Working on the fence and programming the sauna

Mark & I started walking the dogs along the canal then turned around to cross the highway and return via Greenwood Road. Mary & Cindy had left later than us so they met us at the crossover to Greenwood Road.

When we returned to the house, Mary continued to remove English ivy and Asian blackberry plants from the edge of the back lawn going toward the McKenzie River. Mark & I moved the temporary fence to enlarge the area accessible to the dogs. Because the order of additional fence panels and posts had not yet arrived from Home Depot, the fence lacked three 8’ panels from being complete. The gate that was damaged in transport also needed to be replaced so part of the temporary fence remained in place. Mary had picked up some wood filler for me when she and Cindy were out yesterday afternoon, so I repaired the superficial damage to the right side of the sauna when the panel toppled during the assembly. We dug around the irrigation line that was damaged when we dug one of the postholes. We dug a trench under the gate to allow redirecting the line. Once we had the ditch dug and the lines cleaned, reconnecting the line was easy. Mark went to the shed and turned each irrigation line on to test for leaks and to help him identify which irrigation circuit fed which area with irrigation water.

Lunch was a sandwich of deli turkey on seed bread with potato chips and Kirkland dark chocolate almonds. Michael came by to visit and have lunch with us. It was good to see him doing well.

We positioned the latch on the gate that we installed earlier in the week and assured that the self-closing mechanism would lock the gate keeping the dogs from getting out. We helped Mary haul some of the cuttings away from the clearing work that she was doing. She had created a space outside the fence that would be an ideal site for a small vegetable garden that is within reach of their irrigation system.

We brought ladders and extension cords to the area outside the front door where Mary & Cindy strung three 90’ strands of white mini-LED lights in the shrubs along the walk. Mary & I worked to set up the controls for the sauna. We were able to get everything to work on using the touchscreen panel inside the sauna. However, it took some time to get Mark’s iPhone connected with Bluetooth to turn the sauna on and off, adjust the temperature and time and control the lights. We were eventually able to get his iPhone to send audio to the sound system inside the sauna. We believe that the major obstacle was my unfamiliarity with settings in the Apple operating system. We were pleased that Mark and completely control the sauna from their bedroom allowing him to get the sauna preheated before he goes out.

We were all filthy after working outside in the wet soil from last night’s shower so we bathed and did laundry before dinner. Mark grilled some wild caught halibut that was given to him by a friend who was fishing in Alaska. Robert came in as we were finishing dinner.

Since we had an early flight, we turned in early.

Assembling the sauna

We woke around 5 am this morning and did our morning language lessons and had our hot beverages. We took the dogs on a walk along the canal and met the project manager for the decommissioning of the EWEB (Eugene Water and Electric Board) canal. Jeremy told us that the EWEB property would be returned to a more natural state with a winding stream and gentle slopes. He was very pleasant and informative. After returning from our walk, Mark & I loaded a huge amount of cardboard (mostly from the sauna) for recycling as well as several bags of trash (mostly Styrofoam from the sauna) to take to the nearby transfer station. The older lady checking us into the transfer station was very friendly and helpful charging us $13 for our large load. Mary & Cindy worked on removing English ivy and Asian blackberries from the slope going to the McKenzie River,

Assembling the sauna

We continued on to Home Depot in Eugene to return the damaged fence gate. The person at the customer service desk told us that since the gate was part of a larger kit, we would have to return the entire order for exchange. Since most of the materials were already in the ground with concrete, that was impractical. However, Mark has an additional gate on order and the damaged gate could be exchanged using that order. While at Home Depot we got some Christmas lights for Cindy, a section of 1 inch PVC and fittings to repair the irrigation line that I cut into while digging a post hole. We also picked up a few pavers to place under and in front of the sauna. This would made a stable base for the structure.

We made a quick stop to pick up dry cleaning for Cindy then returned to the house for a lunch of turkey sandwiches and potato chips. After lunch Mary & Cindy went into Eugene to shop at Costco, Walmart and Albertsons. Cindy is hosting a holiday party on Saturday and needed to get supplies. She contracted a chef to come to the house and prepare beef wellington for the 8 people expected.

While the ladies were gone, Mark & I started assembling the sauna. It took over 30 minutes to place and level the five pavers under the sauna. Assembling the sauna was fairly easy attaching the four walls and roof to the base. Connecting the wiring between wall panels was straightforward. The only mishap was when attaching the right wall. In the process of lining this panel up, we inadvertently disconnected the left panel. While grabbing the left panel, the right panel fell to the ground sustaining some minor damage. Once both side panels were in place, the front panel with the door was attached and the roof was added the structure. We connected all of the wiring and added the door handles completing the build. Once the base was in place and level, the assembly took only 40 minutes. We blew leaves from the bigleaf maple tree off the driveway then came in to relax.

Ike's Pizza & Broasted Chicken

Mary & Cindy arrived around 5:30 with a large load of groceries and supplies from Costco, Walmart and Albertsons. After we helped them bring the supplies in, we went to dinner at a local favorite called Ike’s Pizza, known locally for their “broasted chicken” and potatoes. There were only two older ladies working and they appeared to be moving slowly. The menu in chalk above the counter amused us with the grammar and spelling errors including “potatoe” wedges, 4 “peices” of chicken and “Ceaser” salad. Everyone except me had the broasted chicken but I ordered a Canadian bacon and cheese sandwich. The chicken was fine but not exceptional. It was moist and tender but the coating seemed odd. Cindy ordered a to-go order of 4 piece chicken dinner for Robert. After we finished our meal, we waited for Robert’s dinner to come to our table. Around 7 pm, music started playing loudly and we asked the waitress about the meal. She told us that it was being held in a warming oven for us and that the restaurant closes at 7. The music is a signal for diners to leave.

Back at the house, we sampled some mixed drinks that Cindy would prepare for her guests on Sunday evening. She was wanting a tasty bourbon or gin based drink with a fall feel. I preferred the whiskey sour with a little apple but we all had varying recommendations. Robert came in from work and enjoyed his chicken followed by his usual large serving of popcorn as he watched television.

Hiking at Clear Lake in Willamette National Forest

After a breakfast of cold cereal, Mark and I drove into Eugene to pick up the Hosauna T-59C3 infrared outdoor sauna that we would assemble on Thursday. The sauna was in a large semi trailer that would be unable to get into their driveway or turn around to leave the house. Mark decided that it would be easier to pick the sauna up at the trucking company office so we drove into Eugene to get it. The man working at the freight company was very helpful and placed the three boxes containing the sauna into the pickup. The boxes were too wide to fit between the wheel wells so he put the boxes on four pallets and placed them into the pickup’s bed. The sauna weighed over 600 pounds and being raised made the load top heavy so we secured the load with rachet straps and started back east toward their house.

After arriving at Whittington’s house, we unloaded the boxes into a bay in the garage. We changed clothes for a trip to the Willamette National Forest where we planned to hike around Clear Lake, Since it was nearly 11 am by that time, we had an early lunch of rice cake and a yogurt parfait.

The drive to Clear Lake took over an hour northeast through the Willamette National Forest. We paid the $9 day use fee and took the path around the lake. As the name implies, the water in the lake is remarkably clear. The lake has a maximum depth of 170 feet and was created over 3000 years ago when a lava flow created a dam in the stream coming out of the mountains. As we walked along the five mile path around the lake, we went by the spring that is the origin of the McKenzie River lava fields and hemlock forests.

Sahalie Falls

After returning to the car, we drove down the McKenzie River to Sahalie Falls, a 120 foot waterfall in the McKenzie River. Sahalie Falls is the first in a series of three waterfalls and many rapids in the river within a short distance. The trail out to the falls from the parking area was short and provided great views of the falls.

After arriving back at the house, we had dinner of a Caesar salad and butternut squash soup that Mark made. I went upstairs to read but was asleep by 7:30. I woke around 10 pm, brushed teeth and went back to bed.