Dan Antion

E O Hyphen – #1LinerWeds

T-Rex at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Later today, I will be at my favorite lumber yard, placing an order for the Trex™ decking we need to install five new steps/sets of steps. Of course, I also need deck boards to create a uniform platform outside of my workshop that is befitting the occupant who claimed that space as her own.

When I was planning this project, I suggested that we could use a less expensive composite decking material. Then I realized (perhaps with help) that although all of these structures are in the back yard, they are the stairs we use every single day. I think the Editor would that we deserve the same high-quality material under our feet that the mailman, the FedEx guy, the periodic salesman and every random Joe/Josephine running for office get to use.

I called the lumber yard on Monday for three reasons: 1) I needed to know in what lengths the deck boards are available. 2) I also needed to know if they could deliver these boards on Friday, if I order them later today, and 3) I was desperately hoping that better fasteners were available than the ones I had to use when I installed the decking 7 years ago.

Deck boards are available in 10, 12 and 16-foot (3, 3.6 & 4.8m) lengths. That’s perfect! An optimal mix of 12 and 16-foot boards will minimize waste on this project.

Friday delivery can be arranged for an order placed on Wednesday.

And my favorite answer:

“Oh, you were in that weird little window when they had switched from #2 square-head screws to #1 – those were awful. They have gone to a slightly larger Torx-head screw.”

Torx deck screw.

The #1 square-head screws were so tiny, that two horrible things happened. First, the driver bits broke. Second, if the driver bits didn’t break, the little square recesses became round and the screw could no longer be driven in. They had to be removed with the aid of a pair of Vise-Grip pliers.

Maybe it was John Holton’s take on the “ent-ten-net” #SoCS prompt that got me thinking about combinations, permutations and combinatorics, but I couldn’t help but notice that the solution to the Trex installation problem in the use of Torx screws. Now, perhaps, you’re wondering a little less about the title, “e” vs. “o” but what’s with that hyphen? Well, when I was searching my photos for the image of the busted driver bits, I searched on “trex” and I got the image I put in next to the badge – T-Rex.

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, I’d encourage you to join in on the fun. You can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

I no longer even try to get the shadows ;-)
One of the bunnies who call our back yard home.
The Connecticut River is running low again.
Good morning Hartford!
This means I am five minutes from work.
Sunrise behind the power lines.
The array of broken bits after day-1 of the porch installation in 2012.
MiMi has officially claimed the chair.
“Hi. Would you like to contribute to my family’s winter food supply?”
The leaves are starting to fall.
Smokey!
For Peter – These are the main distribution lines on their way to the airport.
Some early pretty fall colors.
The colors are starting to emerge.
Smokey has found a few acorns.
We are close to the airport.
Autumn colors and a little moisture.

68 comments

  1. It’s 5:30 am, Dan. Torx? Trex? Drivers and bits and square heads, oh my! I haven’t had my coffee yet. Lol. Lovely Fall images and much luck with your project. I hope you get the right thingamajigs for your whosiewhatzits. 😉

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  3. I thought it strange that you were seeing changing leaves already and then I realized – you old fool – It is October!!
    For a picture of power lines, that is a really nice picture of the sunrise as you attempt to get to work on time.

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    • Thanks GP. I’m going to miss that view. I would never see that, except for the fact that I stop at the park on the way to work. That’s actually from the shoulder of the on-ramp, and it’s quite a bit lower than the highway at that point. I like how the sunrise overwhelms the power lines, which, on their own, are quite large.

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  5. haha! I am so confused but if it works…..or should I say werkx? How can you refuse a squirrel who asks for his entire family? What a cutie. The leaves are so pretty. I’m still waiting on ours…..

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    • I was going to include photos of the different types of screws and drivers and a whole paragraph on square vs. Phillips vs torx – but I figured this was bad enough. I like your shot with ‘werkx’ – sorry :)

      The squirrels press their case, but then they sit and eat the peanut and beg again for one to take home.

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  6. I’m with Cheryl and it’s closer to 7:30 am for me. Not enough tea yet to sort out the differing screws for your steps. I walk past the aisle at the mega Fleet Farm with the mega pins of screws, bolts, nails, etc. and always wonder what it’s all used for and by whom. Maybe to build dinosaur houses?

    Nice photos of Mr. Bun-Bun and the wet, gold leaf. I fear we’re not going to enjoy our colors this fall if it doesn’t stop raining.

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    • Sorry, Mary. I knew this reaction was coming, but when I searched for the photo and got the T-Rex, I had to go with it,

      I am worried about our leaves. It was so hot and dry this summer, I’m not sure what we’re going to have for color.

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  7. Sounds like this project will soon be wrapping up. Maddie will be ecstatic!

    The expression on the bunny looks like the one MiMi gives you when you’ve annoyed her again with the camera! Squirrels look very well fed and healthy, and apparently they’re not the least bit shy about asking for additional food “for the family”. Yeah, right! 😂😂

    You’re ahead of us with beautiful fall colored leaves. Face it Dan, Maddie is never going to agree to a photo of shadows if she’s within range of that camera. 🤗
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    • Thanks Ginger. Maddie actually seems to speed up a little if I take my camera or phone out to catch those long shadows. The successful ones I have are when I’m holding her.

      The bunny did seem to be a little annoyed. I think it wanted to go back to eating. We sit it in our back yard, and we walk Maddie around it. It knows that it doesn’t have to run away, but it keeps an eye on us.

      I hope to start putting deck boards down soon. If we have good weather, and if the delivery is early, I’ll start this week. I won’t start a set of steps if I can’t finish, because it takes a door out of service.

      We just have a few random leaves falling for now. I wanted to get these pictures, with the grass in the background as opposed to a big pile of leaves.

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  8. Earlier this summer I was searching for Trex and got the t-rex information, too. I’d forgotten about that, but it is smile-worthy. Didn’t know about the change in screws, though. Will keep that in mind. Thanks.

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    • It did make me laugh, Ally. I knew I had that image of the broken driver bits, but I forgot about The T-Rex. I had to go with that. I am looking forward to the improved screws. I’m sure I’ll have some progress pictures.

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  9. It’s nice to see that you have a bit of fall color, Dan. Many of the trees in our area are heat-stressed because of the unusually hot and dry September that we had. It looks like many of the leaves will simply wilt and drop off of the trees. Today we are forecast to reach 96 degrees. In October!!!

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    • I am worried about that situation here, Mike. These are the first few leaves to be falling, but I’m not sure we’re going to get a lot of color this year. We’re going to hit 86 today. I think if we hit 90 degrees in October, my wife would make us move to Canada.

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  10. My nerdy DIY pulse is quickening in anticipation of those trex shots. :-) Your story reminds me of putting up our PVC white fencing when they supplied plastic brackets. Now, every so often, we have to replace four of them with the now metal ones. We did two so far this year. :-) Happy workdays.

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    • Thanks Judy. It stinks when you’re one of the people who bought during the “defective product” period, because there’s nothing you can do. I worry about having to replace any of the deck boards in the front, because those screws do NOT come back out! The heads strip almost immediately. If you’re lucky, the screw pops out a little bit and you can grab it with pliers, but there are 10 screws per board on the ramp, and I’m never going to be that lucky. I’m actually buying a little extra product this time so I have some spare material.

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  12. Dan – is this a decking project or a computer upgrade ? Installing new drivers ? And that jet looks like it is caught in a spider web. Now please excuse me while I make sure this coffee has some caffeine in it. Happy Wed

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  13. “These are the main distribution lines on their way to the airport.” Oh? Are they flying somewhere? I can only imagine what it will be like for them to get through security. :-)

    Wonderful photos, as always. Clearly, your phone has a much better camera in it than mine does! [wink]

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    • I was wondering who would point that out 🙂. Now, of course, I have to remind everyone that my wife does not edit the captions

      Thanks for the comment and a good laugh, Steve.

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  14. Dan, I rarely do a project where you get so much good news in one call. Mine tend to be more like “oh, no, we’ll have to deliver that next week” and “well, we can get CLOSE to that size”. And as for the screws? Not a chance. So glad you have much better luck!!

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  19. Let me get it out of my system, because I can’t help myself. I’m sorry you got screwed over with the screws the other time. (Horrible I know. I told you I couldn’t help it.) It sounds like everything is well under control with the project.
    Dan, those early morning city-scapes are flat out gorgeous! Great poses from all the furry friends. I especially enjoyed the expression on the bunny. Hugs on the wing!

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  23. I had to stop reading your post when I got to the word-combinatorics. I went to look it up because I had never seen or heard it before. When I read it had to do with Mathematics I thought, ” Oh good Lord, it’s math! No wonder I don’t know this word!” Beyond balancing my checkbook and my own finances math is pretty much lost on me.

    Maddie’s hair looks gorgeous in that light! I love your mornings on the river, and 5 minutes from work looks great too.

    Oh, when I read about the B-17 at Bradley airport I knew you were close to that. It’s so, so, sad, and tragic.

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    • I had to look that word up when John used it. It always amazes me when I read something in a blog post and then have a reason to include it later.

      I just realized that I won’t be commuting after the time change, so these dark views of the park will be my last, unless I make a special trip some morning (like when the Mrs. and the cats toss me out).

      The B-17 crash was awful. I wanted to say something about it today (Thurs) but I couldn’t deal with it.

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  24. Oh, I did come back and finish reading your post! So, delivery on Friday and with better screws too? Looking forward to reading about it, and seeing the project finished. You’ll have it done by the first snow? We had a storm on Saturday that dumped a bunch of snow on the mountains. It was and is gorgeous, but cold. I went on a fall color excursion this morning and it was 20 degrees outside! I can’t tell you how happy I was to have a working heater in my car and see the temperature had risen to 40 degrees when I started for home again. I had my seat heater on the whole hour drive home. I hope I survive this winter!

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    • This will be a big change for you. I hope you adapt (inverse) like the folks that move from here to FL. It must be do pretty to see the snow in the mountains.

      Are there places where you will be able to hike safely in the winter? You might have to buy some new gear. Our daughter hikes in the winter. I remember when she bought her winter boots – happy feet 🙂

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  25. Our deck is of composite material – it doesn’t fade or rust, and don’t have to paint it every few years – heaven! Also, it’s pretty strong material, hubs had to rebuild the whole deck over, because some knitwit carpenter put all the boards upside down, before we moved into the house. After that, it is now even sturdier (Hubs put some more reinforcements in:) Great plans, Dan. Hope you’ll be done before it starts snowing!

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  27. I’m impressed with your pre-planning. Reminds me of the post-it note I have sticking on my bulletin board “The planning is the work! – Dan Antion’s Friend” Hope the order you placed includes all the right parts and that your project goes as planned this weekend!

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  29. You seem to get better fog and more sunshine than we do. Like, your skies are often quite blue, or hazy full of fog. I have noticed with envy.
    Your squirrel photos are tops and I am so glad, if jealous, you have the pretty leafeses right now — but my favorite part of the post is how you determined The Editor et al should have Trex steps, too. Maybe we should look into Trex — like, will the Trex outlive us? Cause I gotta tell ya, we aren’t keen on replacing things, lol! Maybe we should build two and keep one wrapped in the garage for later…

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    • I have to give credit to the Editor for that line of reasoning. When we sided the house, she wanted vinyl siding that looks like wood shakes. It’s much more expensive than regular siding. I suggested that if we wanted to save some money, we could put regular siding on the back. She said, “but that’s the part we see.” Hard to argue. Trex will likely outlive us. The generic stuff I bought at Home Depot 15 years ago has held up pretty well. The Trex we used in the front still looks brand new after 7-8 years.

      As for the fog and skies, I think it varies. Some days, we get fresh weather off the ocean. Some days, we get your leftover weather.

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