JT's sunflower about a week ago.
Yes, it's been a long time since the last post. Sorry about that. I was overwhelmed with considerations for the framing of the roof of the fort. Finally, I realized simple is sometimes best. Then I realized I couldn't do it alone. And by "alone" I mean without someone else over the height of 5'.
But before that, we did have help. Rent-a-Kid is the daughter of friends of ours from before we were married. She used to come over once a week. She moved to Louisiana the beginning of the summer, but stopped by for a visit. Poor kid arrived during the most boring chore imaginable. Yes, she helped JT lay landscaping fabric down under the fort, then cover it with river rocks from the other side of the yard. She's nine; at the time JT was eight. They didn't exactly cover the whole area. But they didn't whine too much, either. Sadly, I didn't get a photo.
While I was mulling over the roof framing, we had company (my best-friend-from-Hawaii and her son) and went on a couple of trips. One of which, over Labor Day, to Breckenridge. When we're rich and famous, we're going to live there during the summer and live in Washington during the winter. Sounds backwards, I know, but it's too cold in the winter, and we can rent it out to skiers.
We went on a
where we followed
and saw
and
We also discovered that if you need ski gear, Breck on Labor Day weekend is the place to be. Between a ski jacket, a helmet, gloves, a sweater, and hiking boots, we saved more than we spent on our friend's condo.
That was last weekend. Today, my darling husband, known in parts of the blogosphere as Maj Tom, agreed to help with the fort. It was quite a sacrifice on his part. Our neighbors had free tickets to the USAFA/BYU game (in which the Falcons won handily) and, if that wasn't enough, it was televised.
A few days ago, whilst helping JT with homework, I grazed the dining room light with my head. It didn't hurt, but I jerked so hard I wrenched my back. I knew that a day of construction would do it in, but I didn't have a choice. It's the beginning of football season. Maj Tom would soon be lost to me until spring. So we got supplies and got to work framing the roof.
He claims he's not handy. I didn't care. He's 6'. And, I have to say, working with a 6' man and a thrown-out back is infinitely easier than working with a 3'10" eight year old. I'm just saying.
While framing, I discovered the fort is even more creative than I'd thought. The right side is six inches shallower than the left. I have no idea how that happened. I bet you couldn't tell before I said that. Pretend that it's square, whouldja?
Next is getting panels for the roof and putting in the floor. We also need to frame in the roof for the porch, but that won't be too much drama. With any luck, we'll have it walled in before the first snow.
But I think we'll paint it just in case.
