How To Doctor A Dock

First, you need a dock that needs doctoring.

What do you think?  Does my dock qualify?

Then you need some friends.  Quality friends.  Friends who not only have ambition and capability, but who are willing to use their fine qualities to help you out.  

Maybe that's the definition of "friends."

High quality and thirsty friends.

And if they're a little arrogant, it's no big deal.
It's a fine line between what is perceived as arrogance
and competent confidence.
I'll make no comment on lineage.

And tools.  You need tools.  Lots of them.  You can never have too many tools.

A small sampling of tools at the ready.

Tools are even more important if you use them.

And for doctoring docks, you also need specialty garments.

Gotta have waders.
Suspenders are not a bad idea either.

As evident from the initial dock photo, another key point in doctoring docks is that the water is low. The DEC (Department of Environmental Confusion) failed to close the dam on the advertised date, so the water level had not risen nearly to the MHWM (Mid-summer Happy Water Mark).  The spring runoff was pretty much over, and there had been no rain, so a semi-dry opportunity presented itself, even though we were in month #5.

The snow was almost gone.

With the planets properly aligned, it was time to commence work.

Hmmmm....
What to do...what to do?

Unassisted manual reconfiguration proved unsuccessful.

Perhaps a more-or-less level string for reference would help.

And a jack to take the weight off the posts
while you remake the supports.

Contrary to appearances, the design of the the dock is actually quite good for situations where the support posts will be moving due to shallow insertion depth.  In other words, it's a great design for a situation where shoddy work has been done to pound posts into the ground.

Steel pipes slip into the aluminum uprights.  Brackets welded to the top of the pipes are bolted to the dock.  In effect, the dock "floats" on top of the aluminum supports.  We just had to make a few "minor" modifications by shortening the supports.

The Dock Doc at work shortening a support.

Always good to have one of the crew who can fit into tight spaces.

Hope the jack is well situated.

Grinding off the unnecessarily high portion of the support.

Next one!
The added dynamic of water and muck made this much more fun.
If you stand in any one place for a time,
your feet get stuck in the muck.

I'm not sure that Cut Boy is enjoying the beautiful surroundings at this point.

He's looked at posts from both sides now.

Be sure to remove all debris from the water.
Don't want to make a casualty of an obvious observer.

Success in the shallows
means it's time to mess with the deeps.

Already looking much better.

"Better?  What are you talking about?
You've ruined my home."

A new challenge.
The upstream post is too short.

Crazy man with an electrically powered reciprocating saw
up to his waist in water.
He is not called "Cut Boy" for nothing.

And he also does finesse work with a hammer.

Do you think there is anything wrong with the closest post?

Using the jack, part 2.

Using the jack, part 2.5.

Some confusion here.
Perhaps we don't know jack.

More finesse, this time with a splitting maul.

Maybe the jack is better applied to the other side.

Yeah, this is better.

Then the jack fell of the the jury-rigged tree-trunk-support we had constructed.  For the fourth time.  After a sufficient amount of cussing and the required cooling off time, and after Mr. Homefries (unfortunately not pictured here) solved several previously insoluble physics problems, the jack went back into the water to perform its mission.

The jack is lag-screwed to board, and the board is screwed to trunk.
Disembodied arm and hand cling to dock.

All positioned more-or-less correctly,
the offending post was winched to a new position
and bolted in place.

A wonderful improvement it was, and it became even better the next day, when Plumb Bob (also unfortunately not pictured here) joined the crew, assisting with the search for a welder, and with corralling the rogue post in support of the dock.  

The repositioned dock became a sight to see.
"Behold, for that which was crooked is now straight,
and the unruly curves have been put asunder!"

Yes, this was another great weekend in the woods, working and carousing with friends.  Cue "Ya got to have friends," by either Bette Midler, or perhaps more appropriately, the Muppet version.

Chainsaw sharpening school.

How much wood would a wood splitter split...

Installing some naughty pine.

The Loonatics, May 2015

Good time had by all, and an incredible amount of work done, of which this account documents only a portion.  

Looking forward to doing it all again.

Snowflowers

April snowshowers bring no flowers?  Nawww...they bring snowflowers.

Really?  Who didn't get the "Winter is over" memo?

Here we go again!

Poor babies.

"What do you think, guys?  Open up?"

"No way.  We're staying inside."

Anyone up for the Polar Bird Plunge?

"Anyone seen my sunshine?"

Definitely not cornstarch.

Sometimes it is easier to endure with a friend...

...or a group.

Easier, but not easy.

And some are less affected than others.

Some appear to be built to catch the cold stuff.

Others are merely dusted.

And some rise above.

But none are unaffected.

Though life may be hard to bear,
do not despair.

This too shall pass.

Opening The Camp

It has been a long winter.  Even longer in the Adirondacks. 

Due to our only slightly less that stellar play in the Rochester Curling Club playoffs, we just happened to have a few days unassigned, so we were off to the camp for the first time since November.

It's long before the most people arrive, so the peaceful place is even more peaceful.

The snow is melting rapidly with the warmer temperatures.
The brook can't stop babbling about spring.

The hemlocks hang on to the midnight rain.

And the Polar Poodle dashes through the snow.
Yes, Mom's dog, residing with us now, is really a Bichon Poo.
We're getting used to each other.
It's not so bad to have a Bitchin' Poo.

She'll guard your fabulous dock for you.

A little work is called for.
Many of the support posts are leaning,
and one has detached itself completely.
I need a Dock Doc.

But the immediate job is saving the swim ladder.

 Despite the fast running water.

Someone forgot to take it out,
and while it survived the winter without incident,
high water and additional drag from clinging weeds
threatens dislocation or fracture.

Note the safety restraint.  If it goes, I hope it doesn't rip the board off the dock.

Mission accomplished without losing any parts into the swiftly flowing water,
and the ladder is only slightly modified.

Glad to have made the save.  Now it's time to put the tools away.

But what's that in the water out to the west?

Can't be a log...it's not floating downstream.

Looks like it's swimming.

It has ears!

...and it's climbing out of the water onto the ice.

Not much question...

It's a bear!

And a big one!

 Thank goodness I got the ladder out before he climbed up on our dock.

(Click on full screen to see him turn and look back at us.)

All that guard duty and dashing and bear watching was hard work.
Good to have a nice warm woodstove to curl up next to.

And doze until the sun goes down
and the geese honk farewell.