4th of July - Camping, Deer Babies, Wake Boarding

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We have had a new resident. Actually there several new residents. A deer decided to have her kids in the back yard. They are here often. I can see them from my Zoom Room, so I apologize if I seem a little distracted sometimes when I am on a video call. We went canoeing and camping in South Carolina. We were exploring without a lot of planning, so you get what you expect- adventure and discovery. We stopped by the Tallulah Gorge lookout. When I rode my motorcycle through the area in the early 80's, I vowed I would come back. And I have come back-- again. I ate my traditional moon pie there as well. The Tesla is a great camper. Charge the battery, run the AC and enjoy the filtered ventilated with a nice entertainment system. Crazy. The paddleing wasnt that good. We found ourselves in Lake Keowee. The camp ground was good if you speak Spanish, and only enjoy power sports on small boats. I am a bit disturbed by the new trend of wake boarding. Instead of skiing being towed by a ro...
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Time available to finish the deck replacement

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The deck replacement is complete. As usual, there are items to add and fuss over, but the structure is primarly usable and complete. The thing that kills me is that although the "new" deck looks great and is extraordinarily strong, it is a "repair". The deck is functionally the same as it was 2 months ago before I tore it out and replaced it. It didn't add any functional value to the house, just a repair. Some stats: (10) new/improved concrete footings and 4x6 posts, (6) 2x12x16 beams, (21) 2x10x10 joists, (37) 2x6x16 deck boards and lots of expensive fasteners.

I did get some help in a couple of ways.

  • I was part of a large layoff at Accuray, Inc. That freed up some of time for sure. It is really quite sad that they have good technology, great markets, a significant installed base and they still can't figure out how to stay/get profitable/solvent.

  • Vlad retured from 5 months in Russia. He helped me move a lot of the heavy lumber.

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