Finally! The first ripe tomato of the season. It's a Kibit, out of the seed I purchased from the Ukraine two years ago. 

August 22, 2015 - Saturday morning

57 degrees/hazy/windy

Pentoga Road

We're going to take a trip today. I think we'll point the car north, maybe go through Marquette and end up in Munising, along Lake Superior. This is day-two of Sargie's three-day mini vacation and it will be good to get away for a bit. Mark and Sheri are going with, so there'll be no lack of conversation and humor.

Saturday was a busy one. Mike knocked on the door bright and early and handed me two large pails of freshly picked blackberries. Though it's too cold to grow them here, they thrive quite nicely around his home south of Marquette where the temperature stays more moderate due to the influence of Lake Superior.

I spent an hour washing and packing the fruit and ended up putting seven quarts in the freezer.

Mike said the berries will be at their peak the week after next so I'm planning to drive up and pick enough to last the winter. Since we had no strawberries this year due to the frigid temperatures, the blackberries are a welcome substitute.

Mike bought a new dog, a pointer, a spaniel of some sort, and the pint-sized hunter stole our hearts. As I later told Sargie, it's too bad that puppies have to grow into big dogs and don't come already house broken and with no urge to chew everything in sight.

I worked most the day on the shop and got the last wall built and framed. It took the longest to measure for the two doors that will be inserted later. One door is to walk through, the other is four-feet wide, large enough to allow a four wheeler or snowmobile to be pulled into the shop to be worked on.

We were visited by Melinda, Sargie's friend. Melinda's also Sargie's beautician, but no longer has a shop, so the girls gabbed while she did Sargie's hair, and they talked about whatever it is ladies talk about. For the most part, I stayed out in the barn and worked. 

It was time to start putting on the 2x6 rafters. I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to do it, so I called Mississippi Brother Garry and picked his brain. His advice was exactly what I'd already begun doing, so I was happy. 

My newest deep-thought invention. A bungee cord was used to strap a paint roller tray onto the top of the ladder to hold the driver and screws. 

Half of the rafters were later installed before calling it a day.

We hooked up the trailer and drove to the lumber yard to buy enough OSB particle board to do the ceiling. I hope to do that tomorrow. The ceiling is the only part of the shop where I'll need someone else's help. Hanging 4x8 sheets of heavy board, upside down, isn't my idea of fun.

Last night was spend in front of the TV munching popcorn and relaxing. It was the perfect ending to a great day.

It's time to feed the pumpkin and get ready to leave. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...