[RHClarke]

You can never win with Ottawa weather. In winter we Hammond Barn types carp that it is too cold (and it is), in the spring time and fall we complain about the mud (and there is a lot of it), and in the summer we moan about the heat. Now I know that the Aussies may consider temperatures in the high 30oC range to be somewhat coolish, but for we northerners (who live in the south of our country), that temperature range is brain frying hot. You can count on both hands the number of days this year when working outside of the barn was "pleasant".

Despite the weather, things are happening at the Hammond Barn. Recently retired Bob has rekindled his love for tractors and with Grant's assistance, is restoring a few antique models. Bob also planted garlic and sunflowers in his spare time. When not tending his gardens he can be found in the barn working on the sheet metal for his CMP truck.

Grant has been busy this week fighting mother nature. He knocked down some robust weeds that threatened to take over the small wagon lines and more recently removed a number of stumps around the barn.

My CMP pursuits have been somewhat limited but there has been some progress on the HUP pilot model. I now have some nicely bent metal replacement parts for the rotted out doors. The next step is to restore the door structure and then map out how to restore the roof of the truck. I have plans to remove the body from the frame to look for damages and to prepare for sandblasting.

Our most recent activities centered around a custom winch installation for some chaps (David Moore and Tom Lodge) from down Kingston way. Bob can provide the details on how things went as I had to head for home for some domestic chores before the task was completed.

Photos:

1 - Grant at the controls of the stump eater (Bob really wanted to play, too.)
2 - Todays project - install winch
3 - The planning session
4 - Bob making fire (fabbing up a part)
5 - Quality control at its finest...