After leaving Klamath Falls, Oregon yesterday and driving twelve hours to a view point overlooking the Pacific ocean aside the interstate highway in Camp Pendleton, California, I stop to park for the night.

The drive last night through Los Angeles and Orange County was a trip down memory lane, and this memory was 51 years ago during the time when I was married to Becky Rose and together, we traveled to my first duty station in southern California at the El Toro Marine Corps air base.

Yes, all along this IH 5 drive, I would see communities as well as exits that I had once gone before over fifty years ago and not since. One thing that I was both shocked and appalled about was the massive over growth of the megalopolis that has expanded to cover the entire south coast from Los Angeles to San Diego.

Awake, dress in my summer blues, step outside to look at the view and notice several Marine Corps Assault Amphibious Vehicle driving south on the upper beach road.

I then leave the viewpoint, drive to the w-mart for coffee, com and key pounding. Then, at about nine I call Richard to tell him that I the w-mart and he answers that he will meet me here in a short time. I continue pounding keys and when he shows up, I pack out and follow him to the mobile home park where he now lives. He drives, not to his home, but to the home that his mother has purchased and we both get out and do a walk through and talk about what needs to be done.

The job site is located on Hummingbird Lane in Oceanside, California. When we arrive, we discuss the project and what he would like for me to accomplish in the upcoming weeks during my stay here in Oceanside, California. As with past projects, I start my work week on Sunday and end it on Saturday.

Just one more of the many work projects that I have been doing despite the fact that I am retired and to be honest, I really do not want to work any longer. However, one of the reasons that I do is that the money I make from this job will go a long way in my accumulating the necessary funds to purchase new electronics that I use daily; such as a computer and camera.

Further, there is a new Black Friday up and coming later in November.

Thus, the next work project begins.

First, I address the old wobbly wooden steps at the rear of the home, one which I will be using constantly during my work here, and one in which the homeowner, Patricia will use as the primary entrance.

Not only do I strengthen the steps, but I install a new foundations of bricks under the steps.

I begin by gathering all available bricks and concrete blocks. Then I install and level several bricks where the steps will be located. After installing the steps and returning the black plastic over them, I then begin to set the flat concrete steps all around the steps which will block the steps from moving off of the foundation.

Finally, I re-install the steps and continue with setting flat concrete steps around the stair steps.

Later, during my tour here at the Hummingbird House, I begin to redesign the concrete brick deck in order to get a more solid display of the concrete pattern.

Richard tells me that later, when he has more time, he will purchase more bricks to expand the patio deck all the way to the property line.

The first chore of this project is to purchase parts, which I do, but which requires me to go to three different stores to get everything that I need, all the clerks blaming the current pandemic for the shortage of inventory. Then, with the part in hand, I begin to assemble the outside lighting. I start on the one under the carport so that I have light at night while I am here. The second one is next to the rear entrance so that there will be light in the rear of the mobile home.

In the photo directly above, the rear light is attached to an existing box near the bottom of the rear door and then conduit is run up and around the corner to the top of the back wall.

At this point, I have yet to install the third security light, which will be used to light up the west side. However, installing the third one should be done very soon.

The carport is hard surface, but from the utility service entrance to the back and around the back, the ground cover is all gravel with some scattered flat concrete stepping stone. I pull up all of the stepping stone and used them for the rear entrance. (Click to see the before photo.)

Also, so that Richard and I can pour concrete for a driveway extension, I begin digging up the gravel at the end of the asphalt and building forms to pour concrete into.

Too, there is going to be a concrete walkway from the driveway extension between the two sheds all the way to the rear of the property. From the end of the concrete, Richard and I have not fully discussed what will tie the concrete walkway to the rear entrance and deck.

Right on the heals of the electrical upgrades is the new water and sewer rebuild, which includes replacing the old piping with new pipe. In the case of the water pipe, the old galvanized pipe, by rusting on the inside has decreased the water pressure tremendously, so that pipe will be disconnected, some of it removed and completely replaced with plastic Pex water lines.

We continue work on the water entrance service box and install the 3/4 inch white pipe into a valve, a union and then under the mobile to the header block which will disperse the cold water to the water heater, outside spigots, the kitchen and bathroom sinks, the toilet, the shower mixer valve, and the washer machine.

Once I open the electrical breaker boxes, I have to discern what someone else had done before I came on the job site. After cleaning up some of the unprofessional work, I come to understand that a new service box has been installed and a thirty amp breaker is used to provide a thirty amp service in the old breaker box. Doing this provided more overall circuits for the home.

I add a new circuit into the new breaker box which will provide a new twenty amp circuit for the bathroom and outside cooking area.

Finally, the wires beneath the circuit breaker boxes are enclosed in a wall container to both protect the wires and prevent easy access.

Next, the circuit breaker boxes and the original electrical schematic drawing are all covered with tape and paper to protect the when the closmet is spray painted.

Now for the final additions to complete the electrical upgrades to the Hummingbird House, including the third outside security light.

Then, the primary work for a time is to help Richard install the new interior Pex plumbing, where we begin to connect the cold water branches from the cold water header block to each of the many water valves.

Richard does the under mobile work while I provide the go get-do this chores for him, so that when he is under the mobile, he does not need to climb back out.

Also, when he leaves for his work in the city during Thursday and Friday, I will do electrical upgrades on his home.

During the beginning of the Hummingbird House project, I am able to take hot showers in the existing tub.

After disconnecting the existing galvanized pipe plumbing, I have been taking cold water buck baths at first in the old salmon colored tub. However, once the tub is removed for the installation of the new shower base and surround, I have had to take bucket baths outside behind the jammer which is parked in the car part in front of the storage shed.

While we are installing the interior plumbing, both Richard and myself realize that the current bathroom electrical receptacle is woefully inadequate for using any modern appliances, especially a hair dryer. So, I replace the existing receptacle with a blank plate and since there is an additional space in the breaker box, install a new bathroom circuit and GFCI receptacle. Too, load from this circuit is routed to the master bedroom as well as to the outside cooking area above the deck were additional receptacles are installed.

After all the plastic water lines are run from the header to the several locations, work now begins on installing the Pex connector on the interior ends and then attaching the quarter turn valves.

After the quarter turn valves are installed, the next step is to reconnect the metal braided water lines from the sink faucets, toilet and other areas.

On Thursday of this week, I drive to the Swallow House, where Richard and Kim live, to work on some electrical upgrades. The first job is to install a flood light over the rear of the concrete patio, which will be a new outdoor circuit and include a switch and receptacle on the west side of the patio. Richard has asked me to paint all of the conduit and other parts white, so I use some cans of paint that I find at the Hummingbird House. I am able to finish this section of the circuit and when I return at a later time, I will run conduit overhead and then down along the mobile where I will install a GFIC receptacle after which the wire will enter the underside of the mobile and travel to the breaker box.

At some future date, I will return and finish the circuit to the breaker box and also install receptacles in the kitchen on two sides of a food preparation island. However, for now, when Richard arrives back from his work, we continue working on the Pex wiring at the Hummingbird House.

On Sunday afternoon, the work resumes with Richard and myself begin installing the new water lines into the back of the water heater closet.

After pulling the cold water line (blue) into the water heater closet, we both agree that it will be easier to remove the water heater to complete this job right.

Then we see what fifty years has done to this floor!

With better access now, I remove all of the old copper and galvanized pipes. Next, I remove the old floor tile and vacuum the closet floor. After all the wet insulation is removed, I then cut a piece of 3/8 inch plywood to fit over the bottom of the closet floor and then screw it down to the sub floor.

Richard then paints the new floor with an oil base paint to help waterproof it, after which he paints the entire closet with interior paint.

Later, we install the new red, hot water plastic pipes. From the water heater, this first red pipe is run to a centrally located pipe header block, which will disperse the hot water to the several hot water faucets in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry area and one to an outside sink where Richard believes that his mom will do most of her cooking.

After two long days, we then finish all of these red pipes, however, the pipes are just stubbed up through the floors at each location and we will have to make the connection for the valve at a later time.

After allowing the paint in the water heater closet to dry, I then finish installing the vent cutout. Then, I reinforce the stud walls, after which I attach the new earthquake proof strapping onto the stud walls.

At the top of the closet, the cold water shut off valve is attached to the top of the Pex blue line and then to both lines are added the new flex cable which will connect to the top of the water heater.

Finally, the water heater is re-installed into the water heater closet, the straps attached around the front of the heater,