A posting without Lawson

We all understand that this blog is primarily concerned with the goings on of young Lawson -- which is understandable because, as those with children know, your LIFE has no other time for things besides the goings on of an infant. But, this sort of indirectly involves him anyway.

This cabin at Lake Martin has been in our family forever. My Grandfather on my mom's side, Commander James M. Glass, USNR, built the cabin in the early 1950's and it has been the setting for most of the best times our family has ever had.

For whatever reason, our pier, through two seperate rebuilds, has always had an adventurous and sometimes dangerous method of access. The pier itself is very wide but there is sort of a gang-plank type entryway that is only about 2.5 feet wide and at a downward angle. This has always seemed normal to us and therefore, none of us have ever thought to rectify the problem.

Well, last summer, the water was down so the gang-plank was over the rocks, not the water. Courtney was walking on it while carrying Lawson and she slipped, almost casting her and the boy onto the rocks below. With her urging, we began to understand that it was downright dangerous and needed to be changed. So, at the end of February, my friends Jon Pyke and Mike Grencik came over from Charlotte, NC and Orlando, FL respectively to help my father and I fix the problem. Many thanks to brother Ken and Steve for helping us finance this effort.

This is the gang plank. This shot is from a couple of years ago but that is pretty much how it has been my entire life. I know it doesn't look too bad but it spans a gap of about 6 feet and, when the water is down, its about a 6 foot drop. Plus it slopes and gets slippery.

Jon and Mike carrying supplies to the lakefront. It took them almost two hours to move about 40 pieces of wood. It was only later that we discovered they would pause between loads to listen to music from the car stereo, have a beer and enjoy the great outdoors. Hey, with free help, you take what you can get.

Jon ponders the construction while smoking his pipe. In his words "'Those damn hobbits made me dig that thing out and smoke it.' We had just watched LOTR trilogy and after watching Merry and Pip smoke that barrel of 'the finest pipe-weed in the Shire'" it seemed like the right thing to do.

The construction crew. Jon, Mike and myself. It was perfect weather for this kind of work. Just cold enough that the physical labor made it feel great.

The new section is beginning to take shape.

Making progress.....

The decking is done and now Jon is backfilling the area between the dock and the land with rocks.

No nails. All screws. This deck is going nowhere.

The sun is starting to set and we are trying to get all the screws in before dark.

Construction produces a lot of waste and burning is the best way to get rid of this. Also, there were a lot of wood piles around the property that were threatening to become termite breeding grounds. We burned all of that wood too. At one point, the pile of wood in the fire was chest high. Its a great way to take in the lake in the winter. Cold air, cold water, hot fire.

The view of the fire from another angle. At the lower left, you can see where we had a little side blaze which was perfect for grilling sausages. Jon stopped at a specialty meats place in Georgia on the way and brought with him some great food. We ate a lot more than we probably should have and I ended up with the worst heart burn of my life. The next night Jon said he had some sweet pills up in the cabin if I wanted any. Maybe this is a sign of my age but they were the best pills he could've brought. They were antacids. Mmmmm, sweet antacids. Good call Jon.

The view of the dock "complex" from the roof of the cabin. We also cleaned that off.

Mike Grencik and Mark Flores in their matching outfits. Very cute, boys. Mark showed up once the work was done, perfectly according to plan. Seriously, the echo from the last whine of the drill had not made it back across the lake to us when Mark came strolling down the path. Actually, Mark cleared out tons of old wood and such from under the pier which not only made it safer for swimming but provided lots of firewood. They are sitting on the two benches that we made from wood recycled from the old deck. Notice the cup holder that Mike designed into the benches. Very convenient and it also stabilizes the benches. Mike needs a good cup holder.

The completed project. The steps also provide a nice place to sit.

The new deck from the side.

We all grew up near each other in Highland, IN, a suburb of Chicago, and we share a great love for pizza done right. So, when we get together, pizza is a part of it. This is the pizza fest that comprised the last day of the trip. We made so many pies that after we were finished eating, my parents took home an entire pizza and we each got a half. I can't look at this picture without getting hungry. I also can't look at this picture without thinking that I need to cut down on the pizza.

My mom enjoying the new pier. She approves of the design and the benches, in spite of the labor that built it.

Just before we left. Thank you Mike, Jon and Mark for all of your hard work.