Minor injury

While drilling the blocks to stabilize them I hit a rebar and the drill stopped. No problem, I'll just back up and start again. When I pulled up on the drill I grabbed the switch and the drill spun out of my hand and snapping two knuckles in the process. It's been two weeks now and I've got 95 percent use back and the swelling is down so I'll try to bring this blog up to date.
UPDATE Tried to finish the wall the weekend of the 15th and like the dummy I am I let the drill spin again. This time it really hurt. The pain was so bad, I relented and went to the Dr. and he put me on a course of steroids for the swelling. Nothing was broke but the pain was much worse and still is. The swelling has gone down but the pain is still there. I'll give it a couple more weeks but I think it will be all right. It seems as though as I get older it takes longer to bounce back from these small injuries.
The wall looks good and is about half finished as you can see. Three more blocks high and I'll start on the other side. The gate will swing on hinges mounted through steel studs set in concrete. Don't know what I'll make the gates out of but probably rough cedar with wrought iron fixtrues. The fence will be a hybred of steel studs and EIFS foam and a polymer cement mixture. The finish will match the bunker in color and texture and also will finish the kiva and the 16 foot false front at the western end of the courtyard. This false front will stand alone until it becomes part of the addition.

dennycrane

dennycrane
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

dennycrane

dennycrane
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Playing with blocks

As you can see from the pictures above and below the wall is starting up. Each block weights about 500 pounds so the wall may take several trips to finish. These are the blocks that were cut to make the door and windows in the bunker. Had to do something with them so I am incorporating them into the gate posts. I am up to 40 inches, the blocks on top are just there for trial fits because I ran out of mortar. Barbara learned how to operate the crane (we call it Denny) and I guide the blocks into place. The pictures are after one very long day so if I hope to top it off at 7+ feet we will have to hustle. Another wall will be built over at the corner of the bunker to make the other side of the gate. The gate will be 12 feet wide and the nearest one to the bunker will have a 30 inch door in it so we can come and go into the courtyard more easily.
The crane is from a contractor that used it to build log homes and it will come in very handy when the addition starts up next year. It can lift a 3,000 lb load to 28 feet and can be towed behind a pickup. We bought it two years ago off ebay and a 16 ft trailer came with it and there are times, like the wall, where nothing else would do.

Wall going up

Wall going up
Originally uploaded by neillsmth.

Time to begin the expansion

Everything went well over Memorial day. The A/C had a slight fit and blew out a transformer, no I don't know why, probably gremlins. I had another unit in the trailer for the addition so a quick swap of transformers and viola, cools like a champ. Unloaded the trailer and stacked the studs in lenghts and widths so when the time comes it will be easy to lay my hands on the right ones. I need to take the trailer back to Austin because I have purchased a load of trusses for the roof and it is time to load up eveything else in the back yard and bring it to the bunker. This time I will leave the trailer at the bunker.
The first order of business is to fence the courtyard and build the kiva, which is a big fireplace/oven, that will make up the NW corner of the courtyard and the North end of the fence. The fence will be 5 to 6 feet tall and I have about a hundred glass blocks and some wine bottles that will add color and light. The gates are part of the package too but I don't have that figured out yet. Maybe I'll run across some weathered barn wood or something similar and will make the gates look like they have been there forever.