Second home, first visit

01/04/08
The Arrival

Recently we purchased a second home. This is not something I thought likely for me, but we made it happen and I’m pretty excited about it.

It’s near an area that flooded in recent storms, so there has been a fair bit of damage to homes, roads, infrastructure, etc. It is very much still in recovery.

Up to the cabin for the first time. Weather was nasty with a storm hitting the coast and the Coast Range. Evidence of the storm was all over the road in the form of branches and tree bits. It was windy, wet and nasty.

But, having said all that, I am looking forward to having the place, even looking forward to being alone in the place for the evening. Fun!

I pull up the road and … what the heck?! The lights are on in the cabin.

My first thought was that our realtor, knowing that I was planning on being there that evening, had put the lights on for me. But, no, there is a truck above the cabin on the road. Again, what the heck?!

As I approached the front door and looked in, I was thinking the best odds were that the electrical contractor I was expecting the next morning was perhaps getting an early start on the work to be done tomorrow.

Sure enough, all I could make out was the lower half of a man up on a ladder in the loft area. So, if he was thieving, he was picking the wrong place to start. If he was the contractor, that would make sense.

I unlocked, went inside and he came down and introduced himself: “I’m the electrician.” “Hi” I replied, “I’m the owner.”

He explained that he has family he is staying with this weekend up here and thought to come by and scope out the work for tomorrow to be sure he has everything and to avoid trips back and forth tomorrow. I suspect he still won’t have everything he needs to get done what he needs to tomorrow. That would result to a trip to the nearby town (a half hour away) I don’t recall any good sized stores there. Well, hopefully, between he and the general fix-it guy, they’ll have what they need.

He also informed me that the electrical panel right behind the toilet in the master (half) bath is totally outside code. I pointed out the county inspector signed off on it (he did), but he said again that it was totally in violation of the electrical codes to have the panel there. I asked what the alternatives where and he said outside, but that’s bad because it’s too wet out here. Not sure what, if anything, we can do about this now. Our inspector didn’t say anything about it, so I don’t have that leg to stand on.

Unloading the car

Getting ready to move the futon mattress. Rainy, wet, dark. Thinking “Well, this could go wrong in lots of different ways”.

Then, as if to prove the universe’s infinite ability to surprise me, as I started to pick up the futon, the universe demonstrated a brand new and unexpected way for things to go sideways.

I set off the emergency horn on the car. While it was honking over and over again, loudly, for what seemed like very, very long minutes, I was struggling with the keys. I managed to hit the unlock button on the remote. That didn’t stop it, unlike two other vehicles that behaved that way. I tried locking it again. Nothing but the unceasing honk of the horn in the otherwise quiet night. I tried getting in the car and starting it. Nope. Nothing.

Then, totally on a whim, I tried hitting the only other button I hadn’t yet already hit: the emergency button again. And it stopped! Ye gods!

Poked around this evening doing a few small projects inside. Stayed up till 10pm doing things. 10pm didn’t used to seem so late. Maybe it’s just because I’m up here all by myself and get tired because there’s no one to talk with. Yeah, maybe that’s it…

Note: It’s really, really dark out here if you turn off all the lights.

Next Morning

Need slippers! The floors are cold, even if the heat is up. At least in the dead of winter.
Alarm clock or clock of some sort in the bedroom. Only electrical clocks are on the appliances in the kitchen.
Heaters are noisy when they run and when they turn on. Woke me up several times.
Shower worked great. Fortunately we have towels, shampoo, conditioner and soap up here! Makes a guy feel human to start his day.
Stove stinks when heating up water!

Oatmeal and oranges for breakfast. Not that interesting, but probably much more healthy than many alternatives.

I can’t shake this notion that as we get older, we trade the pleasures of the flesh (good, rich food, bad habits) for the hope of living longer. And we hope that the trade is worthwhile in the long run with a better quality of life. The Grasshopper and the Ant teaches us to give up the joys of the immediate for the long term comfort of planning ahead. But, what if winter never comes? What if you don’t make it that far? But, by contrast, if you plan that way, what if it does? *sigh*

While sitting in the dining area futzing on my computer, I looked up and out the front to see a deer (“Doh! A deer! A female deer!”) walking across my field of view in front of the porch.
I kept still and she walked in front of the porch and around to the side.
Curious if she was still there, I peeked out the front side window and … hey! There’s two of them! And hey! They’re eating my shrubs!

My first instinct was to make a loud noise to scare them away, but first I took a couple pictures from inside the house (bad glare, so not good pictures). Then I slipped on my shoes and carefully and quietly slipped out the front door to take some pictures of them (without flash) by sneaking the camera over the railing.

About that time, the contractors showed up and I decided they’d had enough of a snack, so I said “Hello, ladies. How’s breakfast?”
At that point, they decided to exit stage left in search of someone else’s shrubs.
But, what a great thing to wake up to in the morning! I realize it’s only deer, but it’s still pretty darn cool!

Contractors (electrical and general fix-it guy) here at 9 am.

The fix-it guy said he saw three coyote on the way in and asked if I heard them singing last night. (I didn’t) But, again, how cool?

Mr Fix-it grunts, a lot, when he works. Also talks to himself. When he’s not talking to me or the electrician.

When the electrician noted that the sheetrock piece he was working on was all angles, Mr Fixit replies “A remodel like this: Ain’t nothing that’s plumb, level nor square!”

We need a couch. You need a couch before you can really relax. Plus I think I’ll try this heater/stove thing. It’s nippy up here, even though I have both heaters turned up to a reasonable level. I think it’s because my feet (which are only in socks) are cold.

It’s cold and nasty outside. Pretty darn grey day. But, hey! At least it’s not raining at the moment.

There is a lot of water running through the creek. Lots. It’s wide, fat, fast and brown. Doesn’t look like it’s in imminent danger of jumping the banks, but it’s not hard to imagine that if it did, the amount of damage that could do is significant!

The lower part of the property, the area down by the creek, is looking pretty nasty. It looks like it has been used by some people to get over to their property to perhaps salvage docks or something. I conclude this on the basis of the tire tracks filled with water down there. But, regardless, it’s wet and nasty and I do wonder how likely or possible it will be to turn that in to something useable.

I imagine filling in a good portion of it, having a gravel road/parking area below with stairs leading up to the house. Eventually adding the dock. Maybe a picnic table and/or a firepit down there.

All for not if that area is going to flood every few years.

It’s now raining/sleeting. In any case, bits of ice appear to be falling from the sky. I wish I could tell you it was nice or pretty, but really it just makes me glad I’m inside and warm.

Things accomplished on this trip:

• Turned on water to house (must remember to turn it off when leaving!)
• Wiped down floor where I got it wet
• Put together dining room table. Dunno how well it will work. It’s high and the chairs have no backs.
• Made bed
• Cleaned toilet
• Verified hot water is working
• Set out plunger, toilet cleaner, bathroom garbage cans, kitchen garbage cans
• Some kitchen stuff, more to put away tomorrow
• Fixed slider on door blinds on right side front door
• Raised light in the dining area so I don’t brain myself.

Things we still need:

• Window blinds
• Silverware insert (13 inch drawer)
• Outside welcome mat
• Outside wide broom
• Ladder to loft

Longer Term:

• Need to think about sealing deck, putting sand on for traction
• Sandpaper strips on stairs from above (19 steps)
• Back of main toilet: 4 inches clearance behind. 21 inch wide top of toilet. Can only go 52 inches, tops, along side of toilet before hit sloped wall
• Back of master toilet: 5 inches, 21 wide, 60 inches before hit slope of wall
• Remove unnecessary links in dining area light so it’s less unsightly.