| My Insane Life | Wednesday, July 18, 2012 |
This insane life of mine: There is not the slightest resemblance as to how my parents lived their lives to how things are unfolding for me. If I want to, I can go back into the past and pin the blame on Joe, as he is the one who first got me onto the internets. How my life has changed after acquiring that first Gateway computer back in February of 1998.
It was innocent enough, I was all unpacked from the last road trip and getting caught up with my E-mails. Old habits die hard, and I was playing around with my Craigslist searches. I turned up another hoard of Nelsonville Star Sidewalk Pavers.
I had been toying with the idea of using mixed street pavers for the bottom 1/3rd of my driveway where it meets the sidewalk. If I could acquire these Star Sidewalk pavers, the entire driveway would be covered in these beautiful bricks.
E-mails flowed between me and the seller of these pavers. They are located just east of Indianapolis , IN. We came to terms on a fair price and Tuesday was spent ironing out the details. This is the point where I wonder how life was lived before the “innernets.” First I scoured airline fares to Indianapolis , IN. Southwest had the best deals being only $50.00 more than a Greyhound bus ticket would be. The bus was my first choice till I spoke with Louis. He warned me how if I had to board a bus at a transfer point that was full, I would be s—t out of luck.” The timing was: boarding the bus at 4:30 p.m. here in Tuscaloosa on Thursday and arriving in Indianapolis at 5:30 a.m. Friday. With Southwest, I depart Birmingham , AL at 6:30 a.m. and arrive in Indianapolis at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
On the U-haul site I was able to pin down a dealer close to the airport for the truck pick-up. The bricks are located about 60 miles to the east. I have the routes all mapped out from Google maps. I would like to be able to get the bricks loaded up and make the Motel Six in Shepardsville , KY just south of Louisville for the night. It is only 6 ½ hours to drive home from this point. However, I just might get a room north of Louisville so I don’t have to fight the rush hour traffic and just get an early start in the morning. The more I work this out in my mind; this might be the smartest move. I-65 is torn up in Louisville . Driving the truck through the construction early Saturday morning should be a lot easier than doing the by-pass in heavy traffic. I have the truck for four days/630 miles. There is no need to push myself too hard. I need to learn to slow down a bit!!
| Another Road Trip to Indiania | Sunday, July 22, 2012 |
Where to start???
I posted this Youtubes to my Facebook page. I was going through a bunch of old files and found the link to this squirreled away. It really hit home to me how changed my life has become in the past ten years. What this entry will explain: Using the internet I was able to first locate Nelsonville Star Paver bricks in an obscure city in Indiana. Then through E-mails I negotiated a price and pick up dates. I made my plane reservations to Indianapolis, IN, and lined up a truck rental just a few miles from the airport. Then to top things off, I printed up maps to the key locations using Google maps. Harking back to the how things were even twenty five years ago, to be able to do all this is magic to me!
Friday at 3:30 a.m. I woke up ahead of the alarm clock. Made up coffee and rounded up Stumpy from outside. Turned on the air conditioner, filled up the food bowls, turned on the alarm system and left the house by 4:15.
It was a straight shot to the airport with little traffic. I had an off site parking service all chosen, valet parking at $9.00 a day. It is $12.00 at the garage at the airport. As I was getting my ride to the airport, Budget was parking cars at $8.00 a day! The last time I used them they were the most expensive! I can’t win!!
The security line for Southwest snaked through the terminal. I’ve never seen the airport this crowded this early in the morning. Fortunately, I had my boarding pass all in order and there were no bags to check. My prayers had been answered and there is now a Starbucks at Birmingham Airport. That Grande did a lot to calm my nerves!
My first flight was to Chicago which left right on time at 6:30 a.m. I was able to get an aisle seat with a nice couple from Montgomery, AL. I wanted so badly to wear my Utilikilt, but with all the mess going on lately I decided against it. I did not want to draw attention to myself this trip with all the recent shootings and all. For once I was content to just blend into the crowd. I stuck to my army camos which are much more comfortable over Levis.
My plane change to Indianapolis was a two hour layover. I walked around the terminal a bit and then got an Egg McMuffin and coffee. I needed some kind of food to tide me over. Did some reading and then walked around some more. It is just amazing to me to people watch and realize all the different stories and lives being lived out in this crowded terminal.
It was a very short flight to Indianapolis, some 45 minutes, but I lost an hour going back to Eastern time.
I got a cab to the U-Haul pick up. I had a Google map printed out I gave to the driver. I do this for insurance so the driver knows where to go, and he knows I know the directions and I don’t get taken advantage of. He was kind of dismayed as it was a short fare and he told me he spent some three hours in the taxi line. I apologized, and gave him a decent tip when I got out.
This truck is not as nice as the one I got in Ohio for the last move. There was a lot of “X’s” on the truck body signifying claimed damage. I had to do a visual inspection there was no other damage and sign off.
I went to call Cory to tell him I was leaving the U-Haul place and to expect me around 2:30 or so. I went into panic mode when I realized I did not have my cell phone. I remember using it to check the time in the terminal. It must have slipped out of my pocket in the back of the cab. DAMN!! It was my fault for not using the button over pocket on the camos. The top pocket is so easy to lose change out of. Fortunately, I always have back up contact information. The guy at the U-Haul let me use his phone to call Cory.
It was almost second nature getting behind the wheel again. My destination was New Castle, IN. I went the Google map way over the GPS way. My “direction lady” was much annoyed for a spell!
Traffic was not bad and I made pretty good time. The address for these bricks was in a neighborhood which seemed to be coming back a bit. The house looked empty. I had a very apprehensive feeling as I knocked. I guy in his 20’s came to the door. I said, “Hi, are you Cory? I’m here to get the bricks.” I got the most bewildered look in return. “Are you not Cory Blank? I am supposed to get the bricks from Craigslist at this address.” “No” he said, “My name is Adam.”
This young woman pipes up, I know Cory, let me call him. She walked upstairs while Adam went into the kitchen leaving me standing alone in the living room.
She came back with her cell phone in her hand saying John wanted to talk to me. It turned out John was the owner of the bricks and Cory listed them on Craigslist for him. He promised to be at the house within half an hour to get paid and help load the things. I told him I was parked in front of the address and would meet him. I felt much reassured after hearing that. I was so afraid this whole thing would blow up in my face. Everything seemed to be on the up and up, but you can never tell.
John showed up right on time. I had to move the truck to a back alley to get close to the garage where these bricks were stacked up. I let John drive and park the truck in his backyard. I’m not good backing up where I can’t see.
Adam came out and we three loaded up the bricks. It was not a real hot day so it took a bit before the sweat started to really flow. John was amazed that I would make the trip I did for these bricks.
It took about an hour to get the bricks transferred to the truck. It was time to get back on the road again. This rental only had about 3/8’s of a tank to start. It tried to get gas at a cheap place, but the lines were not moving, so I decided to try my luck elsewhere.
It was “blue highways” to Seymour, IN. This city is some 50 miles north of Louisville, KY. I did not want to hit Louisville at peak rush hour with I-65 all torn up. Besides, I had heard on a radio station that I-65 southbound was going to be closed Friday night.
Fortunately, I had saved an Indiana motel discount book from my road trip last week. I had a Travel Lodge picked out for $34.95. Once I checked in I realized that the majority of the restaurants were on the other side of the highway. I did NOT want to drive that truck anymore today.
My shirt was filthy and I was so smelly after loading all those bricks. How I luxuriated in a nice hot shower. The truck was all loaded and parked for the night. I needed to get some food in me.
I walked towards the truck stop and noticed a “hole in the wall place” called Brewskies. It looked like my kind of place. I started with an ice cold Rolling Rock and then decided on a barbecued hamburger. I met some of the nicest people sitting at the bar who filled me in how I stumbled upon pretty much the best place in town to eat. The burger was EXCELLENT!! Since I was walking I let myself have three beers so I would sleep well.
It was about 7:30 when I got into bed. I was dead to the world till my 4:00 a.m. wake up; call……
| Early Morning Start/Messing with Bricks and Stuff | Monday, July 23, 2012 |
My Saturday 4:00 a.m. wake up call brought me out of a deep slumber. Nothing like loading up bricks to induce sleep! There was a coffee maker in the room so I was able to brew up a cup of coffee to take on the road. It was about 4:20 when I got the U-Haul back onto I-65 south. With all this travelling I wish I had access to satellite radio. Soon as I find a decent FM Station, it fades out!
As I feared, I-65 south was closed and I had to take the western by-pass. I have never driven this before. At this hour there is no real traffic which is how I planned things. I hate to drive in the dark on unfamiliar roads. This detour was pretty well marked out and I traversed it without incident. I was so glad to merge back onto I-65 again. The truck handled very well. I constantly checked the back tires. The outside tire on the passenger side is very “weather checked” and alligatored. So long as the dual rear tires are not touching each other. They are really bulging, but not connecting…
I pretty much stick to Pilot Gas stations for my fill ups. Their gas is pretty much the cheapest, and they have decent coffee. I’m still full from supper and I don’t want to take the time out for Waffle House. I don’t like driving this truck in tight places like parking lots. I stop at exit 6 south of Bowling Green to fill up. I always make sure to use the rest stop not far from here when I enter Tennessee as there is not another one till I hit Alabama some 120 miles away. I-24 is still a mess in Nashville . It is early enough to where I don’t have to worry about traffic.
I stop at the rest area in Alabama and the place is mobbed. It looks more like Disney World with all the kids and parents around. I ask the information lady about the bridge over the Tennessee River that is a mess. She told me there was one lane open in each direction. I know you can detour around by driving through Decatur , but not knowing the area I risk sitting in traffic a bit.
Naturally there were no signs saying which lane was closed. I stayed in the left lane which turned out to be the best choice, as it was the right hand lane that was closed.
It was slow going for two miles or so, but once on the bridge things opened up. The first exit past this bridge is where I always stop for gas and coffee. I have discovered Pilot has decently priced coffee, but if you want any kind of pastry they are way overpriced. I usually stop at a supermarket and pick up bakery items much cheaper. Being in this big truck and not having a lot of miles to play with I stick to the interstate. It is 130 miles home from this spot.
I have done this trip too many times so can pretty much drive it on autopilot. The road is very rough in the right lane so I stay in the passing lane which I don’t like to do. If I’m holding anyone up, I’ll change lanes, but traffic was not bad.
I had the route to my house planned out in advance. I’ll take 12th street so I can park the truck in front of Michelle’s house. I pulled into that spot around 12:15 p.m.
Stumpy was waiting at the door for me wanting out, while Daggy was under the bed. After taking care of the cats I called Amtrak. The northbound Cresent is a bit late and should be arriving around 1:00 p.m. This was music to my ears. Packed up reading material and headed on foot to the train station. Got a one way ticket to Birmingham and relaxed in the cool crowded waiting room till the train arrived. Sat downand luxuriated till the train started up. Then I realized I had not eaten all day. What the hell, I went to the dining car! I was seated at a table with a man who was headed to South Carolina . He was in a roomette so we were able to compare notes. What a great lunch companion. We had the best conversation. He gave me his card with his E-mail. I’ve already sent him a note along with a link to my journal. Hope we can keep in touch…A huge Black Angus burger and beverage was $9.50 in the dining car which I did not think was exorbitant.
It was an easy cab ride from the train station to the Valet parking lot where my truck was parked. The clerk at the lot admonished me for coming out in a cab. He explained had I called, he would have picked me up! I only thought they did pick-ups at the airport. He explained how they get a lot of people who take the train to New Orleans and leave their cars there and do frequent trips to the train station.
It was a blur driving I-59/20 again. I got home and collapsed on the bed with Daggy. There was an E-mail from Laurie that she would be able to give me a ride to Trish’s farewell party’ Trish and her family are moving north to South Dakota . What a change from Alabama !!
Got all cleaned up and was asleep on the bed when Laurie came to the open side door. After hearing of my adventures, she was surprised I was up for the party! I have to go… Trish was one of my favourite rowers….
The night was kind of low key, but as usual I was able to liven things up with stories of my latest adventure! I was home in bed by 9:45.
Sunday, 7/22.
Daggy woke me up early licking my nose. It had rained all night which we desperately needed. Once it was light enough to see, I moved my truck to the street and prepared to back the U-Haul into the driveway. How I wish Billy was here! He can back up trucks like this in his sleep. There no traffic to worry about so I was able to pull forward and back up as much as I needed without holding up traffic. I was able to do it! YAY!!
The driveway was still wet and slippery. There is no way I can move bricks till things dry up a bit. I made up a “hopper” that fits onto my moving dolly that will easily hold 20 bricks. That works out to 200 pounds to control down the ramp. My first attempt wheeling down bricks had me losing footing on the wet pavement and sliding on my butt. I don’t need to get injured at this point in time. As much as I want this truck unloaded, I’ll wait for the cement to dry.
Stumpy was in no way going to help. He had more important things to do:
Finally things dried up enough to where I could start unloading the bricks. I’ve done this too many times. Once I lay one level of bricks to build on, I add to that using bricks stacked two high. I load the carrier with bricks two high which makes handling the things so much easier. The truck was arranged with 18 bricks across stacked four high and some 11 bricks deep.
The moving in progress:
I did my best to pace the day out and keep hydrated. It was around 2:00 p.m. I took the last bricks off. I was exhausted.
The dirt from the bricks had dried up to where it was easy enough to sweep out bed and ramp of the truck. I washed down the sides quick where some dirt had found it way.
The truck cab was clean. The only thing I really had to wash out was the spilled coffee in the molded cup holder. I was allowed 630 miles for this move before I would be charged 40¢ a mile extra. I checked out the truck with 55883 miles. I checked the mileage in my driveway and it was 56508 making the miles used at 625.
I put my bicycle in the back and took the most direct local streets to the drop off location. They were open till 5:00 on Sunday. It was exactly four miles to the dealership. I had one mile to spare! Having to by-pass Louisville tacked too many extra miles.
I rode my bicycle back to the house. I felt as if a weight were lifted off my shoulders with this move over and done.
| So Far Behind With Both Bricks and Diary | Monday, July 30, 2012 |
OMG this boy is tore up. It seems every summer when the heat indexes are off the charts I tackle a brick/cement project. This latest driveway project has taken over my life.
Tuesday the 24th the temperatures were in the high 90° range as I began to break up the driveway. The angle grinder with a diamond blade was used to first cut the “score line” which will mark where the cement driveway will remain. I need to have a clean break where this new ramp will join the existing driveway. This does not meet the sidewalk at a 90°angle. The sides were the first to go. Forms were made up and the edge support was installed. The top bricks were installed directly to the new cement.
Wednesday was a bit easier to install the other edge support. The day really heated up. I don’t think the actual temperatures peaked over the 100° mark, but the heat indexes must have been way up there. Once the northern support was in I began to break up the remaining concrete. My trusty sledge hammer and pry bar went into overtime. I try to keep the chunks of cement as big as possible to make it easier for the garbage crews to pick up. There was a huge pile of debris on my side street by the time I was done.
I had some ten double garbage bags holding the smaller cement pieces I was able to deposit into a dumpster on the way to rowing practice Thursday morning at 5:00 a.m. I’ve been rowing nearly four years now. This day was the first time I seriously wanted to back out of a practice. I was so sore all over. Will had us bumping up rates and rowing all 4’s. I had to apologize to Laurie after we carried the boat up to the boat house as I had an overdose of garlic in my Fettuccini Alfredo for my Wednesday night supper.
I got home from practice, laid down on the bed with Daggy and took an hour an a half nap!
I needed to break down and get a new water pump for my brick saw. My old one is so unreliable now. It keeps stopping which causes the blade to heat up and not cut. I need more cement anyway. I made up my route to go to Lowe’s after a visit to Hanson Supply to get another City of Tuscaloosa manhole cover and ring.
The Hanson supply office was deserted and empty. I checked with the business next door and was told it has been pretty empty for over a year now. Damn! Went to Lowe’s and got what I needed. The check out lady knows me from waiting me for years. I had not seen her for a bit. She complimented me on my “TV performance” and said how she recognized me right away! It is hard to miss someone wearing a Utilikilt!
Friday morning I called the number for Hanson supply and got a recording to call the office in Pelham, AL. I called the number and learned the Tuscaloosa office had been closed for over two years now. I had the inventory number of my needed manhole cover and ring. They had them in stock. YAY!! Pelham is about 45 miles away. It took about an hour to get there as much of the drive was in urban sprawl before it thinned out to industrial parks.
Found the office without much trouble. There was only one frazzled woman manning the desk. She was so competent. She radioed Phil the fork truck driver and gave me vague direction on how to find him. She told me he was a big man with a full beard. I found a pile of generic manholes when I heard a horn honking. It was Phil waving for me to follow him. He drove his truck to a mound of manhole covers and rings. I parked well out of the way and checked to make sure they were the right ones. They were. I know how unwelcome strangers can be on a lot like this. I asked Phil where he wanted me to park so he could load my truck. He told me I was fine and went to work.
It is magic to me how Phil can control his fork truck. He had it “singing” as he tweaked the load from the stack onto the back of my truck. I gave him a “thumbs up” as I closed the tailgate, thanked him and told him, “You are the main man Phil…Thank You!!” Then I got out of there as fast and safely as possible.
I had inquired in advance and was told a check would be the best way to pay. Once it was all approved I headed back to Tuscaloosa . I don’t know the exact weight of the ring and cover, but it is HEAVY. It was riding over the back axle so the truck bed was really dragging. What I put that poor truck of mine through!
Once home I excavated the spot for this new addition. The dirt under the cement is just clay and pea gravel: More debris to remove. The truck was backed into the driveway and my old planks were put to use. These old boards were salvaged from house back in the late 1970’s. They have supported more weight. This is the third manhole cover and ringI have moved on them!
The cover was taken off and the ring was “rolled” to the planks using a pipe as a roller. It was then slid down the ramp into place. The fun part was leveling it all out. I wanted the top of the ring to be pretty much even with the bricks on the "high end" and then only have a bit of lip exposed on the "low end". It must be level so the water will not puddle in it off center.
As I was doing this Gina, a neighbor from around the corner stopped by in her truck. She told me, “You are such a mess! Can I take a picture of you and post it to my Facebook page?” I laughed and relied, “Sure, I’m flattered. Besides I have no shame left!”
I got the ring all leveled up and the last of the dirt and pea gravel cleared up. Now to get the crushed limestone: The sky was turning dark as I drove out to Scottie’s.
I no sooner got into his office when the sky opened up and it poured. Naturally I had left the window down in the truck. Oh well…..
I’m hoping that ¼ yard will see me through this part. The wet limestone again has my poor truck overloaded. It was groaning all the way home. We did not get that much rain in my section of the city. The sidewalk was still dry under the oak trees.
Saturday morning found me installing bricks. For this section I planned on using as many different maker pavers as I could. I did not want to have a preponderance of any one manufacturer. Working with all this different sized brick is a real pain as each brick has to be leveled in place individually.
To say I was exhausted Saturday as I put the tools away would be an understatement. I heated up leftover Fettuccini Alfredo and was in bed asleep before I knew it…..
There is a scene in the movie Girls Will Be Girls where Evie is getting out of bed. Her body makes horrible creaking noises. That is pretty much how I felt Sunday morning. My knees were so sore. Even with using gel knee pads, the hours spent kneeling leveling bricks took its toll. I took a couple more Ibuprofen before my coffee.
Sunday was more of the same. The brick saw got a lot of use cutting complex cuts to fit the bricks around the manhole cover and make up the small “wedge bricks” to tie things off. I decided to have a series of cement squares to display the sidewalk builder plates, and “safety buttons” I have accumulated over the years. The builders who installed sidewalks would "sign" their work with these plaques. It was a form of advertisement and pride. I acquired these plaques on E-Bay years ago. The "safety buttons" were used as advertising by schools in sidewalks. The Grapette Button is definitely old, but the Coca Cola is more likely than not a good reproduction.
How I wish Daggy would be of some help, but she was into her catnip and had no use for me whatsoever!
Here is how the jobsite looked at 9:30 this morning.
| Brick Drama! | Sunday, August 05, 2012 |
Where to start? This driveway brick project has taken over my life. A few entries back I detailed the E-bay purchase of the Nelsonville Bricks which really got this driveway project going in full gear. Things have turned so crazy I’m going to just do bullets for a timeline rather than try to write it all up to make any sense.
· July 3 the seller of some 900 “circle bricks” guarantees to me she has a shipper lined up to transport the bricks for $1,000.00 to the street at my house. There is no way I could move the bricks for that price. I make arrangements to have the delivery timed for when I was to return from my road trip after the 16th.
· Home from the road after the 16th I contact the seller to get a handle on when I can expect delivery. She contacts me back in the shipper is not going to honor their original quote. She is working on the matter.
· July 31st I got this E-mail from the seller: Thank you for your willingness to be flexible. I did get through today to the "Right person" at the trucking company. She is who I had dealt with originally but has been out for two weeks for a family illness. I am always amazed how some larger companies seem to grind to a halt when one person is absent. When they are gone no one seems to have the authority to get things done. She is standing behind the original quote so we are ready to ship. However there might be a new twist. Our town is small and as I was getting a sub this evening someone ask if I were interested in purchasing anymore bricks. They had purchased an older home and are in the process of removing a brick sidewalk. I went to look at them and they are identical to the bricks you have purchased. There are approximately 200 to 250. I do not know if you would be interested but I would think it would be an advantage to have more of the same type of brick in case a project would warrent. As it stands we have about 2 1/2 pallets. Two pallets of whole bricks (425 each)and a half pallet of angles and halves. The extra 250 might fill up that last pallet but I am unsure how it would effect our shipping cost as it would be adding approx. 2000 lbs. If you are interested we could prorate these brick at same rate you paid for the original. I believe about 1.75 a brick. I would be able to haul and load these additional brick on Thursday and we could still shoot for a Friday delivery. Let me know if you are interested and I will see how it might affect shipping price.
· I spoke with the sellers’ husband that I would be glad to take the extra bricks. They will contact me as to what extra I’ll have to pay for the shipping and bricks.
· I was contacted back and agreed to the extra cost. I was then told that the bricks had to be stacked so there were only 250 to a pallet due to the weight. This is not sounding good. The shippers are lined up to pick the load up on Friday the 3rd of August.
· Taking a break the 3rd the phone rings about 3:30 in the afternoon. It is the shipping company. There is a problem in the pick-up. I was expecting as much. Turned out these bricks are located on a gravel road… I told the dispatcher I understood the problems and would let them sort it all out.
· A few hours after that call I got this E-mail: Brick saga continues. The truck arrived today and to make a long story short the driver was having no part in hand trucking 5 pallets of bricks in 100 degree heat. He stated he had just gotten off back surgery and wasn't about to risk further damage. After about 3 different calls to the trucking company's dispatcher and the brokerage company's supervisor, we have now scheduled pick up for Monday, same company different truck, different driver. It sounds like you have had experience with these type of situations before but if you are beginning to doubt your bricks will ever arrive I can provide you with the trucking company's number. Sorry about delay. I think my next shipment will be a couple pallets of marshmallows that sounds like an easy shipment.
· I answered back: I am so sorry you are going through this...I can't tell you how many thousands of bricks I have moved. I have a very good friend who deals in antique automatic music instruments... I've moved too many pianos and the like to shows and customers. I guess I'm letting you know I'm experienced handling heavy things and understanding the glitches that come up....
I'm in no real rush for these bricks so I don't want you to worry about any time frame...I will not be away from my home till September 10th so we have a pretty large window to work with.....
I often joke if I am reincarnated, I'll be collecting butterflies instead of this heavy stuff!!
Keep me posted....
Thank you
I'm in no real rush for these bricks so I don't want you to worry about any time frame...I will not be away from my home till September 10th so we have a pretty large window to work with.....
I often joke if I am reincarnated, I'll be collecting butterflies instead of this heavy stuff!!
Keep me posted....
Thank you
That is the brick drama to date! My dull life in retirement! While all that was going on the background I was working on laying brick in the driveway.
This is from the sidewalk looking back. The “sidewalk builders plates” turned out pretty well. The “Grapette” safety button on the far right has Stumpy’s pawprints in the cement! In theory these were placed in sidewalks by schools to promote safety.
This is the morning view to the street. I hope to have this section squared off today. I’m trying to plan ahead for the next brick delivery. I’m hoping to be able to install the bricks from the pallets directly to the driveway. I’m getting tired of double and triple handling bricks!!
| The Brick Saga Continues | Wednesday, August 08, 2012 |
This boy is so tore up. Tuesday was the “brick driveway job” I have been dreading. It was time to sweep the sand/cement topping mixture between the bricks. It takes a LOT of sweeping to work the mixture between the bricks. The bricks must be perfectly dry as well as the mix to fall right. It took over an hour of sweeping to get the mix worked down between all the bricks. This is then sprayed down with a light mist to totally saturate and set the mix. Once this all gets wet gravity takes over and many times the top mix will disappear as the mix gets sucked down.
Once the mix is all activated the real “fun” begins. With bubble wrap under my knee pads, a fresh sponge, a new wire brush, and my trusty shop vac I spent the next six plus hours cleaning off the face of the bricks. The cement mixture must be removed from the face of the bricks before it sets. Nothing destroys a job like this more than to see dried cement in the lettering and face of the brick.
Fresh topping mix all messed on the brick face.
Taken this morning:
My legs were cramping up by the time I put my tools away. I’ll let this set for a few days before pointing up the gaps. Besides… I need to give my poor knees another break!
Tim and Liz stopped by for a visit as I was sweeping. As we were talking the phone rang. It was the shipping company for the bricks. The poor dispatcher said they were sending out a truck equipped with a fork lift to move the bricks from the gravel road location! I am so glad I am not the one having to do all the dealing with this move. I apologized to Jodie the dispatcher for the aggravation she is going through. She said in all her years on the job this move was one of the most memorable….I’m not sure if that is good or not!
She wanted to know what the drop off location was like. I assured her it would be a piece of cake. (I was tempted to joke and say they had to be dropped off to a 4th floor walk up! This was not the time for levity… maybe in a year or so!) I explained how I’m on a paved city street two turns off the interstate spur. I can easily block off the front of my house so the tractor trailer can pull straight in and have full access to just drop the skids to the street and I’ll move them from there. Michelle’s driveway will be blocked for a bit, but she will work with me if need be. I expect they will be dropped off next week sometime. I can’t see how the shippers can do this job for the quoted price of $1,200.00.
I was showing Tim and Liz the progress of the project. They are a distinctive brick, but they are no where near the quality of these Nelsonville sidewalk bricks. I was saying how they kind of detract from the “new bricks”.
Different styles of bricks:
Saying this out loud finalized my job for today. I’m going to take up these bricks and just do the entire driveway with the Nelsonville bricks. There will be enough with this next delivery to do the entire remaining surface… I had been thinking of doing just such a thing for weeks. If it is driving me nuts now, it will just intensify as time progresses….
Your Bricks Are In The Mail Thursday, August 09, 2012
I found this E-mail in my box this morning: “Jamie, Wanted to let you know your bricks were loaded and shipped out yesterday. It ended up being placed on seven pallets. Hopefully it will go smoothly on your end. Let me know how things turn out. They will call you before delivery.” That would have been on Tuesday when the shipping company called me. It is some 635 miles from the where the bricks were picked up to Tuscaloosa. I’m hoping the pallets are small! I wish I had some idea when to expect the things.
It is amazing how things work out. It was by chance I turned up that Craigslist brick listing inRichmond ,Indiana Indianapolis , IN
It is amazing how things work out. It was by chance I turned up that Craigslist brick listing in
As we were loading the bricks, Jon the owner of the bricks told me how another guy was all set to buy them at 75¢ a brick. Jon was thrilled at that price. The poor guy ended up having a heatstroke which put him out of commission. When I popped in offering $1.50 a brick Jon was in shock.
I promised Jon a picture of the bricks once I got them laid. I sent that shot out Sunday to Cory who handled the “paperwork” of this transaction. Cory replied back it was a good thing I got the bricks when I did as they were offered $4.00 a brick two days after I had picked them up! Believe it or not, that is pretty much the average retail price for this kind of brick. That bit of information made me a happy boy!
My saying now is how I must be OCD. The proof is how I’m taking up the bricks I installed a while back over the cement driveway. They were the bricks I hauled down from Lockport and served nearly 13 years as my front walkway. They are a different style and texture from the Nelsonville Sidewalk Pavers that will cover the entire driveway.
Bricks being moved once again!
Last summer I tore up the cement walk I had installed back in 2001 and replaced it with Nelsonville Star pavers I acquired in Richmond, VA. Half of the walkway came up to finish out where I ran short finishing up the back end of the driveway. The rest I used to lengthen out by a few rows the front end. The middle portion will be the Circle design pavers.
Well, yesterday I got to work installing the bricks into the walkway. Laid in the herringbone pattern they are a good fit. There are some tight spots though and the last thing I want to do is to cut up any more bricks. This morning I got the brainstorm to have the bricks laid out in rectangles separated by different style pavers from my collection. By doing that I’ll be able to use up all the angled brick I cut for this last installation. I’ll also be able to show how there were many different styles of sidewalk paver brick. It is like putting a puzzle together fitting the cut pieces in. If a triangle section won't go where I want, I try all the existing spaces and usually will find a perfect fit. It is the last pieces to go in that need the fussy cuts and trimmings on the brick saw.
Initial laying out:
New improved design: Coffyville Sidewalk paver divider:
With it being a gray, rainy, morning I can actually do some cleaning and not feel guilty over being in the house. That guilt over having to be inside on a sunny day must be a “northern thing”.
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