It was a beautiful, hot summers day
and we loaded the kids, food and tools in the van and set out for the lake with a view to cladding the garage.
I’m sure the kids were thinking more about playing but Ruth and I, at least, were set on working.
It is always about 2 degrees Celsius cooler at the lake than the big city and there is usually a breeze coming off of the lake.
This breeze is a great benefit, usually.
Its cooling effect means we only have a couple of days a year where we would even consider air conditioning.
So we didn’t put AC in choosing cold drinks and cranking up the fans instead.
As we found out in Deforestation Part 2, the wind is not always our friend.
Trying to install 4 foot by 8 foot sheets of paneling is like sail boarding only you end up doing a face plant in the dirt instead of taking a dip in the water.
Between Ruth and I we were able to close in the three sides of the garage and the road side around the garage door opening.
It was quite the work out, one which I was destine to repeat years later, only alone this time.
We had finished the house and lived there a while and then Ruth said she wanted to live in town. So we moved to the city and rented the house out.
The renters said they wanted to install two windows on the west side of the house.
I wasn’t living there so I said “Sure”.
Later on we moved back out to the lake and realized that we did not want two large windows facing the neighbour and leaking all our expensive heat out into the cold winter night.
The plan was that we would remove the windows from the living room, re-side the wall, insulate and drywall. We would also put a wood stove in to supplement the electric baseboard heaters.
I brought the 4 x 8 sheets from town and as I prepared to install them, Ruth went to visit a friend and the wind from the lake picked up. The wind may not be sentient but it sure has a sense of humour.
So there I was.
Alone.
I’m on a ladder.
With a sail.
Had anyone been watching I am sure they would have scored my acrobatics a 9.0.
The joys of owning a house.
Next time, back to the build.
Hoisting the trusses.
And who doesn’t want an elephant in a gale postcard…
I was wondering how you learned to do a high-wire act.
When the Flying Wallendas see my act they always clap their hands. Over their eyes.