The way of the samurai.

The patio cover project moves forward. Yesterday my dad and I poured the footings. This proved to be the most difficult stage of the project thus far, and it required us to Williams it up a little.

What does the verb "to Williams" mean. Well, many things, depending on the situation. In Saturday's context it meant to push forward with a project, despite uncertainty regarding the outcome; to wing it; and to work only with the materials in one's immediate vicinity despite the ready availability of perhaps more fitting materials nearby (i.e. at Home Depot), even if that means constructing or otherwise modifying existing materials so that they 1) no longer function as intended and 2) somewhat resemble and mimic the functions of that other, desired object.

How'd it go down. We were pouring footings with brackets embedded in them, and the brackets need to be absolutely level and square to the other brackets 10' to 12' away in order for the finished structure to be level and square. No big deal, but we were working in a tight space that became ever tighter the more we modified our forms to level and square the brackets. When it came time to smooth and finish the concrete around the brackets, we found my dad's finishing tool to be about two inches too wide to fit between the forms and the bracket. Problem: The cement must be perfect. Solution: 1) drive to Home Depot and buy a new, smaller finishing tool for $3 to $5 or 2) modify the tool in hand.

Two: The modification of the tool began logically enough — if we could bend two inches of the tool up out of the way, it would work. However, the tool was made of a stiff metal and was only 3" by 5", so there was no leverage, and thus no easy bending being had. Nor would the metal yield to a saw. Part of it bent when wedged into a crevice in the cement and kicked, but we needed an evener bend than that method would allow. Hammering the metal against the curve of a cement step also failed. Final solution: Placing the tool on end between two boards, stepping back, then jumping on the board, creating a sandwich action that bent the tool and snapped off the tool's handle, yet yielded a twisted metal contraption narrow enough to fit between the tight spaces left by our improvised forms.

Worked, though. And it's really not about the means. Anyone who has seen my dad's remodeled house, or any of his other work, knows that he produces precision craftsmanship, excellent work, and there's no question that the footings will hold stable what will be, in the end, an indestructible, appealing patio cover.

To Williams.

Now we let the footings set for two weeks — then we build!

Jason