The Last Screw

shed_roof_complete
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

Tracey appeased me on this one and agreed to go and get the camera as the last screw of the roof was being installed. I was overwhelmed with a distinct sense of relief when the roof was finally completed. I am estimating that the roof stage took about 50-60 hours, and most of this duration involved a strong mixture of nerves, perseverance and patience. Considering that the roof was an 8/12 pitch, the risk of sliding off was always present, especially once the metal sheets were installed. I was tethered for the most risky moments.

To install the ridge cap, we made a wooden ladder that slid along the roof wherever it was needed. Once it was lined up with our work area, we attached it with short boards braced to the rough facia. This can be seen in the photo if you look closely.

The entire roof stage was made much easier by the scaffolding and walkways that we constructed. I have to admit that I learned a lesson on this project. To spend time building a decent walkway near the roof line was not a waste of time. Once in place the work was much faster and easier. Not least of all, I am more effective when I am able to avoid visiting the hospital. With the peak of the roof 28 feet off the ground and the roof edge nearly 16 feet above the earth, a fall would not have been forgiving.

First Fire

jer_tan_fire
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

This past weekend we had our first bonfire of the year. Jer, Tan, Ivy and Ella came down and we made camp irons and wisked the evening away chatting around the fire.

On this particular evening, we the parents had the first glimpse of what might be around the corner. For about half an hour, the three kids played with each other and allowed the adults to actually converse. They have certainly played together before, but never for this type of sustained period with so little intervention from parents required. This may sound pathetic, but anyone who has dealt with toddlers will understand.

shed_roof

shed_roof
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

Here is another angle of the roof last Sunday. The weather was perfect for the week and half or so I needed to complete the roof. This particular morning was simply gorgeous. By mid-day however, it was getting really warm on the metal roof.

Shed roof

Shed roof II
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

Here is a photo taken about a week ago. It shows the roof half sheeted and the other half consisting of 1 by 4 strapping every 16 inches.

Haircut?

Eli_hair_2
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

We are considering a hair cut for Elijah one of these days.

Having a cake and eating it too.

Eli_G&Gcake
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

A little birthday cake action with Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy 60th Birthdays!

Mom&DadD_60th
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

Mom and Dad on the waterfront in Penticton. We went to a great restaurant situated on Lake Okanagan.

Uncle Keb

Eli_Kevbook
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

Uncle Kev, or 'Uncle Keb' according to Elijah, came out a few weekends ago as part of the celebration for my Mom and Dad's 60th birthdays.

Elijah is pretty stoked about his Uncle Kev. Using his creativity and charm, Kev has really made in-roads with Elijah in the few times that they have been together.

Anyway, the 60th was a lot of fun as Melissa was also able to make it out for a few days.

Money well spent

shed_trusslift_II
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

For the off-the-record price of $150.00 I was able to hire a crane to lift the entire bundle of trusses onto the walls in one shot. It was only after the 14 foot walls were up that is became abundantly clear that it was going to be really tough to lift the trusses up any way other than mechanically.

This photo was taken one week after the walls went up.

Clean and Jerk

shed_walllift
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

Heavy.

Walls up.

shed_wallsup
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

A few walls went up in the afternoon on day one. They were really heavy and quite awkward. With each wall being 14 feet high and sheeted over 2 by 6 studs, it was a little brutal lifting them in place and holding them there while they were braced.

Starting the Shed

open_pad_II
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

We have started the massive shed project. Here is a photo of the site on day one. I had about 6 guys from work show up at my place. Thankfully one of them is a professional framer in his former occupation and he helped get the crew going. In this photo we are doing the wall layout.

Updated photo

family_Mex_06
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

Here we are. The three of us spent a lot of time together while in Mexico.

Every day, Elijah wanted to walk down the beach to visit his play area. While many children flock to the pool, sea, or playground, Elijah was enamoured with a construction site nearby. He wanted to say 'hi' to the truck, crane, tractor, and ATV at the work site.

Adding to the lure of the place, a few emu (ostrich-like creatures) were next door to the construction site and a box of baby turtles was sometimes present through a nature/environmental release program. To put it bluntly, Elijah was very eager to 'go say hi to the tractor'.

Back to the Blog

eli_beachdrink
Originally uploaded by mtplanet.

I felt a little bogged down with the whole email, blog, movie-making scene and I took some time off. I am happy to be back to putting up a few blogs. Quite a lot has happened in the meantime.

We went to Mexico in March and I grabbed this photo while Elijah paused for a drink. Elijah was absolutely thrilled to spend time on the beach and the area near Puerto Vallarta had sandy sections that really catered to little kids. The beach deepened very gradually and had virtually no rocks or sharp objects.