Finished the Repairs Around the Outside of the Front Door

Slow and steady is the way of progress around here.

To recap - March rains brought to light leakage and dry rot issues around the front door. We should have guessed that the existing flat roof over the door would cause problems.

Offending roof removed.
Sections of dry rotted siding removed and plastic put up to cover the area.

Erick fabricated and I painted the replacement siding sections, trim, and a new oak door sill.

New siding in place

Progress - compare with the top photo

In the process of removing the old weather stripping, Erick noticed that the door hadn't been hung properly.  The hinge screws were too short to reach the structural wood around the door.  That explained why the door would stick in some places, yet there were gaps in other places. Some long wood screws and a little effort fixed the problem.

Door rehung, trim up, and new weather stripping going in

And there's always touch-up painting.  That's where I come in again.

Tools of the trade 

That's an 8 ft door, in case you were wondering

Yes, I aways follow those cautionary directions on the ladder rungs.

New oak door sill - designed by Erick, protected with 6 coats of varnish

Outside repair and repainting of front door finished

Another, small side-project - literally, on the side of the house as well as small scale. While checking for places where the siding needed to be replaced, Erick spotted problems with a box that covered some pipes, caused by the flat top on the box.

Location of original small box: on the left way in the back, beyond the larger box

Reconstructed small box - this time with a slanted top

It's been a busy time for volunteer work.  The Friends of Montclair Library's Spring Sale was a success.  I coordinated the clean up crew's packing left over books and stowing of tables, etc.  Erick spent a couple of hours as cashier and helped with clean up.

A crowd gathered waiting for the 10:30 AM opening

End of sale clean up - stored books to be shipped to Better World Books

At the Friends of the Montclair RR Trail's 3rd Saturday work party, I worked with 7 other volunteers to remove foxtail grass (its seed heads are prickly and a danger to dogs), thistles and broom plants

Tool for removing foxtail grass

A dozen or so bags of invasive plant material removed and awaiting pick up

Wildflowers planted last year along the trail by Friends of MRRT - looking good!

Back at home, March rains and some warm weather mean lots of blooms on just about everything.
It's fun to compare what various spots around the house looked like in 2014 just after we moved in versus now.

Front yard - May 2014 

Now - bushy grass gone, lots of succulents planted

Oscularia deltoides in full bloom

First time blooming for this succulent

May 2014 - a few small plants on a terrace at the back of the house

Same area now, with coral bells in the foreground

On the decks:

Red Parrot's Beak

A rehabilitated Cimbidium orchid

A flock of sheep across the canyon (about a mile away):

The flock is in the center.  Click to enlarge the photo.

Seen while walking in nearby Redwood Park: 

Saw my first banana slug in the wild while walking the West Ridge trail.
Banana slugs are ~ 7 inches long.

The canyon can always be counted on for changing views:

A band of light

Drifting clouds