(Nov 24) Bathroom gets some attention

Well, it was a rainy and cool weekend so we made some effort to get some stuff finished inside this week. We had Home Depot cut and thread some pipe to use as a shower curtain rod. We also picked up some fixtures to use for a TP holder. Kim is really getting into the industrial look we've used in the bathroom. Piece by piece, it's coming together. We used ½" galvanized pipe and fittings along with rough cut cedar. I also replaced the pipe coming out of the ceiling to the shower head with a longer version.  Kim is vertically challenged and said she refused to stand on a stool to take a shower.  She can now reach the shower head with the longer pipe and I've still got plenty of clearance.

 Finished shower curtain rod. Kim is thinking of adding a couple of magnets to the inside liner so it will hold against the metal wall securely. That should help keep the bathroom floor dry from any shower overspray.

We pulled the decking up in the loft above the shower to access the ceiling and put in a brace to secure the cedar 2x4 that holds the shower curtain.  Not that it's heavy or that we will be swinging from the pipe (maybe) but I like to know it won't pull thru the sheetrock.

 Detail of shower curtain fixture (sorry it's out of focus! :) I wish now we had lowered the shower ceiling to make more room in the loft.  

 TP holder with electric outlet/switch fixture finished out

We had some sheet metal that we had picked up for another project left over. It had been outside "aging" for the past year. We loved the weathered look so decided to use it as a wall covering. I used a cut-off saw to trim it to fit and we ripped a 2"x4" cedar board down into 4 pieces for trim.

We also had to remove and replace the box that houses the light switch, fan switch, shower switch and outlet. We went with one that would allow us to extend it out past the wall a bit further. Wish we had used these on all of the outlets. They have depth adjustment screw.

It's been really nice having the table saw out here. I think I'm only missing a couple of saws now and I'll be able to open my own Saw Museum. Table Saw, Compound Mitre Saw, Reciprocal Saw, Chain Saw, Cut-Off Saw, Dry-Cut Metal Saw, Circular Skill Saw, Jig Saw, 7-8 various hand saws - I need a Band Saw and a Radial Arm and my collection will be complete! :)

Speaking of chain saws, we worked on cutting up a limb that had fallen earlier in the month. I'm a bit frustrated though in that the saw isn't cutting very well. I get 2-3 cuts made on a 6" log with much effort and the chain starts to loosen excessively. I just had these chains sharpened. I've switched and tried several with the same result. I'm going to buy a new chain and see if I get the same result. Maybe the sharpening service just didn't do a good job on these. Any suggestions besides a new chain? It's an Echo 18" that's about 3 years old. I brought home a load of the wood we cut to try in my new smoker, a side benefit of owning a small forrest.

Kim sitting on a large limb that broke off of a tree in a storm earlier this month. We've seen about a dozen more like this across the property from this same storm. There was a lot of damage. Good news though, we've got 12 acres still covered in 100's of huge Oaks and Elms (50'-80') and now we've got firewood for the next 5-6 years, if I can get it out of the weather in time. :) 

We really had a great weekend. I was lamenting leaving around dark on Sunday when I remembered that I had some tortellini I brought and didn't cook. When offered the option of driving back right away or staying for a candlelit dinner in the woods with Italian food and a chilled bottle of wine, Kim jumped on the dinner in the woods. I turned off the generator to enjoy the quiet and fired up the gas stove. I lit the tiki torches. Kim put the wine on ice while I set the table outside. We ate our supper in the cool breeze, talking about the day's accomplishments, drank our wine and enjoyed the solar lights on the tree next to the cabin. We didn't stay long enough to hear the coyotes start in but it was the perfect ending to a great weekend. I can't wait 'til this is the norm and not the exception. Our drive home a couple of hours later was much more enjoyable after the satisfaction of a relaxed dinner.