Today: Tow-Mater's parking spot built - in camp-site style.
More than thirty years ago, when we first moved to Wyoming, I had a co-worker who helped explain to me the differences in Wyoming weather, from what we had come from and were familiar with. Fortunately for me, he was "speakin'-my-lanquitch" - that is to say, he was one of these guys who would go buy some building materials, and put them up around his house - home improvements! Man he built some cool stuff! That glass-wall on the cliff face.
He used to tell me, back in his early days he'd go buy $100 worth of lumber, and it would take all weekend to put it up! Then he'd lament about the current days (more than 30 years ago), where $100 worth of lumber could be put up in a few short hours. I think he just got better at it. ;)
His stories are no different than any of our stories. We all think back - and we all lament. I wonder if that's because we have this thing inside us that helps us "forget the bad" and "remember the good". I mean, it's not like we don't remember ANY bad, or that we can recall ALL that really cool stuff, but in general, maybe it's a defense mechanism that kind of keeps us going.
So anyway, he'd tell me, "don't plan "starting" any outdoor projects after October 15".
Well yesterday was 10/1. Remember all our wet weather this spring? When I had Tow-Mater unzipped? And then it got so hot - hotter than normal it seemed, and then August rolled in and the weather was abnormally cool - just beautiful! By September, we were behind the power curve on some of our "outdoor projects", (we were actually doing fine, but saying we were behind the power curve, adds a little bit of tenseness, that I think lends more excitement to the read, but I could be wrong).
It's been cool for awhile now, and wetter at times, and after living in Alaska and watching the changing vegetation, DW and I have gotten a little bit more in tune with our surroundings, and for quite some time, DW has been saying we're getting an early winter. You can feel it, see it. I just love tuning into nature!
So yesterday it was cooler, and real blustery - one of those kind of Fall days that makes you think you better get your nuts stored, if you know what I mean. There's no time left for grass-hoppering!
For a couple days I'd been prepping a spot in the field, to park Tow-Mater. A permanent home that wasn't just "out where the tall grass grows". I mentioned such ideas over in
Fair-weather June thread.
Right around the three pines, at the edge of the field, I came in with the shovel and cleared out the Yuccas, a few ill-placed Sage brushes, and mowed the grasses. Then we unloaded the remaining scrap redwood onto the woodpile from the orange trailer (errr red, now that we have more than one orange trailer, I better re-define).
The red trailer is the double axle Jeep hauler and yard materials hauler. Got it emptied and ran it over to the sand and gravel store and picked up two tons of driveway base. Me and DW started laying it out in a chosen spot for Tow-Mater, and then the family came over and we took the rest of the day off.
I went out in the wind yesterday morning and finished the job, then loaded up the removed vegetation and drove the truck over the spot for packing.
Here's coming into it. The main road here being built is filled with "neighbor sand" and then a fair amount of "flagstone debris". We'll get more base, or something more here too, as time goes on.
Note Tow-Mater ready to move.
We get such a tickle out of this thing. Ain't he just the coolest?
Backed into his new spot.
This is the windward corner, where the brunt of our highest winds will hit on his left rear corner.
And keep the snow blown off the roof, so it doesn't have time to melt and find a way into the trailer as water. That same previously mentioned co-worker also said, "In Wyoming, the snow doesn't melt, the wind beats it into submission", and "you don't have to go anywhere when you live in Wyoming, because you can see for three days".
And we have a thing here called "snirt". That's snow and dirt mixed by the wind and left laying there in a hard-packed drift.
But between the trailer acting as a wind block on the one side, and the trees on the other, it makes for a nice little camp spot. DD was stoked, and DGS was telling GMA, "we can put a little fire pit right here, and we can set chairs right there". He had the vision.
Then I moved the truck out.
This is that load of salvage wood we picked up for free recently.
I selected some more or less damaged 2x6's and got them scraped of loose stuff.
And now in the process of getting some sanded "Restore Deck" paint stuff on them. Then we'll bury one edge and use these as a border at the parking pad, like you see in some camp-sites.
Get them laid out here on the far, and on the right side edges. You'll see those in a future post.
From a window up above, after the rain and hail.
This week, DSIL will pick up the trailer after work on Friday so the fam can re-load or re-familiarize, and then we're all going camping soon!
