Another View (A Swan's Perspective)

These are a pair of what I believe are trumpeter swans calmly swimming around the beaver pond to the north of the house.












As they take off to the south, this is their first view of the domes.

Painting and House Wrap

Again, you have seen pictures of the outside showing the dormers and entryways. This is what it looks like now:

Primed, well in the process. N is working on the garage cupola. It's been awhile since I worked up that high so the process is rather slow.

Since I received instructions from spouse, neighbors, and sisters to not work up there when I'm here alone, I began on the house using a ladder and reaching as far as I could.

That is just the primer. I'm using Sherwin Williams Loxon concrete and masonry primer. Very thick, only get about 200 square feet per gallon. However, from what I've seen so far, it does a remarkable job of sealing hairline cracks in the concrete.

So far, I only painted/primed down to the top of the riser panels. I can reach that without a ladder, and besides, I need to focus on getting the upper areas covered and sealed before winter sets in. Water will have a difficult time getting through the riser panels.

I have a one-person lift coming this week that I will use to get the house cupola primed and painted. I should also be able to paint the garage cupola and reach down on both domes far enough that I can finish the rest from ladders.

The lift will also make it easier to inspect the domes for cracks or other defects that might provide water a route through the shell.

I'm Home. Close the door!

Walls! and More Walls

I believe I posted this picture, or one like it, earlier. This is the link, taken from the kitchen, after all supporting framework had been removed.

And standing in the same spot, facing the stairs:

Now the link looks like this:

(The picture facing the other way will be posted later, so check back.)
The room is currently housing rolls of fiberglass insulation--a picture would make one itch all over just thinking about sleeping on it, or even sleeping in a room filled with it.

I need to seal up the house for the winter. To do that, I need a wall between the link and the garage. Fortunately, A stopped by for a visit and helped layout and build the first-floor wall. Later, N stopped by and helped finish it.

Now, I need to build the second-floor wall. To do that, I first need the support cables tightened, clamped and fastened to the joists for the second floor over the link; to do that, I need all the joists in place;  to do that I need all the walls for the link built as well as the edge beams for the second-floor of the house; to do that, I need the room-divider wall built in the house...etc., etc., etc.

I took a break. I needed to organize and store my supplies, or at least have one place to put everything. So, I gathered up some lumber and started putting it together. It turns out that everything was the proper length to build this shelf unit:

All I needed to cut were the four corner braces and the four short 2X4s that run front to back to support the shelves and hold everything together.

However, this interior work needs to be put on hold so I can get the outside sealed up for the winter, too.  I can still work inside when the temperatures outside get too cold to paint. The next post will show pictures of the painting process and the covered entry ways and dormers.

Hummingbird Rest Area...

...or endless computer loop.

The birds are headed south. There seems to be a steady honking of the geese as they fly by, some overnighting in the local ponds and lakes, including our beaver ponds. One wayward hummingbird decided to check out the new structure in its path. It entered the house and headed for the cupola.

Now, the cupola has five sides with new windows in each side. New windows, as in the labels are still stuck on, except one red label on one window that has half fallen off. The hummingbird entered the cupola and immediately found a red perch to rest on and promptly forgot how it got in. When it was time to leave, it flew around the cupola, looking out each of the five windows until it came to a red perch, where it sat for a few seconds and repeated the search for an escape, always ending at the red perch.

Not knowing how to help the bird find its way, I left and sent out a call for help. I had hoped that without me there, it would come lower and leave via a door. It did. However, while I was sending out my SOS, a hummingbird flew up to the window in my camper and stayed there for a few moments before leaving, presumably getting back on the international highway to its warm wintering getaway.

Was it the hummingbird? Did it stop to comment on the structure, maybe saying something about needing a door in the cupola? Maybe suggesting signs warning of the endless loop ahead? Or was it hungry and asking for the nearest flower garden or hummingbird feeder?