Labor Day Weekend at Tangent Lodge, Good Progress, but Also Good Relaxation

There's nothing like a 3 day weekend to get you going on work at the cabin. The progress we made this past weekend at Tangent Lodge is immediately visible as you step onto the property.

The first item on the agenda was addressing the lack of TV reception. The cute little directional antenna, complete with built in rotation motor that was purchased off the internet, proved to be a piece of Chinese junk.

Swayed by the compact design, the rotating ability, and the advertised range of "Up to 120 Miles" led me to believe what they say. Sadly if something sounds to good to be true, it almost always is. This weekend we replaced this foreign phony with a good old fashioned RCA antenna rated at 100 miles reception.
The trade off is, this thing is the size of a small airplane. No matter, we now receive all 9 channels transmitted some 65 miles away.

Next we moved onto the remaining lack of drywall in the main bedroom. The last few fragments of old paneling came down, the studs were de-nailed, and in a few hours bright new sheet rock was installed. It seems the more I do of this, the more proficient I get.

With about 2 sheets worth remaining I emptied the 5 lb box of sheet rock screws, so I moved on to taping and filling joints. As an amateur in the construction skills I was a bit concerned how this process would go. Some of my corners and joints had sizable gaps and my cutting of holes for outlets and switches sometimes missed the mark.

Joint compound and self adhesive joint tape are a marvelous equalizer. As most contractors know, siding, trim, and joint compound can fix many a poor fitting panel.

Outside, the Mrs. was once again mowing the lawn. With the rain coming down almost daily, the grass just keeps growing like,... Well grass I guess.

It's been a noisy weekend as off in the distance chainsaws and heavy trucks have been rumbling steadily. The National Guard has been brought in to log off the timber downed by the severe storms some weeks back. I did my own small scale logging effort by sharpening my chainsaw and heading of into the woods with the ATV to bring back some fire wood.

One 12" Norway pine, a victim of the wind, provided some quick heated exercise as I cut it to stove length. Sadly I don't have a log splitter and was unable to locate my ax, so it only provided the atheistic value of a nicely stack pile of wood.

For the actual bonfire we maintain religiously in the fire pit, I resorted to a half dozen dead falls that were leaning at a 45 degree angle throughout the woods. The fire danger of leaving dead dry wood in the forest has been well advertised lately, so I too must be a good custodian of my property.

As work progresses the quantity of supplies stacked in the living room diminishes, and every day it looks more like a home than a construction site. The mornings are becoming crisp, so building a modest fire in the wood stove makes things nice and cozy in the early morning.

Once the sun comes out the fire pit in the front yard becomes our gathering spot. Frequent breaks from our labors require a cold drink, a lawn chair, and a sturdy stick to poke at the fire. There's always time to kick back and watch the flames flicker.

There's something about a bonfire that wipes out the worries of life, turns your mind blank, and warms the body right through to the very soul.