Speaking of Future Projects.....

Okay, speaking of spring and future projects, let's talk about the fence.

Remember this picture?

This is the schematic drawing of the fence we plan to put up starting this spring.






The drawing is rendered in the correct proportions and measurements. Hopefully the fence will look like this when it's done!

Anyway, a little over two years ago is when we seriously started looking at different fence designs.

The style we plan to go with was one of the first considered. So, with that in mind, have a look at the following pics.

I built this version of the fence two years ago. We wanted to see how well it would stand up to the elements. It doesn't look all that bad.

I used treated lumber and didn't bother with priming it or putting a clear cover over it.

Here you see the side that would face the house. Originally it was to look just as you see it. However, I found a set of plans for a similar fence and there were rails on both sides of the pickets. It looked really sharp so we decided to add a second set of rails. Other than the addition of the extra rails, the only difference between this prototype and the drawing is the width of the rails. On the prototype all three rails are 3.5". In the final schematic the two top rails are 3" and the bottom one is 4".

BTW - if you look close, you will see the tip of the end picket is broken off. I dropped the danged thing last year and it snapped off where a knot was located. When selecting the wood for the pickets, I will make sure that they are knot free.

Hopefully, this is how the fence will look on both sides.

At this point, the plan is to paint the fence the same color we will use on the body of the house.

Now the next project I hope to get to this summer is purely vain. I have no clue as to why, but everyone around here, and several of you out there, are very fascinated by the three globed gaslight.

Right now, the only way it can be used is by putting candles in it. My father-n-law and I tried to get the thing working our first fall in the house. We really thought we had it fixed and ready to go. With that in mind, we invited some friends and family over to watch us light it.

Sure enough, I lit the mantles and a nice, warm, glow started emanating from all six orifices. Then with out warning, flames started shooting out from every crevice there was!

I made a dive for the emergency shut off valve and killed the gas. Oh well, at least we gave everyone a good laugh!

So now the plan is to completely remove it off the spot, dismantle it and rebuild it. We will have to come up with some clips that'll hold the glass in. Right now a gentle breeze knocks them out of kilter. We will also need to replace at least one of the eagles, but might opt for replacing all three so they look alike.

Hopefully this fall we will have a working gaslight again. Wish us luck!

Cheers!
Larry ~