June 8, 2009

Wind and Stain

We spent the weekend at The Ranch, staining the exterior siding of our garage/apartment. What should have been a relatively easy task to complete, was in fact quite difficult thanks to Mother Nature. The skies were beautiful and blue and the sun was shining, but the wind was blowing something fierce! At one point, Neal's hat almost blew off of my head even though I had the chin strap tied.

Neal's paint tray blew over many times before he came up with an invention to keep things protected from the wind. But that didn't stop the ladder from blowing down several times and scaring the daylights out of poor George. George lived in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and his people were evacuated and not allowed to take him. I often wonder if he has flashbacks from that traumatic event. He is really scared of loud noises and wind.

The wind was so bad Friday night that we felt we were in a hurricane in our little popup. Neither of us got much sleep, so we decided to move the popup up hill and park it in front of the garage to hopefully get a wind break. Because we didn't want to repack and unpack everything and lower the popup, Neal put away a few things, lowered the tent over one bed and slowly and carefully moved our home on wheels to its new spot. It was much calmer Saturday night and we all slept better. We discussed taking the mattresses from the popup and sleeping on the floor in the new garage because it was much quieter in there, but there was no heat, and at least our popup has a furnace. And yes, it's June and we still need to use the heat on those chilly nights!

We chose a natural color for the stain and we were really pleased with the way it turned out. It was supposed to be a one-coat stain, but we decided to go with two coats for extra protection and because there were some streak spots after just one coat. I especially like the framing around the doors and windows. That was an extra touch from our builder and I think it adds to the rustic look. The wagon wheel inserts for the garage door still have not been installed, and the builder has to come back and do some tweaking of the doors, but overall we are very satisfied with the way things turned out. Neither of us has ever built a house before, but we've certainly heard horror stories from others who have had bad experiences. Luckily, we've only had a few minor snags that I think we can live with.

We finally decided to call it quits early Sunday afternoon. We were able to completely finish three sides and only lack the back wall and some overhang touch-up, which we will do next weekend. I kept telling Neal that this weekend would have been perfect weather for inside tasks due to the wind, but we just aren't that far along yet. It was a good feeling getting so much accomplished, despite all the dirt in my eyes, ears, nose and mouth!

Here's a little video to give you an idea of just how strong those winds were inside our popup.


8 comments:

LiveWorkDream said...

Leave it to Neal to invent a contraption like that! Heck, you could sell that thing.

The garage looks great! And remember, all that dirt that got blown onto the stain and dried there is just added protection against the elements.

Jane Beavon said...

Hey girl,
No wonder poor George was frightened. It sounded pretty scary.
Great job, y'all. It looks great and very inviting.
Love, Jane

Lilla said...

Rene, sell Neal's invention? Now, that's an idea...

Yeah, I was worried about the dirt blowing into the stain, but Neal didn't think it would matter. Gives it that "weathered" look, you know? Our main concern was getting some protection on that wood before it rains any more.

Lilla said...

Hey Jane, it sounded a lot worse inside the popup than outside, trust me!

Thanks for the compliment on the garage. If you come back to visit next summer, you might just be our first guests! Hopefully, we'll have everything done by then.

basicliving@backtobasicliving.com said...

Wow - it's looking great! I SO dislike painting/staining. Bernie says the only thing he hates more than painting is watching ME paint! I really stink at it. But, like you, I love the end results. Although, unlike you, I have more paint/stain on ME than anything else. And I can't believe it's still cold there in June - yikes! That wind was really scary sounding - but your pups were so cute laying there.

Lilla said...

Penny, did you notice that rag hanging out of my pocket? That was for all the spills and spatters and for wiping my hands. I am usually a very messy painter, so I was amazed I didn't get more on me...especially with that dang wind!

It's not really cold here now - we have highs in the upper 70s and low 80s, but nights can be a bit chilly - especially higher up in the mountains where our property is.

Anonymous said...

mmm, pop up tents and major wind have never been my favorite combination!!!
the garage looks great - i love how rich and warm the stain looks!

Lilla said...

Yeah, but it was definitely better than being in a plain tent staked to the ground! And, at least our popup has a toilet and a shower! It could have been worse...much worse.

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