Archive for July, 2007
Sunday, July 22nd, 2007
Friday was the day the fellas left. I got home to an empty driveway. I actually felt a little lonely. I was getting quite used to all the action with building the porch and all. Oh well…I am sure I can think of another project to do. This is what rich people in Westchester do. (All I need now is to be rich) They are at home all day with their six nannies and one kid, so they think of projects to get workers over their houses. We saw this a lot when we used to cut down trees in that area. You think I’m joking…
Anyway, the roof is on and shingled, the railings are up and the stairs are in. Even the concrete pad at the bottom of the stairs is poured. As per our agreement, they left some stuff for me to do. I had (have) to patch up the siding, put the gutters back up, fix up the inside peak, seal the wood, put up some flashing for behind the gutters and a bunch of other stuff. I already fixed all the siding, did the flashing, put some boards under the deck to keep the dog from getting all tangled up and put up one side of the gutters. I actually did a nice job. I still have to do a bunch more, but it’s getting there.
Here are some photos…
To help me with all the stuff, I bought a sweet ass ladder. It’s one of those Gorilla Ladders that transforms from a step ladder into a 19′6″ straight ladder. This has been a huge help because outside, I need almost the full length, but inside, that would never fit. I flip it around to make it either a short or tall step ladder. Those things really are a good idea.
Oh yeah…duh…I also have to put up the screening and the screen door.
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Thursday, July 19th, 2007
When I left for work this morning, I noticed a few extra trucks parked along the road. Laura and I just looked at one another. There were quite a few people here today. Three of them were the regulars and the four additional ones were the roofers. Yeah, that’s right…we had roofers over.
Completed today was the plywood on the roof, the tar paper, the water block stuff for the joins between the new porch roof and the existing roof, the concrete pad for the bottom of the stairs and the beginnings of the railings. There was a huge thunderstorm today, so they had to leave a little early. What is with that? All summer long, it doesn’t rain…the minute I try to get something done that’s weather dependant…thunder storms.
Whatever…here are the photos for today. I think they will be done tomorrow. That’s not bad for this semi-large project.
I like this view. If you walk out the sliding glass door and look to the right towards Tim’s crib, it would look like this. I just can’t believe how nicely this is coming out. As you can see, they also put up little angle pieces for strength. That was one of the things I kept mentioning that was important to me.
The roofers did a really nice job feathering the new shingles in to the existing ones. Also, the plywood on the ground has the concrete pad for the stairs under it.
Here is a view from the back. This is good, because the old deck was absolutely miserable to look at from this angle.
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Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
It’s always a good time when the peaches are ready to eat.
Last summer, our peach tree gave us about a million peaches. We ate them all and had juice dripping all over the place. The things were awesome. Then, I was sitting there watching TV one day and I saw a show telling me how to prune a peach tree. I followed their advice and this year, we have about 10 peaches. Hmmm…I am beginning to think that I should’ve just left it alone. Actually, I think that peaches only grow on old growth. There is tons of new growth on our tree, therefore, next year will be a blockbuster year for peaches. Well, that’s what I keep telling myself anyway.
I was walking around outside this afternoon, when I noticed that our 10 peaches had a bunch more color than they did yesterday. Maybe it was the rain last night. I started squeezing some of them and came across a bruised, but soft, one. I picked that sucker and bit in to it. Mmmmm. Nice and sweet…just like I like it. I have my eye on a big one out there and will give it a check in the morning. If the deer don’t eat it tonight, I will bring it to work with me.
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Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
I came home today to a little surprise…the guys came over and did some work. I am not sure who made it, but the roof framing was finished. Also, the boards holding the walls steady were taken down. I think the roof keeps the walls sturdy.
This morning, I agreed to the price they gave me for the railings. I know I can do them quite easily, but I have other things on my mind. I need to do a bunch of things on my sites as well as call the gutter guy to fix up the gutters after the porch is done. I need to order 10 yards of mulch and spread it around the back yard. I also need to fix up the siding and plant some bushes and shrubs. Lastly, I think, I need to order about 8 yards of crushed shale and spread it out under the porch. Then, really lastly, I need to install lattice around the perimeter of the porch, so the dog doesn’t get all caught up down there.
Well, here are some photos of today’s work…
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Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
I always write my posts with a purpose. I thought it would be nice to “not” for once.
So anyway, I was talking to my brother, Jeff, the other day on my way to work. We were talking and talking. I think he was telling me about the progress he is making on his Ford Mustang restoration. By the way, he sent some more photos for me to post. Maybe I will get to that today. I have had them sitting in my inbox for about a week. Sometimes I prefer to sit here and do nothing and complain about it.
I think I mentioned something about our cousin, Joey. I told Jeff that I missed hanging out with him and that I think the last time I saw him was at our other cousin, Jessica’s wedding down on Long Island. Joey and I always have a good time. We can go on and on with stories from when we used to hang out. Joey is a very funny guy and one of my favorite people. It’s really a shame that we don’t get together more.
Jeff used to hang out with Joey a lot too, back in the day. They both drove Volkwagen Rabbits and went everywhere together. Joey lived in Bethel (now lives in Danbury), CT and we lived in Brewster, NY. Back to the point. Jeff said that it would be good to see Joey again so I played a little Cupid. I called Joey and gave him Jeff’s cell phone number. Jeff drives up from Virginia to Hartford, CT for work quite often, so the reunion might be possible.
In other news, Laura and I went for a little walk yesterday. Since the porch is under construction, we have to walk the dog for her to do her duty. I mentioned that I would like to start going up to Sam’s Point in the morning for the six mile walk up the cliff and around the lake. I said that if I only worked for myself, I would do this every day to keep my sanity. I think the self employed need to adhere to a schedule. If not, you go bonkers.
Lastly, Laura and I are going up to Tanglewood this Saturday night for the “All-Beethoven Program.” This time, we are going to do it right…candles, blanket and a basket full of food. We ain’t fooling around. I hope the weather is good for the show, since we will situated on the lawn. The show starts at 8:30PM.
It’s kind of rainy today, so the guys building the porch couldn’t come.
Peace out.
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Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
I came home today to see a good chunk of the upper part of the screened in porch framed in. Please Jay…stop writing…just show the damn pictures. Ok, ok…I will. Right after I write a few things first.
The guys are using 4″x4″s as the vertical beams to hold up the roof. They are located after 4 feet on center. This is good because it will be easy for me to attach the 4 foot wide screen and trim.
Darren said that tomorrow they are going to finish framing the roof and pour the concrete pad for the bottom of the steps. Also, he is going to give me a price on the railings and if I agree, they can get them done. They will also do a few odds and ends, along with placing the plywood on the roof joists. Then, Thursday, they are going to tar paper and shingle the roof and finish up.
Ok, here are the photos…
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Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
Hmmmm…what am I going to do next? As you may have noticed, I need to have a steady flow of personal projects to keep me happy and motivated in life. I am very high maintenance.
I remember back in Henry H. Wells Middle School in Brewster, NY, I started learning my first foreign language…French. I took French for three years in middle school and then Spanish for one year in Brewster High School. I never thought the French language stuck with me very much, but to my surprise, I kept inserting French words in to my Spanish. Oh well, I guess I am tri-lingual. Yeah, right. I virtually know nothing in either language, but at least I know enough English to be harshly critical of other people’s grammar. Thanks mom.
Later on, I took one more year of Spanish during my 3 1/2 year stay at Westchester Community College. I am not sure I retained any of that either.
I always wondered why, on the first day of class, the teacher has to walk in blurting out ten minutes of trash in another language. How does that help anyone? All it ever did for me was to completely turn me off and make me think that I would never learn what they were going to try to teach. Also, why do they find people who’s native language is the language you are trying to learn? I have the hardest time trying to learn the language, but also trying to decipher the person’s accent just puts me over the edge. How about a nice clear instructor who speaks perfect English with a nice English introduction. Then, slowly move into the language you will be learning. That would put me at ease.
I remember I was taking an accounting class at Westchester Community College. I had to drop it (or maybe I failed it) because I couldn’t understand a word through the thick accent of the Indian instructor. He was probably a genious, but that didn’t do me any good.
This has nothing to do with anything, but I just feel like telling you this, as long as I am on a roll. For the longest time, I would fail any math class I would take. I had sucky instructor after sucky instructor. I started to think it was me. Well, I guess I always thought it was me. Well, the strange thing is…the first class (College Algebra) I took with Dr. Rick Dilsizian, I got an A. Yes, an A. Can you believe it? We covered the same amount of material as in all the other classes, but this guy did a bunch of extra things that made learning a lot easier. I couldn’t believe it one day when he handed back a bunch of exams and I was the only one in the entire class who scored 100%. This is coming from a guy who failed every other math class he ever took. So thanks Rick.
I guess my point is this…the instructor and type of instruction matters. Probably more than how smart and capable the instructor is. They gotta get the stuff across to the student.
I have done some research on how to learn to speak Spanish. I wasn’t too impressed with what I found. Laura has a Spanish book sitting on a shelf at home. I might as well just chuck that thing through a window. I learned more in five days in Punta Cana than I did in all my classes. That doesn’t say much for the classes.
I saw a commercial on TV the other day for Rosetta Stone Language Learning. They seem to have a nice tactic on how to get the information absorbed into the student’s head. I took a look at the online demo and was impressed. They mix listening, repeating and visuals. It worked for me. I think I might order the first CD…Spanish (Latin America) Level 1. The only problem is that I have no one to talk to…to keep it in my head. Laura is taking another Spanish class in school next semester, so maybe we will make an effort to be bi-lingual.
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Monday, July 16th, 2007
I was a little nervous this morning leaving people at the house to work when I wasn’t there. I have a problem with fearing the worst. Maybe I should work for the CIA or something. I’m sure they have room for some more paranoid people.
Anyway, I left and worked the day just fine. I wanted to come home to something I could inspect. I did. I knew at least the bottom (the deck part) would be built on our new screened in porch.
I pulled in the driveway and immediately walked around to the side of the house to see a nice straight and level deck built upon six 6″x6″ posts. I got level with the surface of the deck and saw that it was perfectly straight, with no waves whatsoever. Wow. I can be pretty handy at times, but I am sure I could not have pulled that off in any fashion.
Here, take a look at some screened in porch photos (well, almost)…
This is the “deck” part of the porch. I have come to the conclusion that the deck is the bottom part and the porch is the whole thing with the roof. I may be wrong, so please correct me if I am. The dimensions of this new screened in porch will be 16′ out from the house and 20′ wide. I think it is actually 19′6″ wide. That’s fine with me. It is still bigger than the last one.
This is a picture of the 12″ concrete footer. There are six of these, so this thing is plenty strong. They are 42″ deep. That’s code for our area. The last deck only had three 8″ footers and measured 14′ out from the house and about 18′ wide. Those footers were only about 1 1/2′ deep. Inspection? What inspection? Paul and I were talking about snow on the roof this morning. I don’t see the weight of the snow to be a problem with this type of strength.
I thought I would grab a shot of the edge of the deck here. This is the opposite end of what’s attached to the house. I like the idea of overhanging each edge about a foot. The first three footers measure 8′ out from the house, on center. The second set of footers measure 15′ out from the house, on center, which gives a nice overhang. As you can see (well almost), there are two sets of double 2″x12″ beams. I guess you would call these girders? Anyway, there are two 2″x12″ girders…one set at the first set of the footers and the other set at the second. They notched out the 6″x6″s and used a 2″x6″ to hold the girder in. I like that idea.
Here is a better shot of what I am talking about. You can see the joists in there resting and nailed on top of the girder.
Ok, now for up against the house. I was telling Paul this morning that, when purchasing the house, the inspector told me that the deck wasn’t securely bolted (enough) to the house. Because of that, I went out and picked up some nuts, washers and bolts and did the job myself. I suppose the building code has gotten a bit more strict since the time they built the first deck, because there is a lag bolt in between each and every joist this time around. Also, there is nice copper flashing nailed to the house before the 2″x10″ was nailed to it. The round semi-cut out portion you see to the right is the dryer outlet hole. Also, nice joist hangers were used to secure the joists to the header.
Maybe they are called headers, not girders.
I just took this picture to show you how level the top of the deck is…with no waves. I could’ve gone surfing on the old deck, it was so wavy. I like this one better.
They already took the almost 40′ gutter off the back of the house, so I am thinking tomorrow will bring the roof section. I am hoping, anyway. Oh don’t worry, there will be more pictures.
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Saturday, July 14th, 2007
The post we have all been waiting for…the Punta Cana beach wedding!!! Or were you just waiting for the last Punta Cana post? Hmmm…yeah, I know. Well, this is the last one.
Remember way back when I told you we actually went to Punta Cana for a reason? Well, this was it…to watch Kim and Matt get married on the beach.
I love beach weddings. They are so simple and fun. There is rarely any stress for any of the guests. You can even go barefooted if you want. Well, I would ask first about that one.
Anyway, here are some of the photos with a few captions…
This is Kim and her father walking down the sand aisle.
I took this photo of Kim and Matt after the ceremony. I had some of the ceremony itself, but they all had people in their bathing suits standing in the background. Remember, if you are planning on having a beach wedding, the beach is still open to the public.
The photos above are Kim and Matt in some striking poses. There was a real photographer there, not just me.
Hey, who’s that stealing the show? It’s me!!! That’s right, I was there too.
Here is the infamous family shot. What, Jay is not allowed in? Yeah right.
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Saturday, July 14th, 2007
I know what you are asking yourself…I know. You are asking, “Where the heck at the pool pictures?” Ahh, yes, here they are.
Actually, I only have three of them and they aren’t that great. For the sake of documentation, I will post them now.
There is one pool at this particular resort. It is really cool. There are two sections…one that is about six feet deep and one that is about three feet deep. Some of the edges are like a beach with no sand. I mean they slope into the water like a beach does, as opposed to an edge, like many other pools.
Call me shy, but I was never one of those people who could approach a strange pool and jump right in, especially when there are a bunch of people staring at me. Laura and I did most of our swimming after the pool closed at 7PM. Everyone was out of the water and probably taking showers back in their rooms. This is also after the pool dude comes by and dumps some chemicals in the water. There is a semi-good reason for our madness.
Take a look at some of these pictures above. You can’t see it, but there is a bar right at the pool. You don’t even have to get out of the water. You can stand there all day and drink of you want to…and many people do. Isn’t it funny how proud people get because of the amount of alcohol they drink? Anyway, here’s the thing. Some of these people at this pool bar are absolute drunks. You can sit there and watch them drink all day. After a few hours, you will most likely ask yourself, “Where the heck are these people peeing?” Yeah, nuff said.
Otherwise, the pool is very clean and very nice. There was also plenty of room for people to jump right in, if they were so inclined.
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