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Showing posts from October 1, 2023

Worst Weather in the World

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I flew up to Maine to see my sister and cousins for a few days. As part of the trip we went up Mount Washington in NH. We went up on the Cogged Railway. It's A unique old vehicle system that only uses a large cog underneath the engine hooked into a ladder type of rack on the tracks all the way to the top. The modern engine uses a 600HP John Deere driving a hydraulic pump which in turn drives several hydraulic motors turning the large cog. Mt Washington is known for the extreme cold and highest wind in the world. Yes, the world. That was not the case when we went up. The winds were 3 MPH and the temp was 62 degrees. the highest ever temp ever recorded was 72 degrees and a 3 MPH wind is generally unheard of. So, the weather was quite kind for us.

Scope Creep

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I started out to replace a few deck boards on my deck in anticipation of having a neighborhood party this Fall. Well, the few deck boards turned into a few more deck boards and then joists, then supporting structure. Then I found issues with a rusted-thru post supporting the adjacent porch and the underlying concrete footings. Needless to say, the small job turned into a bigger job. All the work is well within my capabilities, but the budget (both time and money) has expanded. It became my highest priority and I am back working on the urgent repairs after completing the emergency repairs. These projects look bigger than they really are compared to a new bathroom or kitchen or something. I easily do all the work myself, alone. It will be done soon.