While it is hard to
work with power tools in a wet atmosphere, we are certainly thrilled to get
rain at our altitude in greater downtown Strawberry – the mile-hi hamlet with
population of under 100 except in the “summer” - where the women are strong,
the weather unpredictable, and the children have to go elsewhere to
school!! THANK YOU Twain Harte Unified
School District!!
The POOL PROJECT
continues despite the weather – the building permit arrived in late November
when work had been closed down for the “winter!” Winter arrived in April, May and June with thundershowers nearly
every afternoon, which is nice when the owner is also the contractor and needs
a nap on occasion. There have been 10
to 12 hour days, however! Not bad for
“an old guy!” He used to do 48 hour
days in the computer business – if it is broke you work til it does, fueled by
the vending machine candy bars and chips, and LOTS of coffee!!
Just prior to the
pouring of the 36 yards of 3 sack slurry one of the 3 baby robins decided to
inspect our rebar in the deep end of the pool.
He hopped from intersection to intersection chirping away, sometimes
within a foot of each of us. We put a
2x6 ramp up and he found it, but hopped off before reaching the side of the
pool. Finally, the guest in #4 came
with his fishing net and helped Tom capture and release the infamous “Inspector
BIRD” to get a good scolding / welcome from his robin family!!
The shallowing
allowed safe working for the last of the staples in the upper reaches of the
walls – staples necessitated by weak spots in the walls, especially on the
concrete deck side of the pool. I have
been lamenting those cedar trees for blocking the sunlight and dropping their
pricklies for 20 years now!! They also
pushed on the 12-inch concrete wall looking for water, even chlorine-infused
water!!
The staples will
keep the epoxy-filled cracks from cracking again, at least that is the
theory. We pray that it is at least a
30-year fix!! The rebar and dobies for
tying them a prescribed distance from the shallowing or the shallow end where
the new floor will be atop the old mended floor are on site and ready to be
done by the Team of Mountain Martha and the contractor. We are a good team – 56 years of
practice!! So far the guests have not
“tarred and feathered us” for not having the pool done, especially when they
see us down there each morning at 8:30 and with a thunderstorm break, working
again until 7 PM!!
With the black
clouds forming the pool gate is locked, no sun bathing in a thunderstorm
anyway. The lounges from the pool area
are scattered in the sunniest locations on the property so folks can catch some
rays early in the day! I do pity the
Pinecrest Theater – wet is not conducive to high attendance at the nightly
first-run MOVIES outdoors under the stars (when you can see them!)
