July 2024 Island Trip – Day 6

The general contractor (GC) finished pressure washing the house, and the deck. When the deck dries (he left me with a moisture meter!) I can deploy the water proofing product I bought a year ago, at the previous tenant’s request… They were gung ho to seal up the deck, after sanding it, and then kind of dribbled some sealer around 25% of the surface. 🙄 Yes, I learned my lesson, in spades.

Next week the GC will caulk/repair voids in the house, prime bare wood in the soffits and paint them. I’ll paint the body of the house on my next trip up.

The water heater had another ‘I decline to work’ moment this morning. I called the propane provider we’re moving to, as soon at the propane tanks are low enough. They service all appliances that use propane! This is a miracle in my life. I asked if they could take a look at the water heater even though we weren’t a customer quite yet. Kyle was out within an hour, and knows the property because he installed the propane line for the fireplace! I won’t go through the breakdown of our forensics… Of course, the water heater worked when he arrived. And then didn’t after cleaning it’s filter… It was complicated. There are at least five water valves on this thing. I have decided maintaining this unit something I do not want to learn how to do… He cleaned it with vinegar that turned a very dark color, indicating it was full of scale. The water here is very, very hard. Kyle said a water softener in the system would not be a bad choice…

Our neighbor from the east come over for dinner. It was a lovely visit. The cat, reluctantly, came out while were sitting outside and explored, on leash. Good conversation. I gave her a bowl that a local artist, who was a dear friend of hers, had been in my parent’s collection. These are the things that belong the people who knew their makers well.