I took a shot at songwriting, well more like parody, OK, I tried to steal a song. It was "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. You all know it - "There's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear." it was going to be all about what's going on at the ol' home base.
Well I got about two verses and a chorus in and decided as a songwriter, I'm a better storyteller, so here goes:
I've been busy all Spring and Summer whipping my home base into shape. So far, I've had 6 bonfires, clearing dead fall and brush. The first one almost got out of hand. Serves me right for pouring 5 gallons of diesel on a 5 foot by 20 foot pile right under some pine trees. I didn't exactly start a forest fire, but a couple of the trees have now dropped their needles and are making pine cones by the score. Needless to say, the other fires have been a LOT smaller, and I've got them out in the open.
I've also gone from mowing about a half acre to almost 2. It's still bumpy is some areas, and I don't recommend being within 50 feet of me when I go through the rough spots (It's actually kinda cool to see a piece of wood go zinging off into the distance.)
The compound is coming into shape. I like that sound of that - the compound. Sounds like I'm up in Kennebunkport with the Bushes. Of course the drive is done, as well as the parking pad and utilities. And I put in a small shed for the yard equipment. I even ran temporary power to the shed.
And this week the final (for now) big item came in. My rig is now sheltered! This was actually the longest lead time item I had in the whole plan. I ordered the thing back in December, and it took until now for them to get to me.
It's a monster. At 25 feet by 50 feet and 14 feet tall on the sides, it dwarfs everything else. But that was the plan all along. I wanted it to be big enough to completely swallow the RV so no sun could get to it, as well as future proof it in case I get a bigger rig later.
Plus, I plan to build a wash/storage shed under it so I can quit going to the laundromat every week. There's plenty of room for all that, plus a spot for my car and it's still big enough for a sitting area and an outdoor kitchen. The shed will have to wait until my bank account recovers a bit, but folding chairs and tables make a sufficient stand in for the rest.
And, like just about everything else, there was drama. Installation was originally supposed to happen on Monday, so I spent the weekend moving everything off the parking pad. Something told me that I could wait on moving the RV, so I left it alone.
Sure enough, it rained on Monday (rain in July in Texas. Are you kidding?). That meant no install. So they rescheduled for Tuesday.
Tuesday morning I got up and moved the RV, then puttered around the place while I waited for the crew. You've probably already figured it out, and if your thinking "they didn't show" you'd be right. No show, no call, nothing. I tried calling the folks that sold me the monster, but couldn't get through to them, either.
Tuesday morning started out much the same way. My first phone call was a 8:30 am. The folks at the installers' office had no clue, so I let them start tracking the crew down. Four hours and three phone calls later, the only thing tempering my temper was that no one could find the crew, and it was starting to worry everyone.
Finally, about 2:00 I heard from them, and they showed 30 minutes later. Once they got here and started, the thing went up quick, with the skeleton done by about 5:00, and the rest completed by noon on Wednesday.
What happened? A blowout. Seems they had picked up a new trailer, and one of the tires blew out. I don't have a clue why they never called anyone, but it all worked out.
Anyway, that pretty much finished the work I had planned for this year, so it's time to think about getting back on the road. I've started planning a trip that will take me north and west through the fall, ending up back here by Thanksgiving, then it's back to Caddo for Q1 2022.
And more updates next year, but I'll leave that as a surprise.
I've also got a few East Texas spots to explore to pick up more history about my new home, so expect some updates over the next few weeks.
Till then...
Later, folks.
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