house of rock 5 (breaking sweat )

my, how time flies! (i've always wanted to say that) i've gotten a good bit done since my last post. we closed the shop for the weekend of the 4th. good long one. laurie wanted to close friday and monday so we'd have four whole days to relax- or in my case, slave and give blood to my project at the gardens.

the first morning was friday july 3rd. i showed up, the gate was open and somebody was in my way. so i ask that i get by and drive up to my spot and began to realize, someone has started painting my playhouse! holy canoli! well, ha! not exactly what i said. more like, WTF??!!! so i'm looking around and there's people everywhere . completely different than my quite mornings to myself. little busy bodies everywhere. everywhere are busy bodies not speaking my language and there's paint all over my house. GREAT.

so, while i gather my things, i try to also gather my composer, thinking, there's must be for a reason for this. come to find out, someone was sent out to paint the playhouse that was being constructed and guess what? mine was and others weren't, so there you go. i'll stop there with that point.



aarrrgggh!!

even though i had made huge progress in the previous weekend and weeknights, there was still a good bit to do that i had been putting off. like closing in above the door. measuring,cutting and installing the end triangles. the last of the heavy lifting. i was nearly to the park when i remembered that i needed the trash can lid to trace for the circles to cut out, so i had to turn my ship around and go back for it. but, it was worth it. it was the perfect size. but that actually took quite a while, cutting out those four pieces and getting the half circles to match nicely. i had done this once before when i forgot to bring the pizza pan/cookie sheet. also the perfect size for the holes in the railing around the deck. someone was not too happy when i called and she had to take her waffles out of the oven to give me the pan.



i also closed in the back side of the back wall, and framed in the window on the back side.



most of friday was frustrating. one thing after another. all meant to send me up and down the ladder 999 times. people that were working with the gardens came by and introduced themselves, a man and his wife, from kentucky or something, were in town and looking around. i'm sweating, and sawing, and cussing, when i can feel something..... someone looking at me. there he was just standing there like, "ah look, there's an artist." or maybe, "look at her, now what does she think she's doing?" i don't know.... he was a nice guy. he must have stayed and talked to me for half an hour though and when your clock is ticking loudly and your friends are in the sun and pool having beer, i'm thinking he was lucky to get 5.

anyway, i can't remember where, but i heard about a dog that had been seen in the park. two actually, i think. but sometime friday afternoon, i heard the train going by, and off in the distance i could hear some howling. i'll just go ahead and say it, it's the way to my heart. really. i couldn't believe it, and it sounded really close. it was time for a break, so i took a little walk. it was late in the day so most of the people had thinned out. when i went up to the big house, i thought i saw him run away but i wasn't sure. after further investigation i discovered that, in an inset for a coke machine was two containers - one with some water and one empty and knocked over.
ah ha! i've found him.
so, the next morning on my usual stop at the circle k to load up on gatorade and such, i picked up the little guy some puppy chow. here we go...again.



the back of my car. also know as; my studio, my cutting center, my tool shed, my cafe' and my thinking cap. and now, where the puppy chow lives.

when i got to the park, the first order of things was to go to the porch of the big house and check things out. it was the weekend so it was quiet and he was still around. i got a quick glimpse of him as he darted away like i was the devil. i loaded up his bowl, gave him fresh water and went about my business. every now and then a train would go by and i'd hear him howl. i could usually tell where he was in the park and tried to keep tabs on him that way. getting a picture of this guy was like trying to get a picture of big foot! i have more than i can count and they all look like this.



every now and then i'd look up from what i was doing and see him trotting by. as the day wore on he started becoming a little more curious and would sit and watch me from afar.

sunday and monday were good long workdays. first i measured and laid out my window frames, then on to my trim. it took most all of those two days to get my trim up. not only was there plenty of measuring and cutting, it was also, specific cutting, like around a curve. not a straight line. a lot of fitting. and also, a lot of my favorite game, "pick it up, drop it"! : /

towards the end of the day, 6 o'clock or so, and after about 10 hours of work, i was relieved my day was done and that the puppy was home. i looked up just in time to see him coming back in. we both were very tired. he had been hoofing it all day, you could tell. he was looking for food probably, and i was working for lunch money. this time for his afternoon feeding, instead of going up to the big house, i make a bowl close to my house and filled it up. he immediately came around, but wouldn't come close.




i got this a few times....


but eventually, i got this.


super cute


finally i get all my trim up. my goal was to leave monday with everything completely finished. close, but no cigar. i always feel like just a little bit more and i'll be done. and that little bit is so much more. either i'm much more of an optimist than i ever thought, or i'm just a complete dip. i'm going for the first one. keep it to yourself. either way, i was close. and i could smell victory, a milestone, right around the corner.



trim on front top gables




trim inside






everyday that next week i came over to the park after work to check on things and feed the dog. it was much to my delight that my paint i ordered had arrived!! i think they've taken pity on me and offered for one of the volunteers to paint for me if i mark off the colors i want. and guess what? i'm gonna let them!! beautiful colors but now i've got to decide where to put them



the following saturday~ july 11 ~ i did my usual routine; unlock the gate, shut the gate, feed the dog, drop the tailgate and get breakfast out, get distracted and walk around to see what needs to be done, get further distracted and start getting things done, go back to tailgate for cold breakfast and gatorade.
*let me make a side note that if you're going to be working outside, or doing strenuous work- anything that makes you sweat enough to water a nation- skip the water, drink the gatorade. after my injury, i went in to see my doctor....they tried three different places to take my blood. i was so dehydrated they had to take it in the top of my hand. when i explained why i was dehydrated, both nurses, in unison, said..."oh girl, you got to drink gatorade, you need your electrolytes. girl, you know you can injure yourself when you're dehydrated like that!"

really.

so, i headed their warning and from then on out i drank gatorade everyday all day. and i do have to say, it made a world of difference. i didn't tire nearly as quickly and had much more stamina.

that saturday might have been one of my favorites. i got all the rest of the trim done and my puppy dog howled at every train that went by. he stayed close to home and even came in closer to eat. i was finally able to get some shots of him.


this made me very happy.




windows and side trim



front window with trim- caulk- and spackled- prepped and ready to be sanded



after they've started painting and all the trim is up- prep work is done- and about 4 hours with a belt sander and everything is done! on sunday july 12- nearly 60 days from the first day of work for me,( though i really only got to work about 20 of those days if you consider that it was all done outside of my day job) all construction is completed! i packed up sunday by 1:00 o' clock, came home and had a shower and cold beer with the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. after a quick rest, it was off to shop and scrounge for what i can make some instruments out of. some people have donated a few things- real instruments, which i'm so thankful for! but part of my goal is to have some things to be made of found objects to inspire the kids to think about making music, sound, rhythm, with anything. i came home with a nice sampling of random things like, various sizes of metal bowls, wooden boxes, and plastic buckets. sticks, dowels, superballs, and tin cans. we shall see!

house of rock 4

saturday june 22
it was another nice morning. i had a couple of visitors this time. a male and female duck had discovered the pond across from me and were spending their saturday morning bathing and dining together and alone. quite sweet. i enjoyed watching them bob for food while i ate my breakfast.




sunday june 23
so, by the good grace of god, cainin showed up to help with the roof. the saturday before, i had taken all my measurements and gotten all my wood cut and ready to install on the rafters. this would be the first layer to the roof; the second being the tin. we were so busy trying to get it done before the sun was beating down on us, there wasn't time to take pictures until the work for the day was done.


roof from the inside

and outside


a few days later i met bonnie after work to pick up more plywood and also by the good grace of god, she decided to come back up and lend a hand and bring her brother! i cut wood and they screwed it to the railing and in 3 hours the exterior of the railing was completed. by 9:30 that night i was home. this was a huge relief. it's one thing when something is heavy, it's another all together when, by mere dimension, it just flat out takes another person to hold it up.


the following night i went up and starting cuttin my tin sheets for the roof. bonnie came back again and lent a hand. it just so happens that the landscaping crew had been doing some watering and finally gotten the sprinkler systems working and working they were! i'll attach a photo to demonstrate the efficiency of their watering. but first...... anyone who knows bonnie, knows that she wears flip-flops year round. everyday. even doing crazy construction work. obviously she's never dropped a sheet of plywood on her foot, but that's neither here nor there i guess. regardless, i'm getting ready to get up on the roof when i hear a scream followed by a scream of laughter. i came around the corner to find this-

if you look closely- bonnie's flip flop is deep in the mud after being sucked right off her foot! must have been a foot deep!


while she was off washing her foot, i climbed up on the roof to begin screwing down the tin. after many laurel and hardy moments of hilarity, we were wrapping it up by dark. the very end of the roof cap required some monkey maneuvering on tippy toes on the top step of the ladder so i was relieved that the younger, more adventurous of us two happened to be the one in that position. and again, too busy to snaps photos while trying to beat the sun. even after, somehow i didn't get photos of the roof. after cutting my leg and then noticing what this sticker said, i did stop for this one.



sat. 27/sunday june 28
the following saturday i woke up not feeling well. i had injured my arm/neck/shoulder a couple of weekends earlier. the tick tock of the clock and having to push on through was really taking it's toll on me. both mentally and physically. that, coupled with a heat advisory and warnings on the news, i decided to stay in and get some rest. the best thing i could have done for myself. i woke up refreshed and ready to go.


the essentials

bonnie had concerns that i was making more work for myself by not doing my measuring and cutting of my plywood before attaching it to the railing. i was relieved to see that i was right and it was indeed easier for me to do it after it was up~ as opposed to~ on a work mate, trying to hold the sheet with one hand and cut with a saw in the other. this way it was attached and i could just drill my holes and cut away. almost like carving.


at least this picture includes the tin roof





i got the sides cut, the scallops cut, and the holes cut. i attached the finials, belt sanded the rough edges on plywood and cut (32) 8ft. strips of molding, all cut from my scrap cut aways. can't tell you the satisfied feeling to have gotten that much work done in one day, without injury, and still have enough energy to stay up and enjoy dinner. good day.

house of rock 3

well, as with many break ups, i could not leave well enough alone. i had to go back and check on things,...see what i could do to make it better. friday night was a big storm that tore through town. i was so worried about the state of the playhouse. and, even though i had decided that i really needed a break from this project, i knew that the clock was ticking and time is already too short. so, after checking the weather and getting the all clear for sunny weather, and since we had no power at home, i go back to the park for more work. i was relieved to see that the storm had done very little damage. actually, no damage- just a little bit of warping that could be remedied with a few more screws.

after that, i begin to cut and install the walls. i have to say, i was not in tip top shape. i had to take several more breaks than normal and could not seem to conquer dehydration. but in only a few hours, i had the walls measured, cut and installed.










i leave there feeling exhausted but so glad that i had gotten that part out of the way and there was nothing but sun ahead.

boy, was i wrong. early the next morning i woke up to sirens, alarms, and an awful storm. the amount of wind and rain was unbelievable. i couldn't sleep for worrying about my decision to put those walls up. they would have been much safer left alone and covered with the tarp.

finally i convince myself that what is done, is done; and that if i have to tear the walls down and start again, that is just what i'll have to do. with the scale and elaborateness of my design, coupled with the budget for this project, i'm already working for lunch money and a pat on the back. what's having to buy more wood going to hurt?

i do my best to enjoy the rest of the day and night. finally after nearly 48 hours, our power is back on. i get a good night's sleep and wake up ready to face the state of the playhouse. the whole drive i'm praying for a break and some good news.....
everything looks good from a distance. and when i get up to it, i can see that it's actually all okay!! some bowing of wood in between screws but no real damage and i can move forward with getting a roof on!! yea!

house of rock (the breakup)

well, it looks like me and the playhouse are gonna have to break- up for a minute. this morning i woke up to rain and remembered that i needed to cover the wood i had stacked so that it didn't warp. so, off i go with two tarps to do my duty. i arrive to find that some of my wood that i have put up has already warped where i had not yet screwed it in. as for the remainder, one stack of about 12 sheets of wood is leaned up against the wall inside the house and the other outside. inside the house, i begin to pull the stack away just enough to drop the tarp behind and the momentum of the stack gets away from me. the entire stack falls, slams into my leg, scrapes its way down and takes me down with it. before i even knew what happened i was on the ground with a backache, the breath knocked out of me and my leg pinned underneath 12 sheets of 4x8 plywood.

i really wanted to cry but i didn't. instead, i pulled myself together, went to my car for the drill and screws and proceeded to save the work i had done last weekend from further warpage and destruction. even though it's not the playhouse's fault, whereas i usual walk away feeling proud and fulfilled, this morning i walked away hurt and with this-


i just think it's time we took a break, that's all.

house of rock 2

well, another weekend of work behind me and i'm feeling pretty good about it. i was able to resolve the key situation and gain access to the entry i needed. i put together another material list and, with the help of some good friends, was able to load them up on a trailer and drive them right up to the front steps. thank you bonnie!!! and cainin!!! luckily i had gone over earlier in the day to check on things and was told by the lady at the gate that @ 5 they were closing off the streets and would not be allowing traffic back in until 6 and that would only be for the concert that night in the gardens. narrowly escaping a nightmare stuck in traffic with a load of wood while the wife and mother in law wait at home to go to dinner, we were in by 5 and out by 6.





the next morning i went back by home depot for wood for the roof frame, another ladder and screws. a lot of screws go into something like this. i unloaded everything and started marking, cutting and assembling the rafters for the roof.



after cainin arrived, we began to put the first one up when i noticed.... because of the angle i had cut, the pitch on roof was really high. it looked as if we were building the steeple on a church. earlier, i had ignored my intuition that maybe i shouldn't assemble them all until i checked one...but as usual, i was impatient and wanted to keep moving. so, needless to say, we had to take them apart, figure a different angle for a lower pitch, re-cut them and re-assemble them; this time, checking the first one before moving forward with the rest.





cainin coming by was a blessing. not only was there really no way to climb a ladder, stand one of the rafters up on top of the walls, measure each end to be in the correct spot, and attach it- there was definitely no way to so it safely. and, in addition to that, having an extra hand kept me from falling behind schedule and i was able meet my goal at the end of the day.





the complete house frame was done and i was off to mom's for a visit; yummy home cooking and porch sitting. .....can't think of a better way to end a saturday.


sunday morning i was sore as a m.f. but felt refreshed and ready to go. i was early to the park, and it was cool and quite. i climbed the ladder and checked some things out...then sat in the shade and planned out the next step.

views from the ladder




aside from a couple of injuries, the day went pretty smoothly. i framed in where i wanted my windows to be and began one by one bringing the sheets of plywood up, measuring and tracing the frames where i needed to make my cuts.....i carried the sheets back down to cutting center (which was my tailgate and a saw horse) made my cuts, carried the sheet back up and nailed the sheet in place; creating my walls. later i will go back in and apply many many screws to what is now just nailed.


first wall in place


second wall in progress


i had just gotten my first wall up and was on to the second, when the wife and kids came by. soon, there'll be an addition of the talking kind to the photo.





you can't really tell by these photographs that it was quite breezy sunday. which, i must say, there really is nothing like a breeze when you're working in the sun. unless, you're carrying a 4ftx8ft sheet of plywood. then, suddenly, usually by catching wind, you become aware you have a big wooden sail in your hand.
some of the injuries that could occur while battling wind with plywood. it can; fall while you're not looking and hit you in the back, (remedy- temporarily nail in place while taking measurements.) it could, catch wind and slam you right in the forehead while carrying it, it could get caught by the wind while trying to set it down at cutting center, making it slam down on to the tailgate, thus, making it bounce and land on your ankles, scraping it's way down to your feet, leaving a nice cut and bruise in it's path.

photos don't do pain justice

after this happened i decided to take a break and walk around a bit.


then i put up one of the front walls and stopped for a quick photo before finishing up and heading home.





feeling pretty proud