Friday - 20070727-1630 - Rain - Rain Walker; Color change to what was; DIY - Morning efforts; Lunch - Ichiban - "next big thing"; DIY - Lowe's - nails, grout, pamphlets, paint gloss factor table; DIY - Afternoon efforts; Yard mowing; Incoming Mail - Fri 20070727

Rain - Rain Walker Larger image

A solitary figure walking across a blue-tiled courtyard highlighted by a spiraling, organic pattern of white stone. A most unusual pattern for a courtyard, the center "teardrop" reminds me of one-half of the Ying-Yang symbol of Taoism.

The photo is from the site of Tom Uhlman Photography. On the page with the rain walker are several photographs of TABD protest. This piqued my curiosity, and I've discovered that TABD is short for Transatlantic Business Dialogue. Meetings of TABD appear to generate protests akin to those against the World Trade Organization. Try some of the results of a Google for tabd protests. To be honest, the intent of these protests has always been a little vague in my mind; and I'm sure it's due to my own ignorance.

White on black may look artsy-fartsy, but there's not enough contrast. Instead of being easier to read, I've found it more difficult. So I've reverted to what was.

In theory, it sounds like there was not a lot to do today. Yesterday, I glued both plinth into place under the carport door threshold. I started with glue, then decided to nail, and discovered that didn't work very well, so I moved back to glue again. Which seems to work fine.

The door frame has a metal threshold at the bottom which in turn sits on the wooden base. It was in the area between the metal and edge of the wooden base that I'd removed the eight-inch long tin plate that covered part of the base and the outside edge. I'm not sure what the purpose of the plate was. I thought mother had mentioned something about rot. But I certainly didn't see it; not even some damp wood.

It looks like part of the wooden base had been chiseled out and the plate inserted, which when it was removed made for an uneven surface. I'd sanded the top section and the edge yesterday, but to make the top totally smooth would be a very tedious task. (I quickly learned yesterday that when you use a drill bit with a sander brush at the end, the brush may NOT go where you want it to. In fact, it had a will of its own.)

I decided instead to use some of the remaining trim, of which I have plenty, to cover the top and the outside edge. All I had to do was to measure and cut the trim using the mitre box. Once done, It was easy to nail it into place.

This did leave me a 1/4-inch space between the trim and the metal threshold. But that's not even noticeable unless you look very carefully. which a polite person would never do.

Next I needed to insert the two sections of three-inch wide trim vertically between the wooden threshold and the concrete step and horizontally between the plinths. Out of all the umpteen pieces of trim, planks and strips, this was the only style that was exactly three-inches wide. And it cost about $12, so I wanted to make sure I cut it properly. I measured and then marked off one of the pieces of excess trim as a trial. Oppppssss. The distance was supposed to be 39 inches, but I marked the trim at 36 inches. I was glad that I did the experiment first. I recalibrated at 39 inches on another piece of excess trim, sawed and then slipped it into place. It was almost a perfect fit. From there I marked the three-inch trim. sawed and slipped it into the space. Excellent! Almost an exact fit.

I stopped for lunch and to drop by Lowe's to get some better nails. After Ichiban, and watching my favorite server, Kenny, I moved on to Lowe's. (Yesterday, I was seated next to a youth wearing long silky shorts and a black sleeveless tunic shirt. He had the most beautiful skin; I'd probably need to go though the paint color samples at Lowe's to find a match. The color was akin to a dull bronze. Beyond that, he seemed a tad vacuous. Back to the shorts, this is the third time I've noticed someone wearing them. Is this the "next big thing"?) I wonder if Kenny is interested in etchings?

At Lowe's I picked up some finishing nails which appeared to be stronger that those that I had. And I discovered a small container of brown wood grout. I also meandered through the paint section, looking for brochures about colors and textures. One day I'd glanced at a pamphlet that showed how to add texture to your interior walls. The really big find was a chart that explained "glossiness." It's complicated enough to understand the color and composition of paint, but then to figure out the gloss factor is maddening. So here's the chart:

Back home, it was time to attach the two three-inch wide piece of trim. Well, I encountered the same problem as yesterday. The nails have to go through the trim, the asbestos shingle or substitute wood shingle into the clapboard. But every time, the nail hits the clapboard, it bends. I have a vague recollection of hearing that the structural wood and the clapboards in this house were oak. Which certainly would explain the problem. If you were to try to create an exact duplicate of this house today, it would be very expensive. So as yesterday, I resorted to drilling starter holes, then nailing.

The last factor was painting. Remember that I now have old previously painted wood, new unpainted wood, new painted wood, painted plastic molding. So I gave everything three or four coats. But it all looks fine.

By the way, the paint I'm using is Olympic white flat acrylic latex at a cost of $9 for the quart. It has performed superbly. One of the things that had made me hesitate about painting was how difficult I remember it being.

Monday, I mowed part of the back yard. The back is roughly divided into sections. The first 50/60 feet from the house are grassless; the area is always in shade and is covered with pine straw. I rake it ever now and then to keep it from becoming too wild. The next 80/90 feet is covered by an assortment of weeds and grasses. Then there's a row of four or five trees spaced horizontally across the property. Next is about a 50/60-section with weeds and leaves and pine straw , ending at another set of trees. Beyond the trees is semi-wilderness. I tried to get rid of some of the worst problems last year, but there is still much that could be done.

I managed to mow to the first set of trees, but it was very tiring.

Today, after finishing all the DIY stuff, I decided to mow some of the front. I'd say I got about 60% of it. Then I had enough sense to cease and desist.

Friday 20070728
July 30, 2007 issue of "The New Yorker" (keep)

(In Friday - 20070727-1630 / Out Saturday - 20070728-0030) This entry was written in multiple settings.