Friday
Arrived around 6:30 pm with a strapped down load in the truck bed. Two mattresses, some 2″x6″s and two sheets of 5/8″ OSB to build the trundle bed, 10′ 1″x12″ shelf boards, extra planks for the deck stairs, and a brand new door for my trailer. Unloaded everything into the pole barn and got my first good look at the deck in the daylight. The current goal is to finish the platform and stairs; the railing will get added on later this summer.
I hadn’t planned on resuming work on the deck until Saturday. The project for the night was to build a trundle bed and provide a much-needed upgrade to the sleeping accommodations in the trailer. I had found a simple plan for building a frame online and tweaked it to allow for a full mattress on top and a pullout twin mattress. I set up shop in the pole barn and got to work building the full mattress frame. I forgot to grab the caster wheels for the small, simple twin pullout, so that’ll have to wait. The OSB can be lifted out of the 2×6 frame leaving a light, sturdy assembly that’s pretty easy to move around.
Even with as light and simple as it was, the frame wasn’t very fun to move into the trailer. The temperature stayed in the upper 60s late into the night and I worked up a good sweat trying to pivot the thing around the narrow back hall. Once I got it in place, I went back and grabbed the brand new mattress. I just bought it this week from a wholesaler who works out of a storage unit in Fondy. Very good quality for the price. I cleaned up the sawdust and general project mess in the pole barn and headed in for the night. Grabbed some of the sheets and comforter that I just washed last month and a pair of the new pillows from Amazon and decided to test it out for the night around 11:30.
Saturday
Up around 8:00. Very happy with the new bed! This might have been the most comfortable night’s sleep I’ve ever had up here. Sunny, clear skies and already pretty warm out. Puttered around in the trailer for a bit and left for town around 9:30. Had my first solo breakfast at Aunt Judy’s. It probably won’t be my last. Sat at the bar and read the local paper while I enjoyed my usual “big day” breakfast of three eggs over easy, bacon, cheesy hash browns, english muffin, and bottomless coffee. Slowly made my way through the flea market traffic and got some supplies at Pig. Besides having plenty of bottled water, soda, and beer, we now have PBJ materials and chips. It’s nice having the trailer clean enough to leave food up here.
Started in on the deck as soon as I got back. As the bugs weren’t back yet and no one was around, I spent the better part of the day without a shirt on. If anyone were to wander in, they’d probably think they were watching a mangy bear trying his hand at carpentry. The deck boards took a lot longer than I had anticipated. I pre-drilled every hole to prevent splitting and measured each board at both ends and the middle as I laid them to make sure they were going on straight. I took a break and a quick run to the gas station around 1:00 to get more Gatorade and some sunscreen. I was sure I had already burnt, but at least I could try to keep it under control. On the way out, I heard a loud clang as I turned onto Roeder Rd. I forgot I had my tailgate down and had left my circular saw on there. I went back and fished it out of the ditch. Surprisingly it seemed none the worse for wear. I can’t say enough for Craftsman C3 cordless tools. I put them through hell and they keep going strong.
Lyssa came up a little before 6:00 just as I was setting the stair risers. She had stopped at Menards on the way and got the casters I forgot yesterday as well as some more deck screws. She also brought up sushi, which I’m certain is a first for Puckaway. I took a break, we enjoyed dinner, and I admired her new, short, blonde hair. I cut and placed the stair treads and the deck was complete. Lyssa set up some camping chairs so we could try it out. I’m now more determined than ever to do something with the brick pile just to open up our new view.
Packed up my tools for the night and went to move my truck but stopped when we heard an owl in the distance. Sounded like it was across the road by the river. After it had stopped for a while, I moved the truck over to the pole barn to unload my tools and scrap lumber. The owl must’ve come a lot closer in the meantime and brought some friends. We stopped to listen and share a moment as they carried on in the bright light of the full moon.
I was sapped from a long day of working in the sun so we heated some pump water and I had a hot shower in the trailer. Between the new bed and a running shower, we’ve really raised the level of creature comforts up here. Clean and comfortable, we watched The Great Outdoors and called it a night.
Sunday
Both of us up around 8:00. Once again, the bed proved extremely comfortable. I had stuffed one of the large comforters in the space between the mattress and the back wall and it added just enough extra room. We both slept great and didn’t feel cramped.
Another breakfast at Aunt Judy’s, this time with my wife at my side. We each enjoyed my “usual” and headed back. Lyssa left around 10:30 and I installed the cross bracing on the posts and beams. If the deck felt pretty solid before, now it feels like it’s made from poured concrete. I’m really happy with how it turned out.
Now that I had the casters, I finished building the rollout frame for the twin mattress provided by Red and set it up in the bedroom. Both mattresses take up nearly the entire room, but they just fit. On the few occasions the trundle gets used, it’ll still be a welcome change from having to bring up an air mattress. I packed up my tools and clothes, cleaned up in the pole barn and the trailer and was on the road by 2:00. Got a lot done this trip and it feels good.
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