At Random

 1.

Dan and I attended the Northern Stage production of  this play on Tuesday night.

We were maskless as Vermont has removed mask requirement for vaccinated folks.  The theater was outside and created for this their first production since Covid hit last year. It opened June 9th and is closing July 4th.  We have tickets for the next production: Million Dollar Quartet in August.

It was wonderful to be in a theatre again.  The play was very funny and only 97 minutes long with no intermission.  It was very timely with references to the pandemic and closures of theaters.  Amazingly enough they covered all of Shakespeare's plays with only 3 actors.

2.

Smaller lakes in New England are called ponds.  If this were in Maryland where we moved from it would be a lake.  Anyway it's a great swimming spot. 

We were there on a hot day on Wednesday and then again on a cool day on Thursday.

Granddaughters have swim lessons all this month every week day.  We swam too on the hot day but sat it out on the cool day.

3.

Sand came on Friday morning by this dump truck.  He was in a hurry and drove much faster than our stomachs could take.  He didn't hit the house, thankfully.

This excavator arrived too and went to work, moving some sand but mostly digging the hole for the concrete pier I showed last post.

He moved the pier with the excavator to the hole.

It's in and supporting the beam for the barn.

So nice to see progress being made daily.

Doubting No Longer

Several weeks ago we doubted whether the barn guy would even honor his commitment. He never showed up despite his statements he'd be here. But we are doubting no longer.

That 4 wheeled Bobcat drove in this morning with our barn whisperer at the helm.  It will be used to move sand once that's delivered.

 

Before that can happen the foundations have to be rebuilt of stone and pressure treated lumber. And at some point the precast pier or footer resting on the back of this truck needs to be placed between the two bays which requires a four foot hole to be dug.

The barn whisperer brought in help today - a young man who he mentored as an Eagle Scout. He definitely has the biceps to help. As I write he is leveling stones under the barn sides for the foundation. 

6 x 6 pieces of pressure treated lumber are being hammered on top of the stones to support the barn.

In other developments the carpenter has not shown up all week though has been communicating by email. 

Apparently he had a deck to finish for the 4th which he didn't plan his time well for.

Below is the step out of the slider.

We have shortened the length of the deck but rather than replacing only the decayed decking we are redoing the whole top.  The supports are fine.

In opening up the stairs on the deck rotted wood was found on clapboards and foundation that hadn't seen the light of day since deck was constructed 30 years ago.  That has been partially fixed.  

All the potted plants I had on the deck are gathered together in that patch to the left of what was the stairs.

All we can do is wait as we do for the tree/landscape company who did come and trim trees along the driveway a week ago. There is so much more that we contracted for them to do.

 And the flooring repair we have been promised for more than a month. I wrote again this morning but heard nothing back.

Is this the downside of being relatively patient nice customers?

The Barn Guy is ...

... a barn whisperer if there is such a thing.

He showed up today early and in the heat has been working all day.

Progress being made.

I can see him from my desk and his shirt is drenched.  He is not a young guy, thankfully because that means he's done this before.  That's not to say someone younger couldn't do this but experience is an important qualification for restoring a 100 + year old barn.

Barn Update

 The guy working on our barn has actually been at work though as I write this on Tuesday afternoon we haven't seen him yet this week.  But he has been here three times now with the last time being last Friday from early morning to dusk.

Saturday morning I took these photos.  His first goal is to level the barn.  The right side had sunk 6 inches so. he has it almost there, just 2 inches shy.  It's like a Lincoln log set being used to lift this end of the barn.  I don't understand it really but it's working.

Above - see the vertical section separating the two open bays.

Below can you see that section off the ground?

Now can you see it off the ground? Notice what I call Lincoln logs?

Here's the right side of the barn also with Lincoln logs lifting.

Notice the varying sized shims used on the back side to hold it up.  Also there's no real foundation of rocks right now.  Once he gets it to level he will be digging a 4 foot footer and building the foundation.

The supports could be a sculpture.

Don't know when he'll return.

We are having a heat event here though not as hot as the Pacific Northwest. The carpenter working on the deck and such is a no show.  That's another story for another post.