Hi, everyone!
We’ve been going back and forth between Fairport and the bay quite a bit, recently! A week ago Saturday, Uncle Steven’s family came out to the bay for an overnight visit. James and Thomas had a new discovery kit for making air cannons and investigating fluid dynamics! Aunt Kara and I helped them put the air cannons together. James wanted to play Settlers Saturday night. Thomas said he’d play if, in turn, James would read a Harry Potter book! It turned out to be a very long game! After a while, Thomas would retreat to his cocoon in between his turns.
On Sunday morning, we had waffles and sausage on the front porch, then Grandma, James, Thomas and Uncle Steven went to church on-line. It was a little chilly on the porch, so Uncle Steven brought everybody blankets!
After church was over, Grandma and Aunt Kara took Thomas and me to Burnap’s Farm Market! We were mostly there to get fresh local strawberries for dessert, but Thomas got to choose an extra treat. He chose a cherry pastry! Then he got to feed the goats!
When we got back into town Monday, Grandma’s Peace rose was blooming! I’m glad no animal ate the flower bud this year before it could bloom! Grandpa went back to working on the steel for the new marine railway for the boathouse. He had to drill a lot of holes in each piece, so they could be bolted together easily. When that was done, all the pieces needed to be cleaned and painted. He set up a place outside to do the spray painting! I helped him tie up the short pieces to make it easier to paint them!
Grandma didn’t want me anywhere near the spray paint! She suggested we explore another Nature Preserve while Grandpa was painting. The Irene Gossin Nature Preserve in Penfield is named for a former town supervisor who thought environmental conservation was important. She gave out small trees for people to plant when she was attending public affairs. The Irene Gossin Nature Preserve has a wildflower meadow and a forest and wetland area. Nobody else was visiting while we were there, and a red winged blackbird followed us all around the meadow!
There is a mowed path through the wildflower meadow. It’s easiest to see the wildflowers that are right next to the path. We took the loop off the path to see the Spruce Grove. I think the trees there are grown-ups of the kinds Irene Gossin used to give out!
The forest trail is a loop off the wildflower meadow trail. There is supposed to be a wetland section, but it’s been a dry spring. There wasn’t even any water in the creek! After I got back on the wildflower meadow path, I was happy to see a bench for resting or birdwatching!
On Thursday, we got a big surprise that took us back to the bay. The contractor for our waterfront repairs let us know that work was going to start on Friday! The construction barge was already in place! Grandma and Grandpa had to carry the kayaks back upstairs so they would be out of the way of the work. Grandpa had some other last minute preparations, too! Since the work hadn’t started, I got to see the barge up close. The powered shovel on the barge is a Bobcat! That must be a distant cousin of mine!
On Friday morning, the crew arrived to start work. The first part of the project was to erect a steel breakwall all around the cribbing on either side of the boathouse. First, the crew used a shovel attachment to the Bobcat arm to dig out any rocks that might be in the way of driving in the steel posts and sheets.
Then they switched the shovel attachment for a vibrator, that pushes and shakes the steel into the shoreline bottom. The first pieces of steel to be installed were stabilizing posts. The crew was careful to make sure they were straight and driven to the correct height. That reminded me of helping Uncle Steven with the posts for the tree house!
When the stabilizing posts for the front part of the wall were in place, the crew welded an I-beam horizontally in between them. Then each section of the actual breakwall was lowered into place and welded to the I-beam. Because of all the sparks and moving pieces of heavy steel, I watched from the other side of the boathouse!
By lunchtime, five sections of breakwall were in place along the front of the main deck section. After lunch, the crew installed the first outside corner section. By the end of Friday, the I-beam for the inside corner section was in place, too!
The crew didn’t work over the weekend, and Grandpa and Grandma needed to be in town then, anyway. When we came back out to the bay on Sunday afternoon, we had another surprise. A tree was down, blocking our road! Grandma and Grandpa walked in around the tree to get lopping shears and the chain saw. They made quick work of clearing the road. Grandpa says it’s always a good idea to have your chainsaw in working order!
Grandma said I could take a look around the barge since nobody was working. I got to see the finished parts of the breakwall from the water perspective. There’s a lot more steel still to be installed!
Monday was a record hot day! The crew continued to work finishing the wall on the south side of the boathouse. The Bobcat couldn’t reach from the barge to the very end of the wall near the shore. Instead, it drove down into the shallow water to get close enough to finish.
After that, the crew started working on the wall inside the boathouse. Excavating the rocks there made the water near shore very muddy! And it turns out that Bobcats, like most of my family, don’t like water all that much. The Bobcat started sinking into the muddy bottom! The only task the crew could finish was opening the front of the boathouse so it will be accessible to the Bobcat once it is repaired.
Grandma and Grandpa both needed to be back in town on Tuesday, so we left the bay Monday evening and didn’t come back until Tuesday evening. The barge was gone, along with the Bobcat. We haven’t heard how long it will be before work resumes.
Meanwhile, in Fairport, I’ve been having some new visitors. This doe was grazing in our yard one morning. When it wanted to leave, it jumped the chain link fence without any problem at all. Yesterday, I met a new groundhog! This one is a baby, who came out from under our back deck with a watchful parent. They were grazing in our yard, too!
Love,
Lion-san
Sounds like you are having an exciting summer! Wildlife and barges with Bobcats! I hope the air-conditioner helps you stay cool.
You have really been busy! Visits with Uncle Steven’s family, trips to farm markets and clearing road blocks. Helping Grampa with the marine railway then going to a park to avoid getting sprayed was a good idea. Your construction skills are expanding since you met Bobcat.