The Tent's Days are Numbered

Luckily, Chris brought his friend Geoff up for the weekend. We needed him as some of the work involved heavy lifting and there's no way just Chris and I could have done it. Needless to say, a lot of work got done this weekend, despite the constant rain. Enough with the rain already!

Saturday was spent working on insulation and spray foam for the flooring. We had to get more insulation from the lumber yard, which set us back on time, but allowed us to see Lisa and get a big cup of coffee for a much-needed energy boost. With that done, we were able to attach the plywood to the floor. It was nice to be able to stand on the shed for the first time, even if it was in the pouring rain. We were also able to get the back and side walls framed Saturday before the rain became too much and darkness was coming and the tent still needed to be set up.

By dinner, we were tired....and wet. So we decided to head into Wilmington and go to our favorite "tavern/ inn" for dinner. It was amazing as usual, even though we sat directly beneath the stereo speakers and HEAVY metal was blaring all night long. Aren't Vermonters supposed to be more laid back??? On the way home, the car thermometer read 44 degrees and we were all a little cold so when we got back to the site we all bundled up for the night. We had a fire in the fire pit but it wasn't long before the rain was too much for us and we headed to the tent. Chris said he woke up in the middle of the night and it was pouring. Luckily, we stayed dry.

Sunday morning was dry so we did what we could to get work done. The other two walls were framed, breakfast was cooked, and we all worked together to get as much done as possible. It wasn't long before the rain returned, and this time it rained pretty hard and didn't stop. But, once you're wet, you're wet, so we just plowed forward....dripping from head to toe. There were definitely a few times we each sank ankle deep into the mud. In fact, we had to stop building a few different times to cover the mud with downed limbs because we just couldn't walk through the mud without sinking too deep. What a mess.

When we left Sunday afternoon, we were all tired, but happy with our work, especially given the weather. We're due for some perfect days in VT after our last few trips. Next up, Chris plans to head back in a week or two to add the plywood to the walls and install the barn doors and the steel entry door. We're getting closer. Then, a final push and a long weekend and we might be able to get a roof over our heads by Thanksgiving. After that, it's just finish work.

The tent's days are numbered.

The Shed--It's So Happening

Up for the day to start work on the shed. Yep, that's right, actual construction here folks, not just "talk" of construction. It's a damn good feeling. We stopped at Home Depot along the way to pick up some crushed stone and cement blocks for the foundation and had the rest of the needed wood delivered earlier in the day. Oh, by the way, it has rained for the past week and showered off and on today too. Why wouldn't it?

When we got there, we split up-I prepped the foundation and Chris started work on assembling the floor/ joists. Work went quick and before long the floor was ready for action. The leveling of the cement blocks however, took longer. It felt like every time we got one side level, the other side needed to be leveled again. And again...and again. You get the idea. Finally, we got it close enough and said, "Eh, after all, it's just a shed, right?" We also attached some strapping to the bottom of the joists so we can push down 2" rigid board for insulation next weekend.

We didn't have the muscle to lift the finished floor onto the skids (even after a delicious General Store sandwich and a 24 oz. beer for lunch) but next weekend Chris may bring a couple of his friends along, so progress may come even quicker. Or slower, depending on how things play out.

The plan for next weekend is to put up the walls, finish the floor, add the barn doors and steel door, and get things ready for the roof rafters. We should actually get this thing "winterized" before snowfall.

I must say, it's pretty damn satisfying building something with your own hands and watching it take shape right in front of you. Seeing a project through from pencil and paper to the actual real world is very gratifying. Progress is happening.

The damage from Hurricane Irene is still very noticeable and there was lots of road work happening, even on a Saturday. The race to get things done before winter is on. But the new work looks great and I think things are moving in a positive direction.

Come on Irene

Hurricane Irene definitely left her mark on Southern Vermont. Luckily, our land was spared for the most part. We had some serious erosion on the driveway--actually, one culvert overflowed and the run-off ran down the driveway, slowly eating away at the driveway culvert. Other than that though, no trees were down and the damage minimal.

We did however, see a lot of destruction. It was sad, but also hopeful at the same time. Wilmington was in bad shape, and orange cones covering huge sinkholes along the road were the norm. I've never seen anything like it. But, Lisa, our coffee lady friend gave us a lot of heart-warming stories of the community pulling together. She's bringing free coffee for all the recovery workers every day. Volunteers are countless and I guess money is pouring in for people to rebuild. Vermont is awesome!

This definitely puts a twist to our cabin build process. Hopefully, we can still have a foundation dug and poured this fall, but a lot needs to happen for that to occur. I'm not even sure the people who need to get to our land can even get there due to road closures and bridges being washed away. Our street needs work done to it and so does our driveway and I can't imagine we're on the top of anyones "to-do" list. We'll see what happens, but pulling this off would be pretty sweet. Fingers crossed.

Oh, and Chris got a new dog-Birch. He was a rescue from Georgia. He's part Golden part Lab and he's a great dog! Next trip up is later this month when we take our dad to the land for the first time. Too bad he didn't see it two weeks ago when it was looking sweet. Unfortunately, all our hard work has been "washed" away....literally.

As Promised

Incredibly productive weekend. And we didn't get rained on, so we finally caught a break there.

Saturday we spread about 10 yards of wood chips and about 4 yards of crushed stone. That was tiring but it looks great. For those of you who don't know how much 10 yards of wood chips and 4 yards of stone is...it's a ton! Just ask my blisters. We also bought some used antiques from down the road (red wooden patio table and chairs and a small bench). Of course we haggled until we got the owner of the antique shop on the phone and then we haggled some more. Needless to say, we didn't end up paying much for what we got. At the flea market on Saturday there was a guy selling 10 week old Siberian Huskies. They were pretty damn cute and for a minute I actually thought Chris was going to get one. In the end, logic prevailed. He didn't leave empty handed though; he did buy a beautiful pair of work gloves for $1. And so did I. Score.

Sunday we spent gathering wood for the bonfire next weekend at the end of the summer bash. We gathered quite a bit of wood from the trees we had taken down a few months back. We also did some trail work, rode the ATV, ate blackberries and roped off the entrance. You'll see.

Lisa, our local coffee lady friend told us it was going to be a beautiful fall and a snowy winter with warm temps. She had this whole theory behind it about the colors on the caterpillars and also the fact that her dog's stomach is still shedding like crazy. Kind of kooky, but also kind of awesome and brilliant. Vermont.

There's talk of a poured foundation now for the eventual cabin (you know, the one that we keep talking about but not building) and also of the shed getting started. Seriously, we're really going to do it this fall. I'm actually not kidding.

Kind of sad that it was my last visit this summer with just Chris. It's back to school for me in just a few weeks. It has been a great summer. Fall should be beautiful up there and the work won't stop here. Lots to do.

Oh, and Chris bought a crapload of fireworks.

Don't Give Up on Us

So, it has been a while since we've posted or even gone to the land, but that doesn't mean the plan has changed.

Chris and I are going up this weekend in preparation for an end-of-summer bash. Chris thinks we'll end up with close to 50 people. It should be fun. Tents everywhere, games, drinks, bonfire, a pig-roast, ATV, and lots of fun.

This weekend Chris and I will get things ready for the party. More tiki-torches, wood-chipping, more stone for the driveway, trail work, prepare the bonfire, and other loose odds and ends. Right now the weather doesn't look great for this weekend, but that should be no surprise for us (we haven't had the greatest luck with Mother Nature this summer....she owes us next year).

Look for updates next weekend.

Amazing Progress

We just returned from a VERY successful day in VT. It was an abbreviated trip to meet our tree guy for a day of work with the heavy machinery. We got several small projects done, including: a trench for water re-direction that surrounds the building site, side yard clean-up and leveling, culvert installation for water re-direction in another area further up the driveway, extended driveway installation and more small tree removal, the "firepit" area was expanded, graded, and cleared, and the future shed spot was cleared, leveled, and opened up nicely. We also may have our first VT bear story--I'll save that for the end. Oh, and a muffin story too because who doesn't love a good muffin story.

The trench that was dug around the building site is intended to take most water run-off from the hill and redirect it around the cabin. So, the trench that was dug is about 100-150 ft. above the building site, deeper in the woods, and probably runs about 250 ft from one end to the other in sort of a half circle surrounding the building site. It should almost completely remove water from the building site and move it to other "safe" areas on the land where it will join in with the other water from the property. There was already signs of water in the trench before we left so it seemed to work immediately. Fingers crossed for now.

A side yard has been created to the right of the building site. It is a great space that was kind of created accidentally, probably by the loss of trees that were taken out when bigger ones came down. Still, it's a decent sized space with great potential and we're developing it to use as a place for cars, barbeque/ picnic area, recreation space. It's quickly becoming one of our favorite areas on the whole property.

Two culverts were installed. One new one at the road/ entry was done Friday, and the older one from the entry was moved to a needed spot up the driveway that was previously just trenched. There was a big discussion as to whether or not we should use it because it's pretty decrepit, but we finally decided to use it and in the end, we were glad we did. It looks so much better buried properly than just a big trench dug across the driveway.

The driveway now extends about 200 feet uphill to a newly created shed site. Stumps were removed and the driveway was graded leading up to the shed site. There's still tons of little roots everywhere, but hey, it's a big improvement. We took a few trees down near the shed site and it really opened things up so it's not only going to give us space for the shed, but also another small open area in the middle of the woods. Pretty cool.

Lastly, the "firepit" area was cleared, expanded, and graded. That is also a great new usable open space. We can use it for parking, bonfires, play space, and just general enjoyment...as long as we can keep the ferns under control. Damn those ferns are relentless.

The raspberries were in full effect as we were able to pick handfuls at a time and it seems that in about another week or two, they'll be in full bloom.

Last night, while I was asleep (earplugs shoved so deep in my ears they were probably touching my brain), Chris heard two animals calling back and forth to each other. He said it sounded almost like half howl and half monkey talk (seriously). By the time Chris rose me from my slumbers, they had stopped so I never actually heard it. We later asked Todd (tree guy) and he explained that it was probably bears since it's mating season. So, yeah, it seems like bears just hang out a few hundred feet from where we sleep. In a tent.

Also, I left my driver-side window open about 5 inches last night. No big deal, right? Well, it turns out some sort of animal (squirrel???) squeezed through the window and promptly devoured (and I do mean devoured) two blueberry muffins. That's right, two full muffins. Crumbs were everywhere and about half a muffin was left. The other was completely gone, paper and all. Luckily, the cinnamon bears weren't touched. I guess the squirrel was too full for delicious delicious gummies so in a way the joke's on him. Oh, and we made coffee this morning in a French press, thank you very much. And it was good too.

Next time up on August 13th-16th we're going to focus once again on the concrete piers. We're hoping this stretch of hot and dry weather will hold, so the pier-digging will be easier and the concrete truck can make it to the site. It truly is amazing to see this land change right in front of my own eyes and know that these changes are coming from a shared vision Chris and I have.

Cabin Postponed...For Now.

So, Chris and I spoke this week about the progress of the cabin build. While we've been steadily getting important things done, we have been thwarted in our attempts to get the concrete work done. The spring was so rainy and we've had a couple of untimely heavy rain spells that we just haven't been able to catch a break to get it done. The last thing we want is to have the land be too soft and a concrete truck gets stuck on route to the site and all we end up with is 3 yards of concrete discharged on the side of the driveway and a $1000 towing bill to pull the truck from the slop. Though frustrating, waiting is the right decision.

This doesn't mean work stops though-not in the slightest. We still plan to get the concrete work for the cabin done this summer or fall. This way, it's done for winter and we can start the actual building earlier next spring, potentially even with snow still on the ground. And this way, we can take our time building next spring and summer and enjoy every step.

In the meantime, we have new plans to build a small shed this summer...something roughly 10X12 and simple. We figure we can do the concrete work ourselves and have this thing up in just a few weekend trips. This new plan, of course, requires a little site prep before we begin so that will have to get done in the next few weeks. The shed site we have picked out is roughly 200 feet from the cabin and further up the "road" that goes into the land. The shed will probably be about 400 yards from the road.

So, with the recent news, this last weekend was more leisurely than usual, and that made it incredible actually. First, our uncle Cab took a sunny Saturday motorcycle ride down to see us. He had not seen the land since October and really liked the progress we made and saw all the changes. We got a coffee from the local coffeehouse (Lisa was out but left coffee and cream outside the store on the honor system of course....I love Vermont!). We realized we have hundreds of wild raspberry bushes on the land which was super cool as they're about 2 weeks away from being totally ripe, pickable and delicious. A few were ripe enough to pick and eat and we certainly did some of that. We burned a few brush piles and cleared some of the brush that has been piling up from all the trees we have had taken down. It was progress, but slow progress.

Sunday was amazing. We took the boat on the reservoir for a day or relaxing and tubing. The water was crystal clear and so refreshing and the views were stunning as we were surrounded by mountains on each side. Even cooler, the top of one of the mountains had 11 wind turbines. And, we saw a bald eagle as well. I've never seen one before and that was probably the coolest part of the whole weekend for me.

We did have one little run-in with a critter Saturday night. Chris woke me up in the middle of Saturday night saying, "Did you not hear that? There was some animal sniffing around the corners of the tent...it was like three feet from your head. I was clapping and making noise. It scurried away and a few minutes later it knocked the grill over." Probably a raccoon, skunk, or porcupine we decided. Luckily, I had my earplugs jammed so deep in my ears I wouldn't have heard a 747 jet landing two feet from me so the whole incident passed me right on by.

Next trip is in two weeks. I'm hoping Amanda and Sadie can come up soon and enjoy some of the beautiful weather up there with me because I keep wanting them there with me. There really is nothing like the serenity, the stars, the pink skies, the friendly people, and the slower pace of life and the quiet to make you appreciate life.