A Working Model

at the old QMH, shoreline restoration meant disassembling the marine railway for the boat.
Last week, May 31 to Jun 2, the major work was done.

However, the boat was trapped in the boathouse. This Saturday, a friend and I remedied the problem.
The boat made the water and started.
The fix was not pretty. A make do affair w/ whatever was at hand. But working !

The first launch had us pushing the boat in the boathouse, at least 5 ft, it grudgingly moved, hit the down slope and made the water.
B/c in taking out the rails last week, some shims under the rails were moved or removed, the whole system in the boathouse needed re-jigging.
Launch #2 was a dream come true.
Unfortunately, my regular crew of helpers wasn't there and I failed to relay all the proper instructions to my helper, we snapped off a guide post on the marine trolley. The post was thin wood and the door frame solid and the post gave ( TG ). A simple fix.

Beautiful weather there, marred by pesky mosquitoes in the morning ( shady, thats why ) and good breeze and sun.

Overall, a 89 % rating for work done. The missing 11 % is for ugly which couldn't be helped and impermanence b/c we are still trying to figure out a useful way to shim and backfill

#2343 and growing

Saturday in the Park - the Cowsills

Round 2 of restore the shoreline
This session will hopefully build a framework or underpinnings for the rails if not the rail themselves.
The last part could be a little ambitious
There will only be 2 of us
2 people took out the rail but re-assembly may be harder
Always is - sort of a corollary to the Peter Principle

Weather looks to be grand
Breezy and tops out somewhere near 70

Michael

Hah ! Got you. Right
Where does he go from here

Pie, pie, oh me oh my  sung by Andi McDowell in the movie " Michael "
The group, including the archangel, Michael, stop for a bite and find ' pie heaven '. Yes, they try every kind.

Well, a devoted reader, maybe my only reader, ventured into Amish country Ohio for pie day.
Strawberry pie and ice cream.
In the great order of events, a momentous episode.
B/c I'm not doing all the negative news in the world.
I'd be third rate at best after CNN etc.
My take has always been that ' 9/11 ' made CNN.
The worst of the worst brought to you all day, the CNN speciality.
OK, B , you got your shout out
Hi, M

Weather is blissful

They are so good at bringing the bad

Brothers Marathon

all day yesterday

Band of Brothers, the HBO 10 part series played all afternoon. Very realistic w/ excerpt interviews w/ vets including some of the names that feature in the show.
PTSD - I can get it watching the show

Weather : broke fine and stays that way for days

Recovering Nicely

or that is the plan. Sleep helps the recovery and no stress

Isn't there always a plan

Weather is damp, cool and pregnant w/ rain

The situation re: my construction week at the Old Quarter Mile House. The shoreline needed to be done. Cost was always a big bugaboo. While I was owner, I couldn't see a way to get the restoration of the water front done.
The boat rail system was always a balancing act, shimming the rails on each visit b/c the paving stones were sinking and shifting. Even after selling b/c I use the marine railway into the boathouse, I was constantly worried about what would happen next e.g. collapse of the whole support for the rails etc.
Thus, the work done Wed to Sun, fixed the two problems.
However, w/ time a crucial factor, the rails were not put back on the pavers. In fact, the pavers were not put back. One more trip to replace and level the pavers and then replace the rails.

HOT Zone

a three night mini series

As Ebola the virus lands on American shores circa 1988, the authorities hem and haw. However, Ebola couldn't jump the species barrier at that time. 
To-day, Ebola made the transition as in Africa, previously mentioned in this blog.

The Ebola virus must be Marine Corps at heart ' adapt and survive '


A spat of inclement weather bringing cool to colder winds and rain

30 Movies or

where have you been Mr Blogger

Just that 30 movies.
Well, the truth is that our former cottage needed extensive shoreline repair or rejuvenation.
Problem : b/c the property is on a hill w/ the shoreline down below ( of course ), the cost of hired services would come in around $70 K.

Starting Wed w/ prep work for 3 days
              Sat drudge time
              Sunday finish and restore shoreline

What was done - a trench 30 in wide was dug out along the shoreline behind the existing timber construction.
Next, 230 bags of mixed concrete was hand delivered to the 55 ft of shoreline ( each bag 66 # ). The bags were laid length wise in the trench overlapped for a depth of 3 to 5 layers of bags. The bags were covered w/ landscaping cloth and recovered w/ fill.

The great pyramid of Giza had nothing on this ' great wall '. At times, I despaired at the sight of what was and thoughts of what was to come.
And the guys took it easy on me.

The premise was that the bags would get wet and harden right there as placed. The bags would form a rock wall behind the original timber framed shoreline.
This process would be tantamount to placing boulders or cinder block behind the timber framework.

So far, the bags hardened like rock. Amazing !
Long term would be will the cement wall stay.
The effect is like walking on paving stones.

My part : as a previous owner ( and current user ) of the cottage, I knew where everything was ( or used to be ). I was right about 90 % of the time. In essence, the ' step and fetch it ' man. I did carry 3 3/4 bags down the 45 steps and then gave up. During the day, I helped when guys got stuck and needed to whittle down a growing pile of bags at their station in the human chain. All in all, I handled approx 30 bags and feel like it was 300.

The change : around 85 % better b/c some work remains - is a job such as this ever done ?

" when Thou has done
Thou has not Donne
for I have more "

John Donne