What a packed day we’ve had!  I hope I don’t forget anything because we got a LOT done.

In the morning (after dropping the car off for service and hitting the grocery store – after which we COMPLETELY forgot the groceries in the trunk all day and most had to be thrown out – UGG!!)… anyhow…

We got right to work.  I finished up the trim paint on that back section while Ryan went to check into the rental of a lift.  I finished up just as he got back with the news we could get a rental at 4pm but it had to go back friday by 4:30pm!  Yikes.  We’ll take it but that’s not long!

This section is now completely finished!

Next up we started stripping the soffit over the other area of porch and managed to finish it, sand it and caulk it before lunch so the caulk could dry.

Soffit stripped!

After lunch Ryan installed the top cap over that front porch, then primed all the soffit and the window in that section.  Meanwhile I finished prepping and then priming under the porch so that’s all primed!

Soffit primed, window primed and under the porch siding and trim all primed! Great progress!

At this point it was 4pm and Ryan had to go pick up the lift, I got most of the other side of the house (the small section that’s left) primed, everything I could reach with our smaller ladder since I can’t move the big ladder.  The electrical wires didn’t actually scare me but the huge freaking spider hanging out on the cable wires did!  I knocked it down with a broom (since that’s step one before painting, get rid of all webs!) but never found it below so the whole time I was jumpy and edgy waiting for it to crawl up after me!

The top few pieces of siding need to be done still but it’s close!

Ryan got home just as I was cleaning up to go pick up Alex and he got right to work with the lift.  He’s still out there in the pitch black with a lantern stripping paint off the soffit of the peak.  By Alex’s bedtime (7pm) he had the left side soffit all done and was starting the peak.  He’s been out there another hour and a half, I think his goal is to strip the whole soffit of the peak so tomorrow we just have to sand it, prep it and work on the shakes.  I’m excited!  We’ll be painting with the lift tomorrow and putting in our half moon windows again!   Rain please hold off another day!!!  Pretty please!!!

Ryan in the lift…