Very Cool Parts

Visit our community sponsor

Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Page 3 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 81 to 120 of 172

Thread: Casey Cabin

  1. #81
    Senior Member Presto51's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Catonsville, Maryland
    Posts
    578
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by MRSQSL View Post
    Clearly you've never seen the hardware selection at McFadden-Dale. Hee, hee.
    Julie get out of the stud section before Mike finds out

    Ron
    "May you be in heaven a full half hour before the Devil knows you're dead"

  2. #82
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    I don't know why Mike hates me and never posts pictures. Sigh.

    IMG_0882.jpg

  3. #83
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    I haven't figured out how to resize pictures, so sorry you have to click on that link thing.

    So this weekend was interesting. We got up to the cabin late Friday and went to bed. Saturday morning Mike continued with his wall replacing while I began on the flooring. Peel and stick tile is much easier than I thought it would be. I was pretty scared at first, but have decided I could do this for a living. Wait, no. I'm not GOOD at it, I just like it. I did all the full sized tiles from the center of the room out. The edges would be complicated so I stopped. Apparently Mike assumed I could figure it out and persuaded me to use scissors and try. I used every brain muscle I could muster to figure out how to make the cuts and have been quite pleased with the progress. I have no pictures, but Mike does. That won't help since he isn't posting them on here anymore. Sad face. I don't know that I love the pattern we picked out, but it isn't horrible and it sure makes the kitchen look clean and new.

    Mike occasionally loves me (despite never posting pictures). I had two painted rocks he had given me which I wanted to mount over the stove. I suggested last weekend that he find a way to do it. Sure enough, he surprised me Friday night with two handmade rock holders. I now have a rock raccoon and a rock bear watching me cook when I use the stove/oven. Yay!!!!!! I guess he bent some hydraulic tubing and painted it and it all looks nifty.

    Saturday evening we had a huge party at one of the cabins. As far as I can tell, it was 28 people. That doesn't sound like a large amount until you remember how small the cabins are. It was a ton of fun with delicious food and the nicest people. At 9:00 we all headed over to the small observatory a few miles down a gated road. I don't know if I posted about it previously, but we had a dog show up on our doorstep which turned out to belong to the guy that takes care of the observatory. As a thank you for saving his pooch, he invited us to the observatory. A couple of the cabin peeps ran into him recently and he officially extended the invitation to all cabin owners. I doubt he'll do that again. I don't think he expected such a large group. Anyway, he opened the little door thing and spun the big observatory dome, tilted the telescope and there we had Saturn. I was truly amazed. I've never seen another planet (at least not that I'm aware of). Kind of puts things into perspective. Anyway, we stayed late into the evening. Once Saturn was too close to the horizon, he turned the telescope towards the moon. I wasn't in the room when that happened, but I was able to see a pic Aly took later. Very impressive. So, the observatory people claim they'll invite us back again (smaller group next time) and I'm hoping we get selected to be a part of it. I'd love to spend more time learning about astronomy and they are amazing teachers.

    We worked on our respective projects Sunday, but had to leave early to take Alyssa back to college. It was easier this time, but still very difficult. I've talked to her a couple times over the last two days and she seems to be enjoying school life again. I especially miss her in the evenings. She used to run errands with me and now I'm all by my lonesome again. Steve has too much homework and very little desire to hang out with his mother in public.

    Projects for the next cabin trip include finishing the floor and restoring the deck. Mike ripped it all apart and discovered everything needs to be replaced. Dan has been kind enough to agree to meet up with his big truck so we can put all those long pieces of wood in it. Would be too hard with our truck. Thank you Dan!!

    If you live in So Cal or will be visiting and didn't see it on the Coupe thread, we are having an engine pulling party here on Oct 4. Everyone is welcome.

  4. #84
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Jackson, MS
    Posts
    44
    Post Thanks / Like
    It is really looking nice. It will be fantastic when all done!

  5. #85
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    I'm afraid it'll never be all done. Sigh.

    Project for the week? Deck. I'd add deck builder to my resume, but I'm pretty sure I don't want a job doing that. Well that and I'm not really great at it. By the time I arrived Friday night, Mike had the remainder of the old deck dismembered and in a pile. It was too dark to do anything else, so ate and unpacked and went to bed.

    Saturday morning our friend Bill arrived around 8 and work began. Let me first say Dan was nice enough to meet Mike with his truck on Friday. This truck is amazing and can hold at least 6 elephants and a water buffalo. He had 100 blocks in the back. I forget the exact weight, but something like 3600 lbs as well as 30-something 16' redwood planks and other assorted pieces of wood. The truck made it up the hill like a champ. Anyway, I figured it would take a couple hours to have the piers down and the framing mostly completed. I was wrong. It took forever. I'm not complaining and I didn't do much to help with this portion (probably why it took so long). Much of it was spent in discussion because three men had three different plans for the ONE deck and compromises had to be struck. Honestly, I never fully understood what any of the plans entailed. I just smiled and nodded.

    Thankfully this was a three day weekend. Day 2 had us all shuffling off to breakfast before tackling the frame once again. At some point in the afternoon, the first deck board was attached. That was a happy moment. I don't want to make it sound as if I sat around eating bon bons while the men folk worked. No. Dan and I spent a large chunk of the morning (Saturday, I believe) moving and water treating the 16' planks. He was tall and strong enough to get them off the rack enough so that I could yank my end out of the sky and wander over to the sawhorses with it. We could do about 6 in a batch. I'd lather them all up with Thompson's water seal (which may or may not have been in a large can in the garage for approximately 20 years) and then we'd move them over to an ingenious little stack Dan came up with. I'm sure he wasn't the inventor, but it was his idea that day and a brilliant one at that. Put all the wood on it's side on blocks (yes some of the ones from his truck) and then use smaller pieces of wood on which we could stack future layers. I didn't describe that well. He had a name for it. Something about "sticks". Anywho, it took hours and I can't thank Dan enough for helping with that. If he hadn't, the deck wouldn't be anywhere near as far along as it is. Mike and Bill were off playing in Victorville (getting more supplies) which takes several hours due to the enormous amount of stoplights.

    Okay, so back to Sunday. I had only slathered three sides of the wood so Bill and Mike laid a plank and used nails to space out the width for the next plank. They'd screw that in and repeat. The boards were going in "upside down" so that the unslathered portion was on top. We didn't know if we were going to stain or paint or what. Mike had gotten stain, but when I did a test piece, I didn't like the color. Too yellow. Bill and my mom left that afternoon, but only about half of one side of the deck had planking. I ran to the store and got some sandwiches and returned to find I was assigned to Bill's position. We'd bring a plank over and plop it down and then screw it in. Sounds easy, right? NOOOOOOO! No, it isn't. It's hard for me. All this construction and mechanic stuff is hard for me. You men all make it look so easy. Jerks (meant in a loving way). Problem 1: Bill's drill thing doesn't work for me. The one Mike was using is what I'm used to. Squeeze the button and the metal portion on the front spins. Squeeze the button on Bill's and nothing happens other than a noise that implies something is spinning. I handed it to Mike with my pouty face showing and he explained it has some sort of clutch or something in it (I wasn't really 100% certain and I was distracted by a bird behind him). He told me it would work as soon as I applied pressure. Pouty face. I applied pressure, but the screw went flinging off to the side and I lost all control of the drill. Pouty face. No. I won't use it. Mike rolled his eyes and we switched drilling utensils. Problem 2: How do you get a screw to stay standing without touching it? I had multiple fails before Mike told me to touch it. The head or shoulder or foot or ankle or whatever is smooth so that you can hold it while you start it. How can it be that I'm 39 years old and this is the first I'm hearing of this feature?

    I forgot to mention we unloaded all those bricks from Dan's truck on Saturday. Would you believe he had the nerve to go fill up the truck again, but with larger and heavier ones this time? Okay, so maybe it's because we were short by 3 of the 16' planks and his truck was the only one large enough to carry more and maybe we also convinced him not to go home but to stay another night and maybe he made that long, long drive mostly just for us. Still. He got 70 of those suckers and they were really heavy. I figure I can lift at least the weight of a kitty cat now. I'm all pumped up or pimped out or whatever. My point is that Mike and Dan went back out to Victorville and left me to essentially finish the deck. They initially planned to make me totally install all the planks, but it didn't take long before they realized problem 3: I can't figure out when a plank needs to be screwed from one side to the other versus starting the screws in the center and working outwards, etc. I tried to understand. If the wood bows so that the gap is in the middle, I do what now? Dan waited patiently while Mike and I threw in all the remaining boards we had and used one screw in each section so that I didn't have to tax my brain with stupid mechanical reasoning. My job was to go back and put all the rest of the screws in and then sand off any marks and then slather the entire thing. If I still had time, I could then go into the kitchen and get back to work on tiling the floor.

    Anyone want to explain to me why a screw can't go into a knot? I honestly don't know, but I didn't have the strength or will power to make it happen. I did, however, get well over 100 screws installed before Mike and Dan returned. I also realized footprints didn't come off with a simple sweep of the broom so I had to climb up on the deck on my hands and knees and essentially sand the entire thing. I got my tray of goop all ready after I swept the length and width of the deck, but realized I would get more marks on it if I had shoes on. Sigh. I waddled around in my little socks. Near the end of the never-ending deck slathering, I discovered some neighbors had arrived and pulled out lawn chairs into their driveway to watch my apparently entertaining self. Sigh again.

    About two hours had passed and I flopped into a chair to admire my accomplishments. A couple minutes later, Mike and Dan pulled up. They clearly assumed I had been sitting the entire time they were gone and apparently little martians or unicorns had done all the work. I got zero credit. Whatever. The neighbors walked over and confirmed they had been watching and were most amused by my skills or lack thereof. Sigh, sigh, sigh. Mike insisted on continuing with more planks now that he was back with the final three which involved more slathering. It wasn't long before Dan and I both gave up. Mike stayed at it for another half hour or so. The only reason he stopped was because it was too dark to see. A part of me is proud of him for losing over 30lbs. The more sane part of me is thinking about adding globs of lard to his food so he'll lose some of that stamina.

    Monday dawned and we were back at it. Mike's plans called for a "mini deck" right outside the door. This involved HOURS of labor. I won't bore you with the details. It wasn't fun and it involved anger and frustration and more screws and more slathering. It also involved more brick unloading. In the end, we have a mostly completed deck. There is about one more plank that needs to be put in and slathered. Then all the siding to hide the piers (forest service rule) has to be purchased and applied. Dan is making us the most amazing railing which will need to be stained and also installed. We will be celebrating three birthdays next Saturday with a little party (Mike is turning 40, my mom is turning 29 and the friendly wife in one of the cabins is turning 29 too). I think Mike feels obligated to get the deck done, but I am of the belief that these are friends and they will understand if the thing isn't complete. Besides, if they get drunk enough and stay beyond their welcome, we can just shove them off where there isn't a railing. Seems convenient. If we don't have the siding on, the bodies can be dragged under the deck. Piece of cake.

  6. #86
    Senior Member QSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    CORONA, CA
    Posts
    700
    Post Thanks / Like
    I like you! I just don't get on this forum and I don't get notifications! Here are some pics! You also forgot I installed a sweet sound system out there too!

    IMG_1079.JPGIMG_1098.JPGIMG_1122.JPGIMG_1128.JPG
    MK4 delivery 12/17/11
    Build thread: HERE
    Epic First start video HERE

    Type 65 Coupe Ordered 01/17/13
    Build thread: HERE

  7. #87
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Myrtle Beach, SC
    Posts
    2,108
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mike and Julie-

    Cabin progress looks awesome! It looks like you all are getting after pretty much everything.

    I am sure it will be very rewarding, and an awesome place to relax and enjoy when you are done!

    Are you concerned about that tree impacting the foundation? I like the deck built around it, but it looks awfully close to the foundation.

    Keep up the great work and updates.

    Regards,

    Steve

  8. #88
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mike and/or Dan can answer this in a more technically responsible manner. If you could see under the deck, you would see that there is no brickwork/concrete (foundation) over the tree or under the cabin where the big roots are. The tree has a very large amount of growing space. Previous owners had put in such a small amount of cement over the root of the tree that it just pushed up and cracked and ended up lifting the entire cabin. There was nothing we could do to keep the tree from continuing to lift (other than cutting it down which I would NOT be okay with) so the idea was to put nothing there so it would just continue to grow without disturbing anything. I'm sure there is a bunch of engineering and architectural terminology that Mike and Dan could throw around, but that's my very unprofessional take on what's going on. I think the foundation will eventually be impacted again, but I'm hoping not for another 100 years. Mike probably has some pictures that would illustrate this more clearly.

  9. #89
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Happy 40th Birthday Mike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I'll update with the weekend's events when I get a chance (hopefully this afternoon).

  10. #90
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Seeing as how this is the weekend to celebrate the three birthdays mentioned last week, we needed to get rocking on the deck or people would rock right off onto the ground. I missed the assemblage of the deck railings because I was building a BBQ. How hard could that be? The guys at Lowe's told Mike it would take two days for them to build. I suspected I could do it a smidge faster. The only help I received from Mike was a hand getting the big box off the tailgate (after I removed the wood from the truck bed and stacked it in our new wood pile). I found the instructions and began flipping to the section on assembly. I stopped cold when I saw "Caution: Spider Alert". My options were to throw the manual on the ground and run for my life or maybe read on a little just to see if I should set fire to the mountain or maybe, possibly continue on to the first step. It turns out spiders can get in the burners and build webs and cause a flashback (flash draft maybe?). For me, it's flashbacks to all the creepy crawlies I've ever encountered but you get the picture. You should make sure you clean out your burners if left sitting for a considerable length of time.

    Step 1. Attach wheels to the base. It doesn't actually say that, but it's what they meant with all their pictures and arrows and things. They included a little dohickey which looks like a large, slightly bent staple. You stick that into the holes in the base of the wheel which will keep the wheel from spinning so you can easily screw it into the bottom. Once the wheel is securely installed, you remove the "staple" and the wheel spins freely. This is GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was running around showing everyone. Why nobody was even the tiniest bit thrilled is beyond me. Whatever. Step 2. Install upright thingies on base after flipping base over and rearranging so it looks exactly like the picture so I don't have to do any mechanical/logistical reasoning. (Dan discovered for the umpteenth time that I'm directionally challenged as he commented on the "west" side of the deck and I had to glare until he dumbed it down - just point.) Step 3. Attach metal things to other metal things. Why do all the screws look the same, but they are in different compartments in the hardware packaging? Why can't I open any of them without using tools? What would it be like to be a big, strong man and not have to struggle with small things (like opening a package)? What would I look like if I was as strong as Mike? Squirrel!!!!!!!!!!

    I'd continue with each step, but pretty much all the rest were attach metal to metal. I am proud of my engineering skills. I had to bolt the bulk of the BBQ to the stand and that required reaching up underneath. Had I been at home, the bad boy would've gone up on the lift. Wait, that wouldn't have worked. Sigh. Well, I would've at least gotten the rolling thingy you can lay on. Instead, since I was building on dirt, I flattened a cardboard box (not with my bulging muscles, but with my back fat by laying on it) and I added a foam protector piece for a pillow. Not comfy at all, but I was cleaner and somewhat more functional. Is this a good time to complain about screws? These had phillips head holes as well as one extra long side for a flathead. All I discovered is that neither tool works well. I don't know how this is possible, but it's 100% true and I kept having to switch between tools. Start with Philips head and switch the flat head to tighten and then back until things stopped feeling all weak and fall-y apart-y.

    I eventually got the entire thing built (two hours) except I refused to wire it up. I'm not an electrician. I didn't put the battery in, but somehow I would still manage to shock myself into unconsciousness and the chances of falling onto my foam/cardboard "bed" were slim to none. I'd hit one of the bajillion rocks instead. Speaking of rocks, Dan is digging out a large work area under his cabin and the guys he hired (yes, his spouse loves him enough to allow him to hire people rather than making family members slave away digging foundations and trenches and pouring cement and moving blocks) dug up the mother of all rocks. I can't believe they managed to get it out. It was several feet long and deep. I can't imagine the anger when your shovel clinks and you move over some more. Clink. Move more. Clink. More. Clink. I'm working myself into a rage just imaging it.

    Here's where I made a mistake. I sat down with plans to enjoy the view of the newly installed rails on the deck when I discovered Mike had finished staining one side (not the west side). Looks great. "Pookie, do you want me to stain some?" Never seen Mike agree to anything so quickly. He practically heaved the paintbrush at my skull. Staining was fun for about 30 seconds. Maybe 2 entire minutes. Then I realized my back hurt and my legs hurt and my neck hurt. It was hot in the sun and my hair was in my face. I made Alyssa put sunscreen on my back. Sigh. The west side (which I was working on) was long. It took forever. I threw down the brush with a happy dance only to realize I still had to wipe the stain back off. Oh and look over there. The south or north or east or whatever side wasn't stained yet. Oh boy. While I wiped, my sweetest mother on the planet stained the remaining side.

    The rest of the afternoon was sort of a blur. Ran to the grocery store to get ice for the cooler and chopped and shredded and cooked and cleaned. The party would be outside on the deck, so it wasn't much surprise when it started raining. Why wouldn't it rain? I mean, it hasn't rained with us there since the big fire. It normally wouldn't be a big deal to move a party inside, but several immediate concerns popped to mind. 1) We have dogs that don't like people. The original plan was to put one in a playpen sort of thing and the other outside tied up to a stake. Problem with moving big dog in is that little dog gets big dog all excited with his barking and this makes big dog want to kill people. We decided to put little dog in playpen in the shed and hope big dog wouldn't kill anyone since her hearing is going and she probably wouldn't be able to hear little dog yaps at that distance. This plan actually succeeded. 2) We don't have electricity except in the kitchen and a tiny bit on one side of the living room. Unless the party was only a couple hours long, we'd all be plunged into blackness and guests would be tripping over things. 3) How are we going to seat that many people? 4) The cabin isn't finished and it isn't in any shape to be entertaining. 4) Mike is going to have to BBQ in the rain (all by himself). Imagine how thrilled I was when it stopped raining.

    I'm going to leave out the part about the shooting gallery portion of the evening. It was a ton of fun, but I think I've explained it before. It was still a ton of fun and I definitely want a shooting gallery in the cabin area.

    Guests arrived and we had a great time. Dry ice in margaritas makes neat smoke and a funny gurgling noise (like a witch's cauldron). I didn't get to socialize much because I was busy in the kitchen, but it appeared everyone was having fun. When dinner was eaten, I had help clearing the food and out came the cupcakes. We put a candle in one for each of the birthday peeps. One of the guests disappeared briefly. It was totally dark at this point and we could only see because of the LED lights Mike and Dan installed in the top railing. Out of the darkness came a sound. Is that music? A trumpet? Singing? One of the guests surprised us all with a mariachi band he hired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so much fun!!!!! I think everyone enjoyed it even though the music lasted a smidge past 10 (sorry to the one cabin that had already gone home and gone to bed). Afterwards we opened gifts and everyone left and I cleaned up. Success!!!!

    Sunday would've been an amazing day of rest had I not patted the railing and asked Mike if we were going to seal it. Guess what I did Sunday. Grrrrr... Prior to sealing the deck railing, I was back on the floor in the kitchen installing more tiles. I'm still not done, but I discovered someone accidentally spilled wine on the wall. Mike assured me we could sand it off. There's the benefit to having t1-11 on your walls. Then I found a spot where a mouse must've been coming in so I fetched Mike once more and he sealed it up. At that point, I had a headache and my back hurt from all the bending to stain the previous day so I called it quits. Then I made the mistake of asking about sealing the railing. We packed up once I was done and went home. I don't want to make it sound like Mike wasn't doing anything. He was cutting up pieces of the old deck and loading it all into the truck (with Alyssa's help). I know I say each week that the deck pieces were removed, but I think they are multiplying out in the sun. Hopefully this is the last time.

    I still need to finish the floor. Don't know what fun and games Mike has planned for next weekend. I'm afraid I'll ask and get stuck doing whatever it is. I'm going to practice keeping my mouth shut.
    Last edited by MRSQSL; 09-14-2015 at 04:43 PM.

  11. #91
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    I can't remember what I did Saturday morning, but clearly it wasn't terribly difficult or frustrating. I tend to remember that kind of stuff. I know that we went to visit Dan and see how his basement was coming along. Looks amazing. On the way back down, we stopped to admire the work being done on the cabin next to his. They were painting the windows and eaves. Looked amazing. Inspiring even. Well shoot. Now I feel like I need to paint our windows. Fine. I put on my adorable coveralls which Mike had bought for me. I look incredibly goofy and everyone comments and giggles. They are comfy and protect me from paint. It doesn't matter that I have to roll up the bottoms so I can walk. I'm cute dag nabbit!!!!

    Mike did assorted things during the course of the weekend. I wasn't happy he and Dan took the top rails off to dado (did I spell that correctly?) the spot where the LED lights go. Was done before, but Mike wants it to be deeper. Dan is kind (or crazy) enough to do it. I thought it was fine the way it was and now our deck looks all wonky. Okay, wonkier than normal. I know Mike also moved the solar light and took some pictures so we could show the inspectors we had done what they requested. That's all I can recall seeing him do, but he's sneaky about doing little things here and there or maybe I'm just oblivious to my surroundings.

    Okay, so with cute outfit applied, I grabbed the paint (which I opened with a neat little paint opening tool that I didn't even know we had but made the job so much easier) and a chip brush (stop cringing - you'd have to see the windows to understand why this would normally be an okay painting tool), a shim to use for a stir stick and some nitrile gloves. I waddled off around the corner and over to my first victim. The side window had not required much sanding since it is mostly protected from the wind and sun. This would be easy and should take me like maybe 15 minutes. Wow, I'm short. I can't reach much of anything. Slop, swipe, repeat. It took all of about 5 seconds for me to realize this was going to be a nightmare. The windows have a billion panes and the edges have been badly coated with paint previously so that nothing is straight. The glazing is coming out in spots and it's not possible to use the chip brush to cut in. I didn't want to tape anything. Sigh. I waddled back to the garage and whined at Mike. He mostly ignored me so I whined in a higher, squeakier, louder voice. He told me he didn't care if I used tape or a better brush. I found a slope-y brush and waddled back. Nope. Still couldn't cut in. It's impossible because nothing is actually straight or flat. Everything is bumpy and crooked. Waddle to get the tape. Waddle back to the window. Taping doesn't work well because NOTHING IS STRAIGHT!!!!!! Whatever. It's better than it was.

    Waddle to get the ladder. Waddle back with it. Dan was observing my less than stellar paint performance and quickly set up the metal climbing contraption for me. There was no flat spot to use it in the fully open position, so he leaned it against the wall. I climbed up and wiggled a little. Seemed okay. Paint, paint, paint, lean a little more than I probably should have...oh squiggly piglets! That was terrifying!!!!!! I didn't fall and the ladder was probably 100% sturdy, but it wobbled and I screeched. Adrenaline made it impossible to paint for several minutes.

    I eventually finished that section (conned Mike into helping with the super high part when he came over to inspect). Well, that's not entirely true. There are some pane dividers I didn't paint, but the glaze had disappeared from those and I didn't think painting the bare metal was a good idea. I know Mike bought glaze, but I'm not volunteering to use it and so far he isn't offering. Had a discussion with another cabin woman about glaze. Maybe someone reading this knows. Does the glaze come in a caulking gun type of container or can you only buy it in the little can thing?

    I moved around to the hot and sunny side of the cabin and mashed paint around for awhile before it was getting late and I had to get things ready for dinner. I was back out there Sunday morning with my cute fluffy outfit and my paint brush. I essentially did the "easy" parts and taped up a ton of the harder parts. I still have at least 3 tons to go. It looks great if you are half blind and standing across the street with the sun glaring in your eyes. It looks passable if you are across the street with no other issues. Looks terrible if you are up close inspecting. I'm going to have to try using razorblades to see if I can get off some of that old paint. Maybe it would make it easier to attach the tape. I don't know. It went from a fun idea of a project to a tedious and frustrating chore. I will have three more window sections after this and none of those have even been sanded yet. I just know as soon as this project is done and I sit to relax, it'll be time to replace the aluminum windows and I'll have to do a bunch more painting. Once that's finally complete, I'll have to start over with touch up paint because the yearly inspection peeps will be grumpy and demand it. Jerks. Wow, I didn't really mean to be all angry-like.

  12. #92
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Working on the cabin wasn't our main priority this weekend. We had a memorial service to attend and knew that would be the focus.

    Mike was able to reassemble the top rail of the deck and he says he is happier now that the lights are tucked further up inside. It looks the same to me, but he doesn't need to know that. Shhhh...

    My favorite thing to do is get a cup of coffee and sit on the deck with my bucket of peanuts. I don't particularly like peanuts, but chipmunks, jays and squirrels sure do. We seem to be lacking in jays suddenly. Used to be a billion of them and suddenly there were zero on Saturday and two on Sunday. Hopefully they are migrating or found a better food stash. I'd hate to think they are getting sick. Anyway, I have the chipmunks trained. More likely, they have me trained. They jump up on the stump and look at me. I throw peanuts and they run down and grab them. It's so much fun!!!!! I smile and giggle when they go running after the bouncing peanut. So darn cute!!

    The only real work I did was on Sunday. We had painted a thin coat of paint on the propane tank, but never finished the job. I found the paint and started spraying (after Mike hosed it down and made me wait for it to dry). My attempts were not pretty so Mike came over, grabbed a can and did the bulk of the work. Still, I've had one very sore arm for the last two days and I didn't put two and two together until this morning. It's from pushing down on the stupid spray nozzle doohickey for the paint can. I knew I was weak, but that's just pitiful.

    We will not be working on the cabin this weekend because it will be car weekend. Saturday is Serpents in the Garden and Sunday is engine pulling party here for the Coupe. Should be fun!!!! PM me if you need our address for breakfast, engine removal, fiddle and hopefully re-install. Needless to say I won't be updating this thread next week, but I will update the coupe thread (I almost added "instead" so it would rhyme).

  13. #93
    Senior Member QSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    CORONA, CA
    Posts
    700
    Post Thanks / Like
    MK4 delivery 12/17/11
    Build thread: HERE
    Epic First start video HERE

    Type 65 Coupe Ordered 01/17/13
    Build thread: HERE

  14. #94
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Step 1: Clean the closet. It's not that it was particularly dirty, but the dog food was in a big plastic container and things kept finding their way in and on and around that container and it was getting progressively more difficult to feed the dogs. With that task conquered, I had to decide between sitting or painting. Sitting would've been my first choice. The weather was beautiful. Alas, I felt the need to paint before fall turned into snow and rain and sleet and hail. Mike was hogging the ladder while he removed the wall nearest the fireplace in order to do electrical work. That left me in a predicament. I couldn't reach to sand the windows and I couldn't reach to paint the remaining windows in the section I hadn't completed. I was forced to sand a lower section I could reach and then tape up that section along with a previous one that I could also reach. Hours dragged by. What a tedious process. It's frustrating because the paint doesn't go on well and the previous paint and glaze seem to have been applied with a corn cob. The only way to get a straight line that fully covers the previous mess would be to paint over the glass. I do the best I can, but it ends up with the pretty green in the middle and lots of odd white, tan and other green on the edges. Mike isn't complaining, but I am. Worst paint job ever. Takes all the fun out of painting.

    I managed to steal the ladder Sunday and continued the tedious painting process but at a higher elevation. Up the ladder. Down the ladder. Up the ladder. Down the ladder. I must've burned at least 10,000 calories (although the scale disagrees). I'm still not done. I'm hoping to finish next week. I encountered an issue in that I'm not tall enough (even on the top step of the ladder) to reach the bathroom window. I could only paint about half of it. I'll either need to pull out the really tall, scary ladder that leans against stuff or I'll need to con Mike into painting for me. Maybe if I start fetching his slippers and bringing him drinks now, he'll be all buttered up by Saturday.

    The work Mike did was much more impressive. It's amazing how much better the place looks even with plywood on the wall. Turns out there was not a puff of insulation. This makes us believe there isn't insulation in any of the outside walls (other than the mess we found in the kitchen). No wonder it gets so hot and so cold. Mike wired up a bunch of outlets and a couple switches. It's really nice to have some light in the living area now. I think he's going to continue on next weekend with the wall between the fireplace and our bedroom. Oh and he pointed out a hole which would explain the rodent highway. Sigh. Is there any original wall that doesn't allow animals in? Just one? One?!

  15. #95
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    I'm so amazing (or so I keep telling myself). Not only did I finish my task for the weekend, but I also finished the one for next weekend. Oh yeah! Mike moved the appliances so I could finish up the floor in the kitchen. Behind the fridge was okay, but he didn't unhook the gas for the stove, so my work area was rather cramped. Cabinets on each side (20" apart) and the stove just barely moved. I could sit, but I was constantly having to reconfigure my foot/leg arrangement. It isn't pro level work, but it's mostly stuck to the under flooring and it's better than it was. Done stamp!

    In the meantime, Mike was adding more security cameras and then taking down the glamorous 70's wood paneling so he could continue with his electrical work. Once again, I made the mistake of asking a question about insulation and found myself elbow deep in fiberglass. Also not pro level work, but it's better than no insulation. I have to admit the stench of death and mouse nesting ick was pretty overwhelming at moments. I spent the entire day saying I smelled it. Mike was convinced I had sucked some into my nostrils and just kept re-smelling it. I don't know. It was awful. I considered lighting a match and sticking it up my nose to try to burn the odor away, but then figured the smell of burning nose hair wouldn't be a vast improvement.

    Once my insulating was finished and Mike had moved on to the actual wiring part, I stupidly opened my big mouth and asked about pulling down the paneling on the adjacent wall, you know...just to see if it's redwood back there. Yeah, we all know how that turned out. I found myself on a ladder shrieking as the panel finally released and I nearly flung across the room. I think it only took a couple more screams before Mike realized he could ignore my wails. I was a little unsure how to use the pry bar at first, but quickly realized one side works better than the other, especially when you turn it the correct way and apply pressure appropriately. I made it through all three layers of "wall" to find gorgeous redwood. I only removed up to the doorway, but when I stood back to ogle my amazing wonderfulness, I couldn't resist and went back up the ladder to finish off the wall. Icky things fell in my hair and I even touched some of the awfulness, but the wall looks SO much better as redwood. Mike had to help me get the giant panels out of the cabin, but the smaller stuff I shuffled around myself. Imagine my surprise when my first trip out the front door caused me to nearly cross the street. The wind was stronger than I suspected and it grabbed the panel like a sail. Whoa! There went Julie. I didn't like that.

    Thanks to Mike, we now have electricity along another wall. Woohoo!!!! It's getting less romantic at night with all the brightness, but he puts things on dimmers which really helps. I'm super excited with what he's done.

  16. #96
    Senior Member QSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    CORONA, CA
    Posts
    700
    Post Thanks / Like
    MK4 delivery 12/17/11
    Build thread: HERE
    Epic First start video HERE

    Type 65 Coupe Ordered 01/17/13
    Build thread: HERE

  17. #97
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    I'm apparently a slow learner. Hey, Mike. What do you think is under the ceiling in the back bedroom? Yeah, I spent the day peeling ceiling down and awful, horrible, disgusting things fell on me. Maybe next time I'll ask what he thinks is under the cover of the septic tank. Ugh.

    Under the acoustic-type ceiling tiles, we found a layer of unexplainable icky building material. It's like a plywood sheet except it isn't wood. It's sort of soft, but not as soft as jute. I had a face full of it when I thought to ask Mike if it could be asbestos. I'm pretty sure it wasn't, but he jumped on the opportunity to tell me it absolutely was. Eeeeek! Under the "asbestos" was a thin layer of that black paper stuff. I don't know what it's called, but after 40 years it was pretty brittle. Below that was wood, but not redwood. It was the board and bat variety, but without bats. Because the paper was so brittle, it had broken open in millions of spots and the animal droppings/dirt/death had fallen onto the other layers and then directly into my face. It didn't matter where I stood, junk still fell on my head and neck and face. I despise the cabin shower, but I didn't hesitate to climb in at the first opportunity.

    While I finished up the ceiling, Mike and Steve made the long journey to the nearest Home Depot or Lowes and got some sheathing. The walls are still nasty wood paneling, but at least the ceiling feels clean now. Of course getting it up was a nightmare. At first Mike held it and I poked at it (my valiant effort at also holding it) while Steve screwed it in. Holding a drill over your head and getting the screw to insert itself wasn't easy so I traded places. That worked better. Steve is stronger and I have more screwing experience (wait, that's not what I meant). We then moved onto the section above the bunk bed. Had Dan walked in, he would've fallen down laughing Steve and I were laying on the bed with the wood on our feet trying to press it towards the sky. Mike got a couple screws in and we could let go. It was close for a bit there. It didn't want to fit properly, but then the wood was square and the walls...not so much.

    Mike did a tremendous amount of wiring and now we have power everywhere. Yes, even in the bathroom and closet. Happy dance.

    On a more fun note, we hiked one day. Seemed like a good idea to walk down the steep mountain road down to the trailhead since we'd left the Adventure Pass back home and a ticket wouldn't be fun. The trail was straight up for 2 miles and then straight down for 2 miles (on the way back). It was gorgeous!!! We discovered this strange phenomenon where you can be hot and cold at the same time. Weird. Anyway, it was all fine and dandy until we had to walk up the mountain road to get back to the cabin. That thing is so darn steep. I thought I was going to pass out. Steve was eating and talking and he pushed me uphill at times. He was like a little mountain goat. Mike had trudged ahead and barely survived. He made it to the cabin and grabbed the UTV to fetch us. Steve probably could've run the rest of the way, but he stayed by my side to make sure I'd be okay. I've never been so happy to see the UTV. I laid across the front seat and thanked my lucky stars I didn't have to walk any further. The entire escapade was about 6 miles. I was sore for two days, but it sure felt good.

  18. #98
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    My arms are slightly less sore today. Mike and I decided it would be smart to work on the ceiling above the loft to see what all is involved before hiring people to do it for us. It seemed simple enough. I had already put that thin foil insulation up on Mother's Day weekend and hurt my neck. Mike claimed all we had to do was put up some furring strips (not sure if that's how you spell them, but that's what I see in my brain when he says the word) and then a layer of foam insulation and then throw up some sheathing. Is that all? Okay. I'm in. I didn't figure in the part about having to climb up the ladder and hoist myself onto the loft floor about a million times. I also didn't calculate in the strength/lack of strength thing going on.

    I did some of the measuring (getting better, but things are still a number plus or minus a "notch"). Everything was fairly easy until we got to the sheathing. We measured and then moved the wood over to the sawhorses, which was already a huge draining chore. I marked and Mike cut. He told me he'd carry the wood, but I had to run and open the door and then race up the ladder and fling myself onto the loft floor so I'd be ready to help him get the wood up. I trapped myself several times beneath the sheathing. The ceiling is too low to maneuver and the wood is insanely heavy. It couldn't drag across the ladder, so Mike lifted from below and I lifted from above and whooshed over backwards. It didn't work well.

    Mike had already run wiring, but he had some "puck" lights to install and therefore a hole had to be cut in each piece of sheathing (horrible plywood like stuff with foil on one side). The wires ran through that hole, but how exactly do you keep the wires from falling out while you balance a giant, horrendously heavy sheet of hellish wood? I'm sure each and every one of you has mentally yelled an answer. Mike's solution (after the first attempt went horribly wrong and I had to essentially thread the eye of a needle with wire while he struggled with the sheet while laying on the floor) was to tie the wires together in a knot that was big enough to reject being sucked through the hole. If you thought everything was fine and dandy with that problem solved, you've severely overestimated my usefulness. If I haven't mentioned that the wood is heavy...like lead...let me state that now. I tried to move a sheet of this stuff down on solid ground by lifting it. No. Pushing it. No. Kicking it. No. Only Mike has the power to heave it around. He actually makes it look easy (which is quite an attractive quality). Anyway, so it had to go on the ceiling. Yes, above my head. There was no possible way for Mike to hold the wood and the screwdriver/drill tool and a screw. I was forced to use every ounce of strength to help mash the wood up into the roof area while he inserted a screw or two. It seemed never-ending. I know it was a matter of seconds, but it felt like minutes. Every muscle was screaming and I started to get shaky and wobbly. We only had time to do two sheets that day and I refused wholeheartedly to help the next morning, but I somehow got conned into it. This time I made Steve come up and help. It was so incredibly less horrendous with him. The loft looks great so far. We are going to try to get the carpet in next trip. We also need to figure out what wood will be the final layer. We have options, but seems like all are expensive. Unfortunately, we haven't found the money tree in that particular forest. There must be one somewhere.

    I saw Mike do things with one or two fingers that I didn't have the strength to do with one or two hands. It inspired me to try to work harder and grow stronger. It also made me realize I may not always voice my appreciation for how hard he works and how amazing he is. Sorry for all the things I've taken for granted. I'm also sorry I'm not has helpful as another man would be. I look cuter in my little coverall outfit, though, so that should be worth some extra bonus points.

  19. #99
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    It snowed!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!! I love snow. We actually stayed a little late Sunday to absorb more snow watching. Happy face!!

    I don't think I really did much work. I took down what I thought was all the blue tape off the windows, but my mom pointed out a spot I'd missed AFTER I'd already put the ladder away and plopped onto the comfy reclining chair. Mike and Steve were maniacs, though. I drove us up Friday night. We got there around 8:00. We ate. I was planning to relax and enjoy the cabin ambiance after I made the bed and put things away, etc. Mike and Steve opted to essentially build the entire loft. They cleaned and then put down tack strips and padding and carpet and then threw the furniture back up and made the two beds. I guess they finished around midnight. I can't say since I fell asleep around 9:30. I have no idea how I slept through it all, but the loft looks great!! I did slather clear coat on the wood for the railing Saturday morning. Steve started the project, but hates "painting". I find it to be relaxing since it's such brainless work yet satisfying at the same time. I refused to do the sanding part, but the swoosh, swoosh, swoosh of the brush was enjoyable.

    Dan invited us up to his cabin for dinner Saturday night which was quite a treat. He's been a busy bee up at his place and I'm impressed by the progress (and results). Looking great!!

    I don't think it's going to snow this weekend and we are getting a big wood delivery. I'm sure there will be some fascinating tales of wood unloading and the accompany sore muscles and screeches when an 8 legged creepy crawly is spotted. There are lots of other things we can work on, so it'll be interesting to see which is chosen. I'm still trying to convince Mike sitting and looking out a window is fun and relaxing and something he should try. He keeps giving me this look of his...

  20. #100
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Dan had a taste of what it's like to watch us work on a vehicle together. I'm not sure if he was amused or horrified. Since the weather was a smidge warmer than snow, we took the UTV up to Dan's spacious garage so Mike could do the first service and I could change out the rest of the skid plates. I now owe Dan an apple pie (again).

    Changing out skid plates sounds easy, doesn't it? Unbolt, open new one, rebolt. Nope. Not for me. The first box I grabbed turned out to be for the A-arm covers and I had already sworn I'd never do that again. You have to drill out rivets and hand rivet in these horrible steel ones that only the Incredible Hulk could find the strength to put in. I opted for the corner skid plates instead. So being a woman, I read the directions. "Reading" is not the proper term in this case. The instructions have no words. Only pictures. The picture showed a bolt being removed and placed in something round which looked to me like a drywall anchor. I searched high and low to find some mention in the parts list of this object. Nothing. I looked through the bag of hardware and the cardboard box it all came in. Nothing. I turned to Dan and mentioned this "thing" looks a lot like a trash can. He glanced at the picture (seriously for like half a second) and said yup. It's a trash can. Wait, what? Really?! They just wanted me to take out the bolt and throw it away? Well there's five minutes of my life I'll never get back. Of course I was also too scared to throw the hardware away. What if I took out the wrong one or what if the instructions were incorrect? I set it gingerly to the side to await the final verdict.

    From what I could gather, the next step was to apply the skid plate and attach it with several bolts in several places and I was very proud of myself for successfully doing this. I had on my cute little mechanic's outfit and life was good except that I was laying on the cold, hard, concrete floor for this process and it was really freaking cold. Like body parts going numb cold. I can assure you on day two I wore thermal jammies under my jeans and adorable mechanic's outfit. Yes, there was a day two.

    I needed to put this skid plate contraption on the other side as well, but Mike wanted me to remove the middle skid plate at that exact moment so he could access some important engine related kajoby for his oil change. Lots more bolts were undone (forgot to mention no two bolts use the same sized sockets/torx head or allen wrench). I also undid the front skid plate. I wanted to reapply that one with the big, strong, new metal one, but it wasn't quite the same size or shape. Turns out Mike hadn't emptied everything out of that box and there was a supplemental little plate. Got all that done around the time Mike was ready to put the big center one back on. He held it up for me while I replaced several of the bolts. I was frozen solid. I mean, seriously freezing and my arms hurt from holding everything over my head. Whine, moan, grumble. I don't believe the oil change was going particularly smoothly based on the amount of oil I saw that wasn't in the oil catcher and the angry noises issuing forth from Mike.

    I eventually got all the skid plates on except for the rear one because Mike had to change the oil in the front and rear mabobs (diff?) and it was getting late so that would be the next day's project. I also had to do the A-arm covers (hell no) and the two side plates (needed rivets drilled out so nope).

    Day 2: I had so many layers of clothes on, I could barely walk. Bending was comical. I reminded myself of the poor little kid in Christmas Carol or Christmas Story (you'll shoot your eye out movie). You know, the little brother that got all dressed up to go out and couldn't move anything so he couldn't get up when he fell down. I think that was the movie anyway. Whatever. The point was I looked like I weighed and extra 20 lbs and had flexibility issues beyond the norm.

    Whatever the oil is that comes out of those front and rear things stinks. Ugh. I think I can still smell it. Bleck. It made the rest of the working day miserable. Stinky, stinky.

    So as I stood there looking at all the panels I didn't want to put on, I noticed Dan seemed to be less busy than the previous day. Hmmmmm...if I offer a pie, will he put the rest on. It turns out he kinda likes my apple pie. He agreed. This is where things went downhill though. My plan was to sit in a chair and supervise. In reality, the wheels needed to be removed to put the A-arm protectors on. I found the tool that came with the UTV. Giggle. That's cute. Too bad the factory or dealer ignored the instructions where it said to torque to 75 ft lbs. Perhaps they read it as 750. All I know is Dan bent/broke two ratchets. Fortunately a cabin neighbor was up with his tools and had a 1/2" drive. There was an issue with six points versus lots of points and 17mm vs 11/16 (I might be making those numbers up). Anyway, one wheel was successfully removed and work performed. The UTV was turned around and wheel two was up. All lug nuts came off except one which promptly rounded itself so nothing wanted to get it off. What timing, though. The phone rang and it was the cabin neighbor. Lucky for us he had the 3/8 to 1/2 adapter needed to use 6 points and the lug nut released its death grip. Dan got things changed out, but announced he'd be needing two pies. Yeah, no.

    Watching the two of them attempt to rivet was painful. Mike went first and moaned, changed colors, groaned and finally managed to get the rivets in. Dan apparently thought Mike was just a big sissy so he agreed to do the next ones. Snicker. Suddenly he didn't think Mike was such a weakling after all. I didn't see either jumping to volunteer to do the last rivets. Mike eventually gave in, but I'll bet he had sore hands for several days. I offered to take a stab at hand riveting, but the laughter echoing through the man cave implied they didn't think I had the grip strength. That and the little rivet handles are so far apart you have to have monster hands to even begin to squeeze. Whatever. Mike says next time he's going to pay for the service instead of doing it ourselves. He doesn't have a sweet tooth, so I don't think I can con him with promises of baked goods. I did get him to do something by offering a chicken pot pie and I suppose I have to pay up, but I really don't remember what he did to earn that. Hmmmmm...

  21. #101
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    26
    Post Thanks / Like
    Julie,
    Chicken pot pie, you never said that was an option. No never mind, I still will go for the pie. Yes that was an adventure in "why the blank can't they use the same size fastener for more than ONE thing". So now I want to see Mike park that darn UTV on top of a rock. Next time if you would rather lay in the dirt rather than my COLD concrete floor consider the sharp pointy rocks as opposed to a "little coldyness".
    Dan Z

  22. #102
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Yeah, I tried the sharp pointy rock thing the last time. No thanks. I'll take your coldy floor. It's probably a good thing we hadn't brought the creeper up. I would've been whooshing all over your garage. Weeeeeeeeeeee, weeeeeeeeeee...

    If I make the chicken pot pie at the cabin, you can come down and have some too. Really appreciate all your help and letting us invade your space and borrow your tools and annoy you for hours on end.

  23. #103
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    I stopped updating for two reasons. 1) Winter arrived and we have slowed down slightly with the change in seasons. 2) I felt like I was talking to myself. How many times can you read the same old stuff before you get bored? I didn't feel like I was contributing anything new and exciting. Dan mentioned last week that I should continue and then my bestest friend just emailed me and asked me why I'm not updating anymore so I'll take another stab at it.

    "Slowed down slightly" isn't really the best description. For a bit that was true, but the weather has perked up and so have we. Honestly, the people that don't come up to the cabin often don't recognize the inside anymore. We have wall coverings and a little bit of ceiling covering and new furniture. We've been hitting some antique stores so we even have some decor.

    Several very cold weeks ago, I was hired (without pay) to stain fake wood sheets. I know, right? How many times have I complained about the wood paneling we just took down. Unfortunately, we don't have the vintage redwood to be able to do the other two walls so wood paneling and bats it is. I learned much about staining. 1) Stain stains. No, really. It stains wood and clothing and pretty much anything it comes in contact with. 2) Stain doesn't stain evenly unless you try really hard. Don't slather stain on an entire half sheet of wood and then attempt to get it back off when the sun is half out and it's cold. It just won't be even. Little sections. Little sections. Anyway, that was a two weekend job. Mike applied the wood to the walls and spent hours cutting out holes for the necessary switches and lights and such. It looks pretty good.

    Last weekend, I was forced up into the loft. Work on the ceiling, he said. It'll be fun, he said. We were initially going to use bender board and had tried a couple pieces. Looked good. But then I made the massive mistake of letting Mike roam around Home Depot (or Lowes) without my supervision. He bought boxes of cedar planking. Now I love the smell, but don't think the color goes very well. It's only for the loft section so whatever. I would measure a length of ceiling and Steve would tell Alyssa (she happened to be up last weekend) and Alyssa would cut the piece of wood. Steve would bring it back to me and I'd fight the ultimate battle and then Steve would nail it in (power nailer tool). It is sort of tongue and groove (like laminate flooring) so it is deceptively difficult. I tried talking to it, yelling at it, dropping it, threatening it, etc. Sometimes it behaved, but mostly it didn't. One piece ended up getting nailed up incorrectly so I decided to gently pull it back off. Not having a good tool, I opted for a screwdriver to pry. It worked, but the piece of wood flew off in such a way as to hit my in the face right on the edge of my nose where it connects to the eyebrow area. I had glasses on so I didn't have to worry about my eyeball, but it drew blood and it hurt like the dickens. Stupid wood. At some points we ended up having to get Alyssa to come up to help as well. She would hold the wood with all her might on one side and I would hold it on the other and Steve would nail. I would not say it was a fine work of art, but as far as I know it hasn't fallen off the ceiling and it's better than it was. I said many times (loudly) that Mike should not be allowing me to do this. It would've been amazing if he and Dan had tackled it instead. They (by the way) were working on a fireplace door/screen thing they hand made. Show offs. This also meant they spent a ton of time in Dan's garage and therefore I couldn't ask questions and was forced to figure stuff out on my own. Scary. This also meant Mike took the UTV which had the boxes of cedar planking in the back so I had to walk UP, yes UPHILL, to Dan's cabin to fetch it. We need a second UTV. In the end, only half the ceiling is done. Guess what I'm doing this weekend. Wish I felt a little better. I'm trying not to catch a cold. This is day two of that epic battle.

  24. #104
    Administrator David Hodgkins's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Corona del Mar, CA
    Posts
    6,058
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    7
    You are NOT talking to yourself. Hope you feel better soon.

    I know what you mean about talking to yourself. I'm guilty of doing a lot of reading and little responding myself sometimes.

    Any snow on the ground currently?


    FFR 5369 Pin Drive, IRS, Trigos, Torsen, Wilwoods, FMS BOSS 302 "B" cam , Mass-flo. CA SB100 (SPCN) Registered
    Delivered 4/23/06. "Finished" 4/2012 (still not done!)


  25. #105
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Thanks!

    I'm pretty sure the bulk of the snow has melted. We have a hill on one side that is mostly shaded so that snow stays way after everything else is gone. It's beautiful, but it also attracts snow players. Growl.

  26. #106
    Senior Member QSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    CORONA, CA
    Posts
    700
    Post Thanks / Like
    MK4 delivery 12/17/11
    Build thread: HERE
    Epic First start video HERE

    Type 65 Coupe Ordered 01/17/13
    Build thread: HERE

  27. #107
    Administrator David Hodgkins's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Corona del Mar, CA
    Posts
    6,058
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    7
    Wow that is looking good!


    FFR 5369 Pin Drive, IRS, Trigos, Torsen, Wilwoods, FMS BOSS 302 "B" cam , Mass-flo. CA SB100 (SPCN) Registered
    Delivered 4/23/06. "Finished" 4/2012 (still not done!)


  28. #108
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    18
    Post Thanks / Like
    Yay!! Not only did you update the thread, but you mentioned ME!!!!!

  29. #109
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Jackson, MS
    Posts
    44
    Post Thanks / Like
    Julie,

    Love the cabin. I know you are proud of all the work you and your family and friends have done. Anything on the front burner for Coupie?

  30. #110
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Coupey is definitely going to be worked on. I need help with the alternator and Mike has been working late every night for almost two weeks and I've been sick that same time period. The time has changed so it is light later. Once Mike works less, Coupey will get some loving. I'm finally feeling almost "normal" again.

  31. #111
    Senior Member 68GT500MAN's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Fresno, CA
    Posts
    1,808
    Post Thanks / Like
    Glad that you are feeling better and that we will be getting some updates on your two projects.
    Built FFR5196 MKII in 2003, 427w
    Building FFR0058HR, Edlebrock 347-AOD

  32. #112
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Jackson, MS
    Posts
    44
    Post Thanks / Like
    Its been two whole months. I am having cabin and coupey withdrawal. Are y'all mad at us.

  33. #113
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by Dragonfire View Post
    Its been two whole months. I am having cabin and coupey withdrawal. Are y'all mad at us.
    Ha, ha. Not mad. Actually, we built a wall this weekend. I'll update in a little bit. We've hardly done anything lately because it was cold and snowy and then it was warm and beautiful and we were enjoying nature. We seem to have taken up hiking and mountain biking. Well, I beach cruiser while the men folk mountain bike. We had a movie on the deck last weekend. It's been really nice. As for Coupey, I started putting the alternator in and ran into some problems and then we had this whole CHP ordeal with the Buick. Ugh. I guess I should update that one too. Let me finish some work stuff and then I'll update both.

  34. #114
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    I first want to say that riding a beach cruiser at 7000'+ elevation (uphill too much of the way) is not easy. I have seen improvement, though. I used to have to stop to "meditate" at least 8 times. I think I'm down to less than half that many stops. I realize I'm only going 4 miles, but that's 4 mostly uphill miles. Mike and Steve go much further, but they have the proper bikes. Mike has offered to buy me one as well, but I grew up on coaster brakes and I truly don't think I am good with hand brakes. I tried Steve's and nearly died from panic. Plus, I broke my arm when I fell off a bike when I was 10 and I really don't need anything more extreme than what I'm doing now. It is a great form of exercise and I'm glad we are doing it.

    So inspections are coming up again. We have a fire inspection as well as a permit inspection. We hired someone to clear the pine needles and unnecessary plant life. I'm relieved. I didn't really want to do that again. The permit inspection, however, is when they come through and pick on you for essentially everything you've done. I think they have a rule that they HAVE to cite you for x number of offenses so our plan is to mess up enough to reach the quota and hopefully they won't notice the actual violations. You know, like how we built a brand new deck instead of just repainting the existing one. It isn't MY fault if this deck is a smidge larger and is much prettier. Perhaps they won't notice that we were supposed to cosmetically fix the cracks in the foundation rather than pulling out the entire foundation on that side and redoing it. One of the items on their checklist is that there must not be a space between the deck and the ground. We never got around to putting skirting under our new deck and I had suggested to Mike a couple months ago that it would look so much better with rock. Oh crap. Why did I open my mouth?

    Mike and I had been meeting at the cabin so we were driving separately (he keeps working at locations suspiciously close to the cabin). Since I was bringing up the truck, he was sneaking out at night and gathering rocks. He had stock piled quite a selection and it wasn't long before we found ourselves piling them randomly under the deck. The bigger ones were on the bottom and those were too large for me to move, so my job was much easier. Supervise. This last weekend, however, he borrowed the cement mixer from the camp down below and brought up mortar so I knew my supervising days were numbered. Alyssa was up with her (fireman-I add this so you realize he's young and strong and therefore capable of much more than I) boyfriend and Steve had a friend over. Three teenage boys are awesome when it comes to moving rocks, but not so great when it comes to feeding time (which is non stop). Alyssa is 20, but she eats like a teenager. I'm surprised they didn't eat a hole in the cabin.

    I put on my snazzy prison jumpsuit outfit and proceeded to wander around outside until I was told to mush mortar in between rocks. Okay. Mike meandered by and gave Alyssa a compliment on her superior gooping skills. Grumble. On his next pass, he told her boyfriend how well he was doing. Grumble, grumble. On his third pass, he suggested I start finding rocks instead of handling the muck. Jerk. I think this was his way of telling me I'm lousy. I quickly became "the rock artist". I know it was just a pitiful attempt at making me feel useful, but it worked. I perked up and waddled away to the rock pile.

    After a few hours, I wandered inside to get a drink. While snarking down several gallons of water, I heard the beepers go off. Two beeps. That means someone is here by the gate. I leaned ever so slightly to peer out the kitchen window and saw the unmistakable green of a forest service truck. Crap. Crap, crap, crap. I do NOT handle disobeying authority well. Must hide. I couldn't fit in any of the cabinets, at least not with the dishes and food still inside. Under the bed? Inhale/exhale. Calm down and think. He can't see me if I stay inside. I'll just hold still and pretend we aren't doing anything wrong. He doesn't need to know we are building a wall without permission, using rocks we stole from the forest which is now a national monument. Wonder what color prisoners wear in a federal penitentiary. I really hope purple.

    Mike had a long conversation with the ranger and then he proceeded to walk towards the truck. Okay, Julie. You can do this. Walk outside and see why they are arresting him. I hitched up my big girl panties and headed out the front door. I plastered on a wobbly smile and greeted Ron (recognized him from a year ago when we met). He smiled at me, looked a little confused (think he was wondering if I escaped from the prison work crew) and climbed into the vehicle. Mike was opening the door to get in the passenger side. Whimper. I asked where he was going (San Quentin?) and he replied casually that Ron was taking him down to look at the rock pile we had been coveting by the ranger station. Um, oh. Okay. Have fun.

    It wasn't long before Mike returned. What the heck is going on, I demanded. He said he asked Ron if we could have those rocks we wanted and so they went down to take a look. Ron said absolutely and then showed him another pile we didn't even know about. Yay! I asked why Ron stopped in the first place if it wasn't to yell at us about our rock wall. He said it was because the firewood people were dropping off a cord of wood and Ron wanted to know where it came from and how much we paid (guess he wanted some too). Relief flooded through me.

    Several more hours of rock artistry ensued before I wandered off to start stacking what looked like a small pile of eucalyptus. Had I known it was that heavy, I probably would've hidden in a kitchen cabinet. What looked like it would take a mere 15 minutes ended up taking at least an hour. My back was so sore and I was thrilled beyond belief when Alyssa and Jacob (boyfriend) came to help. Alyssa gave up after a few minutes. Did I mention the wood is heavy and never ending? Jacob was much tougher. When the wood was taller than me and I noticed the pile was wobbling, I opted out of the adventure. Mike came by and suggested we make a second pile next to that one. Okay. Crap. Now I have no excuse not to help again.

    We had plans for a movie on the deck that evening, so Mike and a cabin neighbor spent about an hour setting up this giant screen and a projector and speakers just off the deck while I made a little snack food. We gathered all the people that were interested (about 14 of us, I believe) and watched Signs. It was a lot of fun until the next morning when we had to put the screen away. I don't ever want to do that again (put the screen away - I want to watch more movies outside but I had the ideal spot in a skishy chair under a blanket with a chihuahua on my lap right in front of the fire pit).

    As much as I wanted to pretend the wall was finished, it wasn't. I couldn't fool Mike. He might be color blind, but he isn't blind, blind. Sigh. Back to work. Only now Jacob was gone (at the station for work) and Steve had sprained his wrist riding wildly down the mountain on his bike. He and his friend tucked themselves away (probably in a kitchen cabinet) for the remainder of the day. Alyssa had ridden her beach cruiser with me for the first time ever. She may have appeared to be awesome and amazing during the ride, but the day after proved I was perhaps in better shape after all. Neener, neener. She was excruciatingly sore, so she only half helped. She still did a great job. Anyway, Mike and I went down and fetched rocks from our new pile. I had avoided all the other rock gathering trips because I knew it wasn't "legal" and I clearly don't do well with disobeying authority. This time I proudly donned my work gloves and challenged anyone to stop me. I picked up all the pretty little rocks (showing each one to Mike and explaining why I liked it which I assume caused an internal battle to rage within him in which he probably wanted to stone me but was probably also hungry enough to know he wouldn't eat if I was badly injured). Ron showed up while we were down there and told us where to find yet another assortment of pretty rocks. This guy is awesome!!!!!! Another ranger came by, but he didn't care since we invoked "Ron said we could". That's going to be my new mantra. Whenever I'm caught doing something bad, I'll simply announce Ron said I could. I think it should work. I'm invincible!!!!!!!!

    Mike will have to post pics. He still has to make a door for the one little opening we left. Then we can put more rocks around that door and call it quits. I'm so tired of moving heavy rocks. Rocks are shockingly heavy. Someone should've made them hollow. It would've been a lot easier.

    So that brings us up to date on the cabin happenings. I'm bringing up some patio furniture we have here at the house so all Mike can think about is sitting on the deck. The man is obsessed. It's all he has talked about all week. I get it. You want to sit on the deck. Soon, grasshopper.

  35. #115
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Myrtle Beach, SC
    Posts
    2,108
    Post Thanks / Like
    Jules-

    So good to have you back and updating us!! We missed you all! I love the updates on the cabin, and meant to compliment you on the pictures sooner. The cabin is awesome, and I am beyond jealous! What a great place to escape to and relax. I am so happy that your whole crew is able to share it with you; just wonderful!

    I have to inject a funny story. I saw the critters on your mantel and the one on your wall. Many years ago, our chocolate lab was a year or two old. My wife was out shopping and found a concrete labrador statue. She thought I would like it (and I did), and brought it home to me as a gift -- you see I love my labs, so a concrete statue would be a welcome addition. I had it inside near the fireplace while I contemplated where it should be placed. My lab lost his mind! He would growl, bark, get low and slide up to it while growling in a way I cannot describe. This statue was clearly a threat to him, and he let that statue have it! It was so funny, yet also unsettling. I had to send it back to keep my poor boy calm. When I saw your taxidermy, all I could think of was how my lab would simply lose his mind if he were there. I cannot imagine how he would react to your critters, but it would be nuts!!

    I'm sorry for the tangent, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.

    So glad to have you back!!

    Regards,

    Steve

  36. #116
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Thanks, Steve. I'll admit it felt nice to update again. If we keep working on the cabin, I'll keep updating. We spoiled ourselves by enjoying it instead of working on it.

    I don't know if I posted about it earlier, but when Mike brought the first one home (coyote on mantel), our sheltie was not pleased. We had to keep it up on a high counter. She just knew that vicious creature was glaring at her and she was going to defend her territory. I can totally understand what your lab went through. Now that the coyote is on the mantel, my dog doesn't care. The chihuahua never noticed. He's sort of oblivious to everything in life except the doorbell, the beepers and anyone that stands up. Oh and blankets. He loves blankets.

    Anyway, thanks for the kind words and I'm still hopeful Mike will un-busy himself enough to put up a picture or two of the new deck wall. Contractors would probably pass out in horror, but I think it looks rather nice.

  37. #117
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    I give up. I'll put pictures up.

    IMG_1494.jpgIMG_1492.jpg

    I can't believe that worked. It was a massive project, but I did it. Yay!

  38. #118
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    18
    Post Thanks / Like
    "Soon, grasshopper." I literally LOLed. hee! Or, actually, I cackled out loud. Glad you're back to updating the blog.

  39. #119
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Corona, CA
    Posts
    505
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mike wasn't wrong about the patio chairs being amazing. He even fell asleep in one Sunday night. Totally worth it. Only problem is everyone wants to sit in them and there are only two.

    Mike made a gorgeous door for the deck crawlspace. I don't have a picture, but it was much better than I expected. He might have a picture, but I don't even know if he looks at this thread anymore. He filled in the rock where needed and then told me I had to help fill in any cracks or gaps that needed more mortar. It took about 15 seconds for him to revoke that order and tell me not to touch anything. Hee, hee. I thought I'd won until he assigned me the chore of moving the unused rocks to form a little border in the area where we park. Rocks are heavy. It was hot. Home was over 100 degrees, but the cabin was only in the 80's. Still...rocks are heavy, especially when it's hot out. Steve and I took turns moving the boulders. He had to get the bigger ones because he's younger and stronger. It looks great, but I don't want to move rocks anymore. If Mike even tries to get me to move anything remotely resembling a rock, I'll stone him. No, that would be too messy to clean up and the rock would be heavy. Well, he won't eat as well.

    Funny side story. We stopped at the new antique store in town and ended up buying a deer head. We were in the Jeep Wrangler. Alyssa is learning to drive a stick so she was in the driver's seat and Mike was the passenger. Steve and I were in back. Mike came out holding the head and attempted to hand it to me. The antlers were too large to fit in so the face and antlers were hanging out of the side window partially. We drove over to the hardware store and Mike ran in. I sat in the car with Alyssa. La, la, la. People were looking and laughing and then a woman decided to take a picture of me. She asked if it was okay. I guess. She wanted to know if the deer was my friend. Yup. I petted it while saying I take it everywhere I go.

    The next stop was the grocery store. Mike and Steve went in while I sat in the car once again. People made all sorts of comments and stared. Haven't you ever seen a woman with a dead deer before (pet, pet)? Mike came back and announced I was the talk of the store. Great.

    So off we go back to the cabin and I'm trying to hold it up so nothing gets damaged, but it's heavy and awkward. A herd of motorcycles came by and I was trying to envision how this must look to them. I suppose sort of like a dog with its head out of the window. They stared. I had decided that if anyone asked for a name, I'd say Tom. No reason. Just a simple name. When we got it back to the cabin, I told everyone that was my name choice. Steve spoke up and said it had to be John. Why John? John Deere. Bah, ha, ha, ha. So John Deere is mounted in the cabin and looks magnificent.

  40. #120
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Myrtle Beach, SC
    Posts
    2,108
    Post Thanks / Like
    Jules-

    That's funny stuff. I pictured you like Austin Powers petting his cat delightedly engaging the passers by!

    And that name; John Deer. Funny stuff that!

    Love the stone work. Is it required to close-in under the deck like that? To keep critters out?

    I know it is hard work, but you all have done a really nice job!

    Regards,

    Steve

Page 3 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Brown County Customs

Visit our community sponsor