Work as therapy.
I stayed in bed a little late this morning since I didn’t fall asleep until after one. It was a bit rainy out, so I drove around to check on a few things. I saw the tiny house development in Tracy City, and tried to see the one inn Monteagle, but the gates were closed. I stopped at the lumber yard in town for some deck boards, but they were all out. I got to the house and started work on the floor. It went a bit slowly but I got it finished. I also got the rest of the base trim installed and the trim around the patio doors. It is looking pretty good I have to say. After finishing work I cooked dinner then drove around a little. I saw that the sun was setting, and it looked like the moon, a white ball that you could stare directly at. I raced to the Templeton Library, but upon my arrival a departing couple said that the sun had just vanished in the haze. That was disappointing but I decided to go check out the view anyways. There was a guy sitting on a bench and I started talking with him. He was a forester with the State of Tennessee and we chatted for an hour and a half or so about all manor of things. On the way back to the cottage I called Liz and spoke with her for a while.
Back on the Mountain.
It feels a bit surreal to be back in Monteagle. This morning I loaded my car, jumped it off, since the battery was dead, and greeted my parents who came down to look after Luke today. Then I drove to Lowe’s in Shelbyville where I picked up the rest of my bathtub tiles and a couple of other things. Next stop was the lumberyard in Winchester where I picked up my replacement window sashes. I took everything to the house and got it all unloaded before the rain started. Then I got an oil change, bought some food at Piggly Wiggly, and took a nap. After my nap I got a call from my neighbor in Columbia, Jerry, saying that he and his wife were in town and asking if I wanted to go out to dinner. We met at the Goat Market and were able to order and be seated before lots of people arrived. After leaving them I just came back to the cottage and worked on materials lists for the next house.
Grindin’.
Played with Luke during the day. Liz got off work and we went to the nature park. Luke was happy to see the backhoe again. He was a bit frisky at bed time.
Fun with Mimi and Pop.
Luke had speech therapy this morning, then my parents came down for a visit. He had a wonderful time reading, playing with Legos, and showing off his toys. After lunch and a nap we went to the nature park. The weather was great – cloudy and breezy so it wasn’t too hot. Rain is supposed to be rolling in. Luke saw the backhoe again but it was in a different spot. We came home and said goodbye to my parents. Then it was dinner time. He was rather poorly behaved for that. He had a bath and didn’t want to go to bed.
Father’s Day.
Hard to believe it’s my third. Everybody slept really well last night, and it was raining when we woke up. Fortunately it stopped after breakfast and we were able to go to the nature park. On the drive there we saw a fox, and at the park entrance we saw turkeys with their little babies. It wasn’t too hot and we walked the big loop. A ways in we came upon a backhoe and tractor that the workers were using to grade the gravel road a bit. Needless to say, Luke was extremely excited. We returned home and he helped vacuum a bit before we had a video call with my parents. He was incredibly energetic for that. After lunch we both napped, him for nearly four hours and me for a bit less than that. We had dinner and then bath before he (very reluctantly) went to bed.
Made it home!
We were on pace for a record fast drive, but a bit south of Louisville I pretty much maxed out on driving. I pulled into a rest area and tried to sleep, but couldn’t. After about 45 minutes of sitting there Liz took over driving duties. Even in the back seat I still couldn’t sleep, but at least I wasn’t endangering everybody. We got home around six I think. After unloading everything and having breakfast I slept for a while. Liz and Luke followed suit a bit later. This afternoon we focused on putting the house back in order. Hopefully we will get to bed early tonight.
Wrapping it up.
Here in an hour or so we will head home. It feels good to be leaving. Two weeks is a bit long to stay with the in-laws. This morning John and I finished up the bridge. This afternoon I napped in preparation for driving all night. Then I went to a couple of grocery stores to get snacks for the journey.
Building bridges.
This morning after breakfast John and I worked on a bridge at the back of the property. We dragged a couple of old telephone poles across a “creek” and put them into position. We went into town and bought wood for the decking, but didn’t install it. After lunch and Luke went down for his nap Liz and I drove up to Baldwin to get some ice cream at one of our favorite places. This afternoon Luke played outside and didn’t go to bed until nine. Liz and I went shopping at Meijer and didn’t return until almost eleven.
