Aug 6 - stopping to smell the roses

What an idiot. As I was riding northward on Highway 69 back home it occurred to me as Sandy blew by going the other way that we should have joined Jason and Lorraine at Pete & MaryJoe's -- J&L would have passed me too, but I didn't see them. Had I really insisted on a bike ride, I could simply have ridden until Sandy picked me up and then cooled off at their place.

Instead, I got back home, went to church (which I could have done today just as well in Britt), then started staining again. Sandy arrived while I was at church, back from Parry Sound picking up another two gallons of stain. We've cleaned out the RONA ... but they have more on order.

Before going riding, I worked on the wall facing Jason's, leaving the lower boards for Sandy. I also hadn't touched the two wedge-shaped parts above the main wall. After I got back, I did some high boards that Sandy couldn't easily reach and positioned my mid-sized ladder with the wings straddling that mini-roof. That worked well and from that position I could reach the entire wedge. It's slow going though, as I have to work around and through the ladder. Before quitting for the day, I positioned the ladder at the driveway-side wedge, again with the "wings" straddling that roof-line. I should take a picture ... and I will ... before getting up there and painting.

From where it currently stands, I can almost reach the entire wedge. Jason has a tool that holds a brush on a pole, but it's not here -- I'm going to cut a 1-foot stick and attach my brush to get at the furthest part of that area. The rest I can reach. With ropes tying the ladder on both sides, it feels quite secure for stretching out and working. I didn't think that I'd be able to get the ladder so secure, but then again, perhaps I shouldn't say anything until I successfully get the job done !

With only about a gallon and a half, left, we'll then work the back. I was thinking that I'd start up at the back wall of the bedrooms, but perhaps I'll go at the peak and get that over with. It's not easy to reach, but since Sandy was working at the part below, maybe I'll work there so that we'll finish a section. From there ... no, I think that we'll be out of paint at that point.

The front of the house and the one end took six gallons, perhaps a tiny bit less. Sandy has done a little of the back of the great-room and I did the part on the roof between the great-room and the bedroom shed dormer. That would easily account for the half-gallon that we've dipped into the two that she brought back. We probably need four more gallons, perhaps five so that we don't run out, but that's not adding up in my mind. Two for the bedrooms, one for the great room, one for the kitchen, two for the kitchen end wall -- that makes six -- and we have 1.5 on hand -- ok, that works. It's probably a little more than two for the end wall, although it has more window/door space than the master bedroom end wall. It's also a shorter wall by a few feet and has no shed dormer etc. complications / paint-sucking wood :).

What a job !

Dinner ... coleslaw, which I love, and stuffed rainbow trout, which I prepare.

Well, we will use up the two gallons today quite easily and then tomorrow we head to Toronto and Buffalo. Hopefully on the way back we can pickup more stain in Parry Sound, but if not there, we'll find a RONA somewhere else that stocks it. I called the RONA store on Barrydowne in Sudbury and they don't carry Cabot products -- why ?

Onward !