Perhaps this should be called "The Year of the Dock" since it was one of my prime concerns this year. Eventually I wanted a boat. I had been thinking about what kind of dock I wanted for several years now. When I had requested information from the Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Environmental Conservation earlier, they had sent a diagram of a "seasonal" dock - one that could be put in and removed each year - with a personal note "Easy to put up and remove - I put up 50' in 1/2 hour". The docks on either side of us were permanent with piles driven into the lake bottom. Many of the other docks in the area were seasonal. Some of the seasonal docks were removed each Fall, but many were left in place. I didn't relish the maintenance of a seasonal dock, but the pile-driven docks were expensive. The lake on which my parents had a cottage froze each winter and the ice twisted docks and boat hoists badly sometimes. I'd never seen Cayuga freeze except at the ends and I later read that the last time it had frozen was in 1934.
I decided that the expense of a permanent pile-driven dock would be worth it and called for estimates in mid-January. Unfortunately, I didn't have much choice. There seemed to be only one dealer with a pile-driving barge doing work on Cayuga at the time. During my search for such businesses, I was told that one old man who had been doing that kind of work for years had been found dead on his barge in the middle of the lake several days after his death the previous Fall. Another young man who had recently started in the business had a serious accident the previous year and was still recuperating. The remaining dealer told me that they would be starting to install docks soon while the water was still low and that they would be in touch.
Meanwhile Jim and I went to the boat show in Binghamton and began to get some idea of what was available in new boats and prices. It's nice to dream!
By May I had called about the dock a few more times with no results, then went to the annual "On the Water" boat show on Cayuga where I found a representative of the dock-building dealer and made arrangements for an estimate the following week. We agreed on a price, but the work wouldn't be done for a while since approval from the Army Corps of Engineers would take 6-8 weeks after they received the application. But at least things were progressing.
In the cottage I had not quite completed the spackling, sanding, priming, painting the previous year. I had to put the final coat of paint on many ceilings and walls and I still had some spackling to do in the sleeping loft and around the opening between the kitchen and living area; those rooms really just formed a large "L". I wanted to order carpeting, but I didn't want to lay it until I was done painting.
While I was painting I kept hearing an intermittent chirping sound. I couldn't figure out exactly where it was coming from or what it was. I began to think a small animal or bird might be trapped so I stopped painting to try to pinpoint the source. I sat under the cottage for a while without success and then tried the same on the second floor. It sounded so infrequently that I finally went back to my painting with one ear cocked. It was embarrassing when I finally realized that it was the downstairs smoke detector telling me that it needed a new battery.
The carpeting arrived and I became a carpet installer. I had ordered carpeting with foam backing - not the nicest carpeting in the world, but easy to install. What a difference it made in the appearance of the cottage! Now it really felt like a home and I was ready for more furniture. I bought a few pieces and moved some from home. I didn't want to invest a lot in furnishings since I knew it might not get the best care in a cottage but, at the same time, I wanted to be comfortable.
The pile-driving barge arrived at our beach toward the end of July, but the piles weren't driven until August 1. I hadn't been notified which day the work would be done; otherwise I would have tried to be there. The neighbors said it was a fascinating procedure. I was somewhat disappointed that it was only about 4 1/2 feet deep at the end when they were done, but they had done what I asked and the eleven piles extended into the water about 50 feet (4 pairs about 7 feet apart every 10 feet, then another pair about 13 feet apart and one more placed to complete the "L").
I had asked for two estimates - one for a complete dock and one for just the piles driven. I took the second choice and was happy that I had. It was nice to work on the water in the sun completing the dock. It was convenient to use the raft as a floating work platform; it fit nicely between the piles. My first job was to drill 3/4 inch holes through each pile (about 10-12 inches in diameter) to accommodate the 5/8 inch bolts with which the dealer had provided me. I was afraid enough of combining electricity and water to use a bit and brace - an old one that Dave had inherited from his father. I must have been using a little too much force, however, because I broke off the bit when it was almost completely imbedded in one pile; after much effort I managed to twist it out again. It was only when I rented a replacement bit that was sharp to complete the job that I realized how dull the original one must have been.
I had started looking for a used boat hoist after I had contracted for the dock. The manager of a local boat shop said his parents wanted to sell theirs. He planned to paint it, then he could float it down about 3 or 4 miles to locate it beside our dock. I looked at it and put a deposit on it. Now that the dock was in, I was ready for it.
I had been anxious to have friends enjoy the lake with me and decided that a dock building party would be just the thing. It was scheduled for August 27. I had arranged the decking, but had nailed only the ends; it needed a lot more nailing to feel solid. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day and we had a good solid deck by evening.
Occasionally I got a progress report on the boat hoist and a new estimate of when it would arrive. By December I asked for a return of my deposit unless it could be delivered by the next weekend. My deposit was returned; I think perhaps the plan to float the hoist down the lake had been a bit ambitious.