We've got a roof!

     Jim, Matt and I arrived at trout camp Saturday evening after a 3.25 hour drive.  The additional drive time was due to a stop over in Oil City to pick up 400square feet of Owens Corning Ice/Water Guard Roof Membrane from our eventual metal roof supplier.  Greg was nice enough to bring the rolls home with him and allow us to pick it up at his place after hours.  Way after hours, around 10:15-ish if memory serves correctly.  From there we took the 30 minute drive into camp.  Our camp entry was marked with the usual ritual of unpacking and preparing the sleeping arrangements, unloading the tools, ladders and gear from the trailer and SUV into the "Thinker's Box" and situating things so that we could enjoy some grub (or breakfast as Matt liked to refer to it because of the past midnight hour).  It was a cold night (mid 30 degrees) with an almost clear sky full of stars.  Just outside the perimeter of camp, small scurries and rustling leaves could be heard.  What was a bit unnerving and startling at first was the pack of coyotes that began howling, crying and whining off in the distance.  It sounded like there were quite a few of them, with definitely some offspring in the mix as well.  That had us on an elevated alertness level for a while.

     Matt continued to prep the fire, burning almost all of the untreated dimensional lumber cut offs that were scattered about, and I put the burgers, hot dogs and buns on the propane grill.  We'll need to acquire a replacement soon, the few months of elements (even while under a full sized cover) have frozen the burner temp. adjustment knobs internally and screwed with the gas delivery to the burner itself.  I was able to fire up one side and cook, but it was slow going due to a reduced output.  After we chowed down and have a few refreshments, it was time for lights out.  We slept protected from the elements, but it was till cold, inside my neighbor's cabin.

     Sunday morning began by following the lead and direction of my neighbor Matt.  The goal was to install the roof on the "Thinker's Box".  Matt and I took the high ground.  We were supported by Jim on the lower level.  Not having to climb up and down the step ladder, back and forth from the loft to the first floor, to make cuts was a real time and energy saver!

     It took about an hour.  In that time, we were able to block in the end of the roof rafters. When the OSB sheeting was installed over top of the rafters, the short end walls at the eaves aren't exposed to the outside.  With a few tubes of caulk or liquid nails, we'll have a great seal at the inside eaves.  We'll save that for next time!

     Once all the rafter ends were blocked in, Matt and I moved to the next task- - installing the extensions that comprise the support arms for the eave overhang on the north and south end of the tool shed.  We notched back two rafters and ran a 2"X4" through the notches extending 10.5" out from the face of the walls.  The end of the 2"X4" 's were screwed to the vertical side of a third rafter in to complete the connection to skeletal frame.  On the extension side, we butted a vertical length of 2"X4" to the horizontal protruding piece and screwed it together securely.  Once the .60" OSB was installed on top, the extensions became strong enough to hang from and aren't likely to sag in my lifetime.  I appreciate the abilities of Matt, because as we brainstormed the design together, the plan that we came up with seemed to work out extremely well and looks good too!

     We ran into some issues with our borrowed generator.  Thankfully it was half way through laying the roof decking in place.  As we began work on the long side of the roof, Adam's homelite generator began to run really rough.  I raced down from the loft to it to see if I could mess with the choke, because it sounded like it had begun to flood out or something...but, I wasn't quick enough.  By the time I got close, it had turned off and could not be restarted.  This reduced building efficiency to a snails pace.  Cuts, thankfully there weren't a ton of them to do, had to be made using the electricity available at the neighbor's camp.  Four trips back and forth completed the decking.  Nailing, remember we were using pneumatic tools for this part, had to resume via hand tools.  Matt and I cut the collated clipped head nails into singles and put in as many as we had time to do.  Eventually, by hand, the roof was as finished as it could possibly be on this trip out.  Another half hour to 45 minutes was spent getting the camouflage tarp up and over the roof and stapled into place.

So, what's in store for the next trip out?

     The fascia board has not been installed, nor has the Owens-Corning Ice / Water Guard.  These two tasks have been reserved for the next trip up as we simply ran out of time and daylight this time around.  I guess I'll bring up the caulk gun and seal in the loft blocking on that trip as well...

     I would like to once again extend an enormous level of gratitude and a huge "THANK YOU!" to my neighbor Matt for assisting Jim and I in this endeavor.  Without exaggeration, there is no way (NONE!) that the "Thinker's Box" would be at this level of completion without his help.  Help isn't really the word I feel comfortable using either...  What he has done for our camp is above and beyond what I would expect from anyone that volunteers to "lend a hand" to a friend.  I don't wish to go on and on about this, but I am indebted to him and his time which I realize is extremely valuable.  To be completely honest, I feel an extreme level of humbleness and a certain level of anxiety regarding what he has done for us thus far because I somehow feel we don't deserve it.  I promise that I'll return the favor when the time(s) comes and the call is placed!

That's all for now...enjoy the movie!

Putting the finishing touches on the Thinker's Box framing...

This past Wednesday, after celebrating my daughter's 14th b-day at our favorite sushi restaurant (Otani's in Mayfield Heights), I immediately headed out to TC in preparation for the following day's list of things to do.  The rush is the weather.  If you haven't had the opportunity to spend a few overnighters in Pennsylvania, let me clue you in...Whatever the nightime temperature is in Cleveland, it'll be 10-15 degrees cooler in the Allegheny Mountains.  If it is borderline cold here with an occasional sprinkle of snow, chances are they'll have 12-24" on the ground in parts.  They seem to have rain every third day, so you can imagine what happens when freezing temperatures become common.  Now, this isn't a given, but considered typical.  My fear is the snow that lurks just around the corner and the unfinished state of the Thinker's Box "shed".  It must at least have a solid roof (even if it is just the sheathing) prior to the white stuff.  When the snow starts flying, the loads will easily weigh down the tarp that is on it now and tear it to shreds.  If that happens, the affects on the interior could prove catastrophic destroying the progress that I've worked so hard to complete in such a short time.  So, in short...the roof needs to be installed!  If we can get the sheathing on the roof rafters and at least one wall skinned (the northern facing wall) before the snow starts to fly my level of anxiety will be greatly reduced.

As you will see in the video, the OSB is at camp ready to be installed, all of the rafters are in place and the walls now have been made structurally sound with in-between-the-studs 45 degree angle blocking.  I've also managed to bring the studs up to the underside of the outer roof rafters.  The only thing that needs to be addressed before the roof decking is put in place is the eves.  I'd like to extend them a foot on either end to give us a lip of protection against the elements.

As far as camp is concerned.  It looks like we've had no human visitors since my last visit.  The plastic that I stapled to the walls was intact and untouched.  I didn't see any footprints in the lower level's flat either.  The grass is still growing and I believe the seed that was laid about a month ago (if memory serves correctly) has sprouted with the most success.  So, late September seems to be a good time.  I'm guessing that we'll have to go through this routine several times before we have a nice lush area that is completely green a portion of the year.  I can't help but think that a couple falls worth of leaf debris and natural decomposition would go far in providing the nutrients necessary to hardy up the grass we have...time will tell, I guess.

Cool Photos From Camping w/The Neighbors

     Since I was too busy to shoot any sort of quality video programming to post of camping with the neighbors, I asked for copies of Carol's photography.  Here are a few (more than a few) of the cooler ones of the time we spent with weapons of war and target practice at Trout Camp back in September.

     But, first...before play time, there is always work.  I proposed a game of "pick up the rocks".  The one with the most amount of rocks collected withing their bucket in a 5 minute period of time (it was more like 10 - I think?) wins $10 cash!   My neighbor's children were all on board and the competition was fierce.  There wasn't just one bucket per kid, they collected many buckets each.  I was amazed at their enthusiasm! When the timer went off and it was time to count the tons of rocks collected and redistributed to the drive-path into camp, I discovered they all had tied! Imagine that?!  So, everyone got paid the prize award amount.  Best $30 that Jim and I ever spent.  These kids know how to work and they did a great job of clearing the rocks off the lower flat of our property.  We've got more to do, however, and there is always next time and another competition! LOL!

     After the work was completed,  we prepped a spot on the lower level and prepared the arsenal for firing.  You may notice, by my shirt, that it was HOT!  Anyway, I went over gun safety, range awareness, properly body position and stance, safe trigger finger placement, announcing safety on/off, the range was "hot", live firing, etc... We began with the bb rifle and CO2 handgun and worked our way through to the Glock.  Matt and I had some fun firing his old shot gun and I took out my rifle as well.  The best part of the event was seeing how much the kids enjoyed themselves.  I know that they appreciated the challenge of target practicing and attempting to remove the red dot of the bull's eye from the targets.  Look at the smile on "Not-a-Toyota's" face in the .gif below.  She was brave enough and had no problem going through a complete magazine of rounds in the process.  I was impressed by how well she followed instructions, her patience, and how well she hit the target. This particular model is a first generation, it is wide, it kicks with a passion, but she handled it in stride.  Maybe she'll grow up to be a law enforcement officer?  Who knows!?

I think the smiles says it all!  There is nothing like firing a .40cal glock!

Some of the crew decided that Mankala was more fun than shooting, but that's OK...Trout Camp is supposed to be about having fun and good memories.  

For their first time ever handling a firearm, I'd say that what they shot was really impressive!

It wasn't just kids proving they had good aim, the adults got in on the action as well!

Everyone got a chance to shoot the BB gun, .22 Rifle, and a few others...

Replenishment of my neighbor's water supply at our local spring.

Gun / Range Safety Instruction Speech

Unloading the weapons, before the safety speech.

Rock Collection Time!

"Not-a-Toyota", first time with a long rifle and a great shot!

We're getting there...

The tires of the Mountaineer hit the freeway around 6pm this past Sunday with trailer in tow.  I had held off purchasing the 3/4" OSB subfloor for the loft because I didn't want to risk that I'd ruin them by driving in driving rain!  The storm that blew through town in Cleveland around 5:30pm looked like a monsoon.  I chuckled to myself that the decision to hold off the purchase was a good idea.  The drive into Pa. was clear for the most part.  The bulk of the heavy clouds and I'm guessing rain had headed over the lake because I received a light sprinkle near route 11 and that was it.  On the fly, I gambled and decided to stop in Erie.  I arrived at the Erie Home Depot at 7:30pm, loaded up the 6 sheets of OSB and headed South to Camp.  No rain on the horizon, minimal clouds in the sky....this was a good sign!

By 10pm I had everything off the trailer and into the Thinker's Box where it was safe, sound and protected from any potential overnight rain storms.  I unloaded most of the items out of the SUV that weren't extremely valuable and prepared my sleeping arrangements at Pedro's place.  It was "early" and I was looking for something to occupy my time for a few hours.  There wasn't anyone on top of the mountain that I could tell so it was off to a little-less-local pub about 15 minutes down the road to watch the Steeler's game and a quick bite to eat.  A little-less-local because our local pub (within 5 minutes of camp) has closed its operation.  It had been for sale for $550K for a while and I guess the potential to serve a resident community of 468 people wasn't convincing enough for an investor to pony of the asking price?  Go figure?!

Anyway, when I left the pub...it looked like the Steelers were going to lose, but the game finalized with the win on their side.   If Manning had been healthy, it would have been a definite loss as would have Cleveland's game against them the week prior.  But, as the saying goes...Any given Sunday!

I returned to camp around 11:30pm and set my alarm for 6:30am.  I awoke to find the air cool and crisp, the sky turning bluer by the second and very few clouds.  It took a little longer for the sun to crest the mountain because of the season, but when it hit late morning...it was full force.  The work was systematic.  With only two tasks to complete, both being quite repetitive, I got into "machine mode" and got things done.  I departed camp at 3:01 and was home at 5:30pm.  

Video recap provided for your viewing pleasure.

Loft is in!

Another Thursday spent in the rain at TC installing the loft's joist framing.  The Thinker's Box now has an 11'8" X 13'4" second story "storage" area with one heck of a view.  Two luxuries that I enjoyed this time around was a cold day, a steady cool breeze and working under the protective shield of a tarp for a roof.

The overall framing went up without much trouble.  It took quite a bit of time because of the additional rigging needed to install the 2X8X12' lumber by myself.  Once I figured out the methodology and implemented the steps, it was steady work.

Once the joists were in place, I thought it would be a good time to block between them.  Instead of running one blocking row down the middle, I split the floor joist run into thirds and installed two rows.  The result was a very stiff upper deck which will only become more solid once the 1/2 tongue and groove OSB is installed on the next trip.

Weather report:  It rained from midnight through 8:45AM Thursday.  Once the rain had passed, I was able to work in cloudy conditions that changed to partly sunny, breezy and quite cool.  Because of the early morning rain, I decided not to purchase the OSB.  I'll haul it up to camp on a day that is dry and I've got my fingers crossed that this may be next Thursday?!

I'll bring you up to day next week when I return!

Dj

Framing The Thinker's Box

Originally the plan was to run solo out to TC and frame our camp's Thinker's Box (utility shed).  I prepped the vehicle by packing it full of all the tools necessary to complete the job.  I had a few minutes to spare a few days prior to leaving so I took advantage of them by preassembling the headers for both the roll door and the entrance door openings.  This saved quite a bit of time at camp and made finishing the wall with those openings much easier.

I met up with Floatman and collected the remainder of the Home Depot gift cards from his side of the division and put them together with one rather large gift card, sent to me as a tip for good work, from a loyal and multiple repeat rod building client.  He reads the blog, so I cannot thank him enough for his generosity...I REALLY APPRECIATE IT SCL!

Anyway, Jim and I had talked about going up there together which was a relief because as I thought about it more (and certainly now that it is done) I had come to the conclusion that there was NO WAY that I could have completed this project on my own.  At least, not without a struggle and a lot of rigging to make up for the second person needed.  Jim had some known family obligations that prohibited him from coming and with just a day to spare I scrambled to find an able bodied person to help me.  I went through the Rolodex and was beginning to become worried that the search would end miserably.  In desperation I called my neighbor Matt's wife because she's easier to reach and always knows what Matt's up to as far as work is concerned (most of the time he is up to his ears in jobs).  Matt has two speeds...100mph and relax/pass out/sleep.  I called his wife because the guy is so busy from sun up to sun down that I knew it was unlikely that I'd be able to reach him anyway.  Well long story short, the less than ideal weather had conspired to work against Matt's weekend plans and in favor of mine.  I gained a helper and  before I knew it I was the helper and Matt was running most of the show.  It was obvious by the speed at which we were able to build the structure, that we were on the same page and working toward the same goal in tandem.  Our efficiency was only interrupted by my need to video tape the progress for posting purposes.  

We were so busy that when we paused for a few minutes to prepare for the slowest wall to build (the one with the two door openings) it caused my neighbor further up the mountain to cruise down into our camp on his quad to make sure we were OK!  How's that for coolness?  After finding out that we stopped for reasons other than emergency related (that's a relief!), Randy shot the proverbial with us for a while.  In the course of conversation, I'm happy to report that we, and our visitors, have now gained an additional place to cook, take a hot shower and refrigerate food when needed.  I have to tell you, the hospitality of our neighbors is overwhelming.  We are very lucky to have them as they are certainly the salt of the earth!  Thanks Randy and Pedro.  You guys rock!

Back to the build...Matt and I framed the four walls of the Thinker's Box by 2pm.  All that was left was to set the ridge beam in place.  This took a little forethought as one end would put a person 20' in the air and the other near 18'.  I came up with using a few of the boards and constructing corner stands.  We climbed the ladder and perched ourselves at either end which put us in the position to be able to hoist the 16', 2X8" beam into place with minimal effort.  Returning to the shed's floor and looking up gave me a better perspective on how tall that beam actually was; much higher than what I had pictured in my head when sketching the building!

To finish off the job for the day, Matt and I draped a camouflage tarp over the beam and stapled it along with some 4 mil plastic to the walls in an attempt to protect the OSB flooring from the elements.

Here's the video recap.  I'm not sure why the first segment is in slo-mo, but it doesn't effect the capturing of the work progress.  You'll get a kick out of watching Matt (within the first couple minutes) walking on the lower level.  Doesn't he look like he just came out of the Sasquatch video from the 70's?  LOL!

Although I've done it a couple hundred times already (that isn't an exaggeration!), I'd like to publicly extend a HUGE THANK YOU to Matt for spending time helping me build the Thinker's Box.  His experience equaled efficiency and (again, no exaggeration) his drive at times motivated me to work and work with focus even when I thought it might be time for a break.  And for those that know me and how I work, I never take a break unless I really need one...so I can appreciate his enthusiasm.  And, although he shrugs it off as fun, building a structure takes energy any way you cut it...so I greatly appreciate him sacrificing time and energy to help me when I know there were probably a 100 other things he could have been doing!  Thanks Matt!

What's next?  I'll return to camp in the next several days with a heavy load of donated boards that will find their home as the exterior walls.  While up there and after the boards have been unloaded from the trailer, I'll head to the nearby Home Depot to purchase the loft floor joists and roof rafters.  She's coming along and I'm glad that you are interested in hearing / seeing the progress.

Until next time...

Perfect Preparation / Not-So-Perfect Weather

Labor day weekend was spent with our neighbors and "The Floatman".  The ten of us converged upon the local tavern Saturday evening.  Jim held the kitchen open for us and, literally, the last entree was ordered just before it closed at 10pm.  What a relief it was to make it down in time to be able to eat before heading up to our spot on the mountain because there wasn't a back up plan (at least one that didn't involve eating junk food instead) for Saturday evening's meal.  We ate, drank and got merry then headed to TC.  After setting up camp, some of us grabbed fresh cold ones and everyone else found a spot to hang out and have their own fun.  My poor daughter, suffering with the onset of a cough and cold, was forced to hang out by herself in the camper.  I have to say, even with feeling like complete poo-poo, my daughter impresses me with her maturity and helpfulness.   On her own, she prepared the inside of the Coleman pop-up and made it ready for our family to sleep within.  Thank you Babe-ah, I love you more than you'll ever know!  And I'm sorry you're feeling like 'el crappo!

My wife was extremely happy to be able to see the stars in their full glory.  Saturday evening, we were blessed with little cloud cover and moderate temperatures, both are great for night sky watching.  Once we completed camp construction and the positioning of our gear,  Matt and I plopped ourselves down in chairs on the "lower level" while the rest hung out around the fire and on the deck under the ez-up screen tent.  Besides the stars, comets and satellites, the coolest thing was the low level cloud that settled on the property for a few minutes.   All of sudden, the stars turned off and the sky went from blue/black to a dark grey.  I grabbed my LED flashlight and pointed it skyward.  The beam shown solid white.  The air was so thick with water droplets that the beam could penetrate only a dozen feet or so.  I scrutinized the light saber as it appeared to be alive.  What I found was that each minuscule droplet was moving around in a wind orchestrated dance.  It was really cool and mesmerizing.  The beam appeared like a bright wand of sand flowing back and forth and in layers like strudel.  Before I knew it, the cloud had passed and the show was over!

As the night drew into morning, we collected around the fire pit and put a small dent in the wood pile.  At times, the fire ring radiated heat so well that some of us repositioned ourselves further up the hill and actually off the pavers.  I was happy that I had made the trip up earlier in the week and took care of the weeds and moved the brick piles.  The added space came in handy when we gathered around the fire pit.  The bench seating that I built was also a hit and put to good use.

Sunday morning brought in a few passing rain showers, some heavier than others.  The worst of them hit just about dinner time though.  But, early morning had a window of opportunity that allowed us all to load up and head into town on a breakfast run.  I had promised and had my heart set on having us all go to a dinor (that's they way they spelled it there) that was within Tionesta's city limits, but the place was hopping with patrons because of the holiday weekend.  The servers were noticeably frazzled and it caused them to show little interest in accommodating our large group in any seating configuration.  I was disappointed.  I really wanted the kids to enjoy the good flavor of their homemade perogies.  As we waited for a couple tables to open, I watched a group of 6 walk in and sit down to be served which facilitated our group's exit.  The decision to reroute to the Sky Jet was wise.  This restaurant, only 10 minutes further up the road. had a much greater seating capacity and an efficient staff.  The proprietor, who is always dressed to kill in her Sunday best, sat us in the backroom within minutes of our entry and within 5 minutes I was chugging my first cup of many coffees to come.  We ate like kings and queens and rolled back to camp.  No, we literally rolled back to camp as I was so full of good eats I could explode! LOL!

Back at camp, it had begun to warm up.  Every now and then, there would be a small gust of cool wind, but they didn't last very long and didn't do much to stop the sweating.  I set up a few protective moving blankets on the ground of the lower level and unloaded the arsenal from the truck.  Matt, the kids and I made our way through the various calibers and just about everyone had a turn to display their markmanship.  The neighbor's daughters, although having never fired a rifle, showed that with just a little bit of instruction they could compete with the best of them.  The younger of the two was even brave enough to fire my .40cal Glock.  I was very thorough with hand and body position and what to expect upon trigger pull. She listened intently on what to do and what NOT to do.  I wish I could have captured the size of her grin on camera after the first squeeze and shot fired down range!  I knew by the look of her face that she could feel the power of this impressive weapon and wanted more.  I pointed out a few things that I felt could be improved upon and then let her empty the magazine.  I think she enjoyed herself.  I know she enjoyed firing that weapon.  I was really impressed because most of the 13 rounds were finding their way through the paper target placed 30 feet away.  Good going "Not a Toyota"!        

  Fast forward to dinner time.  I said "just before dinner time" in reference to the rains before dinner because it couldn't have been time any more perfectly.  The grill had just been turned off and all of the food was warmed and/or cooked to perfection and the rains began.  Two tables, 8 chairs, 9 people fit like sardines under a 10 X 10 canopy (in case you wondered!).  I, however, found a tree with broad leaves and used it like an big umbrella.  My wife Jennifer outdid herself again.  I suggested we do burritos as much of the ingredients can be prepared at home and warmed on the spot.  If you could imagine a burrito night at the local buffet line restaurant, you must have been up at camp with us!   The expanse of food at the chow line was crazy-out of this world.  She literally could have fed an army.  The fact that the food bags we brought up to camp filled a 100qt cooler should have been the clue on how elaborate this spread was going to be!  All of us tried intently to eat as much as we could, but the mounds of food just laughed at our attempts and would not relent.  We were forced to wrap up just about half of it all and store it for reheats the following day.  We had Matt, Carol and family over again (this time at our home) Monday evening to finish the left overs and we still had food to pack back into the refrigerator! LOL!

While it rained steady during Sunday's Spanish Supper, as soon as we had finished eating like pigs...it stopped and allowed us to enjoy yet another evening around the fire.  This time the festivities didn't last quite as long as the gravity of the consumption and the tiredness of all that we'd put ourselves through for 1.5 days had caught up to us.  We "called it a night" early and shortly thereafter it began to rain non-stop and didn't quit until early morning.  I thought for sure that we would find the Gricars in their tent somewhere floating down the mountainside, but the forest surrounding camp is forgiving (for the most part) and had sucked up the storm water like a sponge.  We packed down and headed out.

I couldn't help but think how much easier camping is going to be once I complete the Thinker's Box and haul the Banner camper up.  The convenience improvement is almost incomprehensible.  I apologize for not video taping.  I've got a few minutes of the children shooting targets, but I'm going to hold off posting it.   I was having to much fun to be stuck behind the DV recorder instead of in front of it.

The next post will resume with the construction of the wall framing and roof of the storage shed. Coming soon!

Dj