Do not ascend to heaven!

For tigers and leopards guard its gates

I sometimes wonder whether reusing old materials isn’t a false economy. On the one hand, the materials are free, but on the other, they usually require a fair amount of labor, scraping, cleaning, repainting and refinishing, adjusting constantly for variations, fixing, replacing worn or missing parts, and worrying over. The trouble with poverty is that it takes time. And I suppose time gets more costly as we go along.

Anyway, it’s been a while since I informed the world how things are going, so here’s a brief photo update:

July 20, “Stauffenberg Day” (the date Claus von Stauffenberg tried to blow up Hitler in 1944). Framed in the three old storm windows to the west.

July 25. Framed the two rough openings for the sliding doors. These openings have to be particularly precise: plumb, level, square, and flat (not easy for me).

August 2. Installed the first sliding door. I had hoped to get new nailing fins from the manufacturer, but couldn’t wait to hear back from them, and improvised homemade metal mounting brackets instead.

August 3. Installed the second sliding door. (I must have sheathed the exterior in tar paper during this time period as well.) These aluminum-clad wood sliding doors date from the 1980s.

Yesterday. Putting on the siding. Have framed the sliders, established the trim lines all around, and pulled the long window sill together.

I’ve had this Delta 10-inch tilt-table saw since 1983 (the saw was made in 1947). I rip all the trim woodwork (window framing, wood sheathing, siding, and such) to width on this from 1”x10” pine shiplap. The drop off is tossed at right, sawdust to the left.

The sunset reflected in the east on an early August evening. Large, beautiful white Great Egrets have been visiting along the brook these days.