The Life and Times of Paul the Dog

One of the earliest photos of Paul, July 2002.

It is with tremendous heaviness of heart that I return to the blog to announce the passing of my beloved dog, Paul. Paul passed on Monday, January 27th of this year. At the time, my life was in a bit of a pressure cooker in many ways - personally, professionally, and otherwise, and it was all I could do to just hang on and deal with things one day at a time. I couldn't bear the thought of a big public announcement, either on the blog here, or on Facebook, where he has had a lot of fans over the years. I imagined an outpouring of well wishes and sympathy that seemed like it would crush or drown me, well-intentioned though I knew such an outpouring would be. At the same time I was counseled by a friend, that "sometimes grief needs privacy." So I gathered all the photos I knew I would want to use for this post when I was eventually ready, and then let it go and moved on in my own way.

Paul was the original Parson Architecture Spokesdog™, and with his passing I felt like I had lost part of my own voice.

So now it is nearly 8 months later, and I finally feel like I have sufficient distance, and I'm ready to pay proper tribute to Paul Baby, who was my loyal and stalwart companion since June 26, 2002, the day I brought him home from the Beagles and Buddies Rescue.

Puppy Love: Valentine's Daisy Edition

Here it is, Valentine's Day, and I am completely remiss for not posting sooner about the new pup, Daisy. She came home to live with Paul and me (and Roomie) on New Year's Eve, making it 6 weeks that she has been part of our little household. I mentioned her in my 2011 Year In Review post, but that's been about it.

When I first saw Daisy at the pound, I pretty much knew she'd end up coming home with us. This was her mug shot, and a few pictures of her from the pound:

RIP Todd, 2003-2011

I am very sad to report that earlier today, Todd lost his battle with a malignant nerve sheath tumor that had been aggressively growing on his left hind leg.

Todd was rescued in January of 2004 as a six-month-old puppy, when he came to live with Paul (his brother) and me.

Todd seemed pretty clearly to have a good percentage of Plott Hound in him, as you can tell by looking at the photos in the link.  Plotts are native to North Carolina, and hardly anyone here in L.A. has heard of them.  When we were in Tennessee last summer, however, he was regularly recognized as a Plott by local folk who knew of the breed.

Mid-year Accomplishments for 2011

It's good to stop what you're doing periodically and review the positive accomplishments in your life.

A couple of months ago I posted on how I was finally feeling back to my old self after a period of months of unforeseen setbacks and troubles.  Well, as it turns out, it wasn't as easy as just 'snapping out of it' and going back to my previously robust self.  There have continued to be good days and bad days.  But, overall, I've managed to gain and/or keep the upper hand for the most part, and the stock chart of my life has, in fact, continued in a generally bullish trend.

Now that the year is slightly over half over, and lest anyone (I'm mainly talking about myself here) think the first 6 months of 2011 were a wash, I want to stop, take a timeout, and acknowledge some of my actual positive accomplishments from the first half of the year.

(This is the part where I get all fidgety in my seat and want to go to the kitchen for a snack or bottle of water or something.  Maybe I should go let the dogs out to run around in the front yard.  In fact, maybe the plants on the front porch need watering while I'm out there.  And while I'm at it, the tomato plants on along the driveway need some attention too.  See?  I could just go on all day like this.)

Where was I?  Oh, that's right.  My actual positive accomplishments from the first half of the year.

Let's see.

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Crocosmia Part I

Last year the crocosmia in my front yard bloomed and bloomed and bloomed.  They were gorgeous.  This year we had a lot of rain, which beat them down, and they just didn't look as good.

Fortunately, however, last year I got great pictures.  Somehow they never made it onto the blog.  Today we'll look at some of those.  I'm planning to follow up with a couple more posts on crocosmia, because they're my favorite flower, and I like to talk (and write) about things that merit that distinction.

So, without further ado, here's a quick tour around my little front yard.

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Day 34: Photo Updates

Today, Ms. Client uploaded some new pics to her photo album over on PhotoBucket.  Here are a few highlights:

You can see the whole image gallery here.

There is also a little bit more to report, so maybe you'll get 2 posts today!  I know that's rare, and I'm not promising.  I'm just sayin.

Day 30: A Successful Tour!

I'm writing this on Day 31, being Sunday, September 12th.  I am going to make a greater effort, moving forward, to get these updates out earlier in the day.  Today we're going to look at wood flooring up in Knoxville, and I may get some welding in later in the afternoon.

Today's post, however, is about yesterday's fun day of showing the house to some special guests, who drove from Atlanta and Nashville.

Day 29: A Meeting of the Minds

Well, people, I really have to apologize for not posting all week.

It seemed like little got done this week, although there were some important things that did get done.  But, there were also things that I felt should have gotten done, but didn't, and not for any apparent (and meaningful) reason.

And, I have to be honest and say that I'm feeling a little burnt out.  I've been away from my 'normal' life for about a month, and working nonstop on the house for over 3 weeks, without any real break, and it's beginning to wear on me, just a little bit.

There is some relief in sight, because we are getting to a point where we are close to drywall going on, and some other more mundane things, that will give me a break from the constant attention the project has demanded.   I might even take the dogs and go away for a few days, just for a little change of scene.

What got done this week?  Let's see.

Monday was a holiday, but the framing crew worked anyway.  They worked on exterior siding and miscellaneous things inside.  I believe the electricians were here also.

Tuesday should have been the day the roofer came to start on the 2 roof decks, but he decided to extend his camping trip a day.  *SIGH*  This was also the last day for the full-time framing crew, and since the roof wasn't on those roof deck areas, because the roofer was still camping, the framer peopleguys couldn't install the doors there.

Because the doors weren't on, I had to scramble when it rained to put some plastic sheeting up, for some protection on the openings.  By myself.  In the rain.  But everything was ok in the end.  Mostly.

Wednesday the roofers started.  The tapered foam they use to build up the slope on the plywood surface, so the water drains away correctly, turned out to not slope at the pitch they told me, but is twice as steep.  Thus, all the work I had done over the weekend, to calculate the height of the sloping roof surface at the door threshold, and figure out all the corresponding details, was meaningless. *HEAVY SIGH*

I don't have a huge reservoir of confidence in these guys at this point.  The product they are installing is a great roofing system, when installed correctly.  I just hope they can get get the job done.  I guarantee you that I will be blasting it with a garden hose the day after they finish.  If this thing is going to leak, I want to know about it now, not next spring or summer.

The framers are peopleguys, and the roofers are clearly not.

Wednesday was also the day the electrical inspector showed up.  I left when he got here.  I don't do well with government inspectors.  (That's really an understatement.  For more information, read Atlas Shrugged.)

Yesterday, the roofers came back and worked on the roof over the front door.  They stayed late, and yet, somehow, still didn't finish it.

Also, the steel brackets for the timber beams showed up, having been powder coated.

You could scratch the finish off them with your finger nail.  The worst powder coating job I have ever seen.  But, since they are installed up high, and not where they can be reached and touched, we decided to install them anyway.

I can touch up the paint manually.  If they were going to be installed outside in the weather, or inside where they would be handled (like the mezzanine railings) they would be rejected.

Ms. Client chimed in on those, and affirmed that in all her years at her old job, in automotive parts quality control, where she dealt with a lot of powder coating, she had never encountered powder coating that flaked off like that, and that that would have definitely been rejected.

We plan on putting the powder coating company on notice that if this happens again with the upcoming railings (which will be subject to handling and touching, as well as have some outdoor components) they will be rejected.

This morning, the electricians were back, finishing up a few things they needed to finish up.  They left early, and Dave, the genius framing crew boss peopleguy, came over and installed the steel brackets.  I helped, and it was a great way to end the week.

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The real excitement this week is in what went on last night and will be happening here tomorrow.

Last night I went down to Atlanta and gave a talk on the house and my design work for the Atlanta Objectivist Society (aka ATLOS).

It was really fun, the audience was very attentive, and they asked great questions.  It was also really fun that Jenn, aka Rational Jenn, one of the group's organizers, brought her son Ryan.  To get the complete picture of how clever and brilliant this little guy is, you should just read her blog.  Suffice it to say that if Jenn should ever fall short in her stated quest to take over the world, I have absolutely no doubt but that Ryan will carry on and finish the job for her.  So it was a treat to have him at the lecture.

Tomorrow, the group is converging here, right here at the house construction site, for a picnic, tour, and pony rides.  How great is that!?

And, there's even a bit of a special event on top of the special event.  I get to host the first in-real-life meeting of two of my Objectivist blogging friends, Trey and Jenn.  So, it will be a meeting of the minds, and I'm going to open a bottle of wine or two for the occasion!

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Farmer Jo has been working on cleaning up her barn, and getting things ready for pony rides.  It's actually a horse (named Lacy) that the kids will be riding, not a pony per se.  I may even go for a ride myself!

Todd was trying to help out in the barn but kept getting distracted by Bonjo the Donkey in the next stall. That dog is utterly obsessed with the donkeys.  Lucky for him, he keeps getting shocked by the electric fence, or he would end up getting kicked into the next county.

In other news, if you click to embiggen this pic, you can see a gang of wild turkeys about to rumble with a bunch of cows:

The herd and flock actually formed into rows all by themselves as the two groups of animals approached each other.  It was pretty interesting to watch.  I don't believe there was any bloodshead.

And now, for my grand finale, I present Paul and Todd, performing feats of cuteness, high upon the grand mezzanine:

I can't wait until I don't have to look at that awful green foam ceiling any more!

Day 24: Sunday Evening, Weekend Update

Last time I checked in with y'all (actually, that's what they say in Atlanta.  Around here they say y'uns.  Sometimes I have no idea what people are even saying) was last Thursday evening.  A lot got done Friday too, and the crew is coming back to work tomorrow also.  They will be laboring on Labor Day.  That's their choice.  I'm happy about it.  We have rain in the forecast and doors that still need installation.

Almost all of the windows are in, except for 3 that were special order items (just because they were slightly odd-sized) and won't be here for about 2 more weeks. 

Friday night we had a particularly fiery sunset:

Day 21: Windows! Floor! Stuff Happening!

Today was another big big day on the construction site.

I interacted with the plumber today, for the first time.  He seems competent, and is friendly and chatty like the locals in Middle-of-Nowhere, East Tennessee tend to be.  

Let me explain what I mean.

Day 15 It's Really Getting Good Now.

Today was immensely gratifying.

This was one of those, "I've trained ALL MY LIFE for this moment, and now here it is, and I know just what to do, and I'm doing it, so by God, get the Hell out of my way, because it's happening, and I'm making it happen, and I'm not letting anything stop it."

Fortunately, at this stage of the project, there wasn't a whole lot of stuff getting in the way, and it all flowed relatively well.

The first thing on the agenda was to replace the beam that was already installed, but which didn't meet my quality standards.  (I described the problems with it on Day 8.  Scroll down towards the end to see the pictures.)

The lumber yard had delivered a beam that was of substandard quality.  By whose standards?  Mine.  My job, as the architect, is to design the building and act as the Owner's quality control agent over what gets built.  This beam was not up to snuff.

Today we took it out and replaced it.  This was not insignificant.  That beam got replaced while the whole upper walls and roof were resting on top of, and supported by it.  To remove it, they first cut the nails holding the beam in place:

Then they pulled it out,

and the new beam went in in its place...

and done!

By the way, whoever invented the nail: my hat is off to you.  The existence of the nail may seem completely obvious, and I'm sure that almost everyone out there takes the nail to be the equivalent of a metaphysically given absolute.  Yet, I will remind you that the wheel seems obvious, yet South American civilizations went on for millennia without the wheel, while other civilizations, on other parts of the planet enjoyed its benefits.  (Actually, the real invention was the axle, not the wheel per se.  But I digress.)  Regardless, a big shout out to mister Nail Inventor.

Then the lumber arrived.  Not just lumber.  Big beams.  Timbers.  What I've been waiting for for weeks.  Months even.

Just back it up right there to the front door.

And the view from in the house:

We unloaded the beams (yes, I helped) and they started right in, measuring and cutting things to size (no, I did not help with that gargantuan saw.  There were plenty of other things for me to worry about, and I left the use of that saw to the experts.)

What was I doing then?  I was inspecting each plank as they went, determining which end would face up and how it would all go together.  That stuff is critical at this stage.  It has to be done right, or you'll end up with a mess.  And not a hot mess, either.

They set the first main beam of the mezzanine, one end first:

and the other end...

then the shorter perpendicular beam:

And then it was lunch.  At lunch, P + T got leftover corn on the cob from the night before.

OMNomNomNomNom

This guy is pulling the wall apart to make room for another beam.  This beam will uphold the kitchen ceiling, and had to be ordered to a custom width.

and now the beam is in place.

That was the bulk of the activity for the day.  Then I opened a beer and went up on the roof deck to take in the view...

The donkeys were massing on the border.  I feared a coup, but it didn't happen, and they dispersed.

I could see 4 hawks in the sky.  I don't think they all came out in the picture.

Here are the two beams we set today, viewed from that roof deck.  They will support the mezzanine floor, come Monday.  That will be the real thrill: standing on that mezzanine floor for the first time.

The first time I get to stand on that floor, and experience it firsthand, in real time and real space, I will have about 1000 times the "this is what I trained all my life for" experience.

And that makes it all worth it.

Day 9: A Somewhat Slow Saturday

This morning Paul and Todd went to the vet for their lyme disease vaccinations.  The vet is about 45 minutes drive from here.  Mr. Client drove as he had to pick up his puppy, BeBop, a cute little Boston Terrier (aka little monster) who suffered a broken leg last week, the night I was in Atlanta.  She had to undergo surgery a couple days ago, and was just now coming home.

The veterinary facility we went to is very impressive.  It is out in the country, and they have the capacity to do surgeries on horses and such, right there on the premises.  Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain, so I couldn't really take any pictures.

They had some nifty benches in the waiting room, though, and I took some pictures of those.  The cool thing about the benches was that the seats are mounted on springs, so they bounced and rocked a little; a feature that I might just have to incorporate into an upcoming creation.

In other news, yesterday morning the farrier came and gave the horses pedicures.  The distinguishing characteristic about Ms. Client's horses is that they are all curly horses, and apparently curlies have extremely tough feet, and thus no need for shoes.  So, the farrier just trims and shapes their feet, cleaning them up, but doesn't put shoes on them.  Just when I went out to take photos of the farrier in action, my phone rang and I was tied up just long enough for them to finish without me.  I think they still have to come back for a couple of horses that didn't get farried (or whatever you call it that the farrier does when he's not really putting shoes on them) so I may get my pics yet.

After the farrier left, the farm dogs got a special treat:  they got to eat the trimmings.  Doesn't that just sound... um... just delicious?  So, Paul and Todd got to try the horses feet trimmings treats.

Todd snarfed his down really quickly.  He is aways a fast eater.

"Oh that was yummy! Can I have another?!"

Paul took his time.

"OmNomNom this is good!"

"Any more of those things around here?"

We keep getting intermittent showers and things are starting to get muddy.

This evening I took it upon myself to staple some plastic sheeting over a few of the larger window openings on the South side of the house, in an effort to help keep the rain out.  The roofs are on, and most of the house is wrapped in Tyvek (the white sheeting you see on the house in the pictures.)   This keeps out most of the rain, but the South side didn't get wrapped, and enough water has been coming in that I wanted to do something about it before Bob the Builder comes back on Monday.

The windows I covered are the large ones visible in this pic, taken this afternoon, before I covered them:

And then it was evening.  At night, the noise outside is cacophonous.  If you think it's quiet out in the country, think again.  It seems like most of the noise is from the frogs, but there are some rather loud crickets and other bugs as well.  The last couple of nights, there has been a frog at the window.  The light inside attracts bugs, and then the frog climbs up, sticks himself on the window glass, and eats from the buffet.

This coming week will probably continue to be on the slow side for the construction progress - at least at the beginning of the week.  By the end of the week, the specialty timbers that we dealt with yesterday will be delivered, and the framer will be back on the job.  Helping install that wood is the main thing I'm here for.  Then doors, windows and exterior siding, which will finally keep out the weather (and critters) allow them to start finishing up the interior.

So, I need to make the most of the coming week to finalize some of the interior design elements, such as the kitchen, fireplace, and bathrooms.  I'm excited about all of these things, and looking forward to this part of the process.

And, I need to get my welding shop up and running.  Then I can start making cool furniture for the place, utilizing some timber scraps and bits that I rescued and brought in out of the rain and mud this afternoon.  Perhaps even a bench on springs!  That's something I'm very, very excited about.