September is my favorite month of the year, I think. It’s still hot enough during the day to work up a sweat, but cools off in the evening for sleeping. It doesn’t get so cold though, that sweaters are needed. The light takes on that warmer, deeper quality. The cottonwood trees start to get little spots of gold in their canopy. In 2-3 weeks the aspens will start in with their display. The elk will start bugling and it will be cool enough for campfires. It is also the time of year when my outdoor projects tend to gain momentum. Probably because it’s not hot enough to bake my brain, when I’m working outside.
We’ve been working on our property, up in Northern New Mexico. During the Great Covid Shutdown of 2020 we built our little cabin. This summer, I’m adding a small “shower house” next to the camper. It will be a nice spot for guests that want to come up and hang out with us. The camper will have satellite internet access, and power, so Lyn will have a ”remote” office there.
We started work on it before I left for Italy, then tarped everything while I was gone. Since I’ve been back, I’ve framed up and sheathed the walls, put the roof on and installed the window. Next we’ll install the door and put the exterior siding up. Depending on how the weather behaves over the next few weeks, we will finish out the interior, run the grey water drain out and get the RV toilet installed. This all needs to be done before I head off to the Grand Canyon in the middle of October. We’ll see.
The shower house itself is simple: 8’x7’ floor plan with a single-pitch roof. 2×6 floor joists on 16” centers, 2×4 stud walls on 16” centers and 2×6 roof joists, covered with corrugated metal. I’ll insulate it, and instal soffit vents between the joists. Camp Chef makes a propane shower that I love, and use in the cabin. We’ll put one in here, as well.
The “to-do” list sounds worse than it is. The project is moving along pretty quickly, and should be ready before winter arrives!