I, as everyone who knows me knows, am utterly horrible when it comes to tools and building things. Tools are allergic to me; I've broken three screwdrivers in a single day, and even managed to dent a hammer. That's not easy to do, believe me. But I can do it. And so, the idea of taking on even a simple project isn't merely daunting; it's foolhardy.
Which is why I'm building a skating rink in our front yard. Because if you're going to be foolhardy, you might as well go big.
Speaking of big, this really is going to be quite the project. And, I'll freely admit, I'm cheating; I'm getting our eighteen-year-old son to do most of the work, because unlike me, he and tools are the best of friends. So, my wife bought the tarp on the weekend, I arranged for the wood, and Ashton picked it up this morning. When I got home from work, we got started.
We didn't get much done; it was getting dark. But we did cut the boards and we laid out the tarp, weighing it down with over 40 two-by-fours to keep it in place overnight. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to take a picture of it to post on the blog; while I'm at work, Ashton will begin assembling the frame for the rink. It's not going to be fancy, but it will hold a whole bunch of water and, eventually, ice. It's not a small rink; it's going to be about 28' x 58'. The tarp is 30' x 60', but we're going to be wrapping it around two-by-fours to make the rink waterproof.
I'm excited about it; I haven't skated much in the past few years, but having our very own rink? That's going to be fun. And it will give the kids a chance to learn to skate, as well. Honey Bunny is looking forward to it, as well; she used to play hockey herself, so it will be fun to lace on the skates and shoot some pucks. And yes, we brought a hockey net with us from Ontario, as well as lots of sticks and pucks. If we're going to stay in Canada, we're going to embrace it.
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