…which will greatly (we hope) inhibit the eagle’s strike run. Of course we keep getting hit by the scarecrow water jet, and poor OSG who came out to admire the fishes—got it full force. It is pretty startling to get soaked in cold water.
It’s not just building the bridge: we’ve got to level the footing, which means getting some gravel or sand under the edge until it’s level, and Jane wants to do this. She’s operating on about half her normal red blood cells right now, which doesn’t make this practical, but we’re hoping to get a handle on what’s going on and get that fixed.
We’re doing much better this evening.
WE went and got ice cream.
Ice cream makes everything better.
If I thought it could make the trip, I’d send my latest batch of mango ice cream. You can almost never have too much ice cream.
As others have said, fingers and toes crossed that Jane’s ailment turns out to be easily fixed.
If you’re serious, a styrofoam cooler and some dry ice should enable the trip just fine – Dry ice (frozen CO2) is available in many grocery stores (the Publix around here has it) rather inexpensively. Omaha Steaks sends their stuff out in this fashion all the time, and it stays frozen for days (I have several of their styrofoam coolers in the garage – work great for dragging food to a picnic or the beach…)… tossing small pieces of the dry ice in the pond is fun to watch too.. assuming there aren’t any fish too near, of course…
“It is pretty startling to get soaked in cold water.”
Yes. Especially when without warning said cold water jet abruptly drenches your…ummm…”backside”. 😉
While I am very much in favour of eagles, I hope that this one finds a different place to feed. Best wishes to Jane!
I read your blog often, but don’t write in. Just wanted you to know I love your books in all formats. I own all of your books in hardback, but my favorites are your Foreigner series. Love ice cream when it’s hot, which it is here in Florida. Hope the doctors find out just what is wrong with Jane, and healing comes quickly for her.
Thank you all. Good wishes much appreciated.
*I thought returning to internet would be like jumping into cold water. It is becoming like being splashed (slowly and repeatly).
Anything built needs a good foundation; sand moves, footings shouldn’t.
Guess I’m wet now …holding positive thoughts for all your adventures.
We’re going to be packing the sand/gravel under the epdm liner that rims the pond, to elevate it about 1/2 inch, but, mindful of just that problem, we’re thinking of adding some Quikrete. My worry is that the heat of the Quikrete would compromise the liner. Our alternative is some somewhat larger gravel, about 1-2″ rocks, rounded. We can’t trust the bridge do do its own leveling.
I’ve had commercial mango ice cream, and it was *great*, but I haven’t seen it in the last few months.
That cold water sounds good right about now. Waiting on my ride in near 100 degree heat. At least I’m in the shade and there’s a faint breeze.
Thinking good thoughts for you both.
There should be a concrete mix that’ll work without melting the liner. Roman roads are still around because of their footings.
I’m sidetracked (de railed) in looking ’round your site. A part of my family did the KY. to MO. trek in the 1820’s. Settled in Clay County were Cole Younger Sr. was census taker in 1850(?)Cole Jr.was the one in with the rowdy guys. I would put some famous latin quote in here but it seems the 9th grade is too long gone. Veni vidi veci ???
vici– 😉 The Youngers have a history that’s not often told re the outlaws of the old west. They had more reason than most, and the Younger boy my family knew was a good sort, though he took ribbing from the wits on the corner drug front bench. His uncle by then was serving time in a prison in Oklahoma. I’ve never found my parents’ marriage certificate—but they eloped, and likely the Younger boy was the only one else who knew. I’ve always wondered who signed as witness, and my guess would be Mr. Younger and my mum’s best friend Irene.
Sand and pea gravel are used for bedding pavers, pipes, etc precisely because they never pack down and allow whatever is laid in with them to move without failing under stress. If you want to use gravel for the footings, you need crushed rock and included fines so that it can be tamped down solidly. As far as concrete is concerned, heat isn’t a problem unless you’re using a hot, fast-setting mix.
It may be easier in the long run to support the ends of the bridge beams on durable pavers or embedded pier blocks to distribute the load and break any earth-wood contact.
Pier blocks might be a good notion. I’ll see if they can accomodate a 2x, and rather think they probably can.
CJ, your home improvement store will have “deck blocks” designed for rapid building of decks, these are square, low cinderblocks which can be simply laid on the ground as footers for the joists or stringers of a (cheap/fast) deck. The top surface has a cross-slot wide enough for the stringers of a deck (typically, 2X4s or X6s). These ought to work for your bridge, but I would certainly lay a puddle of cement beneath to provide a firm base–got to respect the live and dead loads you are dealing with.
If’n it was me, I’d dig a trench about a foot deep, long axis at a right angle to the run of the bridge, short axis perhaps a foot or so wide–more is better–and longer than the bridge is wide, positioned so that your deck blocks could be set atop the cement (or, better, worked into the surface while the cement is still wet enough to incorporate the block into the matrix). Key is to have a bubble level long enough to ensure the two blocks for that end of the bridge are level and cross-level. Then you can set the bridge rails into the slot atop the blocks. If you work it right, you can even set the height of the top of your cement footer such that it can be covered with bark, gravel, or what have you–all you will see is the top surface of the deck block. But you should consider it essential that the wood rails not be in contact with the ground; rot will be inevitable otherwise.
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Another approach, more solid yet, would be to set steel H-brackets into your concrete puddle. The rails could then be bolted into the brackets, which is a Good Thing–look in the deck section of your Lowes or what have you. If you used carriage bolts, smooth head outward, they would present a nice clean appearance. These brackets are often intended for use with 4X4 or 4X6s, but you can glue-and-screw small 2X4 or 2X6 doublers onto the inside of your bridge rails in way of the brackets, this also adds strength in a critical area.
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My, I do go on, don’t I? 😀
My dad recalls that his paternal grandpa used to tell his wife not to be going on about her family tree since most of her relatives were hanging from it. She was née Dalton.
Lol!
The gran of one of our current married-ins in the maternal line provided Bonnie and Clyde a garage to hide the car in. He told that one at the last family gathering.
Seeking something new I’ve returned to the start. I started doing geneology back in the bullitin board days. Could be a circle; I prefer to think of my path as spirals, not liking to repeat things. Thats not that long ago… seems like I shoulda exercised the grey matter a bit more. I remember reseaching who was in school( Liberty,MO) with my g-grandfather and can’t remember. It was an interesting neighborhood. Have you read any of Jesse James letters? He wrote to newspaper editors mostly tell them they got the story wrong.
Sorry about the spelling , puntuation and form here I’ll work on it. carpe diem! Hope I didn’t just say grab a god[smile].
Huckleberry Slump! I’m sure it would be restorative after working in the heat, and has anti-oxidants so it’s good for you, right? Just what the three of you need.
I’m impressed by the experience at home improvement around here. Intelligence applied to the problem, nice to see. I’d have to get help on the planning as well as implementation. I am not mechanically inclined and not that strong as guys go.
I posted over at Jane’s blog after seeing her new post. How she had time to post while in between trips to the loo, I don’t know. I’ve seen how that stuff works. Yikes!
There’s also a fun story about my two cats’ goings-on of the past two days, posted for your (y’all’s, vous) enjoyment. Smokey is herewith officially given the middle name Trouble. He’s currently attempting to belie the appellation by napping innocently at my elbow. Cat, I know you’re not that innocent, and wonder what else you’ve done, haha, but you notice I love you all the same.
I’ll have a page up soon for cat pics and tomfoolery.
Please put a solid footing under the bridge. I know it’s a PITA but in 5 years you will be happy that you did. Otherwise you will watch your bridge sink slowly in the backyard.
Phil Brown