Wednesday, August 5, 2009

inched ahead

Woke up at 6AM this morning thinking "if I don't do it....it won't get done". Finished welding up the second half of truss 1 and blocked out the two halves to marry them. After the last big wind storm, I feel pretty good about building monster trusses for my greenhouse roof system.

Met UPS up at the GrubShack at 11:30 to get my latest deliveries (new inverter, charge controller, and shade cloth). Jerry from UPS is sooooo good that if I park my truck by the highway - he will pull over and stop if he has something for me. I don't know which I love more - doppler radar or UPS tracking. Gone are the days when you would fill out your info on a match book cover and mail it away...waiting endlessly for a reply or merch.

Since the shade cloth arrived, I reckoned I should put a piece up. I ordered Aluminet from Farmtek - cuts 80% of the light and reflects the heat away. Bent some nails, did some grinding, and welded 4 "tabs" to tie off the first piece of shade. Being able to weld strong parts to the shipping containers reminds me of my days at Chris Callis Studio in NYC when we had a big steel wall set up for backgrounds.

5 comments:

jandean said...

Lookin MIGHTY industrious. I'm starting to see it.
Yeah, remember a long, long time ago when you'd order something and the form would say 'please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery'?

lastsix said...

Looks like you are building a city...

KE5MIL said...

Looks to me like somebody could use a hug. :-)

Allen Hare said...

Excellent looking progress, John. I agree that strength is your friend in building structures. You'll be glad you over-built when the next killer storm comes through. The shade looks great, also. The way you've got those containers lined up gives you a lot of options for rigging up shade, and other stuff.

The previous discussions on Stirling engines, and solar power were absolutely fascinating. This blog, and the discussions it produces has become a great gathering place for real, practical, hands-on knowlege for so many subjects. Thanks for your continuing efforts to keep the discussion flowing.

As usual, good luck with all your projects, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next installment.

ladyntexas51 said...

I have been following your green way of living and have really enjoyed your progress. I know little about engines or how to build a brick wall but, I do enjoy your observations about Bonita and the experiences on your slice of paradise. Keep up the good work.