Lest you think we’re getting out of practice for boat work, let me remind you that painting, with its attendant scraping and prep, is high on the list of what needs to be done on Calypso. We’re DEFINITELY getting in our reps in Vermont!

It’s been a solid weekend of work on the house.

The siding is a constant subject of conversation. We can’t completely get a handle on how frequently it needs to be painted, nor is it particularly clear what KIND of wood the siding is made of. Is it pine? Cedar? Though no house is completely maintenance-free (sounds like a boat), working to make it as maintenance light as possible is definitely a goal. After all, our time of extended stays at the OPO is coming to an end soon, and we’re honestly a little tired of spending any spare time working on the house. It would be very nice to come up here and be able to putter around on small stuff with multiple breaks for sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking, or just lounging on the deck with a beverage.

Breaks happen - last night we harvested some mint (for mojitos!) and took Zach’s motorboat out for a slow jaunt around the lake.

But mostly, when we’re not working (or cooking, on my part) we’re maintaining. Organizing, mouse trap checking, dump-running.

Or painting.

There was a lot of bare siding (which we think is cedar) and more siding that is so weathered that it’s hard to tell if it ever was sealed in any way. Some of the stuff is warped beyond repair; Jeremy has been doing a lot of siding replacement as he methodically works his way around the second story.

This past weekend, with no rain in the forecast (forecasts lie up here too, in case you were wondering) and temps in the 60s and 70s, promised painting perfection. Jeremy’s been pressure washing a lot of the house to prep, and my parents, who came up from Middlebury on Thursday specifically to help, are amazingly efficient with scrapers. (Have I mentioned how awesome my parents are? Thank you, Mom and Dad!)

Planks make rolling tough; every bit needs to be done with a paintbrush. We could spray (Jeremy brought our paint sprayer with us from Charlottesville) but the wind was a problem. Plus stain is expensive, and spraying wastes a lot of material. Brush brigade, here we come.

Jeremy and I tackled the dormer on the roadside of the house, dealing with moss on the roof, wasps, and tricky ladder angles. Mom and Dad did the lower down planks on lakeside. Ladder work was done Sunday after the siding was deemed dry enough (damn lying forecast - Saturday afternoon a 10 minute downpour at about 4 pm squashed the progress run and threatened to derail Sunday painting entirely) and continued on Monday.

By the time Mom and Dad left on Monday around 3, we’d covered all the bare siding on the lakeside of the house and made great progress on the roadside. All east-facing walls still need attention, as does the garage. But it feels like a lot of forward momentum!