Yesterday’s task was the front porch. I spent most of the day pulling down old ivy, sweeping off years of leaves and cleaning the gutters. Once everything was clean I set about sanding the pillars so they can be painted. And that was it. Other than sitting on the steps and staring at the canal a few thousand times, the porch occupied my entire day.
Around 6pm I summoned the courage to walk next door and beg a shower. I went around to the back of the boathouse and climbed up the stairs to Logan’s place. I was pretty squeamish about the whole thing and almost went back home several times, except I wanted a shower so much more than I wanted to avoid awkwardness. When I reached the door there was note waiting for me…
Thisby - Thought you might want some privacy. Went into town to run a few errands, back around 7. Door’s open. Enjoy. - Logan
Hallelujah!! AC and a shower. I found the bathroom quickly, surprisingly clean for a guy, and jumped in without even waiting for the water to warm-up. You would think I had been in the jungle for three years, I was so excited. I had no idea how long I was in there, but when I came out of the bathroom Logan was sitting on his couch watching TV. I knew there was no way to use an attractive neighbor’s shower without an embarrassing moment of some kind.
I was about to thank him for use of his shower and make a hasty retreat when he asked if I wanted grab dinner. He didn’t turn around to see what state I was in (I was smart enough to bring jeans and a t-shirt with me) or make any comments about how long I had been in there (It turns out, he was back before 7pm, 6:25pm to be exact). I said dinner sounded good, I just wanted to drop my things at home, so we agreed to meet on the towpath at 7pm.
We walked up the canal and into town to Vic & Irv’s, a place my Dad took me to as a kid. It is just a fifties style burger joint, but they still have the best frozen custard I have ever had. We ate our burgers, got custard and walked back home. Along the way he apologized for returning early, to which I reminded him that it was his house and he was doing me a favor not the other way around. When we reached the boathouse I thanked him again and started along the towpath towards my house when Logan asked me why I wasn’t using the side gate. It seems that buried in the ivy covered stone wall that separates our properties is an iron gate I had not noticed due to all of the ivy that had grown over it. Much to my surprise, it still works. So now I have secret path to use when sneaking next door for a shower.
So tomorrow the roofers come. And it looks like I can get a plumber out next week to deal with the bathrooms. So I should be able to stop using the outhouse soon, but the bath is a different story. Since I am doing a historic rehab, I have to find “period” bathtubs. I may have to put in one of those all-in-one bath/shower deals for the short term. I can’t impose on Logan forever…