I've seen so many houses that are very fancy on the front facing the street but as you go to the back the limited budget kicks in and the area meant for the family is relatively plain and unimaginative. This seems a little backward to me for this is where we live while the front is often just for show for the benefit of those who drive by. The fact is most of us spend little time in our front yards. In our family this means we do things a little differently. The front of our houses certainly look good from the road but as we go around the back we pull out the stops. We want to live the dream. Peter and Hailey's house is now nearing completion and the back is the last area to get the treatment. The last of the sculpted concrete was done today. They added large windows and double patio doors to let the bountiful light into the house from the south. The roof was extended over an expansive deck. Not shown is a wonderful yard complete with a small mountain, waterfall and campfire area tucked into the corner. Who wouldn't want to live here?
Cleaning house
We are clearing out the boneyard out back of the shop once again. As we build projects we fab up various stands and jigs. When the projects are finished the rigs go out back for possible future use. So many other bits and pieces seem to gather there as well. Once in a while it is time to sort out the good from the bad. The recycling bin generally gets full in a hurry. One piece that has been gathering dust for some time is the body of a parade float we built about eight years ago. After a couple years we pulled the motorized chassis out to build another piece and we've been storing it ever since. Now we needed the extra room. Our client has a big lawn ornament collection and so we decided to add to it. Jack squeezed underneath the rusty rig to weld on some old scrap wheels after we loaded it onto the trailer. When he was done I hit the road to deliver it. It seems kind of empty in the back forty now.
The shuffle game
Each time we add a new machine or piece of equipment it means a re-think of how everything is arranged in the shop in the interest of efficiency and ease of working. With the addition of a large machine like the new MultiCam plasma cutter it involves a major reshuffle. That process began this week. The concrete mixing area was disassembled but then we were at a standstill. The twenty foot storage container needed moving. We had to bring in the big guns. That meant it was time to give our good and generous neighbour Gord a call. He brought over his Bobcat with the fork attachment. While he managed the lift (one end at a time) I pushed with our little tractor to move it sideways. In twenty minuted the container was in it's new home. Gord then repositioned the sand storage bin and other bits before he headed back home with a friendly wave. Now we can begin preparing the concrete pad for the new machine. Soon, we are going to be more efficient than ever! :)
