It is a start anyway.

Historical Picture

Dale Evans and Roy Rogers (circa 1948)

The start of the screen porch.

With a sky looking like rain but none in the forecast I started working on the back porch. Yep a little drizzle did arrive, so the porch is sorta crowded with stuff. I first had to saw 8 blocks to compensate for the drop on the floor. They are lined up awaiting a break in the drips.

Here is the block laid but no caps on the top.

Mixing mortar is a tough job also. Every time I mix mortar my mind goes back to being 5 years old and seeing my dad, the preacher, mixing mortar and supplying brick for 4 masons. Dad was a worker. Later in life on my building sites I would tell the mason's helper that and they would say, 'That is pretty hard to believe, it works me to death to keep two masons supplied using a mortar mixer.' Dad mixed it all by hand.

The day’s work is done, tools cleaned up. Now to wait for the mortar to set up before continuing with the framing.

Some things slip up on you. These are small four inch by eight concrete blocks. While I was not looking, the manufacturer has added some lead or something, they are much heavier than I remember.  All brick/block jobs are tough on the ground, it is back breaking work because it is all done bent over or on your knees.

I came in and asked Sherry, “Do you know why I feel Old?”

My sweetie retorted, “Because you are.”

“Not fair, that was going to be my line!” but I am really tired.  Just the mixing of the mortar and laying 18 block and 36 brick took six hours without a break. A real mason would have did it in about an hour and a half.  That hurts. But to my aid. I did have to spend an hour cleaning tools that someone else had left uncleaned after the last job.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.

Nite Shipslog

Above is our coach when I was building the Condos Shirl lives in.  Below is a wheel on that coach once in Wyoming  when the interstate was shut down because of an early winter storm. This had never happened to us. Icicles are pointing out from the nuts like a big star.