Those Back-to-School Assignment , Part Three

 Part Three

Of How I Spent My Summer

Continuing with those dreaded back-to-school assignments that the teachers always gave, we are now into August.   

I had just enough log home stain to get a coat on the parts of two walls that were sanded and treated.   When I went to Anchorage to buy more stain, I discovered that Home Depot no longer stocked the Behr Log Cabin stain and that I had to order it:  4 to 6 weeks because it had to come by barge!

That would definitely put me into the rainy August weather but I had no other option, so I ordered it.

Then, I started on the east wall, the one I've refinished three or four times already.  It catches the worst of the bad weather and I decided, after some research, to use a different stain--Super Deck stain made for log homes.

My neighbor Lou came over to sand the logs that were too high for me to reach.

I did manage to alter one fingerprint when the grinder's cord caught on the ladder.   It never did hurt.

I was astonished to find out that some of these stains, Super Deck included, allowed the underlying wood to "turn gray naturally!"   That's what I was trying to avoid. 

Then, Super Deck log stain also isn't stocked and I had to order that , too, but was told about ten days.

Because of rainy days and wanting to keep the sanded logs dry, I decided to hang tarps to protect the east wall.   This was done with the help of my neighbor Mike and pretty soon, Tarp Tunnel was done.

This included a long tarp hung from a second story dormer!

The white stuff on the brick mold around the door if called Peel Stop.   Its purpose is to fill and smooth paint that has been peeling.   Works great.

Working on staining.

   

Ladders, always ladders.   Sometimes a plank laid between two ladders as a jerry-rigged scaffolding.

Something I found hilarious in hanging the tarps is that I COULD NOT drive a screw through the old, protected Behr Log Cabin stain!    It won't hold up to weather, but it sure is tough otherwise.

I wondered if the tarps would scare the Steller's jays from landing on the dining room window sill.   Didn't faze them at all!!!

See the little stinker at right?   He had to fly about ten feet behind the tarps!

Finally, two coats of stain and some drying days later, the tarps came down.

And were rolled up for storage.

By this time, the new stain was aging nicely with the old stain and you could barely tell the difference.

While I waited for the Super Deck stain to arrive, I sanded the logs above the carport.   Then, stained them once I got the stain.

More ladder scaffolding.

The cedar shakes are on next year's list of chores.

I also refinished the log-and-a-half above my garage doors.   I started working on the logs above, but decided that will go on next year's list of chores.

I

Tah-dah!   The finished east wall:   logs, trim, and brick mold around the door.

The dark spot at left is just shadow.   Note the brick mold around the door has been painted.

The rest of the wall:

Restained front deck:

And redone rear deck:

Note the logs.   I restored all the log siding from the kitchen window down to the deck and the stain has aged so it blends right in with the upper logs.

Then came the firewood project.   My electric provider, Chugach Electric Assn., had a contractor in the area ll last winter whose job it was to clear electric easements and take down any dead spruce that might fall on the power lines.   They took down five or six very large spruce on my property.

Then, a friend from Anchor Point came up and got the usable wood out of the forest and now I needed to get that wood split and under cover before winter.

Here's the problem.   I can no longer pull the cord on the recoil starter with enough authority to convince the engine to start.   My friend Julie did that.

I split some of the wood but soon realize that, for reasons I won't go into here, that I needed a lot of help with the lifting/splitting part.    Julie, and then with her friend, split the rest of the wood while I hauled it to the carport and emptied the trailers.

Once I had it stacked I could estimate that I had three cords of new firewood.

 

And that's the end of my What I Did this Summer essay.   All in all, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Now, as time allows, to get back to the Fur and Feathers Journals.