WOW...Cold here

This morning we woke up to the 20's! I don't like this kind of temps but then it comes and goes here often.
We are almost south and almost north here in Texas and we do have warm winters but they turn cold ever once in a while...like last night. I wrapped all my pipes yesterday and found the water not to be frozen this morning. Thank heavens...I just got all the water pipes in and would hate to have to repair them this early.
Sherri went shopping yesterday and I stayed home with the school duty. Kris is into algebra now so we can't miss too much class time. If you remember algebra took all your attention and you had to spend a lot of time working the problems so you could learn how it all works. Being away from it is not good when you first start learning it. 
Kris is doing real well in school and I have to spend less time teaching as he gets older. He has to read most of his assignments and do the work on his own. I am just there to guide him through it all. I too have to read the assignments and learn right along with him so if he has any questions I can answer them. It is good that I have something to keep my mind sharp like this. 
Today is suppose to warm up a little as the day goes on. I need to get back to work on the cabin. Everyday that goes by and I am not working on the project puts us closer to not finishing before Christmas...and finishing is our goal. 
Back to work...

Somewhere in Time 

Taping and bedding

We are on the home stretch here at the lake. We have about 3 weeks left of work and we should be finished with this project. I will be glad when it is all done and I can start working on my studio/workshop/storage building. 
Yes one more thing to do this winter while we are not traveling. We have committed ourselves to stay here at the lake for the next 6 months to get all these things done so when we come back off the road we will have a nice place to come back to.
Traveling is fun but when it is time to recoup your finances it is nice to have a cool place to come to. Cool in the sense that it is comfortable not cold...well maybe sometimes cold.
I will have a workshop to tinker in and a studio to paint in and a place to put all my yard tools and S T U F F. That will make coming back a little more bearable. It wont be the mountains or the Gulf but it will be a place where I can save some money and still have an enjoyable time doing it.
The weather is not looking good for the next few days. They are predicting 20's and that is not my favored temperature. I need to get to town and pick up some pipe wrap for my water hose. I don't want to have that freeze up. I have all my other lines wrapped and they should be OK.
Writing about all this is not getting it done so I must sign off here and get to work. I'll keep you up on all that we are getting done...

Somewhere in Time 

More Rain

Well it just keeps on raining! I still got some work done yesterday but with the rain there is just so much I can do. I had hoped to have all the sheet-rock up but that was not to be. I have to move my shower deverter over and that means I have to go outside to to turn the water off and when it is raining is not a good time to do that. 
We will just wait the rain out for now and see if we get some good dry days in. I need to connect all the sewer lines up and that too needs dry weather.
The whole process is taking a little longer than what I had planned but it is coming together nicely. We are excited about finishing but we don't want to rush it along and mess up so we just bid our time.
Our Christmas deadline is coming up and I would really like to be finished with all the work and have all the mess cleaned up. Christmas is not the time of year to be painting. It should be a time to kick back and enjoy the season...you know... be jolly...

Somewhere in Time 

Bumps in the road

The plumbing pipes are in and it is time to pressure test them. I had Sherri there to help me spot any leaks that I might have. She purged the lines at the shower diverter while I opened the shut-off valve next to the cabin.
All looked OK until I spotted a tiny pin leak in one of the joints. Now I pride myself in not having any leaks in copper pipe joints over my years of plumbing but today I have to say that I missed a bad fitting and ended up with a leak!
Well as you might know you have to get all the water out of the lines to repair a leak so this was a great set back for the days work.
On top of that I had two leaks at the "On Demand" Hot water heater. After close study I had left the packing parts on the inlet and outlet points and did not have a good connection. This was taken care of with no problem.
After some time messing with the small pin leak I had the system up and running. We are now ready to button up the siding and move on to the inside work.
I have to hook the electric up to the HWH and then start insulating the walls and pipes. 
Sherri did notice later that day that the shower diverter was not centered for the shower so I will have to move that! And I thought I was doing such a great job.
I will say this we are on the home stretch. As soon as I get the drain lines hooked up we will be ready to top off the bathroom. Sherri can start the painting and then we will be finished with this project...

Somewhere in Time 

Rain interrupts progress

This morning at 2:00 am I was brought out of a deep sleep by the sound of thunder and our chimes ringing. Chimes ringing means that we have some wind and that means soon we will have rain. Rain...yes...big time rain was just southwest of us and coming fast. I decided to check the tarps on the cabin. I have tarps up where we had to take some siding off to remove a door and put in a window. With the rain on the way I knew I should secure everything.
Now remember this was at 2:00 am. Here I was out in the cold trying to get the tarps readied for the onslaught. I felt the cold rain start to peck around on my neck and I knew that I did not have too much time to get this all done.
If I could just have had one more day of good weather I would be changing the tarps out for siding. Best laid plans of mice and men. Tomorrow I will be finishing up the copper and pressure testing the lines so I can insulate and button up the outside. Everything is coming together...

Somewhere in Time 

Finished the ruff in plumbing today.

Started out the morning traveling to Home Depot to get some more copper pipe. Had a stop over at Big Lots to get a bed for the cabin. They had a double bed on sale and we could not pass it up. While there Kris and I found us some recliners that are to die for. I guess I would have to die to afford them.
Upon return to the lake I had some lunch and then went head long into soldering pipe until the sun went down...literally. I had to cut the last 2 pieces of pipe with a flashlight. Got her done and was I glad. Tomorrow I will have to pressure test my work and see if I have any leaks. If I don't then I can button up the outside and get to work on the inside. 
Sherri has already started the painting. She is painting the loft first and it is rather tight. She is doing a good job although even with the lack of room to swing a brush. 
We are shooting for a completion date before Christmas. This way our family that shows during the holidays will have their own space.
Well here is to finishing up...

Somewhere in Time 

We made it

It was like a successful bombing run! We hit all our targets  and made it back to base in one piece.
Sherri says she has just about all her gifts bought. I on the other hand...as usual...am a little short on filling my list. I like waiting to the last minute so that I don't miss any great deals. You know if you buy too early you may find a better price latter. 
I got my table saw. I save $128.00 on this gift to myself. They had it marked down $100.00 and then with my VA discount I got another 25% off. 
Speaking of veterans...I noticed how many items in the stores were made in Vietnam! It was sad to think about the 56,000 men that perished in that since-less war! They gave their all for our cause and so many years latter I wonder for what? Those folks are still living in the same grass hooch we left them in all those years ago and they are happier than ever. Making all the clothes we now wear and the toys our kids play with...Just saying.
OK done with that...I am looking forward to finishing the cabin and moving on with my shop/art studio.
Tomorrow and Sunday will be spent finishing the plumbing and then I can button up the outside and work on the inside. They say it might rain Monday so I need to be done with all the outside work. I am sure it will all get done...

Somewhere in Time   

Black Sales

I want it painted black...that would make a good song.
This is Black Thursday and then tomorrow is Black Friday. Sherri and I are headed out to get all the bargains that have been advertised for months now. Everywhere you look someone has a sale on for some items that you cannot live without. 
Sherri is looking to get her a new fireplace for the cabin. I am looking to get me a portable 10" table saw. Yes I know I sold a good one years ago but who knew I would be back in the remodeling business? Besides the one I am looking for is portable and I can roll it around in my new shop to get it out of the way when I am not using it.
These sales can be dangerous so if it all goes well I will be able to post again tomorrow to let you know how everything went. One year a women ran me over with her buggy in the ladies department...like I was going to get the last bra on the rack? Come on people slow down. I think the real person comes out on Black whatever when these maniacs get to the stores. I just want a good deal on whatever and I have no intention of killing someone to get it. If they are out of that item when I get there...so be it...there will  be others. 
I am also working on my plumbing today. I would like to have it done by this weekend but then with all the sales Sherri has me going to I may have to finish up next week. 
So far everything is coming out nicely. Sherri has re-thought some aspects of the project...having me redo some things to make her feel better. That is the norm when it comes to her designs. She puts it on paper but when I complete the project she does not like the outcome so she will have me redo it. I am always ready for that so it does not bother me.
The only safe thing I have is electrical and plumbing. I have to do it the way it has to be and there is no changing it. Oh sometimes she will have me put in an extra plug here or there but once the circuit is run it is run.  
Same with the plumbing I tell her place the toilet and the other fixtures and once they are installed there is no going back. 
I know we will enjoy our new digs once we get through building...

Somewhere in Time 

Jason is coming to see us

My oldest son is coming to see us today. We don't get to see him much and when he is able to come down to visit we enjoy him. He works for Pepsi-Co as a CPA. They keep him very busy so he does not get a lot of time off. 
Sherri and I are straightening up some of the mess we have made while working on the cabin here. Trying to put some things away and making it look presentable. We have accomplished a lot since we started and hope to have it all completed by Christmas.
The new storage/workshop/art studio is stacked with all the building materials to finish the cabin. When finished I will have to put the shop in order so I can us it.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we are planning on staying right here. No plans to go off to anyone's house we just want to enjoy our little family here and eat some good ol turkey with all the trimmings.
The weather is turning cooler everyday. We did not have a fall as most areas of the country do. We go from hot summer into cold winter! Now that it is cool I can do some of the outside projects that need to be done. When it is hot in this part of the world I sweat like a horse on the gallop! I welcome the cooler weather and hope to get some things done outside that I have been meaning to do...

Somewhere in Time 

Back to Work

We got the RV inspected yesterday and now it is back in its birth here at the lake. I had a sigh of relief when we got settled in. We are now plugged up to our new 50 amp plug and all is working fine. I have to start the next phase of my plan which is the plumbing portion. 
We are putting water in the Tiny House...which by the way we will be referring to as the cabin from now on. Everyone is asking me what I mean by tiny house so now to make it simple I will be calling it a cabin here at the lake property.
OK now that I have that cleared up I will tell you that I have to plum the cabin with hot and cold water. We bought an on demand Hot Water Heater from Home Depot and will be installing it as soon as I get the water run to it. Sherri says washing in hot water will be so nice. 
I hope to get the plumbing all done in the next week. I will have to first install a shut off valve for the cabin so I can work on it without cutting the water off to the RV.
Everything is coming together as we have planned...now to pay for all of it??...

Somewhere in Time  

Back at the Lake

We made it back to our lake "Tiny House". Actually we are at the State Park just a mile from there. I had some electrical work I had to get finished which required me to have the meter pulled on the pole. I got it all done Monday and they hooked me back up that same day. 
We have to get the RV inspected for plates...another way the government gets our money...and that I have to do today. We will be moving from here straight to the inspection place and then by to get our new plates. From there it is back to the port and get parked. Not the most fun I have had in the past week but it is all necessary.
We took a look at the Super Moon last night and it was impressive. That will be the last time I see that I am sure.
Once we get back to the port I have a list of things that need to be done and then maybe in the next two weeks I can go back to painting and fishing...

Somewhere in Time