Sunrise in Phoenix.

I honestly can't remember the last time I was bored. An advantage of being an autistic introvert is my mind is always occupied with something to think about. I enjoy solitude, and sometimes I find it in places I don't expect.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

I screwed *every* plank in the subfloor into the floor joists. (I used at least 500 screws.) Definitely worth it. The floor is noticeably quieter and stiffer than before.

One wall and the ceiling are all that's left.

I discovered where all the mice were living. Hopefully when I reframe the walls, they will be less hospitable to rodents.

They put the drywall on the ceiling BEFORE framing the wall!

Studs 16" OC? What nonsense, 48" is sufficient.

Sometimes I see half-assed work in houses that was done just plain wrong, but I can tell that the person who did it was proud of his "accomplishment". This room in my barn is an example of that.

The walls are rough sawn oak held on by hand driven rusted finish nails.

It's coming down this week.

I hiked two trails today, a total of 8 miles, climbing over 750 feet. A trail guide rated one of the hikes as "difficult" and read to allow at least 2 hours to reach the summit.

I did it in 50 minutes. Suck that, trail guide.

I'm feeling accomplished.

Hey Canada, take your smoke back!

Seriously, I've been planning this road trip for months, and I was looking forward to getting some good pics. Now the scenery is blocked by a thick haze.

Huff Indian Village in ND. I wanted to stay longer, but I was getting attacked by insects that wanted my blood

I realized I haven't posted any updates on the bedrooms in a while. I started this project three years ago, and I'm finally finishing it. Got the drywall, paint, and electrical done. Ripped out the old floor (I wanted to salvage the wood, but it's no bueno) and started laying down the new one.

The upper and lower ball joints in my truck were badly in need of replacement. As always, it took three times longer than I wanted it to because I didn't have the exact right tools. Fortunately, I had a friend to helping who was able to drive me to AutoZone to get what I needed.

It took only three years, but we now have a freezer, washer/dryer, and utility sink in the basement. We can finally do our laundry at home and don't have to walk to the barn to get frozen foods.

All the utility hookups (gas, power, water, and drain) were non-existent, and I had to run those first.

Last month, I got around to replacing the electric water heater with a gas one, and we're already seeing a substantial decrease in the power bill. (Given the sludge draining from the old one, its replacement was past due anyway.) Running the vent stack was a pain, but everything else went smoothly.

Six hours and 37 junctions later, I'm done. I was able to use standard lengths in most places, but did have to manually thread three pipes. I hurt all over.

No leaks detected. I can now hook up the water heater and dryer. (Still need to do the vents and plumbing, but this was the hardest part.)

Electricity is $$ in this region, so I want to switch the water heater to gas, be able to run a gas dryer, and eventually have a gas stove. That means I need to snake a gas line around the furnace and across the room. I've never worked with black pipe before, so here goes nothing I guess...

I replaced the OSB, shingles, and flashing—which should stop the leaking—however, the whole roof needs to be replaced now that I know its hidden truth. That will be my summer project next year. [3/3]

Upon removing the shingles, I first noticed there was NO underlayment. The flashing around the vent stack was installed incorrectly and water was getting in there also. The deck is newer ½" OSB on top of (original?) ⅜" plywood. Both layers were completely rotted through. [2/3]

No one told me that a tree branch had fallen on the roof. It doesn't look like much in the pic, but water was getting through the shingles there. [1/3]

The bathroom was neglected by the previous owners. Cracked and peeling paint, holes in the wall, mold all over the ceiling, etc. Last week, I replaced the light fixtures and toilet, fixed the window, fixed the cracks and holes, killed the mold, and gave it a proper paint job.

The plumbing in this house is janky as hell. A mixture of ½" and ¾" PVC, copper, and galvanized. Someday I'll replumb everything properly, but today I replaced the hot water lines with PEX because one of the copper junctions had been leaking for months.