Odd Jobs Week

This week is a week of touch up jobs! The first one we tackle is to rebuild the back door. It was not done correctly when the last reno was done – no weatherproof threshold, no header, no door frame – the door was fastened directly to the rough stud opening and used make shift door stops and weather stripping that rubbed on the concrete floor! Once the ‘old’ door was removed, of course, nothing is as easy as it could be – the concrete is not level so some shimming is necessary. We put the door into the new frame, placed it in the re-built rough stud opening, shimmed it and squared it up. Now it works better, is more solid and is weather proof! Can you believe that it took us the better part of a day! Wow.

 

 

We still have mounds of clay laying around and that is my fault – I told the contractor that we are not in a rush to have it taken away and he could do it on his schedule – I was just hoping to get a better price. Anyway, I decided to break up an old concrete step that was hidden under the old deck at the front of the house. I managed to ‘get’r done and yes, I did sleep well Monday night. Anyway, Barb I and used the broken concrete to help fill the sump pump trench and then used some of the clay to back fill the remainder. While I was slashing away at the concrete, Barb was busy building raised garden boxes so we can plant some fresh vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

We are having the crawl space foundation insulated with spray foam on Thursday so we have to focus on all the small jobs that need to be done ahead of the foaming. We have to take a second and third look at items that will be fastened to the exterior crawl space wall so we do not have to chip any of it out down the road when something else has to be installed like plumbing vents.

Thursday, Randy & Norma came by for a day of Fast Track. This is the game they taught us last year when we were at Olympia Village. After a few games of being beaten by the ladies, the guys suggested we go out for lunch and headed off to He’s Not Here, a local pub eatery that we have enjoyed in the past, We started out in beautiful sunshine on their patio but when lunch was over, it was cold and cloudy, brrrrrr….. Another few games and still, the guys couldn’t muster a charge – the day wasn’t long enough for us to get even!

 

On Friday, we just don’t have enough to do and when we take a look around, we stand back and pass judgement on the soon to be kitchen windows. They do not have proper headers, proper sills and no jack studs to hold the improper header. So, we decided to ‘make it right’ – I know, we watch too much DIY TV! Took out one window and installed a proper stud wall with a proper rough stud opening for a framed window. The taking out of the ‘other guys’ reno work was way too much work. He must have used a couple of tubes of caulking and a can of spray foam insulation as well as very long screws! I think it took us longer to remove and clean up than it did to build a new RSO and frame. But once done and foamed, all is good but the day has run out on us so we’ll tackle the other one next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday was a special day for us – 70 years ago on June 4th, my older 2 brothers drowned in a tour boating accident off the shores of Port Stanley near London. A friend alerted us of an unveiling of a memorial monument on June 7, 2014 to remember the 17 deaths of that fateful tour boat cruise. Barb & I and Terri & Mark drove down to be a part of the unveiling of the memorial and were pleasantly greeted by my other brothers and some of their families along with about 50 other people. It was a very moving tribute and of course, we were invited to take any pictures we needed. This picture is of my other brothers, Doug and Larry and my wonderful wife included Bobby & Donny on the rocks where the cruise boat departed from on June 4th, 1944. Years ago, my Mom told me that if they had not drowned, there was a good chance I would not have been born – now that is a sobering thought which does not go unnoticed by Terri. After, we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon and evening at our nieces, Melissa & Paul’s drinking some cool ones, having some fine appetizers, more cool ones and of course dinner. Larry, was non-committal about coming down but he surprised Barb & I at the ceremony and we had some good laughs with him at dinner too.

 

 

Well, that was a snapshot into our past week and we hope all is good where you are….