Greetings all!

Anyone who has ever taken on a large scale project can probably relate to how much other chores and routine maintenance projects get neglected. It is no different here.

Last week I had a big flame event while grilling chicken; something I’ve done every week for over three years without ever having had that happen. Cameron decided it was past time to deep clean the grill which looks like the inside of a volcano. After hours of toiling, replacing incinerated flame tamers with new ones, and clearing a lot of molten ash he decided that we had already lost so much of the day to it that he might as well pressure wash the whole porch, which also means stripping the cushions of their covers and laundering them, blasting the ceiling, screens, furniture, and floor, all of which were pollen encrusted. Big, big job. That Generac pressure washer means business. All of this is to say that we lost all of Saturday to home maintenance that had been neglected for too long. We love this space; it was completed late summer of 2019, months before the pandemic, and was a luxury to have during a time when we were all so hemmed in.

Now for some laser fun. Cameron wired the controller to the chiller and laser power supply, connected the chiller to the machine and installed the laser tube. With some reluctance/anxiety, he fired the laser for the very first time. We’re keeping it real here so I’m sharing five sequential videos of what happened tonight; watch them in order for the best understanding of where we are. I’m told that you have to go to WordPress to see the videos unlike the still photos which can be seen in your email. Honestly I still don’t understand why that is; this interface is clunky to me but I’m an artsy English major so what do I know? So, here ya go!

So, Cameron said he wants to consult the Rezo forum for some alternative ideas about the test firing and laser calibration. We had hoped to do a small test cut of something that wouldn’t produce a lot of smoke (like a little bit of paper maybe) this weekend but the grill and porch ate an entire day. I’m hoping that Cameron can steal a few evening hours this week that would set us up for a test cut before next weekend but work is really busy and there are only so many hours in a day. He likes to sleep at night, eat meals, and get some exercise so the clock is not his friend.

Thank you all for your interest and enthusiasm; the acrylic is supposed to arrive tomorrow (all except for the big top piece…I’m still fretting about that) and we really are circling the final leg of this build. It’s exciting!

Wishing everyone a great week!