My wife says this picture defines me at age 68. After almost three months out here I feel stronger and wake up each morning feeling better than I have in years. There must be something in the air and in the dirt that re-invigorates a neglected body.
____________________________________________________________________On Sat, July 25, 2009 at 9:43 AM, Terry Chancellor
Well Dave, you appear to be having a great time, however, in the photo you look like a goat herder. I enjoy your posts.
Hi Terry,Well, I tried the 10 gallon hat. It Liked to have baked my brains. And I tried the straw hat, but it had to be tied on. With both of them I spent so much time with my hat in one hand and my bandana in the other that I couldn't get any work done. Then I cut up some tee shirts. you get three head bands by cutting the body of the tee shirt into three equal strips from the lower hem to the arm pits. That worked ok for a while keeping the sweat out of my eyes, but one day I severely sunburned the top of my head and decided to add the bandana for the extra protection. The combination works really well. It absorbs sweat very well and gives back cooling in the wind. Turns out goat herders got it right several thousand years ago.
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I try to work some every day with the tractor. It makes quick work of the standing dead wood.
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Our canine friends and protectors:
Cleo
Russell and Rocky
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------When Sharon was here we did some clean up, and one rainy day we had our first outdoor fire.
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As you can see the interior of the green shed needed some attention also,
so I built some shelves from plywood, furring strips, and 1x4 stock.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Good hard rains near the end of June have given us some new grass in the last few weeks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------There has always been a need for shade and shelter from the rain, so I put other things aside and completed the carport that I began last year.
I sheathed it with 3/4 inch exterior plywood and placed glued/screwed 2x4 splice blocks to better withstand the wind, and also to bear the weight of a future sleeping platform. There are lots of nights out here when when sleeping outside would be a real treat. Especially during the meteor showers.
It makes a very deep shade when the sun is high and bright. 
The area under roof is 16 x 24 and perfectly shelters the Gator and trailer.
I was surprised and pleased to find out the Gator would pull the trailer so easily. At first I only hooked it up to see if I could reposition it more quickly than hitching it to the truck. Now I use it all the time and have left it connected for daily chores and moving concrete and lumber.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I made some modifications to the well house and plumbing to allow pumping straight into the horse trough. My understanding of the electrical control and hookup of the well pump and pressure system was less than perfect so my first attempt was not successful. A quick call to Walter Elliott got me squared away. Naturally I forgot to get a picture of the overboard flow in operation.
But it does put out a nice flow when the pump is running.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The large gray box in the back of the reefer van is our wood stove, given to us by our neighbor Tim Hardin. It will make my workshop habitable this winter.
I included the picture above so you could get an idea of the size of the stove. It's made of 1/4 and 3/8 inch steel plate and lined with fire brick. I estimate its weight at over 300 pounds. Tim Hardin and I got it in the reefer by horsing it into the tractor front loader and hoisting it up.
Sharon says it's beautiful just as it is, but I have in mind a new color scheme using black, green, and gold high temperature manifold paint.The two silver knobs on the door fronts are adjustable vents, and it has a huge control damper in the flue attach box.
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Improvements to the place continue even though at the end of many a day no really outstanding changes are visible.
Here the torque box is complete, sheathed with 1/2 inch CDX, and coated with bright white elastomeric coating for waterproofing while waiting for the roof over the trailer to be done.
Redwood waterproof stain dresses up the raw plywood considerably.
And a fresh coating for the front porch as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The next phase of construction has already begun. I'm adding a 24x24 room to the front of the green shack. It will incorporate the existing 8x16 porch into the new room for the sake of economy and in order to get it done, lined, insulated and heated by the time cold weather gets here. My conservatively optimistic estimate for a completion date is the end of September. My wife is coming out the last two weeks in September to help me with the finishing touches.
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And I got from Amazon a powerful new circular saw to allow me to cut 4x lumber in one pass without having to roll it or get awkward in high places.
Technical Details:
Uses a 10 1/4 inch thin kerf blade; comes with 77 Skil saw motor, 10 1/4 inch blade, and guard kit (assembled)
Has 3-3/4-inch depth of cut and will cut any 4X material in one pass.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The beam structure that resembles a red saw horse is the foundation for the east wall of the new room. The rest of the foundation will be equally massive, supported at 4 foot intervals by pressure treated 4x6 posts set 30 inches deep in 5000 psi concrete, and bridged together with 2x8 and 4x4 lumber. The floor joists will be supported at their mid-span point by a post and beam structure running perpendicular to the joists.
The floor corner by the front stoop where the wood stove is to be installed will be reinforced to take the weight and protected from the heat with concrete backer board and a layer of brick. The wall behind the stove and the ceiling area will also be fireproof. The double wall chimney is common out here so I'll have no trouble getting guidance for the installation if necessary.
I have made the decision to install an electric composting (low water use) toilet to service my workshop. No septic system will be required as both liquid and solid waste is reduced by the composting process. For some reason there are very few composters in our part of New Mexico, and I have not found any contractor or plumber who is familiar with them. So I will just have to plow fresh ground.
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