mid day from Lowes (I should own Lowes stock), with 140 feet of half inch rebar, 30 sacks of premixed concrete, and 20 blocks, I started working on the foundation for the "small wall".  With 2 rows of rebar inside the frame, I began the routine of dumping 2 bags at a time into my cement mixer.  From the mixer, into the wheelbarrow, then into the foundation frame, was the sequence for the next several hours.  When the concrete had dried sufficiently, I layed the first row of block, with vertical rebar pounded through the concrete, into the ground.

By the time I had mixed the last 2 bags of concrete, the sun was setting, and I had just about run out of time.   I was able however, to get 31 feet of concrete & block on the ground before darkness became the dominant player.  I've got about 17 feet to go, and the footing, with the first row of block will be finished.  That should be completed by the end of today.

Patty starts her latest travel adventure today with a flight from Tucson to Phoenix to Fresno.  Nancy will pick her up in Fresno, then the two of them depart from San Francisco, for 2 weeks in Costa Rica, leaving S.F. on the 4th.  They have to be in Sonora, CA at 4:45am on the 4th, for the bus ride to the airport.  I'm an early riser, but that's definitely what I call "O dark thirty".  I'll be home alone with the new kitty, and lots of work to do.  Maybe I should temporarily re title the blog - "Home Improvement By Chance".