Well, We Did It

No, I did not finish the deck today. It is still a work in progress. You will see later in this post. So what is it we did that was a first? Actually, we did two things.

First, we exceeded our monthly allocation of 5G data download with Verizon. That is not such a bad thing because I know exactly how it happened. Tuesday I received an email from Verizon stating we had reached 50% of our monthly data allocation. So what happened between Tuesday and today? I downloaded Adobe Photoshop Element, a huge file from ADOBE. It was my intent to download this while sitting in Starbucks or some other free hotspot. The file is 2.1G. Next time I want to download such a large file, I will borrow someone else's WiFi. We do have access to Safe Harbor's WiFi but have had connection issues. This is why we have been relying on our Verizon MiFi for Internet. Verizon gives us an additional 1G for 10 bucks so the penalty is not really a penalty at all. Our MiFi has been operating pretty well for the past several days. Next month's allocation of 5G starts on 3/25.

The second first we did today was trip a 30 Amp circuit breaker on the service panel that feeds the RV. I was coming out of the shower and Carol was fixing supper. I thought I saw something flash but then I sometimes see weird things. Carol came up to me and said - - - - -. Her lips were moving but I did not have my hearing aids in so I heard nothing. After I got the hearing aids are in she said, "I think we blew a fuse." Taking inventory I can see the microwave is off, the TV is off, the ceiling fan is off, the A/C is off. It appears everything that runs on 110 volts is off.

Carol, was the dryer on? Yes. OK when the A/C is running we cannot run the dryer and microwave at the same time, especially when we are plugged in to less than 50 Amps. Once I found the circuit panel that powers the RV sites, I found our circuit had been tripped. I reset the breaker and of course we are back in business. We finished dinner then I had some Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream. Yummy.


Now for an update on the deck project. Again, I am working solo today. Lynne stopped by to check out the progress and was very happy with what she saw. I finished the deck rails.

   

Next job to tackle is the stairs. I thought it would be cool to have a solid landing at the base of the stairs. I have about 2 1/2 bags of Redi-Mix left over so that should just about do it. I'll find out tomorrow when the cement should be cured. In the previous photo you can see the concrete pad. Below is the work that had to be done to get the frame in place so I could pour the Redi-Mix.

   

Remember my telling you about Carol having to cut mats out of Buttercup? Well, she has come out of hiding. Please do not laugh. Buttercup is very sensitive about her stately appearance. As I took a few photos of her, I kept telling her it will grow back. Hopefully, someone here at the farm will help her stay groomed so she does not get badly matted as she was.
   
Tomorrow may be a short work day. Weatherbug is forecasting a pretty wet day.

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More Deck Work

Are you getting tired of hearing about the deck work? I hope not, I love doing this kind of work. It will soon come to an end in a few more days. Then it will be time for us to think about packing up and heading to our next stop - Windy Valley Llamas in Blue Ridge, GA.

We planed a trip to New Bern today to get away for part of the day. Carol was off this morning so we were able to enjoy breakfast together. Then Cody and I took off for our job site.

Shortly after we got there, Lynne came by to see if it would be OK if she used my helper today. That's the second time she asked me that since I started the deck. It felt odd having the owner of the shelter ask me if it was OK for her to use my helper TJ on a different project. I told her the same thing this time that I told her the last time. It was her up to her to use the volunteers where she felt they need to be.

So Cody and I proceeded with the work this morning. A couple of hours after I got started, Brogan (TJ's little brother) came over and asked if I needed any help. Sure. Brogan kept me supplied with screws and help me line up the bottom railing around the deck. Then he help me build out the bottom half of the stairs. Brogan is a fast learner just like his older brother TJ. Here is my helper Brogan with Cody and the progress after today's work.

 

Tomorrow I should be able to get the deck railing completed and finish up the steps. 

Every time we traveled to New Bern, we would pass a small red brick house identified as the Foscue Plantation house. Today we stopped by and had a guided tour of the three story house. My description of the property would not do it any justice, so I invite you to read the history on their website here. 

After completing the tour, we headed into New Bern for a quick trip to Walmart, Lowe's and he AT&T store. We are considering adding tethering to my iPhone. We have had some hit and miss issues with our Verizon MiFi and are looking for solutions that give us more reliable Internet access. 

When we got back home to the farm, Carol took care of the afternoon cat feeding, then we had left over Michaelangelo's Pizza. It was still as good as it was the first time. 

For the RVers in blog world, we are looking for routing suggestions that will get us from Maysville, NC to Blue Ridge, GA. Our travel goals are to travel no more than 200 miles each day. We have some flexibly so if there is someplace along the way we need to spend a couple of days, that would be acceptable. Feel free to leave a comment here or you can send me a private message using the Contact Us link on the side of the blog page. 

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Quiet Day at the Farm

After last night's marathon driving session due to following Gertie, I slept late this morning and did not get Carol up in time to have breakfast together before our work day started. Carol had cat duty this morning and I worked on the deck project. My helper TJ was observing surgeries in the Kindness Clinic today. 

Cat duty starts by feeding the cats in Trump 1, Trump 2, and on the back porch of the Cat Center. There are some cats who are kept in cages over night in the Cat Center. They get fed, their cages are cleaned. Buttercup is the Persian that Carol shaved down yesterday. She was not happy to see Carol this morning. She literally kept her back to Carol while Carol was cleaning the cages. Since Trump 1 and Trump 2 are open air condos, the bedding needs to be changed periodically. Carol also freshened up some of the condo bedding.

Next, Carol grabbed the pooper scooper and hit the yard in front of the Cat Center. It is amazing how much poop those little fur balls can create. Carol had been working on a project making cat bedding our fleece fabric. After her cat duty, she came back to the RV and finished making the bedding. Maybe Buttercup will be in a better mood tomorrow after she sees her new bedding.


After all that hard work, it was time for a break. So Carol grabbed her iPad and a glass of ice tea, found a spot on our front porch not taken over by a cat, and finished reading The Hunger Games. We are planning to see the movie on Sunday. Carol wanted to get up to speed on the story line before seeing the movie.

In the mean while, I was flying solo on the deck project. Today, the plan was to get the railing posts attached to the deck frame so I can get the railing installed on Thursday. How hard can that be? Well the deck overhangs the frame by about an inch. Each 4x4 post needs a 1-1/4" x 1" dado (slot) cut into the side so the posts sits plumb to the deck. (FYI - "plumb" means straight up and down.) Then each post is attached to the deck frame by two 1/2" carriage bolts. The deck frame is bolted together with 1/2" carriage bolts. It is highly probable that I will hit one of these bolts when drilling the holes needed to mount the rail posts. Sure enough, that happened on more than one occasion. I just happen to have a 1/2" metal drill bit so I was able to drill through existing hardware. In a couple of cases, I had to cut a bolt or two.

Around 1:30, afternoon showers showed up. I scurried to get the tools put up, grabbed Cody and headed for the RV. Time for a snack. Carol was working on the bedding for the cats about that time. The shower did not last nor was it heavy enough to create mud. I left Cody in the RV so he could take a nap while I went back to finish the work. It is good to end the day with a sense of completion. I have one post that will require a special bracket for mounting because there is a joist in the spot where the two bolts should go.
    
It was time to pick up all the cut-off scrap. Remember that photo of the truck loaded with all the deck material? Well so far this is all that is headed for the trash can. Looks like I managed to make efficient use of material.
   
I sat on the front porch for a bit to enjoy the cooler weather. Juliette, one of the cats here, jumped in my lap and gave me a look that said, "Hey, you are in my chair." She likes our porch chairs and can be found there most of the time. I am sure she will be moody after we pull out of here at the end of the month. Carol fixed spaghetti while I cleaned up. It is always good to enjoy a meal on our RV, just the two of us. 

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