Where to begin?

Well, the most important thing going on is that a neighbor and friend, who has suffered from emphysema for as long as we have known her, was given 1-2 years to live unless she gets a lung transplant. Lots of tears shed there.

There aren't any pictures from the caboose project because most everybody went on a 4 hour road trip to get some rare but vital parts. I stayed behind and vacuumed the caboose because there are going to be people touring in two weeks. This DOES mean however, that I get a month respite from paint grinding! (It was too hot to do it Saturday)

Due to the previously mentioned water leak in the garage, I have been on a cleaning binge, both here and out at the coast. I can see the floor again! Lots of stuff recycled, and thrown away. One of the nice things about getting older is that I no longer keep things "Because I might use it someday" and instead, when I find one of those previously saved items, I can toss, recycle or find a new home for it.

HOWEVER, in the process of cleaning out at the coast, I was making many trips to the garbage can when my eyes wandered to a 2X6 board that holds up some roofing over the cans. "Is that a bit of dry rot?" I guess it's best that I looked, however, this is what I found after poking around.

I was pondering whether to replace the boards myself, or call our favorite contractor for a short little job. My problem was that a 16' board was needed and I don't have a way to get it here unless I borrow a truck. Hassle, but as I left the house, who was parked next door? None other than favorite contractor! So we (he) did the job this afternoon.

Remember the century plant? Here is a picture from about July 4th.

And here is a shot just before I cut it down.

And here is a gratuitous shot of some of the landscaping Moonrabbit has been working on. I just hauled the rock, and made gopher baskets.

Caboose milestone

One of the last big pieces of the truck assembly. I was torn away from stripping, to take pictures for a bit.


Meanwhile, high on a ladder inside the caboose, paint stripping has moved from the "relatively" pleasant heat stripping to the distinctly unpleasant grinding removal. Despite goggles, respirator, cap and long sleeve shirt (in warm temps) I emerge every 10-20 minutes looking like a green tinged raccoon.

Other things birthers believe

My neck hurts from shaking my head.

Check THIS out.

What's next?

On the theory that things go in threes, yesterday the Odessey had a dead battery because an interior light in the back had been turned on, and we didn't drive it for a couple of days. This morning, Moonrabbit, at the last second before leaving for the morning, took something out to the garage and found a cracked water fitting spewing water and soaking a lot of stuff. It could have been MUCH worse, and the garage may get a bit of cleaning as a result , but WHAT'S GOING ON? I can't imagine any reason for this fitting to suddenly crack.

At least it was cheap and easy to fix.

Rub a Dub Tub caboose update

So last week it was determined that our ancient claw foot tub was WAY past due for refurbishment. Fortunately, the bathtub refurbishing guy is only about 2 blocks from our house and was open on Saturday and Sunday. So I spent Saturday afternoon uninstalling the tub, and with the help of my neighbor the artist, we got it out to the front porch. Sunday, about noon the refurbisher hauled it away. We got a call later in the week that he could deliver it on Friday, which he did along with some tips on reinstallation.

I call them "plumbing days" and I hate them. I have found plumbing days require a minimum of three trips to the hardware store and some kind of angst. This took four. Who would have guessed that you could not buy a replacement washer for the braided stainless steel water supply lines, but instead, you have to buy a whole new line? Or that two other washers that were worn and needed to be replaced, would have to be fashioned from new washers cut down from a larger size?

So all in all I was a little sore for my 4 hours of paint stripping on the caboose the next day. I did a few other things as a break and because I finished the "worst" of the paint stripping. This is actually not good news. I have finished the beams with their copious amounts of paint that could be easily taken off with a heat gun. What remains is the ceiling, with less paint, that needs to be sanded off. Oh won't THAT be fun?

These are bolsters, they sit on the springs of the trucks. One more iron piece goes where the lads are drilling, and that is where one end of the caboose sits.
This large heavy piece of iron is attached to the underside of the caboose and is where the missing piece of the bolster sits. I hope I don't have to put it back on. (Sorry I'm busy stripping paint!) I'm guessing they took it off to fabricate another one since the caboose only came with one and needs two.
Other guys are working on the cat walk. There is one more board than shown. The catwalk jogs around the cupola. Must have been fun in the show or rain!

Work on the new cabinets is progressing, delayed occasionally by visitors.