Just When You Think It Could Be Worse

You find out just how much worse.



I wasn't anticipating three layers of comp roofing over the wood shingles, rat bastards hid a layer with a trim board. Well that sucked, hmmm, all that rot? Not too nice that there are two layers of wood shingles where I expect one. Ooooh rat bastards. No you shouldn't see the ground through a roof and wood shouldn't be mush either. I got all the junk torn off, it makes a truly impressive pile, and replaced wood shigles with decking and roofed the dog in.

The house is a rental that is empty with a couch and chair and bed and I get to squat until I'm done. I've got a laptop and Milwaukee job radio for company. Bend is rank for getting around in and my truck gets a whole 8 mpg so I'm pretty much stuck. I went out to the back awning for a Camel a little while ago, it is raining steadily ... and pouring onto my debris pile. That's close to a thousand pounds of comp in bits and pieces and big chunks all mixed together and on top like a cherry a big bunch of wood shingles. The thing that is annoying (being polite) is that it is supposed to go below freezing and snow. If it does that I'm going to have a giant ice cube of crap with slippery stuff all around to try to load into a wheelbarrow and into a dumpster.

Sometimes I'm ever so glad I'm me. I get that mess cleaned up I get to go home. I wanna go home. Whine, snivel, piss, and moan.

Hero Worship

Anything "Poppa" does is the best thing in the world. When this picture was taken, 17 months, almost every other word was "Bike." Three times a day he wanted to go see it and touch it and name parts. Big words for a tyke, things like handlebars and headlight and simpler stuff like frame and tank.

With riding season winding down I've been playing a bit of Xbox 360, games like Dragon Age, Oblivion, and Mass Effect 2. The first one for played to any extent was Dragon Age and thus the Xbox and games in general got named "Dragon" after the logo that flies across the screen and roars. He is pretty consistent about begging for "Dragons." It doesn't matter that Mass Effect 2 has none, it will do as "Dragon."

It is charming to be my grandson's hero and to the extent that time alows I return his affection and attention. At times I do have to go make a living or do something other than be the companion of a year and half boy. He doesn't seem to fuss about it, but his attention is more intense if I've been gone. I have to wonder how it will play out as he discovers that I'm really just a guy and not a demi-god. Well, I love him and that will have to do.

Something To Do - Fun To Be Had

So, I'm on my way to Bend, OR to tear off a couple layers of composition roofing and install the stuff on the trailer on the back of my truck. I do have to cross three mountain ranges to get there, 200 miles away and it has been snowing and icing and stuff like that. This is a 1978 Chevy K20 4x4 automatic with a 400 CID small block with a covered utility bed full of tools. Behind it is my car trailer/work trailer with 4400 pounds on it. Fortunately it has trailer brakes and the truck has studded snows on all four, and it has been in 4x low range and L1 on a couple down grades. In case you aren't getting it, this entire show weighs about 13,000 pounds and stomping on brakes ain't a smart thing to do, and neither is riding them.

Damn, I know how to have fun. Especially now that I'm in Bend and it has snowed and rained and frozen and been pretty ... shitty.

And then there was Street Vibrations in Reno, NV and as you may be able to tell, at the end of September there wasn't any snow...


The bike is mine but I didn't get to keep the pretty girls. The professional that was shooting the models has some more on page three.

You want to try to guess which was more fun? No prizes for getting it right.

You Wish You Were Me

Nice looking house, or will be when done, with a heck of a view sitting on the brow of a hill above town. It has aspects that makes it a bit of work to roof, but a nickle is a nickle and it is late in the season a week and a half to go to Thanksgiving.




Oh yes, it is late in the season and those "aspects" just got a lot larger. If you're having a problem figuring out the picture, that is part of my partially completed roof and yes, I'm roofing it while taking this shot.

I know how jealous everybody must be that I get to have all this fun and get paid for it too. It is a bit like trying to cut a brick with a butter knife to cut these shingles, this brand is about as bad as I've ever seen. Getting the wrinkles out of them (straight from the packaging) is a pain in the butt. First, of course, the snow has to be gotten off the roof. The only way I can think of to slow this job down more would be to break one of my limbs.

I've got a contract in a town 200 miles away to do as soon as I get off this thing, but I need a bit better weather. Jeeze.

***Update
I'm sitting in that town, the weather has sucked eggs but I'm closing in on getting it done.