The wedding is only a month away. With the reception being hosted at our house, the ever shortening timeline to have everything ready has been causing lots of stress. The biggest outstanding project is getting the house painted. Or at least enough painted for the reception.
Yesterday morning we decided to both work on painting. Until yesterday, Susanna had been doing the vast majority of painting. I got out the spray gun, and we painted most of the walls. Of course, this still leaves a lot of trim and detail work around the windows to do. But those projects are more easily worked on before or after work in small chunks. The house feels (at least to us) much closer, and the painting doesn’t seem so stressful today. The only real remaining challenge is to find a 32-foot ladder (or taller) to borrow so we can paint the trim on the peaks.
We picked the house colors over a two years ago. I wrote about the color choice in April 2011. The colors are Concord Buff for the walls , with Rookwood Dark Green for the trim and Rookwood dark brown for accents. I picked these from the Sherwin-Williams historic Victorian Exterior color palate. I am very happy with how the house is turning out. And I am very thankful that Susanna has the time (and desire, and skill) to do the vast majority of the painting.
After we get done with the house, it will be time to get the barns to match. But not until after the wedding. And after the summer. I think we are going to take off from doing major projects this summer.
The porch color scheme (Sherwin-William’s Concord Buff, Rookwood Dark Green, and Rookwood Brown). The painting scheme was planned by Susanna. Now we need a new storm door to match.
I haven’t posted in a while. It isn’t that life is slow, and I don’t have much to write about. Just the opposite; things have been very busy this month. And I haven’t set aside time to write. I should be more consistent with my writing, I think a journal helps me focus. But of course, I think it is okay to take a break from writing as well.
My last post did get some attention. I got a comment was very angry about what I wrote about the photography company. And then a comment about 30 minutes later telling me how much I must hate this country if I don’t support the freedom of speech and post her comments. I love how the Internet can allow people to think that they have the right to be confrontational in a way that one would (hopefully) not be in person. Anyway, this is my blog. I pay for the website hosting and domain name. I am free to accept or reject any comments that I want to. I will continue to delete comments that are a waste of time.
Anyway, as I said earlier, this has been a very busy month. I had to go on travel for 10 days in the middle of the month for work. A trip to the Bahamas. Yeah, work can be tough. Of course the trip didn’t quite work out as planned. Submarines were delayed; my ride plan changed. I wound up being stuck on the base for 5 days with little to do most of the days.
The boys have been here for (what seems) is the majority of the time I haven’t been away this month. The house is much more alive when the boys are here; they days go by fast, and I am tired at night.
I have made some progress on my projects. I am in the process of building a floor in the garage for the wedding reception this summer. Ben helped me install the port lifelines on the sailboat. I’ll get to the starboard ones before we put the boat in the water later this month. Susanna started working again at Michael’s Dairy in New London and has had to work most evenings this week. I have also started the garden and had to mow the lawn several times this month.
I think tonight will be a night to go to bed early and catch up on sleep.
Today the boys brought home school portraits. The only problem is that we didn’t ask or pay for spring school pictures. Nor did we get notification of a second picture day for the boys. Their school photographs are taken in the fall, and we ordered (and paid for) pictures in the fall.
This time a pack of pictures came from the school (or rather, Lifetouch School Portraits) telling us to send a check for the pictures we want and return the rest. According to Connecticut state statute, Chapter 739, section 42-126b:
Unsolicited sending of goods. Cancellation of trial offers and introductory rate offers. Automatic renewals. Unfair trade practices. (a) No person, firm, partnership, association or corporation, or agent or employee thereof, shall, in any manner, or by any means, offer for sale goods, wares or merchandise, where the offer includes the voluntary and unsolicited sending of goods, wares or merchandise not actually ordered or requested by the recipient, either orally or in writing. The receipt of any such unsolicited goods, wares or merchandise shall for all purposes be deemed an unconditional gift to the recipient who may use or dispose of the same in any manner such recipient sees fit without any obligation on such recipient’s part to the sender.
I read that as meaning that the pictures are a gift to me. The thing that really gets me spun up is the thought that a bunch of parents will feel obligated to send money. So, I am keeping the pictures. If they send me a bill I will send a copy of the bill and the notification to the Attorney General’s office.
In addition I sent an email to the principle of the boy’s school complaining about Lifetouch. Hopefully we can get some other photographer to do school portraits. Maybe a bunch of other parents around here will keep the portraits and complain to their schools about the deceptive business practices made by Lifetouch Portrait Studios.
I’m happy to pay someone for services or a product that I want. But I cannot stand when someone sends me something unsolicited and expects me to either pay for it or take the time to send it back. I received a woodworking DVD that way several years ago. Needless to say, I didn’t return it or pay for it, and I will never do business with that company.
Now, time to stop being pissed off and try to appreciate the unsolicited gift I received today.
Wow, it has been a busy week. We had lots of activities planned for every day. And today is our day to rest. Will is up early, playing on his iPhone. I’m waiting for the coffee to finish brewing and will head out to the front porch to enjoy the morning.
It is foggy and damp this morning. I love the smells and sounds in the early morning. It almost seems as if the world had been washed clean overnight, and is waiting for the sunlight to dry out. That is one of the things I love about camping – it forces you outside into the morning as soon as you wake up. At home, it is too easy to stay inside and miss the entire morning.
Today we will just do nothing until after lunch. The only thing that the boys have to do is write about their spring break on their blogs. I’ll probably get bored sitting around and head out and pick up the workshop, but not until later. And we will be quiet to let Susanna and Ben sleep in as late as they want.
Our O’Day 22 sailboat in the Thames river for the first time
Our sailboat has spent many years, first sitting next to the garage in Ledyard, and then (mostly) inside our garage here in Preston. I got the sailboat before William was born, so it has been sitting around for over 10 years. Getting the boat in the water has been one of those great ideas. But for so many years, it has been just a dream. I loved thinking about sailing. I even loved working on the boat, but after a while, it would get old, and I would lose momentum on fixing it up.
Something always came in the way. First it was kids – it is a crazy change in how much free time disappears after kids (but it is well worth it). And then a second kid. It sat through a move, a divorce and my own ADHD. And pieces and parts that I had taken off wandered away, lost in all the transitions, and the trailer rusted away under it.
Will and Ben (and Panda) enjoying the day
I wanted to get it in the water last summer. But of course summer got in the way. There is always lots to do in the summer. And I’m not good at finishing things. Certainly not good at finishing things when there are lots of distractions (like in the summer). But I was able to get the trailer fixed last year.
So, this year I decided to pick a date to put the boat in the water. The boat didn’t have to be perfect. It had to float. Enough of the hardware had to be reinstalled or replaced to get it sailing. The trailer had to make the 10 mile trip to the launch and back.
My goal was to get it in the water on the 17th of April if the weather supported it. And, yesterday, I made that goal. We launched the boat near the head of the Thames river in Groton, CT. The boat launch is directly under the I-95 bridge over the river. We then motored under the railroad bridge (with a couple foot clearance for the mast) and put up the jib and sailed out towards Pine Island.
The weather was perfect for a first sail. The wind was very light – perfect for a first try. We didn’t have anywhere in particular to go, so we could just slowly move along. It is also very early in the season, so there was almost no traffic on the river (a couple of passing ferries, and an outbound submarine with coast guard escort).
Susanna and I enjoying our sail
After reaching Pine Island we headed for Ledge Light and then back up the river. The wind was heading directly downriver and was light. I had a lot of trouble trying to get the boat to move upwind at all – something I’ll have to work on. Eventually we gave up and started the outboard and motored the rest of the way in.
The light wind and bright sun made the ride warm and enjoyable. I had been worried that everyone would freeze on a mid-April outing.
Of course, a couple of things learned from the day out:
Stepping, launching, retrieving and unstepping the mast is a lot of work. I think we will try to find a place to keep the boat in the water for a month or two this summer.
The mainsail is in pretty rough shape. I’ll need to replace it before next season, but I want to figure out how to best use the headsails this year, so I won’t worry too much about the main.
We need a long dock line for launching the boat. The 20′ dock lines are a bit too short.
The cabin needs to be better organized. That is Susanna’s job.
A couple more cleats would make life easier topside.
I’ll need a way of telling how fast we are going if I am to ever figure out how best use the sails.
Before we go to sea again, I’ll reinstall the life lines. Not a big problem on a day like yesterday, but it will make everyone more comfortable going forward.
We need a curtain to give some privacy to the porta-toilet.
The boys are on spring break this week. And finally, it seems that the spring weather is here.
I am on vacation all week. However, Susanna still has school this week – so it isn’t really a vacation for everyone. But, even with Susanna in school, we have a busy week planned. I’ll need a vacation to rest after this week.
Getting ready to try out their new kayaks
This morning the boys and I ran errands (while Susanna ran her errands) – which included hair cuts for all of us (and a surprising long wait to get our hair cut) and dropping off recycling.
This afternoon I took the boys down the road to one of the local boat launches on an inlet off of the Thames river. They both had saved their allowances and purchased kayaks earlier this year. They were very excited to try them out.
It isn’t summer yet, and the weather was only in the low 60s today, and the water is very cold, so not a good day to swim. They both wore a wetsuit (shorty wetsuits) and several layers of clothes to keep them warm. Luckily the inlet was protected from the wind (and current of the river), so they could explore without freezing.
The kayaks are perfect for them. They are light enough that they can work together and carry them. They are also short enough to fit inside the sailboat (though barely). The only problem is that the paddles aren’t the best. I will probably glue them together – they kept rotating on the boys which made it hard to paddle for a long time. But what do you expect for $100 (including shipping).
Will and Ben kayaking.
Tomorrow we are planning on putting the sailboat in the water (I’ll keep my fingers crossed). It seems that the boat is ready, or rather, as ready as it will get this year. I have the mast down and tied for transport.
Tomorrow morning I have to get the last few things put together on the boat, and will head down to the boat launch just before lunch. Will and Ben will help step the mast, and hopefully we will enjoy a short sail to Pine Island. Though, looking at the forecast, we may have to motor to Pine Island (not much wind forecast for the afternoon). Either way, I’m hoping to enjoy the day.
Will enjoying the day from the roof outside his window while Susanna takes a break from painting
It feels like spring is finally here. The weather was much warmer this weekend (though today was a bit breezy). The sun was out yesterday (and some of today). We had a great weekend as a family.
The boys both had friends over this weekend. Will had a friend over on Friday, and Ben on Saturday. And Saturday afternoon the boy next door came over for a while.
Today we went to my friend Mark’s house. He changed the pads and rotors on the front brakes of the Volvo. The boys and Susanna visited the baby (and the chickens). We will be getting four chickens from them early in the summer.
This evening I am listening to Susanna play some Bob Dylan on her computer while she types on her blog. It is nice to sometimes just sit and reflect on the day.
New switch panel installed in the boat (below the starboard settee)
Okay, so my labors in repairing the sailboat are nothing compared to that of creation. Nor is the labor close to that of slaying the Nemean Lion However, it is one of my longest unfinished projects, so finishing any of the tasks to get the boat into the water is a big accomplishment for me.
Then again, a 40 year old boat is probably never a finished project.
Today I created light. Well, at least I hooked up lights. I installed the new switch panel and battery. I had run new wires to the bow light and the interior cabin lights. I tied in the old wiring to the stern light and the masthead light. I turned on the switch, and there was light.
All the lights have either LED bulbs or are low draw bulbs (such as the masthead light). The battery I have is a 35Ah AGM battery. It isn’t nearly as big as most boat batteries, but I figure we won’t be using that much power. And there is room to put another battery the same size next to the current one.
The battery sits on a wood (plywood) platform on wooden supports that I fiberglassed onto the hull. I have a strap holding the battery down to the platform.
rear of switch panel (installed). The battery is on the left side of the picture
The switch panel was made from sapele and has 6 circuits, each with independent fuse holders under the switches.
I used round panel mount switches and panel mount fuse holders. A couple of lessons learned:
Use good components. I got cheap fuse holders, and I hate them. The good ones I picked up from Defender were well worth the couple of bucks I spent on them.
I couldn’t find a good source of high quality switches, so I ordered them off of eBay. Get spares. The quality isn’t always the best – I found one of my switches arrived broken, and don’t have a spare.
I’ll probably add a dedicated USB charger one of these days (before any long days out).
The wood panel is much thicker than the panel mount hardware is able to handle. I needed to drill out a recess behind the fuse holders so I could thread the nut to hold them in. I should have drilled recesses behind every hole prior to drilling the holes. The switches would have snapped in better if I had a recess behind their holes. As it is, I had to use a drop of epoxy to keep the switches from rotating and popping out.
I used all 16ga wire. I probably could have gotten by with using 18ga wire for all the lights, but it wouldn’t have saved much money anyway.
I think I would try to put the negative bus bar and the terminal block strip on the same side of the panel. Right now the positive connection for each circuit is at the forward end of the panel, and the negative bus on the aft end. That makes the cabling a little messier.
The switch panel is relatively simple. The to cables from the battery go to a double bus bar. All the negatives return directly to the negative bus. All the switched circuits go from the positive bus to the fuse holder, and then to the switch. From each switch I ran a wire to a terminal block strip. That allows me to build the entire switch panel in the workshop, and just connect each load to the appropriate terminal block (and negative bus on the other side of the panel).
Since the switches are lighted, I also needed a negative from each switch to the negative of the battery. The negative terminals for each switch are connected in a daisy chain back to the negative bus.
Currently the only electrical connections in the boat are the navigation lights, a pair of interior dome lights and a single 12V outlet.
In addition to making light, I was able to make progress on some other boat projects. Susanna helped me install two more toe rails (I have one left to complete). The boys and I made a run to the Defender warehouse to pick up some more hardware (a couple of shackles and padeyes) as well as pick up Ben a short sleeve wetsuit. Both boys saved their allowances and purchased sit-on-top kayaks (I won’t complain, it is better than spending it on electronics, and we were able to find them for a steal online). The kayaks should show up in two weeks, so I figured getting some warmer water clothes may be good for this spring.
I am also making a plan on how to step the mast without killing myself. I ordered two parts from Nautos to help make the supports I need, a pair of nylon gudgeons:
Nylon gudgeons to be used in making a mast support/raising system.
More on that project when I finish it…. Hopefully tomorrow.
I’m finally making some progress on the sailboat. The weather had been too cold over the past couple of weeks for me to want to work on the boat – but the goal is to get the boat in the water by the boys’ spring break in mid-April, so I needed to get some work done.
Saturday morning Will and I went to Defender Marine Outfitters for their annual warehouse sale. It was completely packed, but Will did very well walking around with me (and waiting line a little longer than we wanted when all the credit card processing went down (luckily I had a check book, so we were able to check out while the line kept getting longer and longer). We picked up some of the supplies we needed for the season. Will go a wetsuit for himself, and I picked up flares, a small inflatable boat, a new masthead light, and a first aid kit.
Sunday I decided to move the boat from where it had been sitting between the house and the garage. The boat got almost no sun on it all day and stayed cold. I moved it to a place near the workshop. Closer to the tools and (hopefully) a bit warmer in the sun.
The mast head before.
I also took time to start getting the mast untangled from all of the rigging. The mast spent the past couple of years sitting behind the barn. Last year, Susanna, the boys, and I pulled the mast off and cleaned it up. But I never spent the time to inspect and organize the rigging.
At Defender, I purchased a Davis Mega-Light masthead light. I had to enlarge the hole on the front of the mast head (it looked like it had, in a previous live, been used as an VHF antenna). The masthead light required a 1/2″ hole. The leads to the light need to be soldered to the wires that are running up (inside) the mast. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any solder (though I did find the soldering iron) – so the final connection will have to wait until another day.
I also removed the stainless plate that was attached to the back part of the mast. I’m not sure what it was used for previously (I think there was an old, cheap, masthead light). I will probably attach a topping lift to the plate. Or just leave it off.
I ordered some additional stainless fasteners. I needed #8 x 1″ screws to reattach the teak toe rails. I also needed some more machine screws to reattach the deck hardware. I have had good luck with BoltDepot.com.
I also placed an order for the needed trailer winch (the old one was lost years ago) and trailer lights. Hopefully I’ll have all the parts needed to put the boat in the water. Now I just need to spend a day or two attaching the deck hardware.
