26.2

Supposedly, marathons have a Greek origin. Something about running as far as you can to deliver a message and then dying. Regardless of who died while running, I can tell you that after my first it may have well as been me.

I completed my first marathon, The Shamrock on Sunday. I am now re-learning how to walk.

My goal was to go out in nine minute and forty-five second miles, and then swagger back the last thirteen miles at a nine minute fifteen second pace. What actually happened was I went out a little too fast, and I came back a lot too slow. I ended up finishing in four hours... Oh, I wish. It was four hours and eight unforgiving seconds. Salt to the wound, my Garmin says I ran an extra half mile.

The race was very well organized. I was impressed with electronic the check-pointing, the sheer volume of happy volunteers and all the hot stew and beer a guy could want in a big warm wind-proof tent at the end.

Link to race pics by MarathonFoto.com

Stairway

Currently there is a 16' extension ladder in the well where the Falcons loading ramp should be. I've pondered about what to do. Building this thing, it's always about the illusion of space ship and the reality of a treehouse.  Case in point, if I were to imagine that there really was a Lucasfilm movie prop hovering 12 feet over my backyard I would also have to see that even with the ramp open, it wouldn't be near to touching the ground. I think my solution will be to make a stairway slotted right up into the ramp well of the Falcon where the bottom half looks like something from Endor and the top half abruptly looks more monchromatic and architectural. Who knows, maybe Ewoks built a stairway to get to the ramp(?) Regardless, I need a big-honk'n stair case, and it's got to be good for out doors and pitched at a fairly steep grade of 40 degrees. 

So next problem. On a budget of 40 bucks a week, where do I find this staircase? Improvise. I found a poplar tree in the yard that had fallen but not all the way to the ground. In fact, on the slope where it has fallen to a good chainsaw working height from the ground. In stages I first striped the sides, top and bottom from the tree. Then came back with a protractor and ruler and marked it up. After some careful cuts I made the stairs, then I split them up the middle to make the runners. Now I have now made the runners for my custom staircase. I'll leave them attached to the stump and hanging in the air for a few weeks to dry. Once I'm ready, I'll cut them loose and see how they work in the treehouse.

Convertible

I assembled several parts for the roof over the 'engine' part of the falcon today. The back fan of the falcon has 6 circular shapes. Maybe they are exhaust ports? Anyway, they look like the tops of 5 gallon paint buckets to me, so that's what I used. As part of a treehouse I wanted to make them into skylights for the interior. To do this I made 6 bucket-dimater holes through plastic white shed roofing, inserted the bucket collars in the holes and mounted the whole lot on a wood framed piece of plexiglass. The plexiglass will keep the weather out but let the light through.

The back fan is sort of pie shaped, the piece I completed today is a mostly square inset which slides away from the center of the tree. Sue requested that portions of the roof should roll back so that we can still enjoy the sky from the tree platform on a clear night. So, the Minimum Falcon is now a convertible.