Enjoying milder weather.
It’s Memorial Day, so Liz had a holiday and I skipped out on work. This morning Luke and I went to Port Royal, but he didn’t want to stay very long. We were almost home when he fell asleep, so I called Liz and upon arriving home she came out to the car and joined us for a drive. Luke didn’t sleep for as long as I would have liked, but it was still better than nothing. After lunch and quiet time we went to Home Depot and Andy’s Frozen Custard in Spring Hill. Before dinner Liz and Luke played soccer out back while I planted vegetables into the straw bales. Dinner, bath, and bed times went well. I won’t drive to the Mountain until tomorrow morning.
Playground, downtown, nature.
This morning Liz and Luke made breakfast cookies and after eating them we went to Port Royal park and saw a father and son that we had met before. Hugo had a “stomp rocket” and was kind enough to let Luke play with it too. Luke really enjoyed that. From there we went to Publix and bought a few groceries. After lunch and quiet time we drove downtown and walked around the square. Luke loved seeing the fountains, especially the coins at the bottom of each. We drove next to the nature park and saw lots of wildflowers. We ate dinner on the back deck, which was nice in the shade and with a cool breeze. Unfortunately the wind died down and the mosquitos came to dine on us. Clean up was fast and Luke took another “shower bath”. He was a bit emotional at bed time, but did go to sleep much earlier than usual.
MuleFest fun.
Today was the second day of MuleFest in Columbia, I suppose a delayed, abbreviated version of Mule Day. After buying some things at the Farmer’s Market and taking them home, we returned to Riverside, parked at a church, then walked downtown. The area was packed, but in a fun, energetic way. There were classic cars, food trucks, and vendor booths all over. We found a comfortable spot and watched the parade go by. After that we got some food and enjoyed it at an outdoor table in the middle of the action. Luke seemed to enjoy himself. Later this afternoon we went to the new Co-op where they were having an open house and a little car show. So it was another good day.
Road Warrior.
This morning I hauled the half full IBC totes to the job site and unloaded them with my tractor. I also strung a chain across one of the driveway entrances. I went by the library to print my lumber quotes and also looked through their books for sale. After cleaning the cottage I drove down to Snead, Alabama to look at doors. I think I found a large front door that I like, and will return to buy it shortly. From there I drove over to Double Springs, to a place where I had previously bought windows for our house. Unfortunately they did not have what I need. I drove home and arrived just as Liz and Luke were finishing dinner. It was good to see them and we had a nice rest of the evening together.
Preparing for block.
This morning I went with Liz and Luke to Franklin, and took Luke to High Hopes while Liz went to the grocery store. After returning home I hooked up the trailer and headed to work. First stop was Home Depot in Manchester where I bought some padlocks. Next I went by a fertilizer distributor in Hillsboro to pick up some free IBC totes. Things were going great until I was almost to the top of the Mountain and blew a tire on my trailer. Fortunately it’s a tandem axle, so I was able to keep going to the cottage, where I had a spare. I spent the rest of the day putting water in two of the totes, emptying another trailer so I can haul sand, and hanging out at the Mountain Goat Market. This evening I am reading a new book on my phone. It is actually the first of a new series.
Doing what I needed to.
I got a relatively early start this morning and was able to pin the corners of the block for the masons. That took a while and was frustrating, but I think it will be accurate. I also marked where the rest of the block was to be placed when Lowe’s delivered it. After finishing that I drove down to Ace Hardware in jasper for some fertilizer and then on to Harbor Freight in Kimball where I bought a tarp for the OSB. Installing it was a pain because it was so huge, but I was able to cover all the sheets. I rewarded myself with a trip to the Goat Market and chatted with Eric for a while. After leaving there I got my things at the cottage and then drove to buy half blocks in Winchester. On the way home I stopped at Chick-fil-a in Tullahoma for some fries and a milkshake. That was nice. Luke was waiting when I arrived home and we played with Legos and ran around until dinner time. After dinner he cleaned up and took a “mini shower”. Bed time went slowly but he is down now.
Haulin’.
This morning I got a call from Lowe’s asking if they could deliver some of my block today. I said yes, but had to go over to the job site to prepare some things. After finishing there I met Dillon at Ace Hardware and we took his truck and trailer down to Woodbury to pick up a load of OSB. We returned and the Lowe’s truck had just arrived, so I showed the driver where to put the block and then Dillon and I unloaded the OSB. On the return trip to Woodbury we stopped for lunch in Pelham and then picked up the rest of the OSB. Unloading it was tiring work and I was happy to be done. Afterwards I used the tractor to block the drive with some logs. Tonight I have just been relaxing back at the cottage.
Back on the Mountain and in the heat.
This morning I loaded up some lumber and hit the road. I got to the cottage and relaxed a bit before going over to the lots. The first order of business was cutting some trees that I wanted down before the block was laid. They were mostly dead and needed to be dealt with now while it was still cheap to do so. This afternoon Dillon came and helped me cut down the last three. We loaded some logs on his dump truck and I called it a day. I went back to the cottage for a shower and read a bit. I went out to Piggly Wiggly for some food, which I cooked, and now I am just relaxing.
Hot, busy Sunday.
This morning after breakfast we drove to the Natchez Trace and followed it to Jackson Falls, a nice waterfall at the end of a moderate hike. Luke sure enjoyed it, and we had a snack at the trailhead picnic table after hiking. We drove further down the Trace, stopping again for a wildflower hike and finally again for another waterfall. We had lunch at home and I mowed the back field while Liz and Luke had quiet time. Then I set up the sprinkler on the straw bales, and let it run all afternoon. While that happened we all drove to Henry Horton. The playground wasn’t as shady as I remembered but Luke didn’t really want to play. He swung a little on the swing set, then we walked over to the sand area, but he didn’t really want to play there either. So we drove home to play with Legos and read books. We had dinner on the back deck again and then the bed time routine began. There was a bit of a meltdown at the end, but now is asleep or at least quiet.
Hot Saturday.
I was going to do some yard work this morning, but it was already uncomfortable after breakfast so I decided not to. We went to the farmers market, returned home, then went to Home Depot. From there we went to the Library, where Luke played with trains and checked out some books. After lunch Luke had quiet time and then we went out again. Our first stop was the Dotted Lime so Liz could get coffee. Next we went to Ace Hardware and Harbor Freight. Back home Luke and I read a bit before having dinner on the back deck. Luke started his bath as usual, but then Liz turned it into a shower for him, and he loved that. He was very active at bed time though and kept coming out of his room.
