Bubb Park Mushroom Tables Remodel
6-2-12

(If you like, you can skip down through the prose and go straight to the pictures below!)

Peter Pirnejad walked past the mushroom table overflowing with water, coffee, bagels & donuts to step onto a stool and kick off the morning. He welcomed the initial dozen who had gathered in the Bubb Park Mushroom Tables area to complete the remodel work started three weeks ago. The morning goodies, and the lunch to come, were provided by the Cuesta Park Neighborhood Association (CPNA) and Aileen La Bouff, and additional individual contributions.

Peter thanked the city of Mountain View for supporting and funding the remodel project and turned things over to Bruce Hurlburt, Parks & Open Space Manager. Bruce gave us a safety talk - you know, keep fingers & toes out of places they don't belong because it's messy and takes lots of paperwork. Then introduced project leaders Chris & Gary. Over the past three weeks they had installed 15 big posts for the new fence. (And a beautiful, professional job of alignment they really did!) They also set two ABS posts for the new BBQ grills where two of the old benches had been.

The first task of the day was to prime the new fence post cutouts where the fence boards were going to be installed. A team what quickly supplied with brushes and stain to do the job.

Another team started working on installing the new wood for the 5 remaining benches. The center of the three boards was tricky to install because the bolt extends into the support pipe with very little room to put the nut on and tighten it. A few nuts were lost into the pipes before all were secure. Helpers delivered two additional board to each bench, and, using spacers and center marks, these were added fairly quickly. Once completed, each bench was gived first a quick prime coat on the new bolt heads, then a full coat of dark stain.

Cutting and delivering the 42 fence boards, most 6' long, was the next major task. Each 2" x 6" board needed two 4" long hex head lag bolts in each end - that's a total of 168! To get them neatly installed required using three drills for each bolt. The first was a large 1 1/4" bit to make a hold to countersink the head of the bolt. Second, a 3/8 spade bit made a shaft hole through the fence board so the board could be drawn in tight. And third, a 1/4" pilot hole provided relief to drive the screw into the hard post. That's 168 x 3 = 504 drilling operations! Even with all that, a few bolts hit knots (or maybe one of those 504 holes got missed) and snapped off as they were driven in. But in the end, they were all in place and looked great. A final crew came through and stain the whole fence for protection.

Another team assembled two nice picnic tables to go with the BBQs. With sturdy metal bases and wood tops and seats, these will be much appreciated. Again there were holes to be drilled and bolts to insert and tighten followed by a final coat of dark stain.

Thanks to the BBQ posts set by Chris & Gary before we arrived, setting the grills on top and screwing them on was quick and easy.

That led to our firt burn, and Peter piled on the coals. Before too long we had a great bed of coals and hot dogs roating perfectly. With a table full of buns, ketchup, mustard, relish, chips, watermellon and cookies redy in the shade, the dogs disappeared at a great rate. All declared it an excellent feast and appropriate dedication for the new grills.

So now it's ready for you to enjoy.

Pictures by Sharon McClintock and Rick Van Mell. Click on images to enlarge, click "Back" to return.
If you would like copies of original images, email Rick Van Mell.

Perter & Sharon	Starter goodies	Bruce, Gary & Chris	Just like this ...	Russ & George
& Teak	Fence & bench lumber	Bench work	These guys ...	supervise!
The first job ...	is to prime ...	the new ...	fence posts.	Done!
Center boards ...	are tricky ...	to line up ...	and get the ...	nuts on!
Supervision.	The force be with you.	Thanks Vera!	And Robin.	Benches coming together.
Cuting fence boards	42 needed!	3 Musketeers?!	Hi George	Almost done.
Almost done!	Almost done too!	This one too.	OK, & this one.	Serious work ...
on the fence ...	takes many hands ...	and fitting.	Happiness is ...	a warm puppy.
And a friend.	Mounting a BBQ	Starting a table ...	upside down ...	to drill holes ...
Mogul & Norabell	Meanwhile, back at ...	the fence ...	and bench ...	work.
On a roll.	On a Roll!	Lots of holes ...	3 different drills ...	for each hole ...
adds up to ...	450 holes!	and 168 lag bolts!	Hammer power	The Table is ...
getting a top ...	working upside down ...	is hard ...	why don't we ...	drill our holes ...
then stand it up ...	and work on it ...	the easy way!	Much better.	Told you so.
Bench painting ...	still drilling!	Break time.	The work scene	Driving bolts ...
Follow up stain ...	takes a ...	big crew ...	and patience ...	but looks good.
Scrap hunting.	Hole drilling continues	Removing broken screw.	Still staining ...	in the corner.
Last of the staining ...	thanks Bruce!	Family time	Fun time.	Looking good ...
table finished ...	How many does it ...	take to light ...	the new BBQ?	Shady talk.
The new fence ...	is long ...	and neat.	Casual talk.	The first dogs ...
are ready!	Plenty of fixings ...	Delicious!	Great, right to ...	the last dog!
New tables & BBQs.	Can we go now?