Freedom Rink: Battle Stations

So the temps were in the 60's the other day. My iceberg was reduced to more of a hospital ice chip. Actually there was ice covering a majority of the top, but we have other problems. LEAKS!. AAAHHGGG! The dreaded slow drip...I need some little Dutch boy to come stick his finger in the hole and make it stop. See the wet area of the boards? And everything else is dry - not good. I used some duct tape and another board and C-Clamp to slow the bleeding. Temps get back into the freezing range tonight. If I can just get things back into that range maybe the freeze will help close it up before the water makes its way back to the New England coast.


Here's some other pics of the rink - no longer surrounded by snow.




Another note of caution. In the construction phase we shifted from 2x6x12 to 1x6x12 to reduce cost. We added some metal rods/stakes to add support between posts (see leak picture). I was hesitant but went with the majority. I may regret that. We have some significant bowing of the boards and supports under the weight of the water. And don't forget that ice expands...yikes.



We went out and purchased some pucks and sticks for the kids. Cory was sad that I did not buy him official gloves, helmet, and an entire goalie suit...do you have any idea how much that stuff costs. Oh my! Maybe I should rethink this hockey thing and go for a cheaper sport like basketball or track.

On an unrelated note. We took the grandparents into the city for the 60 degree weather. Here's a pic from Quincy Market with the rest of the tourist crowd.