Two down; one to go.

As you can see I got the flashing above the barn doors done. If you look closely through the right hand window you can even see one of the lights in the barn. That just leaves rain gutters and then we're actually finished that project. (A new gate and fence is a separate project altogether.)

I'm very pleased with the way the flashing turned out. I made it out of three 8 foot sections of aluminum; I broke a one inch flange on the top so that I could secure it to the barn and there is a lip on the bottom that parallels the wall. It looks sharp and should go a long way to keeping things drier in there (- rain gutters would go further in that regard but I have to do a little modifying in order to make that work... It'll happen.) I still have to caulk the seams around the flashing but I have to wait for a dry day - today was not that day.

I also finished my workbench this week. I used it for working on the flashing, cutting the blocking, etc. Was it ever sweet not to have to work on the ground or on some ersatz table constructed of rickety saw horses and a warped piece of plywood! It's like I've died and gone to DIY heaven! I haven't got a picture of my workbench but here's the one from the plan. Obviously, it's not in my barn (it's WAY TOO NEAT & ORGANIZED!! That guy couldn't lose a tool if he tried!); equally obvious (if not moreso), that's not me in the picture (nowhere near good looking enough); nevertheless, that is what my workbench looks like.

I've been working quite a bit on my workbench and the flashing this week because on Monday the concrete guy is coming to set up forms for our footings and foundation. This afternoon I had to square up the trenches a bit and clean them out. Thankfully they didn't totally fill up with water. After the forms are set we have to arrange an inspection and then by week's end we should have a foundation and then - we are on our own.

Here are our trenches - ready for forms, footings and foundations.

Below you will see our dog Norman jumping over the trench. Norman is, without a doubt, the stupidest dog in the history of canine-dom. He has been digging in those trenches for a week; knocking dirt back into them, wallowing in the mud, running up and down the piles of dirt. He's the one who chews the cords off my power tools. He once chewed through an extension cord that was plugged in. He still didn't learn. Last Saturday while I was putting a new plug on my reciprocating saw, Norman was chewing the cord that was hanging off the end of the table. He will walk away with my tools if I set them down even for a second while I'm working outside. I've got several hammers, screwdrivers, etc. that have Norman bite marks all over the handles. In addition to all of these wonderful qualities, he is a veritable poop machine. I wouldn't trade him for anything.

You can also see Riley in the background. You can just see Abbey back there too. They're dumb too - but Norman is seriously unbelievable.