May 8 - 23, 2026 Kiosk Project - Mayfest - Making of Kiosk Doors - Mother's Day - Change in Kiosk

My Blog Reflection

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.

Albert Einstein

May 8, 2026:

Recently a Mountain Bike Trail was built at Legion Lake here in Perryville. The build project included a kiosk on which maps, information, etc., could be posted. The posting surface on the kiosk is just a sheet of plywood under a roof. Here is a picture of the front and back. Anything posted on it would blow away in an instant.

The powers to be thought locking glass doors were needed on both sides to protect anything posted. They contacted the Perryville Rotary Club. We were able to obtain a grant from our Rotary district to pay for locking glass doors for the front and back of the kiosk. I was "volunteered" to make these doors. LOL. I have until May 30th to get them built and installed.

The other day Alexa and I picked up the wood needed from the lumber yard. Since the kiosk is out in the weather we purchased treated 1 x 6s. These will be  sawn down the middle to make door frames 2 3/4 inches wide. 

We cut the boards to length and then split them on the table saw. Here is Alexa gathering some more table saw skills and learning to keep her fingers far away from the blade.

After splitting all of the pieces we mitered the corners. For four doors there are eight side pieces and four top and four bottom pieces. Here is a picture of the stack of pieces cut to make the four doors.

Each piece now needs to have a 1/2 inch deep groove cut in it to hold the plexiglass in place. The plexiglass is 1/4 inch thick so I want the groove to be 5/16 inch wide so there is no binding when installed in each frame.

Daughter Erin sent Kelly five pre-packaged meals for Mother's Day. They arrived early so Kelly fixed one for supper tonight. It was "Salmon Cakes with Roasted Potato Wedges".  The meal even came with Tartar Sauce and a fresh lemon. The meal was excellent and enjoyed with a nice glass of white wine.

 

May 9, 2026:

Alexa, Aaron, Kelly, and I met up with Mary Bock and her daughter, Jennifer, to listen to music on the Courthouse lawn at the Mayfest. Having found a shade tree to sit under we stayed for about three hours. It was a beautiful afternoon to sit outside. It is the first time I have attended the Mayfest in at least fifteen years. Here is a picture of us under the shade tree and a picture of the crowd at picnic tables under tents nearby.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Mary gave Kelly ten cans of "Steak n Shake Chili", her absolute favorite. Kelly was thrilled. We got home about 7:00 p.m. and each had a can for supper.

May 10, 2026:

This morning I cut the 1/4 grooves in all of the kiosk door pieces. Tomorrow morning Alexa will come over and we will work on cutting biscuits into each mitered corner to make the frames. A biscuit cutter cuts a slot in each piece of wood to be joined. The biscuits are wooden pieces you purchase. They are inserted with glue halfway into each piece of wood to secure the pieces together. Here is what a biscuit looks like. 

Due to the large size of these doors, I am using the largest biscuits, which are "No. 20". Here is a picture of my biscuit cutter. You can see the slot near the bottom where the blade comes out to cut the wood in a semicircle for the biscuit to be inserted.

Here is the mitered end of one piece of the frame. The arrow points to the area where the biscuit cutter will make it's cut. On the left of the board you can see the groove cut to hold the plexiglass.

The groove on each piece MUST match the groove on the adjoining piece so that the plexiglass will slide correctly into the frame. The wood we are using is treated pine and today I noticed that not all pieces of the wood are exactly the same thickness. This will present a challenge in lining up the grooves before making cuts for the biscuits. Once all of the biscuits are glued in place and the glue dried, each corner will be air-nailed for additional strength. We will have to make three sides, insert the plexiglass, then glue and nail the top piece. Alexa's pair of hands will help greatly with this.

It is Mother's Day so Kelly put me to work making one of the pre-packaged dishes Erin sent her for Mother's Day. Kelly picked out "Cream Spinach Cavatappi". They send along great instructions so I got to work chopping the spinach, etc. It took about twenty minutes to prepare. I was a little nervous because I didn't want to screw up the meal but it turned out delicious.

May 11, 2026:

Alexa and I started cutting biscuits and assembling pieces. We quickly found two long side boards that are bowed out badly. I clamped them to a straight edge and soaked them with water to see if they will straighten out in a day or two. If not I will have to purchase another board and make two new side pieces. I'm probably lucky that only two long pieces bowed out. The bowing of these boards is a result of the lumber being stored outside, constantly getting wet, and the liquid product they soak the boards in to make them "treated" to last longer out in the elements.

We also found one bottom board that was bowed up in the middle. I clamped it to the saw table as well and soaked it with water.

We cut all of the biscuits on the boards and then began to assemble one door. I needed long clamps for this project. Here it is the first door on the table. Once the glue dries on the bottom, before final assembly I want to take it out to the kiosk and make sure I haven't miscalculated any measurements. I only have one surface in the shop large enough to glue these doors. We will glue the rest on the garage floor.

Alexa had to work on Mother's Day so she and Aaron celebrated Mother's Day with us today. For supper they warmed up one of the meals Erin had sent. This meal was "Sweet & Savory Brisket with Cheesy Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli". Kelly added spring rolls, which came separately, and some of the asparagus Bob and Ronnie dropped off the other day. Like the previous meals this one was well made and enjoyed.

 

Bob and Ronnie have kept us supplied in fresh asparagus all season. This was their last batch as they left for their cruise to Alaska.

May 12, 2026:

We took the first door frame out to the kiosk to make sure there were no miscalculations. The two side pieces of wood that bowed badly did not straighten out so we purchased another board and cut two new side pieces. We then glued the side and bottom pieces on all four doors. After that I headed to Liberty Glass and ordered the four pieces of plexiglass cut to size. 

May 15-17, 2026:

Kelly and I have been dealing with the worst stomach flu either of us ever had. we are hoping to be able to eat come rice today and keep it down.

May 19, 2026:

I am still dealing with the stomach flu but felt well enough to pick up the four pieces of plexiglass and, with Alexa's help, install them in the frames. The doors with 1/4 inch plexiglass are heavy so I ordered more hinges. There will be five hinges on each door to support the weight. Here is a picture of the four doors with the tops being glued and clamped. Tomorrow we will air-nail all corners. The doors will be ready to be hung on the kiosk when the rest of the hinges arrive.

May 22, 2026:

A milestone today. The truck turned 222,222 miles as I pulled into the garage. We love our Toyota truck.

Work continues on the kiosk glass doors. Today I sanded and air-nailed all of the corners.

Later in the day I went out to the kiosk and found that a map had been posted on the front side which takes up the entire front of the kiosk. It was mounted by someone using wooden strips. These mounting strips totally screwed up how I was going to mount the two doors on the front. I had no idea the map was going to be this size. No one had talked to me about it. I made four doors, two for the front, and two for the back, as instructed. Here is a picture of the mounted map.

After talking to Alex, Rotary President, we decided to eliminate the front two doors I made and order one piece of plexiglass to be mounted to the wooden frame to protect the map from the weather and vandalism. I ordered the piece of plexiglass. Once it is received holes will be drilled so that it can be screwed in place, more or less permanently. 

I must admit I was quite miffed that no one talked to me about the size of this map, etc. It would have saved me a lot of work to only make two doors rather than four, plus it would have saved some expense.

May 23, 2026:

Memorial Day Weekend and what are Mike, Kelly, and Alexa doing? Working on the kiosk!

Kelly, Alexa, and I went out to mount the two doors on the back side of the kiosk. Once they were mounted and the lock installed it was clear that some cabinet latches were needed to hold the doors in place against the frame. We purchased two catches for each door, top and bottom, and installed them. Here is a picture of the doors installed. Lots of information can be posted here about park rules and activities.

With the exception of mounting the front plexiglass when it is cut, the project is complete. The cost was covered by a Rotary grant. I do not intend to let myself be "volunteered" for anything like this in the future.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

 

 

April 17 - May 5, 2026 - French Toast - Lunch-Kill Switch- Rib Roast Dinner - Porch Railing Repair - Cat Gate - Garage Carpet - Crawfish Dinner

My Blog Reflection

What strikes me is that there's a very fine line between success and failure. Just one ingredient can make the difference.

Andrew Lloyd Webber

April 17, 2026:

Early this morning I dropped the truck off at the shop for a scheduled appointment. When we got back from Florida the brake fluid reservoir was down to within a half inch of the bottom. There was no fluid anywhere around the master cylinder, or any wheel cylinders, or on the garage floor. This had happened before and they couldn't find any leak. Late morning the shop called and they found that the master cylinder was leaking into the brake booster. $800.00 for the part to repair it. What could I do but "ok" the repair? I need brakes!   

I decided to make French Toast for breakfast. I cannot eat French Toast without thinking about my former employer and friend, Ray Kreitz, and his wife, Sarah. Ray owned Western Display Service in St. Louis and when I was in college and law school he employed me part-time to help decorate grocery stores, car dealerships, and taverns, for the Christmas holidays, and for other jobs he had around his house.  

We started the Christmas decorating the weekend before Thanksgiving and worked both days of every weekend until we finished. Back then the grocery stores were all closed on Sunday, which allowed us to work much faster without customers to work around. The owner would show up, lock us in, and we would call him when we were finished so we could go to the next job. 

We started at 5:00 a.m. and put in a full day to get as much done each day as possible. Ray would have me come to his house about 4:00 a.m. so Sarah could make us a nice breakfast. She always made French Toast and it always had Apple Butter on it. Ray loved Apple Butter and he often bought me a jar at one of the grocery stores where we worked. They were great people and working for him is a great memory. 

I stayed in touch with Ray over the years until he got dementia. After he died Sarah moved to Oregon to be near her daughter. She and I communicated by letter for several years until she didn't respond anymore.

One day in May of 2021 my daughter, Erin, was contacted on Facebook by a lady asking if she was related to me. The lady was Sarah's daughter-in-law and she was trying to get in touch with me. Sarah was 93 years old and on her deathbed. She told her daughter-in-law that she would love to talk to me before she passed. I can't remember the daughter-in-law's name but Erin gave me her number and I called her. The first call I made Sarah was sleeping and the daughter-in-law said she would call back. A few hours later I received a call and talked to Sarah, who was obviously very weak. We had a short but heart-warming conversation. As I hung up the phone I couldn't help but feel extremely touched that this lady, after decades, had expressed talking to me as one of her last wishes. Her daughter-in-law messaged me later that day that Sarah died  that very day. I am so thankful for that conversation and the daughter-in-law's effort to contact me.

April 18, 2026:

Bob and Ronnie invited us over for a late lunch. Bob made up a dish of country ham, fresh asparagus, bowtie pasta, and onions, all sauteed together. It was quite good and there were no leftovers.

For dessert they served a homemade Apple-Mincemeat Pie, which was topped with a generous amount of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

After eating we had a nice visit before heading home for the evening.

April 19, 2026:

When we returned from Florida the grass needed to be cut desperately. I found the lawnmower battery to be totally dead. I had this problem before and under warranty they replaced the ignition switch, which they said was drawing power even when turned off. I'm not sure if the dead battery this time was from sitting all winter with the draw of the LCD hour meter on it, or if the ignition problem still exists. 

It is a pain to disconnect the battery, which is up under the seat, so I purchased a battery disconnect switch from Amazon. When it arrived it was MUCH more heavy duty than I envisioned from the picture. The switch and mounting bracket are both heavy duty steel. It is a switch used to cut off battery banks in a huge yacht or motorhome. Nonetheless, it will work. 

This mower is a commercial mower and the frame is made of 3/16 or heavier steel, all of which is powder coated to deter rust. Because of this I didn't want to drill a new mounting hole where rust might form if I didn't have to. I looked around and found a slot in the metal frame near the rear wheel. I was able to bolt the switch bracket on there. Here are two pictures of the install. The switch location works out to be convenient because I can reach it from the seat if needed.

Kelly invited John and Carlene over for dinner. Kelly made a standing rib roast and roasted asparagus. Carlene brought potatoes and onions as well as a dessert.

The meal was delicious! This was our first visit with Carlene and John since they came down to Florida in early March. We never run out of things to talk about with them.

April 21, 2026:

I worked on Alexa's front porch stair rail, which is loose at the bottom. We have the exact same railing in Florida and had the exact same problem. There is no way to take the rail apart from the base to attempt to tighten it or strengthen it in any way. The base is riveted into the concrete step. It is not made to be taken off. 

Here is a picture of the rail base area. The arrows point to where the post fits into the base and becomes loose from years of use.

Last year in Florida I roughed up the entire area and coated all around the post and base with a layer of JB Weld. JB Weld is a thick epoxy which contains some metal and sets up like iron. The repair in Florida worked great so I'm making the same repair to Alexa's rail. Here is a picture of the first coat of JB Weld. It is crude because is is like working with sticky toothpaste. It will be sanded down and a second coat put on, which will also be sanded before painting.

We both had a hankering for tuna casserole so Kelly made one for supper. She likes crackers on top, I like cheese on top so she made half and half. It was quite tasty and will make several meals for us.

April 22, 2026:

Back at Alexa's house I ground down the high spots on the JB Weld stair rail repair and put on a second coat of JB Weld for more strength. I will let it set for twenty-four hours and then grind and sand everything smooth. It should then be ready for paint.

In the afternoon back home I took advantage of the beautiful weather to sand a rusty area of one of our patio chairs and paint it with two coats of rust inhibiting paint. It looks like new. 

I then called about the truck, which was has been in the shop since last Friday. Eric told me they ordered the master cylinder and it ended up being the wrong one. The bad news is that only Toyota makes the exact replacement for my truck. The price for the part went from $800.00 to $1,300.00! I have no choice but to pay it. I need brakes. If the part comes in tomorrow it should be ready by Friday.

April 23, 2026:

At Alexa's house I pushed on the stair rail to check its strength and the JB Weld immediately cracked. What? Apparently the strain I put on it with a strap to make the rail plumb was just too much for the JB Weld. I had to grind some of the JB Weld off and fabricate a piece of metal for a brace on the opposing sides of the post to handle the strain. After I screwed on the metal reinforcement pieces I again coated everything with JB Weld. I will let it sit for a couple of days to cure totally. This result was not expected.

 

In the afternoon Kelly, Alexa, Aaron, and I went out to the lake lot to cut up a couple of big limbs that had fallen, and to burn brush that had accumulated. We planned to use the brush fire in the fire pit to roast hot dogs and make smores while there. We cut up the big branches with the chainsaw but decided it was too windy to burn brush. I had some charcoal in the shed so we built a small fire in the pit for roasting the hotdogs and smores. Aaron's cousin, Corey, was in town so he came out to the lake and joined us for dinner. Kelly brought along a salad she had made and it was eaten as well. I had two hotdogs, but no smores, I don't care for them. I neglected to take any pictures.

April 27, 2026:

I picked up the truck. The bill swelled to $1,990.00 with an oil change, tire rotation, and inspection. Easy come, easy go.  We made a trip to the Rural King store in Cape Girardeau to purchase a metal gate that Alexa wants installed between her house and the garage to keep the cats in the backyard. We also stopped at Harbor Freight and bought some cheap wheels to put on the gate so Alexa can roll it open and closed. I also made a couple of brackets to hold the gate in place at the house and at the garage.

April 30, 2026:

John and Carlene had new flooring installed in their basement some time back. I asked them to save me a piece of the old carpet so I could replace the carpet I have in the garage to catch dirt from being tracked in the house. I unrolled it today and laid it down. It looks much better than the old green carpet that had been down for about 20 years. The light color may not last too long. LOL

May 1, 2026:

At Alexa's house, after a final sanding of the JB Weld repair, I spray painted the area with white paint. Here are a couple of pictures. The railing no longer wobbles.

May 2, 2026:

Alexa, Kelly and I headed to the Apple Creek Winery where we met Carlene and John for a Crawfish Dinner. I haven't eaten crawfish for a couple of decades. It was much too cool and windy to sit outside.  We didn't know what to expect for the crawfish dinner. We ordered four of them and each contained: 2 lbs of crawdads, a couple of new potatoes, and a half corn on the cob. Here is a picture as we begin to dive in. There were no crawfish to take home. Alexa took all the bodies home to make a seafood bisque.

It was a great meal and a great visit with great friends. I was the only one who sucked the heads. LOL

May 4, 2026:

Today I went over and installed the two brackets for Alexa's "Cat Gate". Alexa is thrilled with the gate. Here is a picture. The wheels allow her to roll it along the garage wall and out of the way when not in use.

There was no drip edge installed over the old cellar door, only a piece of rubber tacked on the top of the door. We tore this off when we rebuilt the door sometime back. Without a drip edge, during the last big rain the water cascaded down the outside wall and into the basement steps. I couldn't find a drip edge for this type of installation in town so I ordered one online. It arrived a couple of days ago so Aaron and I installed it. I was quite surprised at the thickness and quality of the aluminum.  Here is a picture of it installed before the next rain hits. It should deflect all water on to the door and away.

May 5, 2026:

Happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone!