One of our dinner guests last night arrived with an armful of clippings from her garden and we watched as she assembled this beautiful bouquet. It is so tall that it would not fit under the light over our dining table but works perfectly on our coffee table.
I spent the better part of the day gathering small branches and bark strewn all over the property, the remnants of the tree work we had done earlier this week. There was enough wood to keep our fire pit roaring for eight hours. The endeavor left me with a very sore back as I had to bend over to pick up thousands of branches (not an exaggeration) and haul them to the patio in a wheelbarrow.
In the evening, we hosted another First Friday gathering with a small group of friends. Jeanine prepared a tomato-peach burrata salad which made me forget all about my tired back.
Today, was also the closing date on our Road House sale. Even though we knew going in that it would be a temporary home, it is fair to say that we grew quite fond of it. Nonetheless, we are very pleased to be back to owning a single home.
Installing folding metal legs completed the construction of the table extension leaf I have been working on. All that remains now is to paint it to match our dining room table, the least enjoyable part of the project for me. With the legs folded, the leaf should be easy to transport and store although it is still unclear if that will be in the basement or the garage.
Jeanine and I love trees. Even so, ever since a huge white pine destroyed our neighbor’s sun porch, we have held our breath during every wind event. Today, we had every tree over 100 feet tall within striking distance of our house taken down. All that remains to be done is to haul away the trunks. Depending on the size and straightness, some will be milled for lumber, the rest are destined for the paper mill. Surprisingly, the views of and from our house have changed little. For every 100-footer, we have a second generation of 60-footers that now define the treescape. I know we are going to sleep better from here on out.
Jeanine and I enjoyed a glorious fall afternoon on a 3.5-mile hike through the conservation land directly across the river from our house. At the mid-point, we arrived at Fairhaven Bay. Along the path, we encountered several mushrooms but not the otters we had hoped to find at the Andromeda Pools. Later we got our Covid vaccine boosters as a precaution given our upcoming travel plans to Iowa and later down the Eastern seaboard to Charleston and Savannah.
Our round dining room table comfortably seats 8 people. Jeanine, already in planning mode for Thanksgiving and Christmas, asked if it would be possible to extend the seating for up to 12. Our table has a solid top with no provisions for an extension leaf so I decided to build one that mates along one half of the perimeter. I used 3/8″ thick Baltic Birch plywood in a three-layer stack-up. The top layer matches the existing table radius and extends the contour ~30″. The middle layer (pictured below) comprises the internal structure that create a torsion box when the bottom layer is glued to them. The result is a 1-1/8″ thick top that weighs the same as a 3/4″ top would and is substantially stiffer. I did not notice until just now, that the internal layer looks like a cat’s face. The squarish blocks are positioned to accept mounting screws for the legs and the curved pieces are leftovers from the cutouts. I will post another photo of the completed extension table when I have had a chance to mount the folding legs.
Using leftover bamboo from the River House cabinetry project, I completed the frames for two kayak carts per the design I came up with yesterday. I installed the axles and wheels for a test run using Jeanine as the operator. Even without the straps I plan to add, moving the kayaks was a breeze. I will add a suitable finish protectant tomorrow.
Our neighbors to the north have been kind enough to let us launch our kayaks from the river bank on their property. Our river frontage is steep enough to preclude launching safely. Although our kayaks are light enough for one person to carry, it is quite an arduous task. A friend loaned us a strap-on kayak cart which proved helpful but not well-suited to the rough terrain by virtue of its small wheels. I decided to design and build a pair of custom-fit kayak carts that will also serve as storage racks. The kayaks will be strapped to the carts upside down with the pegs used to locate the cockpit. This will prevent rain and snow from entering while the kayaks are not being used. Not shown is a “self-standing” feature that will keep the cart upright to facilitate loading.
As the sun was setting, this pair of swans gracefully swam past the house. It is the first time I have seen them in several months. Shortly after this sighting, Jeanine and I went out for a short walk and spotted a large barred owl silently gliding through the air. We watched it for several minutes as it flew from perch to perch, presumably in pursuit of dinner.
I spent a good part of the day researching and test-riding electric bikes. Having just sold my non-functioning one, I am in the market for a replacement. I have learned a great deal about the latest bike tech and also that Sept/Oct is the time of year when manufacturers introduce their new models. It may be prudent to wait a few weeks, either to get a good deal on last year’s models or to see what next year’s models have to offer.
While I am enjoying the process, I have to admit that it is sobering to realize this will probably be the last bike I purchase and that I need to consider what features will serve me best as I approach my 70s. Let’s just say that drop handlebars are out.
While sailing in Boston Harbor last weekend, I was struck by the unusual architecture of the pictured building. The slopes of the facades create an optical illusion suggesting the building is “falling down.” After a little research, I discovered that it is a +100 unit luxury condo. A 3 bedroom, 2,500 sqft floorplan will set you back $8.5M. It is little wonder that Boston was just named the 5th most expensive city in the world to live in.
I found myself at the West Concord Library today and noticed a lovely mural that has been added since my last visit. The mural’s design was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, A Child’s Garden of Verses, from 1885. The individual elements were created by some 100 community members under the direction of the Art for All project founded by our good friend Margot Kimball. Click on the image to view the finer details and read some of the verses.
Sadly, I put my Copenhagen Wheel-equipped bike up for sale today. The batteries will no longer take a charge, no doubt since it has been several years since I charged them. Lithium-ion batteries do not fare well if you allow them to fall into deep discharge. I had zero time for bike riding during the River House construction. Superpedestrian, the manufacturer of the wheel, and where I was head of engineering in 2017, has since discontinued the product and now sells e-scooters for city-wide fleet applications. I have listed the bike for a very low price and disclosed the non-working wheel. For a moment, I considered replacing the rear wheel and brake with the original equipment but when I priced it out, I decided it was not worth the time and effort.
I finished painting the side tables my brother and I built over the weekend and installed them in our home theater. I generally prefer to finish wood furniture I have built with a clear protective finish. Because these pieces were made with both bamboo and baltic birch and because they will share a room with a spalted maple entertainment center, I opted to paint them to match the walls so they do not compete with the other elements in the room. The top shelf will make for handy storage of remotes and headphones while the lower shelf is sized for books. When viewed from all but the lowest angle, these tables appear to float above the floor. This look is achieved by using a 10″ deep toe kick and adding 40 pounds of ballast to the back side of the table so it does not tip forward.
My fall soccer season started with an early morning scrimmage against a much younger Lexington team. Our manager feels that these “tune-up” matches against faster opponents force us to play better soccer. We managed to squeeze out a 3-2 win despite missing some of our better players. I played for 45 minutes of the game and the only thing that can be said of my effort is that I did not get injured.
Next on the birthday weekend agenda was a visit to the Old North Bridge and Visitor’s Center. Despite having lived in the Boston area for several years, neither Mark nor Marie had ever been there. Normally, after playing soccer, I spend the balance of the day on the couch but managed to find just enough energy to keep up during the walking tour.
Jeanine gets credit for planning the events of the weekend based on what she knew to be Marie’s wishes. High on that list was a sailing outing for which we rented three boats at the Piers Park Sailing Center. We were joined by our nephew, John, our niece, Rachel, and her boyfriend, Rob as well as Maya and Kyle. The winds were weaker than ideal necessitating some strategic paddling but being on the water was ever so relaxing. After returning to shore we were joined by Nicolai and Owen, Maya’s boyfriend, for dinner at the Tall Ships Warf.
Jeanine and Marie enjoyed a day at Crane’s Beach in Ipswich, a tour of the Crane Estate, and consumed a lot of seafood. Mark and I opted for a day in the shop. He is an even more experienced woodworker than I am. We built two side tables to flank the reclining chairs in our 2-person home theater. I will share a picture of the completed pieces once I have applied the finish.
Our close friend Stephanie (yellow blouse) gave us a private walking tour of historic downtown Concord this morning. Our group included my brother and sister-in-law, visiting for the weekend, and our neighborhood friends Dave and Patricia. We learned many things about the start of the Revolutionary War that you will not find in the history books and the reason why so many famous authors made Concord their home. Mark and Marie are visiting from Minnesota to extend the celebration of her 60th birthday. After the tour, I drove Marie into Sommerville to have lunch with Maya. The two are cut from the same cloth and it appears that Maya is on a similar career trajectory. After returning to Concord, we collected Mark and Jeanine and drove to Kyle’s house in Medford for appetizers on his newly constructed patio. Then it was back to Concord for steaks on the grill, freshly picked corn on the cob, and a delicious salad. We were joined by Kyle, his roommate Heloisa, and Nicolai.
Today we received our Certificate of Compliance (CoC) from the Concord Natural Resources Commission officially closing the final permitting chapter of our new home construction project. This document confirms that we satisfied our obligations under the Order of Conditions, allowing us to build a new house on the old footprint. Because of our proximity to the Sudbury River, we were subject to the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act which has very strict and prescriptive requirements for any construction within 200 feet of a river or wetlands. Negotiating this very official process has been expensive and time-consuming. On the flip side, it is this same process that will preserve the health of the river and the views we now enjoy. By filing the CoC with the Registry of Deeds the lien on the house held by the Natural Resources Commission will be released.
It is hard to imagine how the day could have been any better but we also signed the final Purchase and Sale Agreement on our Road House paving the way for closing on September 9th.
And now for the best part. My brother and sister-in-law will arrive late this evening to spend the weekend with us.
Although I have had a Facebook page for ages, I rarely use the platform. Recently, however, I started using Facebook Marketplace which has proven to be a far better selling platform than Craig’s List, my previous standard. I have completed several transactions using local pick-up with no problems. Today, I agreed to ship an item for the first time. The buyer suggested I look into the Facebook shipping option. I was shocked by the cost savings, almost half of what UPS or the USPS would charge. Is there a catch? Yes. Amazon charges 10% of the sale price for leveraging their bulk shipping rates. Even so, I decided to enroll and provide all my banking details. To convert my listing for local pick-up to include a shipping option, I had to edit it. Because I had already marked the listing as “pending sale,” I had to first revert it back to “item still available” in order to access the edit listing option. Once this was all done, I assumed that I would do what I have done for all other completed sales and mark the item as sold and indicate the buyer. Doing so, however, locked out my actual buyer who justifiably contacted me in a bit of a panic. I then went back and changed the listing status back to “item still available” and she was able to make the purchase. When I returned to FBMP looking for how to print the shipping label, I get a message that my account has been suspended for suspicious activity and that will take up to 7 days to reinstate it. My guess is that Amazon has a bot the triggers suspension if it appears that a seller has sold the same item locally and to a ship-to buyer. Hopefully, this all gets sorted quickly. In the mean time, I have no access to my other items for sale and cannot communicate with FB Messenger.
For the last few days sunrises and sunsets have been very orange. According to the weather service, this is due to smoke from Canadian wildfires migrating to our area. Fortunately, the particulates are at high altitudes and do not create a health risk.
See if you can find Maya in this workplace photo. Hint: She is the only one holding a dog. Her work at Formlabs was recently highlighted in a blog about the development of the Form4 3D printer, the company’s new flagship product.
Link to Formlabs Hardware Engineering Blog
Maya was the Test Engineer responsible for ensuring the reliability of the new resin cartridge design. Her success on this project led to a promotion to Technical Program Manager and she is very excited about her next assignment which will have to remain under wraps for the moment.
The family celebrated Kyle’s 32nd birthday at his place this evening. Jeanine made an ice cream cake that was insanely good. I have requested an identical copy for my birthday next month. Kyle prepared pulled pork in his smoker and it too was extremely yummy. His actual birthday was several weeks ago but this was the first time we could all get together for the party. The family got a tour of Kyle’s very nearly completed patio project which has turned out really well. It is also the first time we have seen his property since he had the chain link fence surrounding it removed. What an improvement!
Often identified as giant mosquitoes, these gentle giants are not mosquitoes at all. They are crane flies and are harmless. Measuring 3 inches in length and width it is unclear how it managed to sneak into the house. I am guessing it was unrelated to Jeanine’s penchant for leaving the front door ajar while going outside for short periods 😉
After much research, I purchased a new flat-screen TV today for our 2-person home theater. It will replace a 21-year-old Sony that is starting to show its age. It will be delivered next week. Rather than try to sell a set of this vintage, I will probably move it to the basement and use it as the monitor for our video surveillance system.
For years, I have noticed an interesting house located high above the Cambridge Reservoir. Although there are several houses in the area, this is the only one visible from Rt 2. I decided to put the drone up for a closer look and was impressed with many of the architectural features that I observed. The two-story quarter-round, window-faced rooms are particularly interesting. Also very cool is the observation deck that extends well over the hillside. Whenever I take such a photo, I am careful to keep my distance so as not to encroach on anyone’s privacy.
When building my router table, I purchased this dust collection cabinet for the underside. It arrived slightly damaged. Two of the corners were bent during shipping. I contacted the company and they immediately sent me a replacement (great customer service). This morning, I bent the corners back into shape. It is not perfect and the paint flaked off but it sold in no time when I listed it on Facebook Market for a highly discounted price.
Funkademic is a Rhode Island-based band playing funk, soul, pop, and R&B on period-correct instruments. Founded at Brown University in 2019 by professors and members of staff. Jeanine and I traveled to Providence, Rhode Island for an outdoor concert on the grounds of the John Brown House Museum. We enjoyed a picnic dinner with our good friends Alex and Lou Ann ending the evening with a visit to Prospect Terrace which offers a commanding view of the downtown area. The illuminated spires belong to the very first Baptist church built in America.
When selling a house in Massachusetts, you must obtain a Certificate of Compliance from the fire department confirming that all smoke and CO alarms are less than ten years old, in working order, and interconnected with each other. When the inspector arrived at the Road House, he identified two units that were not compliant. Fortunately, he offered to come back in an hour and retest giving me enough time to drive to Home Depot, pick up replacements, return, and install them. Had he not been so accommodating, I would have had to schedule a second visit (minimum two-week booking delay) and pay an additional $50 inspection fee. Given that the fire department forced me to locate our backup batteries in the garage despite evidence demonstrating that they would be safer in the basement where I originally planned to install them, I was not expecting much lenience and was very thankful for it.
Of all the decisions required when building a new house, the choice of a light fixture for the dining table was the most difficult for Jeanine and I to agree on. I insisted on certain functional requirements; LED based, CRI > 95, sufficiently bright diffused light, and compatible with our dimmers. Jeanine wanted something unique and in keeping with the serene theme of the great room. I wanted a fixture that would not compete with or block views of the river. Jeanine wanted enough interest to be a focal point when it was dark outside. We finally settled on the pictured light. In addition to meeting our combined requirements it scored several bonus points. The shade is made of felt which helps dampen the otherwise very bright sound in the room, it has an organic form which matches the furnishings in our living area and the color is a match for our sofa.
Maya and I shared a bittersweet moment as we bid farewell to the Tiny House we built together during the summer after she graduated from high school. It is a project and time together we will never forget. She imagined she would one day live in the tiny house but as is often the case, life happened. After college, she started a great job in Sommerville sharing an apartment with three of her high school friends. Within walking distance of work and in the heart of Davis Square, it is hard to imagine a more ideal place to live for a young person. She and Kyle briefly considered buying some land and setting the tiny house up as an AirB&B. In the end, however, I think Maya choose wisely to sell it. The prodeeds of the sale represent the sweat equity she invested in the project and will no doubt contribute to the purchase of a future home.
Jeanine returned from Maine after enjoying a two-day visit and dodging the near-continuous rain we have had here while she was away. I have been disinclined to take any trips until the Tiny House is picked up, the Road House sale is wrapped up, and we get our Letter of Compliance from the Natural Resource Commission. With any luck, this may all be done by early September.
Having recently completed a trapezoidal base for the coffee table to match a side table in the living room, I used scrap bamboo lumber to build an additional three boxes. Making the first one of something new is always the most difficult. You have to figure out how to machine the pieces and often need to build jigs to facilitate the work. With two already under my belt, I made short work of these three. Not sure exactly how they will be used so I made them of varying sizes. The larger one would make for a nice footrest while the two smaller ones might make nice plant stands. Next on my list of woodworking projects are side tables for the seating in our two-person home theater. I am still working out the design details and have yet to settle on one which I like.
Jeanine traveled to Maine today to spend a few days with a friend and shared this photo of the local seals. It sounds like she is having a great time. On the home front, Maya and I wrapped up the sale of the Tiny House and prepared it to be towed to its new home in Rhode Island. Regrettably, the company hired to tow it to its new destination reported that their truck was experiencing a mechanical issue and had to reschedule pickup for Sunday. While I am sure Maya is relieved to have sold the Tiny House, I can only imagine that she also feels a sense of sadness having spent so much time planning and working on it. Although I share in that sadness, my attachment to the Tiny House was never about what we built but rather the time I spent with Maya while doing the work. Over the course of that summer, I watched her grow from a youngster with big “tiny” ideas, into a highly capable home builder. I felt so connected to her as we simultaneously arrived at the same solutions to. the challenges we encountered. I felt such pride and joy each time she mastered a new skill relegating me from teacher to assistant.