OPERATION ROOF

APRIL 19, 2010

Perhaps a statement is needed here. The dates I use take you to the date at the end of the post, which may or may not be the date I post them.

Operation Roof finally arrived! Monday morning my sister Phyllis and her husband Eric arrived to help Frank and Franklyn. They filled in the rest of the rafters on two sides of the roof, and fastened sheathing on it. That evening Frank's brothers Glenn and Barry, plus Cousin Clair Mast arrived from Eastern PA.

Tuesday was a huge day with the five extra men helping Frank. My job became chief cook and clean-up detail. My could those men work! My could they also eat! Franklyn, being an architect, was supervisor and trouble shooter. Glenn did most of the sawing. Barry used his great skills to figure out and mastermind strange angles, etc. Frank and Clair kept busy going from one place to another, bringing lumber, working details, and fastening pieces. One great thing about this crew, is that they moved to different jobs as needed or when they finished what they were doing. By evening all the roof rafters were in place (even those around the skylights), and two more sides were complete. Phyllis and Eric had to leave that evening.

Wednesday morning we had drizzle. It may have dampened bodies, but not spirits! The remaining two sides of the main roof were completed, and they began working on the cupola roof. (Sometime around this point, the Cupola/Lookout looked to Frank like a gazebo, so he renamed it "Gazebo.") Isn't this a neat pattern?

The afternoon became sunny. Franklyn and Glenn started erecting the carport.

Thursday the men went into the restaurant at the local stock yard for breakfast. (Every Thursday is Livestock Auction.) Back at the job, the main roof and Gazebo roof were finished complete with a "Cadillac" of tar paper that is water and ice proof. The carport was up and and the roof covered with regular tar paper, as they had run out of the other. This was actually more than Frank had anticipated getting done. Everyone was happy and tired.



Friday morning the men restacked the piles, combining all of each type of lumber (2 x 4's, 1 x 6's, etc.) in separate piles, and recovering them with plastic. They moved the lumber for the deck to the opposite side of the house where it will be needed.

Frank went into town and returned with more of the "good" roof covering and plastic. They tore the regular tar paper off the carport, and recovered it. They "wrapped the Gazebo with the plastic to keep rain out, and replaced the plastic on several of the windows on the main floor. They also worked on clean-up detail outside the house, since I had not been able to cook and keep clean-up current. They filled the back of Glenn's pickup with wood scraps and trash--mostly dirty plastic from empty piles of supplies. After lunch, Glenn, Barry, and Franklyn tossed their belongings on top of the wood, and headed back to Lancaster County--Glenn and Barry to home, and Franklyn to

visit relatives there before heading home to Texas.

In the afternoon, Clair, Frank, and I cleaned up inside the house--sorting and putting away tools, bagging more trash, sorting and storing more wood scraps, and sweeping and blowing out the sawdust.

It was a little discouraging to realize that after all this was done, we still had 21 stacks of supplies, including the three crates of roofing metal!

Now our house looks like this! Isn't she beautiful!

Saturday Frank and I went in to Lancaster County also. We visited Dad, and then went to a King Get-Together in honor of Franklyn. We were surprised that Mom felt well enough to come also! We ate and visited for hours. All of Franklyn's aunts and uncles were there as well as several cousins and their children. Even Keith was there from Pittsburgh! Here is a picture of the three Franks.