Bob has spent the last week or so painting the outside of the barn. The barn is very tall, so Bob has spent most of the last week or so standing on a scaffold. He started by painting the front and gradually worked his way around to the back. The back presents a particular challenge, as one of the faces is set back a bit, making it impossible to reach from a scaffold. Enter Bob and his uncanny genius for ramshackle contrivance.

Using a combination of boards, some leftover Ikea shelving, two metal ladders, and an old blue tarp, Bob constructed an improbable platform that allowed him to reach the surface in question.

Here’s another angle.

Keep in mind that not only did Bob think this up, but he had the guts to climb out on that narrow plank and paint. He’s a bigger man than I.

Once his MacGyvering was done, Bob came around to paint the side of the barn. I don’t know if he was tired or in want of company, but he called on Alden for assistance.

With surprising eagerness, she climbed the scaffold.

Bob explained how it worked.

And the painting began. Apparently, I was not supposed to be taking pictures.

As of late afternoon Sunday, the barn’s facelift is complete. The next time you come, you might not even recognize the place. It is still grey and red, to be sure. But it is so much grayer and redder than it was before.