Day 13: I Somehow Missed a Day, and Today Had a Sad Ending

I thought today's post was going to be for Days 11 & 12.  Then I looked at the calendar, and the old posts in this series, and realized that today was Day 13.  Not sure where I missed the extra day.  I'm know that more extensive analysis could reveal the answer to this mystery, but I really can't be bothered.

Let's just move on, shall we?

This morning started off well.  I went in search of steel to weld, and gas with which to weld it.  I brought my entire welding rig all the way from California, except the gas.  Transporting compressed gas in your enclosed car across 7 states = not a good idea.  The gas isn't flammable, but still, you don't really want to mess with it in that way.

After a little mishap with Google Maps on my iPhone - not the first misdirection by my Googley Friend on this trip - I found myself at Seaton Metals in Athens (Tennessee, not Georgia (much less Greece)).

I was pretty happy with the place.  They had new material, lots of cool salvage, it was all organized, and there was none of the Town Dump feel of that place I visited a few days ago in Knoxville.

This building is a defunct (judging by the vines growing on the door) kiln, such as you would use to dry lumber.  Let me explain why buildings like that excite me.

Imagine that the inside of that kiln were your living room, only it wasn't really a kiln, it was a house.  Then imagine that the giant door, sliding out to the right in the picture, were a steel frame with glass in it, instead of a giant concrete & steel thing on rollers.  Imagine if your house could just slide open to overlook a beautiful view (not a lousy yard full of rusty metal bits of defunct stuff).

What if, instead of living in a house, you lived in a garden pavilion with sliding walls?  Why doesn't everyone live this way already?  Am I missing something?

I don't know what these buildings are/were, but they're very industrial and cool looking.

When I see something like this pile of purlins, all I can think is, "What's wrong with you people?!  You could make a building out of those!  What are you waiting around for?!?!?"

And then, I realize that these people are in the business of selling stuff, not making buildings.  Oh well.

I got parts with which to make chair and table legs, in order to make furniture out of the big wooden beam cut-offs left behind by the framing crew.

This piece of woven metal mesh would have been the perfect material to make a fireplace screen out of, if there had been enough.  Sadly, there wasn't.

I am going to remember that wire mesh though, and I bet it makes it into the house somehow.

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There was also very sad news at the farm today.  Ms. Client, aka Farmer Jo, had to put down one of her animals.

Stella Divine was a mule who was rescued (from a dreadful equine end-of-life-scenario that need not be elaborated here) about 4 years ago by Jo, and brought here to live.  She captivated everyone who met her, and was a real character around the place.

She was laid to rest this evening, next to a grove of trees at the far end of the meadow where she spent her last days.  The excavation peopleguy who dug the foundations for the house was kind enough to come over, with his backhoe, after his workday ended, and help bury her.  The whole thing was very sad.

Goodbye, Stella Divine.  You will be missed.