If you been around me long enough, you've realized that I can't sit still. My motor runs constantly and I'm always looking to complete a task, tackle a chore or find and finish a project or two (or ten). Granted, I tend to lean toward challenges that have an enjoyable outcome and are worth the blood, sweat and tears that I invest (number one reason why my house needs painting STILL!) to complete them. But in my reality, I have a tough time just sitting still and doing what most people consider "relaxing". To me, slowing down to the point of inertness is NOT relaxing at all. It is difficult to describe fully, but an easy chair and watching the clock tick feels like imprisonment to me.
The point of that paragraph? Well, my "off" day (Wednesday) is never spent relaxing. Realistically, the day is filled with "things to do" lists of chores or projects that I have created to occupy myself. Yesterday was no different! By 10AM I had traveled to Brecksville, taken the kids to school, gone to mentor, stacked a load of bricks, cut the lawn, worked on a grip for a 15' float rod headed to Canada, and I'm sure a couple other things I'm forgetting.
Through Craig's list (again) I made contact with a nice couple in Mentor that had a bunch of lumber free for the taking. Part of the lumber was still part of a "tree fort" that needed removed. Some may have baulk at the hour or so time it took to saw-zaw my way through the structure only to retrieve a half dozen pieces of usable lumber, but destroying things is the best part of any project! LOL! And since Jason was kind enough to give me a bunch of other wood that I needed, it was my way of saying "thank you!".
The trip out to Brecksville yielded the last of the bricks that will have to be hauled to trout camp next month. I believe marking the last time we'll have to haul pavers to camp for a while. The quantity stockpiled there is enough for all of our projects which will involve finishing the fire pit patio, walk ways to connecting the pit to the deck, the pit to where the camper will eventually be placed and from that place to where the storage shed/latrine will be constructed. I would like to add that the quantity of bricks on hand has taken a significant amount of time to assemble, but the fact that we've gotten all of them for FREE makes the patience involved worth it in the end.
The latrine/storage shed (mentioned in video 1 of the mother's day 2011 youtube links that I posted) will permit us to keep tools, mower, weed eater, etc.. up at camp and give us all somewhere to use the facilities without having to drive into town or borrow a kind neighbors restroom.
I'm about 60-70% of the way to having the materials need to frame the 6' X 9' shed. And I'm guessing that I've got about 80% of the exterior skinning (Thanks to my buddy Greg) for the batten board look that I'm aiming to build. The goal is to actually build the structure in my driveway in a modular fashion and then haul up the pieces to camp for quick final assembly. That's the thought process and goal anyway!
Lastly, my goal of constructing 3 rocket style bat houses is just about a reality. I've got 2 of them completely built and just need to acquire another 4X4' PT post to affix the houses on top of in the field. The third one is going to my Mom. I promised here that I'd build her some years ago and life got in the way of delivering on that promise. Sorry Mom!
The "rocket" bat house design has the capacity to house a colony of 250-300 bats. In case you didn't know, bats eat 600-1000 insects an hour, the equivalent of a human eating 10 pizza's overnight! Those insects most certainly include mosquitoes. While we don't have many at camp because of the cool nights and altitude, we have plenty of black flies and other pesky flying things that they'll find yummy to munch on. Currently, there is a healthy bat population that we've noticed come dusk. The addition of (2) more houses to the open area at camp will only improve the bug situation for us and habitat for them.
I discovered the rocket bat house plans online at the following link: http://www.ekpc.coop/NewGreenweb/bats.html
All wood was acquired through CL or by donation. The interior walls as well as the 4X4" that they mount too have many thin kerf cuts. This gives the bats somewhere to grab onto as they make their way in and out of the house. The gap between the post and the walls is narrow at 3/4". The post has two wedge shaped cut outs high up inside the house for additional roosting and one side of the exterior wall has a hole to allow air circulation. I had some left over tar paper and shingles that I used for the roof. I'm hoping that'll improve the longevity.
Finally, after all joints were glued, screwed and caulked, the entire house was painted black. Black is important to keep them warm. Warm narrow spaces are bat's haven as they normally (in the forest) call home between bark and dead tree when not found within a cave. Lastly, I found a cool bat graphic and screened it onto the house with gold spray paint. If you stumbled across this house on the property and wondered what it was, the graphic tells the story. When we finally get to camp, this 4' structure will be attached to the top of a 9-12' long pressure treated post mounted into the ground.
That's all for now. The scheduled date for excavation is fast approaching and to be completely honest, I'm not sure that it is going to happen unless we get a decent amount of sun for a good period of time. I'm a little worried that it'll never stop raining and I'll have to use the wood pile to start building an ark instead of a latrine!
The point of that paragraph? Well, my "off" day (Wednesday) is never spent relaxing. Realistically, the day is filled with "things to do" lists of chores or projects that I have created to occupy myself. Yesterday was no different! By 10AM I had traveled to Brecksville, taken the kids to school, gone to mentor, stacked a load of bricks, cut the lawn, worked on a grip for a 15' float rod headed to Canada, and I'm sure a couple other things I'm forgetting.
Through Craig's list (again) I made contact with a nice couple in Mentor that had a bunch of lumber free for the taking. Part of the lumber was still part of a "tree fort" that needed removed. Some may have baulk at the hour or so time it took to saw-zaw my way through the structure only to retrieve a half dozen pieces of usable lumber, but destroying things is the best part of any project! LOL! And since Jason was kind enough to give me a bunch of other wood that I needed, it was my way of saying "thank you!".
The trip out to Brecksville yielded the last of the bricks that will have to be hauled to trout camp next month. I believe marking the last time we'll have to haul pavers to camp for a while. The quantity stockpiled there is enough for all of our projects which will involve finishing the fire pit patio, walk ways to connecting the pit to the deck, the pit to where the camper will eventually be placed and from that place to where the storage shed/latrine will be constructed. I would like to add that the quantity of bricks on hand has taken a significant amount of time to assemble, but the fact that we've gotten all of them for FREE makes the patience involved worth it in the end. The latrine/storage shed (mentioned in video 1 of the mother's day 2011 youtube links that I posted) will permit us to keep tools, mower, weed eater, etc.. up at camp and give us all somewhere to use the facilities without having to drive into town or borrow a kind neighbors restroom.
I'm about 60-70% of the way to having the materials need to frame the 6' X 9' shed. And I'm guessing that I've got about 80% of the exterior skinning (Thanks to my buddy Greg) for the batten board look that I'm aiming to build. The goal is to actually build the structure in my driveway in a modular fashion and then haul up the pieces to camp for quick final assembly. That's the thought process and goal anyway!Lastly, my goal of constructing 3 rocket style bat houses is just about a reality. I've got 2 of them completely built and just need to acquire another 4X4' PT post to affix the houses on top of in the field. The third one is going to my Mom. I promised here that I'd build her some years ago and life got in the way of delivering on that promise. Sorry Mom!
The "rocket" bat house design has the capacity to house a colony of 250-300 bats. In case you didn't know, bats eat 600-1000 insects an hour, the equivalent of a human eating 10 pizza's overnight! Those insects most certainly include mosquitoes. While we don't have many at camp because of the cool nights and altitude, we have plenty of black flies and other pesky flying things that they'll find yummy to munch on. Currently, there is a healthy bat population that we've noticed come dusk. The addition of (2) more houses to the open area at camp will only improve the bug situation for us and habitat for them.I discovered the rocket bat house plans online at the following link: http://www.ekpc.coop/NewGreenweb/bats.html
All wood was acquired through CL or by donation. The interior walls as well as the 4X4" that they mount too have many thin kerf cuts. This gives the bats somewhere to grab onto as they make their way in and out of the house. The gap between the post and the walls is narrow at 3/4". The post has two wedge shaped cut outs high up inside the house for additional roosting and one side of the exterior wall has a hole to allow air circulation. I had some left over tar paper and shingles that I used for the roof. I'm hoping that'll improve the longevity. 
Finally, after all joints were glued, screwed and caulked, the entire house was painted black. Black is important to keep them warm. Warm narrow spaces are bat's haven as they normally (in the forest) call home between bark and dead tree when not found within a cave. Lastly, I found a cool bat graphic and screened it onto the house with gold spray paint. If you stumbled across this house on the property and wondered what it was, the graphic tells the story. When we finally get to camp, this 4' structure will be attached to the top of a 9-12' long pressure treated post mounted into the ground.That's all for now. The scheduled date for excavation is fast approaching and to be completely honest, I'm not sure that it is going to happen unless we get a decent amount of sun for a good period of time. I'm a little worried that it'll never stop raining and I'll have to use the wood pile to start building an ark instead of a latrine!
