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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Life Without a Garage



I envy those who have large heated garages. Tuesday I had a brief weather window to work on the van. It needed a little bodywork to pass state inspection.

The day started in the teens and only got into the 40s after lunch. It's not exactly the best conditions for doing body work. I mixed in extra hardener to speed up the reaction in the body filler. After it set a couple hours, I sanded and slapped some paint on it. Is it a great job? No, but it's a good enough job to pass inspection. Next summer I can do a pretty job if it bothers me.

Right now my kitchen has been taken over by our 14 foot inflatable kayak. With freezing rain and snow in the forecast, we couldn't clean it outside. The main body of the kayak snakes around the kitchen like the corpse of a blue anaconda. The removable floor is hanging from clotheslines strung across the kitchen. When the kayak's dry it's going to be fun to fold it up and stuff it in the van.

It could have been worse. Not only did my lovely wife not complain about the mess in the kitchen, she did most of the kayak cleaning. Yep, she's a keeper.

-Sixbears

12 comments:

  1. My compliments to the Mrs., she is quite the lady.

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  2. You make it sound like an adventure. And yes, she must be a treasure.

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    Replies
    1. Our lives aren't boring, so there is that. She is special.

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  3. Kudos to your lovely wife. To have a partner who steps in when necessary is a blessing. You really do have a keeper.

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  4. Sounds like you could use a nice "bow barn" or two. They are quick and inexpensive to put up.
    A a set of plans:
    http://www.lsuagcenter.com/~/media/system/e/c/7/7/ec77e0a6fb9a7c0c0bfdbaed1c2e2133/6298gothicraftergreenhouse.pdf
    A depiction of the build process.
    http://www.microcruising.com/shed.htm

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    1. Thanks for the links. I have set up temporary shelters for boat work when it's raining. Really sped projects along. This is a more robust system than what I had.

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    2. There are several advantages to these bow barns beyond ease of construction and economy. They are considered temporary buildings , so no permit is needed, and they are easy to move around the property with a few pipe rollers and a come-along. We built a 40x16 one twenty five years ago in which dad build his sailboat. Only replaced the plastic on it once in that time. Bought the heavy high quality stuff. But it can be sheathed with a variety of different covers. With a wood stove or a space heater they get nice and cozy real quick. They are popular with boat builders around here.

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    3. Those are great advantages. I even have a spare woodstove kicking around that would do the job.

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  5. Down here in Texas, we need one of those in the summer with an air conditioner attached to it.

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    Replies
    1. There's no avoiding the weather -one way or the other.

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