Phase Three Completed

 

Cover: My Immortal

Original Song:  Evanescense

Cover Artist:  Eiro Nareth

Today...

I initiated the injection of epoxy resin to shore up water damaged wood...

and to seal openings which should have been sealed properly from the beginning.

Although I just finished...

it was a frustrating day of very tedious work

(the second and third decks...

I still must do the first deck).

I only found out about this weakened section when I leaned on it to rest.

I heard wood cracking...

and that is when I discovered I needed to do some repair work before continuing 

with the rest of the deck.

I had ordered the two part epoxy...

some application syringes...

and I had some picnic supplies in which I could mix the resin.

This particular resin set far too quickly for my liking...

and what had proved to be so time consuming and frustrating.

I had to mix a small batch...

otherwise it would harden before I could use it.

After mixing the resin...

I had to quickly fill the syringe...

and then work very rapidly before the resin set in the syringe.

There were many sloppily done mid-posts on the sections...

but since none of them were properly sealed from water intrusion...

I had to inject resin in and around each post.

I had to form a water proof barrier around the many hundreds of mid-posts 

on the second and third decks.

OMG!!! 

This involved hours and hours of very tedious work.

My body is sore from having to hunch down and apply the resin...

all the way around each post...of which there were hundreds of...

and to have to go back and forth to re-mix the resin...

and fill up the syringe

(the syringe itself I had to change out every few fillings as the resin began hardening inside).

And...

even though I worked as quickly as I could...

more than once...

I had the resin harden in the syringe...

and so...

I had to start over with a new syringe.

-------------

After I finish laying the carpets...

I am thinking of buying some waterproofing for all of the exposed wood...

such as the deck railings...

and applying it before Winter sets in.

So long as the weather holds...

I may be able to do so.

There is a house I go to every few months for a fire mitigation meeting.

They have a nice deck...

and I had asked one of the owners what they used...

as their deck looked well protected.

I will look for the same brand and try it myself.

-----------

I am sore...

and tired.

I am going into the IR sauna...

 take a hot shower...

and then I am going to bed early.

Stairs Completed

 

Song:  The Last Of The Mohicans (cover)

Performing Artist:  Eiro Nareth

I had to skip yesterday's project as the temperature high for the day 

was only a few degrees above freezing...

and there were fairly high winds.

And that night...

it went way below freezing...

resulting in light frost.

So...

I had to allow one more day to have the wood repair areas fully dry out.

However...

today was considerably warmer and sunny all day.

So...

while I have to wait until tomorrow before I can initiate the wood repair...

I decided to complete the stairway today.

As you can see...

the waterproofing is worn...

and there are ample openings for water intrusion.

I gathered my tools.

After doing one initial measuring and cutting...

...I then first sealed every step to prevent water damage.

This was the friction waterproofing I would first lay down.

It has a rough sandpaper like surface...

with a waterproof backing.

This will be the base layer for the following raised rubber mats.

Now I won't be slipping down the staircase anymore  :)

Also...

I had added many years to the stairs...

as water damage can happen very quickly without adequate prevention.

I am thinking of also adding a layer of carpeting below the rubber mats...

if I have extra left over after carpeting all of the decks.

After I had finished...

I was too tired to do any real cooking...

so I just heated up this delicious pre-made lasagna.

I don't know why they call it 'family size'.

I only gave Bandi 1/4 of it...

and we finished it off...

with room to spare.

It was very good though.

My peppermint extract drops arrived today.

Just a few drops in my mug did wonders.

My tea infuser looks like the Christmas Tree of the kitchen when on.

I turned on the Christmas tree...

...and poured myself a mug of supercharged peppermint tea.

I am enjoying sipping the tea right now...

as I type up this article.

Just a few drops really adds to the cooling effect of this tea.

-----------

So long as the weather holds out (it should)...

I will begin the wood repair tomorrow.

And so...

I will get to bed early tonight.

All Deck Posts Capped

 

Song:  Sweet Return

Artist:  Hilary Stagg

I started the day with a big meal...

as I wanted it to keep me going all day.

I had made these beefer sliders the other day...

and as I hadn't had them in such a long time...

and they had tasted so good the other day...

 I went food shopping yesterday...

to buy more of the needed ingredients.

It is a very simple...

but hearty meal.

You simply brown 1 lb of ground beef...

season well with salt and black pepper...

...and you top each beefer slider with grated cheese...

and verde sauce.

This verde is so delicious.

I made each slider with buttery croissants.

After I brown the ground beef...

I simply load it into a left overs refrigerator container.

This way...

as I will only eat about half of the ground beef...

I can just put on the cover and place it directly into the fridge...

once I am done eating.

I would end up eating the whole container of these croissants.

As you can see...

I love soaking the ground beef in the verde sauce.

They had tasted so delicious that I had eaten 12 of them.

I then rested for a while before starting on capping the 2nd deck posts.

Once I began...

it didn't take so long.

(I had wanted to add a coating of waterproofing to all exposed wood this past summer...

as you can see how some of the last coating from the previous owners

had started wearing off...

but it will have to wait until next Spring).

Now...

the post on the left...

as you can see...

had drop offs on both sides of it.

What I did was to walk along one side while holding on to the railing with one hand...

while holding the items and tools with the other.

Once I reached parallel with the post...

I swung out one foot and caught the other side with it...

as I straddled over the stairway.

Applying the screws was a bit awkward as I had to hold the screw with one hand...

and the power drill in the other...

as I straddled the void.

It took me about 5x as long to secure the cap as with the other posts...

as the angle I had to hold the power drill with my hand was awkward...

but I finally got it done.

These three posts were the last ones to cap for all of my decks.

I had finished just in time...

as the temperature began to drop...

and the winds began to pick up.

----------

These stairs are to what I will be adding raised friction mats and waterproofing...

to keep me from slipping during icy conditions

(these are the ones I had slipped down all the way to the rocks below...

the last time the stairs were covered in ice).

So long as the weather holds out...

tomorrow morning, I will repair the water damaged wood

(my two part epoxy arrived today)...

and while those spots are curing...

I will start working on these stairs.

My reward after I finished for the day...

a large pot of peppermint tea.

I am sipping on my first mug of it right now...

and the effects of it are, both...

refreshing, and relaxing.

I am telling you...

you simply must try this peppermint tea.

It will soon become your hot beverage of choice.

Another Magical Sunset / Tea House

 

Song:  A Breathtaking Piano Piece

Artist:  Jervy Hou

I was up in the loft on the computer when I noticed amber light coming in through the windows.

I stepped out on to the third deck and was treated to another magical sunset.

I get the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets right from home.

The colors make me so happy.

----------

As I had been in bed all day...

but was feeling so much better...

I decided I would go to the Yellow Mountain Tea House in Colorado Springs...

once again.

I just love that tea house.

Even though I have the same tea at home that they use there...

the Dim Sum and the ambiance just draws me back

(I ordered from the Yellow Mountain Tea House online

to get a large supply of Peppermint tea of my own).

I got into my car and started driving towards the tea house.

I took this last sunset shot just before the first major turn down the mountain road.

I arrived in Old Town Colorado Springs...

and parked just behind the tea house.

I got the same table I had my first time there...

...and of course...

I got the same tea.

I just love that particular tea.

I got my Dim Sum...

and I enjoyed each bite.

Part way through my meal...

a staff member asked me if I would like more tea.

I, of course...

got my free refill of tea.

I also picked up two more ounces of loose leaf peppermint tea as I was paying to leave.

I will be going back every so often...

as the staff members are just so nice...

and I feel so at home there.

----------

On my way home...

I stopped in at Walmart once again.

I picked up more ground beef...

 buttery mini croissants, and sharp cheddar cheese...

as I made mini beefer sliders yesterday...

and I loved them so much that I just had to get more of the same ingredients...

as I will make more of them tomorrow.

I also loved the blueberry pie from the other day.

--------------

I am so glad I moved to my home here in the mountains.

There are just so many magical days...

one after the other here...

and with even more adventures lying ahead.

Although I have already checked off most of my major bucket list items...

I still have many more of the minor ones to check off.

And so...

I live in a constant state of, both...

serenity...

and of hopeful anticipation.

This is a major dream fulfilled.

This is what retirement is supposed to be all about.

And...

I am living the dream...

and this is what life is supposed to be all about.