<p>Just a quick hello to you guys to say I am proud to say I watched all 17 innings of the Braves-Astros game yesterday. However, I don’t eat little varmints and I do shower and shave (where appropriate), so I shall take my leave. Happy to bump the thread up too, and thanks for returning the beer bong, p2n. Right kind of ya.</p>
<p>My first peek into the Man Cave and I am greatly amused. Reminds me of the Red Green show. :D</p>
<p>Re home remedies for wounds–once when I was a little kid and had a wasp (hornet?) sting, my father took the cigar out of his mouth and swabbed it over the hurt place. I don’t recall if the tobacco juice actually did anything, or if it just distracted me because I was so grossed out…</p>
<p>OK, back to SA.</p>
<p>I’ve been away from the computer for the most part – I spent 4th of July weekend building a new deck. It’s a 12x12 front deck (it’s our front porch) with a triangular extension. The ***** who built it used plain old hem-fir construction lumber for the beams and joists, instead of cedar or pressure-treated lumber. The edge of the deck sticks out past the roofline of the house. The main joist is a doubled 2x8, of which the last four feet were so rotten that you could stick a crowbar all the way through from top to bottom. We had to replace half the floor joists, all the rim joists, and add bracing and posts to strengthen the woefully inadequate original design. The new joists are all pressure treated, the deck boards and steps (did I mention that I had to build a new set of stairs?) are Trex, and the balusters are round, white aluminum with decorative googlies in the middles. Oh, and the hand rails are all CVG cedar, which costs just slightly less than solid sterling silver of similar dimensions.</p>
<p>So, that’s how I spent my weekend.</p>
<p>Today’s my 30th anniversary. That must be good for a couple of free rounds, right?</p>
<p>WashDad–hate to break it to you, but it’s also WashMom’s 30th anniversary. So you can have a round if she gets one too. Ideally, you two should spend this occasion together. 
Congrats!</p>
<p>Congrats on the deck construction too!</p>
<p>Washdad, you get the round for your manly display of carpentry skills. Now, if you stay in here instead of beng with the missus for your anniversary, I’ll buy you a second round (and get you the name of a good divorce lawyer; I think there are a few who linger here in the Parents Cafe). </p>
<p>More importantly, isn’t it great to drape an arm over your young-uns’ shoulder while standing in the front yard, and tell them “yep, your old man built that with these two here hands.” Hopefully the neighbors saw you in action as well; you have manly braggin’ rights in your neck of the woods for weeks!</p>
<p>The vacation house has a 18 x16 uncovered cedar deck that’s 37 yo. My sister does not understand why I don’t replace the whole thing. She’s part owner but is neither contributing time or money into the project. The south face of this old house has cedar siding likewise same age, and she wonders why I am using Hardiplank, architectual cedar shake look, instead of real cedar. She wonders why replace the siding when the wall are not leaking. Burns my patience.</p>
<p>We had a new 12x20 second-story deck built this past winter, after I put a foot through the rotted cedar deck boards on the 28-year old original. The new deck is built from a combination of pressure-treated pine, Trex decking, and Western Red Cedar rails by a small local contractor. It cost nearly $10,000. LongPrime, tell sis that she will need to cough up at least $6,000 for her half of the deck. Post video!</p>
<p>They don’t make cedar, like they used to make cedar. There were some boards that I tossed over the hillside, (which I think that I will retrieve ) and must have had 50 growth rings on the 6". The really bad cedar decking had maybe 15 rings and which I bought new only 7 years ago. The Sunwood and PT stuff is useless after 4 years, but which I must used because of cost. </p>
<p>A toast and look to tight stuff.</p>
<p>Maybe 10% of the 28-year-old Western Red Cedar boards on our old deck had rotted, but the others were perfect inside. A quick trip through the planer to remove 1/16 on both sides would have given me great materials for some patio furniture. I wish I’d thought about this before it all went to the landfill.</p>
<p>There’s a pioneer museum near here with a bunch of buildings built from 24"-36" diameter cedar and Douglas fir logs. Others see historical exhibits – I see some great old-growth lumber that needs to be made into furniture and other valuable objects.</p>
<p>George Will recently wrote a column on why beer is critical to civilized life: [George</a> Will :: Townhall.com :: No Beer, No Civilization](<a href=“http://www.townhall.com/content/12c7f458-45af-4ff9-86c6-078d3878aa29]George”>http://www.townhall.com/content/12c7f458-45af-4ff9-86c6-078d3878aa29)</p>
<p>I found it very persuasive.</p>
<p>I had wondered why Western Civilization had lagged behind Asian Civilization in the “middle ages”. My nonscientific guess is what George F had said, plus Asians drank boiled water for tea.</p>
<p>There was a similar story about the building of the American railroads where the European workers drank beer and the Chinese drank tea for their water needs.</p>
<p>PBR tastes like tea.</p>
<p>Barkeep, another round of whiskey for all my manly fineds,</p>
<p>Time to bump this thread back to the first page. For far too long our manly endeavors have been neglected. </p>
<p>So, spent the last three days tilling earth and laying down a little over a ton of mulch in some new landscape beds. Not as manly as putting hammer to nail on a new deck, but I did build a good sweat and a heapin’ thirst. Noting beats a good cold beer on a hot day, while wiping the dirt off your brow.</p>
<p>Just got a message from the brother-in-law. Seems he liked my gift for his birthday this year. We got a little tradition going of trying to out-do each other with wierd or useless gifts. Started with screwdrivers with built in lights. Got him a sling-shot for his squirrel problem last year, and a 10 Million candlelight power spotlight for Xmas a few onths past (he now directs air traffic from his front porch). This year, I got him a Lowes gift card, which is pretty useful. But I also got some resin and hardener solution form the local store, and encased his Lowes gift card in a 4 inch block of hardened laminate. He had a heck of a time using the card today(they actually took it), but our little gift contest has become legend in that store. They gave him some “ideas” for his revenge gift this year; can’t nervous wonderign what it could be.</p>
<p>OK, my friends. Anyone else exchange joke gifts witha good family member r friend? Stories?</p>
<p>BTW, only 10 more weekends until the NFL kicks-off. I will be sending the call out soon for any Cave dwellers interested in joining the Man Cave Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League. That’s right, fantasy football will be coming to the Cave soon! Anyone interested?</p>
<p>I just got signed up for the Big 10 network as Comcast finally agreed to carry it. Can’t wait for football with every Big 10 game on live or replay.</p>
<p>Tonight at about 6pm, TallSon put the last screw into the final deck board. About 30 seconds later, I drove the last screw into the last stair tread (up to the new deck). The balusters are on order, and haven’t come in yet, but other than that, the deck is done. I have a handsome new entry deck and a scorching sunburn on my legs to show for five days and several evenings of work. Now I know why most people hire others to this sort of thing. I’ll have another Alaskan Amber, barkeep.</p>
<p>Do you serve, Bud ?</p>
<p>I’ll buy a round of Coors for anyone who is planning to visit the Colorado School of Mines this summer. Are there any other colleges associated with a brewery?</p>
<p>Aren’t ALL colleges associated with breweries?? 
Cheers.</p>
<p>RBVs for all my friends :)</p>
<p>Uh-does that lumberjacks in include the all of the ones from Monty Python?
Just snuck in, after all, my H told me a long time ago I’m as good as one of the guys.</p>
<p>visiting my dad
he’s trying to convince me to drive on a wildly out-of-the-way to visit my cousin next week and I just discovered why…
the deer head in the garage is to go to uncle’s place, where they can judge once and for all who’s champion buck has more points.
I guess at 75 + they can’t just have a p***ing contest off the bridge, it would involve too many medications…</p>
<p>I’m raising a glass to the numerous men who have backed our trailer into tight campsites over the years. The great thing about MEN is that they will come to the aid of a lady every time. The trailer-backing up thing is definitely a skill I’ll never have, since there is always a terrific man who will jump in and back it in for me.
So this Bud’s for you.</p>