Team YIPPEE, Update 10/9/04

Hey folks,

Things here at YIPPEE are frustrating as heck!

The biggest frustration: the excavator who was working out fantastically great in August has been MIA for a month now. Consequently, quite a lot of things are severely behind schedule.

Rather than detail all that has gone awry, we will just let you know a few things that have proceeded. And, more importantly, let you know what opportunities are available for Team involvement.

Last Friday, Oct 1st, the majority of our AFM product order (185 gallons) was delivered. Unfortunately this meant a 40' tractor-trailer was parked in the driveway for an hour or so; translating to Cassandra being debilitated for numerous hours afterwards. On the positive side: The truck driver told Chris that this kind of thing normally has to ship as HazMat, and he was very surprised not to see it for this order. Pretty neat to know we're not contributing to world hazards!

Jeremiah's new nickname is Jer-Bear (pronounced like Care Bear, only he's much scruffier and doesn't favor pastels...!) He acquired this new nickname while crashing through the brush on Saturday, helping Chris to post property signs. They were out hiking and posting for 4 hours, posting about half the boundaries. The remaining borders are a bit easier to access; Chris plans to post these throughout the next month. He and Jer-Bear had other things to do that day. Chris' mom was out East. She and her family drove up to see the land/building site. They all had lunch together in Brattleboro, muddy boots notwithstanding. Afterwards, the Jer-Bear and Chris handled picking up the shed, which was in no way as simple as it looks written here.

On Sunday, an additional (um, honor...) was bestowed upon Jeremiah. He was knighted. Given the keys to the GEO. He is now one of the few, the proud, the almost-speedy; an honorable GEO driver. (We're loaning him the GEO so that he can travel and help with YIPPEE.) He was brought down to the Poocham Road abode by Sarah on Friday night.

Also on Sunday, the final touches were done to convert the house's living room into Cassandra's Staining and Sealing Emporium. Here, she will be sealing all wood parts prior to their installation. Not exactly a good idea for her health, to be in that house for so many hours, but this was the best workaround option for getting the project done. She has already stained/sealed most of the shed parts.

If Chris' meeting with the excavator's business partner goes well today, perhaps there will even be a place cleared for the shed to be installed next weekend!

The hurricanes have delayed getting a generator. Chris plans on renting one until ours arrives.

Thanks to those of you whom we consulted about hammer drills. Unfortunately, Chris has remained concerned about purchasing the right tool for the job, after getting many incongruous recommendations from both manufacturers and tool guys. While Cassandra happily assisted in locating information and prices, she preferred Chris to make the decision since he will be using it. He finally settled on one yesterday, a Bosch 11233EVS, after speaking to a local Newfane equipment guy. Cassandra found it online for 35% of the $981 retail cost. Chris purchased it this morning. It will be put to use next weekend.

The lumber and hardware quotes have been obtained, tallied, compared, and a decision made. Delivery and payment is currently being coordinated. The first delivery will take place next weekend.

Between the bank loan which is still not wrapped up, and people who don't return phone calls or get items completed on schedule, things have been slowed down a lot. Coordination of many aspects has continued to be quite challenging. Doing all this online, over the phone and on weekends has proved tiring and frustrating indeed! Arrrggggghhhhh!

As Chris' mom wisely noted, "There's a reason most people hire a general contractor"!

What does this mean for Team YIPPEE?

*Every weekend from now thru ____ (until the snow or cold prevents work) will be a working weekend. Team participation is surely welcomed, and will be appreciated! Please coordinate your travel schedule with Cassandra.

Thanks!