Honey don't use the little one!

So yesterday I needed some 3/4" Marine ply as a secure base for the water heater a piece about 2 feet square would do the job... so I headed off to the local lumber supply house to see if I could get partial sheets or an offcut to suit.
Was told they only sell full sheets and they don't offer a cutting service.... the price for a sheet was $82, a bit stiff since I only needed an 1/8th of a sheet.
Decided I would go with regular ply and seal it with paint so I asked the older gentleman behind the counter if they might have partial sheets of regular plywood.
He replied no but he had a part sheet in his porch and if it would work for me I could have it. I said I'm sure it would work and he said I could get it from him after he finished work at five.... I asked if there was anyone there now to show me where it was and I could pull it out. He said sure just let me call my wife to let her know you are coming. After a couple of tries on the phone he remembers the correct number and gets through.
He tells her that a gentleman is coming around for the plywood that is behind the fiberboard on the porch and that if she hears me rustling around for more than 10 minutes she should get the gun, "Honey not the little one get the 12 gauge shotgun as you don't want to leave any pieces around!"
He wanted no money and I thanked him and headed off with map in hand. On arriving in his driveway I told Mundy to stay in the car in case she needed to call the cops to save me!
Life in Alabama is never dull for us Canadian city folk.

Summer!

We've been in Alabama for two months now, and life has settled into a very comfortable rhythm.  The weather over the past couple of weeks has been very hot and sunny, prompting us to look for somewhere to go swimming.  We found a couple of good spots, courtesy of some of our neighbours, and went out with a small group to watch the sunset over the water on Memorial Day.  The water temperature here is already warmer than it ever gets in Ontario - even by the end of the summer, so I was perfectly happy!

But all that heat also brings spectacular storms, charging through the hills and along the river valleys.  We've been caught out once or twice, and soaked to the skin in minutes.

Lurch continues to freeload, and the swallow eggs have hatched.  No pics of the babies, I'm afraid, as they are way down inside the nests, and invisible to us.  Mum and Dad dive bomb anyone who looks like they're getting too close!

We went back to the drag races last week, and Roger, who was racing 2 cars, won first and second place!  That apparently hasn't happened in 10 years, so he was, understandably, very happy.  Here he is, at the helm of Copper Queen.

Repairs and renovations are coming along nicely.  We have a newly upholstered love seat, and are just waiting for the tub chairs to come back.  We have new furniture for the aft deck, and are very near to completing the plumbing, treatment system and new water heater.

We have a deadline now, in the form of a group excursion to Guntersville City Harbour (about 20 miles away), to see Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame perform on the 30th of June at the Alabama songwriters festival .  We will travel there and back in a watery parade of sorts.  One of the very experienced locals has volunteered to lead us all home in the dark, but it promises to be a lot of fun.