Weekend Update

Well it has been a full and busy week. Monday and Tuesday were Fall Break so Southern Man spent a fair amount of time out at The Land working on The Barn, cutting away the rotten sheathing on the south side and re-sheathing and re-shingling. That chore was finished Saturday morning and for the first time in many years The Barn is now leak free - and then it rained Saturday evening! The drought has taken The Lake to the lowest level Southern Man's ever seen so he collected some materials during the week and then Saturday morning started work on a fishing dock, setting some cinderblocks at the current water's edge (which should be about ten feet out into The Cove after the rains return) as the beginning of that project. The plan is to get the block pilings done this fall while the water is low, then the dock can be finished pretty much any time.

With part of the rotten decking cut away Southern Man finds that the damage is more extensive than previously thought...

Some new decking is in place; rotten decking is cut away all the way to the west end and for a few feet into the upper roof...

Bad decking replaced and shingles on! Next chore - finish shingling the lower south roof (an easy one-day job) and get to work on the damaged and missing siding on the west end.

And it has been a very social weekend. Thursday night Southern Man headed to his graduate alma mater for a most interesting talk by Don Lincoln (a senior scientist at Fermilab) on some current topics in astronomy and had a nice chat with several of his former professors, including his thesis adviser.

The reception was kind of a bust. When grad students are around you must be quick if you want cookies.

Friday night was our monthly outing to the bowling lanes where Southern Man again set a personal high score with which he is quite pleased. Saturday night was game night with the singles group and this afternoon after Sunday School was a luncheon / cookout at the singles director's home - fresh grilled chicken, mmm.

Next week should be routine until Friday, when Southern Man gets an outpatient procedure that will hopefully relieve the stress on that pinched nerve and relieve the constant pain in his leg and perhaps even allow him to sleep for more than a hour at a time. Lord, guide the surgeon's hand that I might be healed of this affliction and be free of pain. Amen.