Chimney cap

Jim worked really hard all yesterday to get ready to pour the chimney cap.  He started back up first thing this morning - had to run to Home Depot for cement and misc things he needed.  He took the truck to Home Depot for its first official job as a construction vehicle - they were able to load a pallet of cement bags right into the back of the truck.  Made that job much easier!

The truck's first construction job!

Jim had to finish getting the forms set, do the flashing, rebar, foam expansion joints around all 3 flue pipes...and tons of other jobs that I don't even know enough about to write.  With hardly a lunch break, he worked through early afternoon getting it all set. 

All the prep work's done

Mike once again came over to lend a helping hand.  They used the Bobcat cement mixer (aka The Pumpkin) to mix the cement.  Once they got it mixed, they filled up the 5 gallon pails, wheeled them back in the wheelbarrow, and then used a hoist to lift them up to the top of the scaffolding.  Then Jim had to carry them up a ladder that was laying on the roof, harness himself back to the chimney, and place the cement...to be repeated dozens and dozens of times.

Using a hoist to bring up cement buckets

Jim climbing up the ladder carrying buckets of cement

 

 

I had to go to the dentist this afternoon and run to Staples, so I missed most of the work.  By the time I got home about 5:00, Jim just had a few more buckets to place.  The weather was gorgeous, but the work was hard and they were beat.

 

Of course with concrete work, comes lots of finishing work at multiple times in the process as well as massive cleaning up afterwards.  It was probably 8:00 by the time Jim came in.

 

 

In the midst of this, when I got home I saw that the shipper had left a message.  Jim called him back and he wants to pick up the equipment at 9:30 tomorrow morning!  So no rest for the very weary...Jim has to spend tonight getting everything ready for the transport and will have to leave an hour or so after the shipper leaves to go to NY and meet him to unload!

 

While I'm extremely thankful that somehow Jim managed to get this immense undertaking of the chimney cap job finished in these past two days and was blessed with great weather, one more day in between to rest mind and body sure would have been nice.  But the goal was to get the cap done while the Bobcat was here, so mission accomplished. 

 

Jim will take the 4Runner to NY to make it a quicker trip.  He'll probably spend Thursday working on the land a bit with the Bobcat.  He needs to do some site work before the well guy can begin, so he'll start on that.  But he'll also have to deal with insurance.  It will be a whole new worry because now we'll have equipment there with no one around.  But getting  the equipment up there is a major milestone toward making this all a reality!

 

Last steps...Jim had to take the foam out and do some caulking - he's really happy with how things turned out.  Now he's drawing plans so that Bryan can laser cut chimney caps. Then that project will be all done!

 

 

 

Back to house work...

Now it's back to trying to get things done around here - with some added twists. The chimney cap has to be repaired...last week he broke up the old one.

Quite the messy and hard job to break up the old cap

Certainly not an easy task considering how high our roof is.


Good thing he's not afraid of heights!

Thankfully Jim is always safety conscious and is using a harness.



So cute in his safety harness!

But here's the fun part...Jim will need the Bobcat to mix the cement to make the new cap. And of course the shipper just emailed and said he may pick up the equipment Wednesday. Which means that the whole thing needs to be done by tomorrow. It rained all day yesterday and this morning so now the clock is really ticking.  But he used that time wisely and was busy making custom forms, complete with a drip edge, for the concrete.  So he's installing them now.



 

Mike is supposed to come over tomorrow and help Jim.  There will be lots of carrying 5 gallon pails of concrete up the scaffolding to Jim for him to place it.  Thank God for good friends - especially ones that may not know what they are getting themselves into and might be otherwise busy!

 

On a frustrating phone call note...I thought I had the whole EZ Pass for the truck figured out after spending an hour on the phone with a multitude of different people a couple weeks ago.  They were supposed to add the box truck to our private account, send us a new transponder and we would be good to go.  'Til in never showed up.  So I called and found out...oh, they canceled that request because you can't have a commercial type truck on a private account.  I told this woman that I had talked to supervisors last time who told me that it was possible but no, she wouldn't budge.  So I had to download a business application - which of course didn't apply to us.  I had to leave so many things blank so that will probably be an issue.  I told her we had hoped to use it next week but she didn't sound promising that we could receive it by then.  Ah, the best laid plans...

 

On his way home!

Since Jim got everything done yesterday, he's on his way home today. Which makes me happy!

It was kind of funny...when I talked to him this morning after his first night in the apartment, he asked if I had packed some towels so he could take a shower. I told him that the last 2 tubs I had packed for him were the apartment stuff - towels, toiletries, etc. So I told him to look for 2 green tubs. To which he replied by texting me this picture...

That's a lot of boxes!!

He eventually found the green tub in all that wall of boxes and was able to take a shower.  I had packed the Keurig so he could have a cup of coffee too.  Jim said that the apartment felt okay - comfortable and workable.  Certainly not all the comforts of this home, but he said it's so close to the lot and that will be perfect.


He found a new place to eat in Corinth too...this was on the recommendation of one of the people we got to know at the hotel.  It was actually the clubhouse of a golf course but he said he had cranberry nut pancakes - which sound delish!  He'll definitely have to take me there sometime!

Jim keeps checking in and is making good time and the truck is doing great - for which I'm so thankful.  He'll be home in a few hours!

Jim got home safe and sound. Amazing all he got done in one day. He showed me this picture he took this morning when he was headed to breakfast...Corinth has this cute little beach on the banks of the Hudson River! Just check out that mountain in the background.

Unloading day again!

Jim texted me this picture this morning...the truck is back on the lot!

 

 

Jim met Gus up at the lot about 10:00 this morning.  He said all went well and they had a good discussion.  Once the equipment gets there, Jim will have a little bit of site prep and then Gus will start.  Let's pray for good water that's not too deep!

 

Then Jim picked up Kyle at the casino bus stop again - thanks Kyle for coming to help!  They went to the storage unit first and picked up some of the apartment things and then headed to the apartment.  Jim said they were eating their first meal (pb&j of course) in the living room - ha!  But he did say that the carpets didn't look like they had been cleaned like the maintenance guy said he would do.  I called him but no answer yet.  Jim and Kyle were getting ready to unload things at the apartment and then back at the storage unit too.  Kyle has to go back tonight so their time will be really short today to get all that done.  Hopefully all goes well.

 



Jim eating lunch with Kyle (the man behind the camera) in the apartment
 

Just heard from Jim a bit ago...he was dropping Kyle back off to catch the bus back.  He sounded beat but happy that they had accomplished so much.  Unfortunately, the apartment is on the 2nd floor and the stairs are pretty steep and narrow, so I can't imagine how many trips up/down they made.  Plus they had to make a couple trips back to the storage unit.  He even stopped and talked to the insurance agent again and got the necessary paperwork to get the 4Runner licensed in NY.  He may try and do that in the morning.

 

They worked hard and had a crazy busy day, but the upside of all that is that Jim is planning on coming home tomorrow now instead of Sunday.  So that's good news!

 



Jim's trip back to NY!

Jim is on his way back to New York.  I'm sad to not be riding shotgun with him, but there will be other trips.  I have to work at both jobs while he's gone so I guess that helps too.

The agenda this trip is to unload the second full truckload - probably everything but tools and work stuff will go into the apartment this time.  I sent Jim up with a couple tubs full of "house" things - enough for him to have a few comforts of home while he's there.  He'll stay at a hotel tonight because it will probably be late when he gets in.  But Friday and Saturday nights will probably be sleeping bags on the apartment floor.  Good thing the maintenance guy was going to clean the carpet this week!

Tomorrow Jim plans to meet with Gus about the well and get that underway.  Jim has been talking to Neil from Wolff Bros about ordering a pump.  So that will be excited to start that process.  He also plans on meeting with the insurance guy again - the gray 4Runner is overdue for plates and we'd like to get it licensed in NY instead of OH so we don't have to pay twice for that privilege.  So we'll see how that goes.

I'll be anxious to hear from Jim along the way - I've talked to him a couple times and so far so good!

Update...Jim got into Saratoga Springs maybe around 7:00 tonight.  Truck did well and he said the traffic and weather were good too.  I'm so thankful!  Jim actually used the hotel workout room and did a run - amazing after such a long day but probably felt good to move a bit after sitting in the truck.  Then he picked up another Pope's Pizza.  Could be a new tradition.

Getting ready for another trip!

Time is ticking and there's so much to be done!  But we're plugging away every day on the giant "to do" list.

Jim has been doing lots of work in the basement - finishing up the shower stall and installing the drop ceiling, besides sorting and packing in every spare moment.  We just about have the crawl space emptied out.  Mike came over today and helped Jim move the bookshelf and an old dresser up from the basement, so that was nice to have some extra muscles (read I didn't have to do it). 

Then they did some moving in the pole barn - took down the big exhaust fan and loaded up the radial arm saw table on the Bobcat.  Jim won't need that for awhile, so it will take up residence in the neighbor's barn until the carriage house is built and things can be moved in.  Thanks to the neighbors for letting us do this! 

Jim moving the radial arm saw table from the pole barn to the neighbor's barn

Down the road it goes!

Meanwhile, we are packing up the truck again at every opportunity.  We brought a lot of boxes and tubs down from the attic and up from the basement and Jim has more pole barn tools loaded on.


 

 

Jim is thinking about going back to NY at the end of next week - he wants to meet the well guy at the property and get him started.  Then he'll unload this truckful and come back home. 

 

One of the big things that Jim has been orchestrating is getting bids on transporting the Bobcat and Excavator up to NY.  As you can imagine, no small feat.  I wouldn't know how you would even begin that process, but Jim did it before when he bought the Bobcat in Oklahoma so he's familiar with it.  That will require another trip back to NY because he wants to be there when they deliver the equipment. 

 

I've still been busy packing too - today I worked for awhile in the kitchen again packing up more dishes.  I actually have some totally empty cabinets now!

 

 

Right turns allowed!

Jim spent quite awhile today trying to see what was wrong that the right turn signal wouldn't work on the truck.  He had worked on the wiring harness before our trip and everything worked but that.  When I got home from work today, he had the dash apart and was trying to see what was wrong.  He finally took the actual signal arm off - which required taking the steering wheel off - and figured out that's where the issue was.  So we can now turn right!

Now the only truck project left is to do the brakes.  That will first require going back to the tire store and having them loosen the lug nuts that they way over-torqued.

Yesterday, Jim and I spent some time taking all the tubs and boxes that were in the basement and library and loading them on the truck.  Just feels like you're making good progress when spots start emptying out.  Next step will be bringing all the attic boxes down and getting them loaded up.

Many phone calls...

Wonder how much time we really waste being on hold or caught in company voice mail?  Probably don't want to know, but I definitely added to my totals today.

We lost power here at home in the morning - for just a couple hours.  But that was enough to mess up our internet.  We had digital phone and cable TV but no internet.  So that took 2 phone calls and probably an hour to get straightened out.  I'm not good with all the computer terminology either, so at some point I always end up handing the phone to Jim to talk to the guy in India.

But then I did make some progress later on.  We needed to get an EZ-Pass turnpike tag for the truck.  Should be easy, but since it's a different class of vehicle than a passenger car, not so much.  I got transferred back and forth because everyone kept telling me I needed to fill out a business or commercial application - and I kept telling them that we aren't a business.  We just owned this truck for personal reasons.  Finally, I got someone in the commercial department to give me the exact terminology to use with the other people to get the truck added to our account.  So finally - after she again told me no and finally went and checked with someone else - I got it added and a new blue tag will hopefully be in the mail.  Just makes the trip so much easier to be able to sail through the turnpike lanes - plus there's that 5% discount.

Then I talked to National Grid, the electric company.  Again, not real straight forward because we already have a pending account with them for the land.  But she gave me a new account number for the apartment and will have it switched into our name as of May 1st.

I started talks with TimeWarner too.  Thankfully, they have TimeWarner in NY so we can keep all of our same email accounts - that will make that move easier.  But the issue is going to be that we need service here plus we need service in NY - and don't want to pay $300 to make that happen!  So I got some basic info to start thinking about and I think if we have bare minimum at both places for awhile, it should be feasible until we are both in one place.

Back to Ohio

Well, it's back home today. We got a lot done in just 2 days. There's lots waiting to be done at home too so home we go.

After breakfast, we headed into Corinth to drop off the car and key at the apartment. While I do realize that i shouldn't drive and take pictures, this is one of my favorite places...you're driving to the lot and all of a sudden you come around a corner and this mountain is right in front of you!

Look at that mountain!

As far as the apartment, like I keep telling Jim - it's going to be a big culture shock but it has room for storage and is close by so it will be fine for a year.



Jim in one of the bedrooms



Going from 4 bathrooms to just this one will be fun!



My new kitchen

Not quite my beautiful stainless steel but they'll do!

We of course had to drive by for a last look at the lot before hitting the road.

One last look...

We decided to take the southern route home. It's a much more scenic route plus there are no tolls. In the truck, that will save us about $30. It's quite windy today and the box truck is, well, boxy so not quite aerodynamic. But it's nice and sunny. Jim is not feeling great but never complains.

One of the things we always pass on this route is quite unusual. When we first saw it, we thought it was a mutant pine tree that had grown much, much taller than the surrounding trees. But we finally realized it's a cell phone tower in pine tree clothing! It's in Bainbridge, NY, and worth a peek if you're driving by!


We stopped for lunch around Binghamton - just ate out pb&j in the back of the now empty truck!

Unloading day!

It's only a little after 9:00 in the morning and it's already an eventful day!

First, we talked to Kyle last night and he really wanted to come up and help us unload - thanks, Kyle! It will be good to see him too - haven't seen him since Christmas.  So we are supposed to pick him up from the bus stop at the casino at noon.

We never heard from the realtor last night so we were a little anxious about that.  But while we were at breakfast, he called.  He gave our proposal to the owner and she was receptive to our price and conditions.  She wants to meet us here at the hotel and go over paperwork.  So here we wait.

Evening update:

The apartment owner came to the hotel around 10:30. She's an older woman but very nice. Paperwork was slow and a little painful - we haven't had to fill out rental forms in eons! She was agreeable to all our conditions and price so that was key. Jim had to leave after an hour or so because the end wasn't in sight and he had to go pick up Kyle. While he was gone, we got the paperwork done and then left to get a key made. She dropped me back at the hotel.

Kyle and Jim were waiting in the lobby for me - it was so good to see him! We came back up to our room and had lunch...leftover pizza anyone?

First on the agenda was taking the truckload to the storage unit. Jim and Kyle worked really hard and we actually had everything organized into the unit in less than 2 hours! Our plans were to take some apartment things there, but we decided that there wasn't enough to warrant a trip there in the truck so we just put it separately in the storage unit. We can take it to the apartment with the next truckload.

Kyle unloading the truck

After that and a quick trip back to the hotel for a water break, we had to go look at the land again. It's just so beautiful. The weather has really cooperated too - beautiful sunshine. Still chilly and a stiff wind that makes it feel even colder but no rain.

We even made it to church tonight since it would be tough to make it in the morning. Unfortunately, not enough time to treat Kyle to a nice dinner so we had to make do with a quick trip to McDonald's before dropping Kyle off at the casino for the bus trip back to NYC.

Ironically enough, when we talked to Kyle our first night here, he was pretty sick with a bad head cold. That's why we really hated to have him make the trip up here. But practically the minute Jim got off the phone with him, he started coming down with a cold! The fact that he spent the last week working outside in the bitter cold on the truck probably contributed to that. So he's not feeling great but he forges on. We got some drugs so that helps.

We are giving Kyle the purple car - that way he can use it to travel back and forth while we're building. The problem is that it's so darn expensive to keep a car in NYC. He's still working that out but meanwhile we made arrangements to park the car at the apartment. So we got it all emptied out tonight - tomorrow on our way home we'll drop a key off with the realtor in case they have to move it for any reason and park it. I want to make sure the key works that we had made and I'll take some pics of the apartment.

I told Jim that just a week ago the truck was still in pieces! What a crazy week it's been and we feel so good with all we got accomplished.

 

Happy Birthday, Jim!

Today is Jim's birthday - how fun to celebrate it here!  Today will be a busy and exciting one - we're really saying life here in motion today.  Off to breakfast!

So our first stop today was to stop at Home Depot to get a lock and then to check out the storage units. Check out the snow piles in the parking lot - they had about a foot of snow a couple of weeks ago!



We looked at two storage places, although only one had a 10x20' available. We liked that one the best anyway so we signed on the dotted line for it!

Jim moving our first piece of equipment into the storage unit!

After that, we had to go see the lot ... How gorgeous is this? This is why we are going through all this. The sky is bluer here and the smell amazing!





Back to the hotel for lunch and then we tracked down the insurance agent that we had found on one of our previous trips. This was our first face-to-face meeting and we really liked him. Obviously this move and transition is going to involve lots of insurance issues and we feel really confident that we found the right person to help us.

Then we got a call from the realtor about seeing the apartment. It's kind of a reality check - no doubt it's going to be hard to move out of our gorgeous, comfortable house to move into an apartment like this. But we just have to keep focus on the end goal. This apartment has 3 bedrooms, living room, 1 bathroom and eat in kitchen. So the goal of having places to store things is what's important. The realtor also said he had a home he was fixing up to sell and let us go through that. It's got tons of space - probably 6 bedroom areas. But the apartment has free heat and the house doesn't. I called Tom and told him we liked it but we're concerned about the heat - hoping he would say he'd help with that. But no. He couldn't even give us an estimate of the bills - just said it would be expensive. It's heating oil and he had told us that his own home was costing close to $10,000 for heating before he converted to propane. Sure can't afford that! So we told him to talk to the owner about our conditions - move in in May but want to start moving in things now.

It's now close to 7:00 and we're getting ready to go eat.

End of day...you would think that finding a Hawaiian pizza - which is what Jim decided he wanted for his birthday dinner - would be easy. Ahh...not so much. We went to 4 places before we found Pope's Pizza it was well worth the wait - or we were just starving!!  And to top it off, beer in a plastic cup while we were waiting!

 

 

We're leaving!

This has been an unbeliveable few days...who would have thunk that less than a week ago, the truck had no engine and now here we are setting off for New York?  Jim has worked in gross weather and horribly long hours to get the truck in good shape.  Even yesterday, I was off buying compression hoses and he was working on the lighting harness.

Mike came over in the afternoon and we stuffed the truck!  We are also taking the little Honda - we will leave it there and also drive it around while we are there.  I'm so excited...off we go!!!

Just starting on the trip...this will be my view for lots of miles to come!

It's almost noon and we are in PA. The truck is doing great! Such a relief so far. Jim is able to do around 60 mph with the truck fully loaded. Truck also seems to be getting around 11 mpg which isn't bad - again we're fully loaded.

 



If you look closely, the truck is crossing the state line from PA to NY!

We got in about 8:00 and we're truly giddy to not only be back here but to know after all the craziness and ups and downs of this week with the truck, we got here safely and without incident.

We went to Applebee's for dinner to celebrate!!  Tomorrow will be a full day of seeing the land, finding a storage unit, and looking at apartments.

Some good news!

Jim decided to go and get new seals for the ends of the fuel hoselines.  He went back to Isuzu and bought 8 seals...for a cost of $7.00 - and it worked!!!  It's not leaking!  All those prayers helped...I just felt SO incredibly bad for Jim.  He worked for probably 30 hours over the last 2-1/2 days in good and bad weather and this just seemed like such a blow.  He's tweaking things now and hopefully we'll be able to take it for a test drive soon. 

Then we'll have to see how things go from there as far as our trek to NY!

Late evening update...

Little test drive around here went well so in the evening we decided to head to Bag's in Millersburg for a longer test drive.  The truck did great - it ran really well and Jim became a little more comfortable driving it and confident that it could make the trip.  Over nachos we strategized about the trip.  We decided to leave Thursday and come back Sunday - or maybe Monday, which would involve me getting a day off work.  Jim wants to get the rear light working tomorrow and we figure Wednesday will be a packing day.

What a relief about the truck - all of Jim's hard work sure paid off!