Dove Promise

Sunday after lunch, I had a Dove dark chocolate square--the kind with red foil wrappers. The inside of the wrappers have cutesy little sayings, sort of like a fortune cookie. After a long 9-5 day in the cabin yesterday, I was happy to find this "promise." And, except for a little vacuuming in our house and washing our car and truck, that's pretty much what I did!

Get back, Jack--the loft is going up!

It's amazing. To me, anyways. My friend Zach came down today (July 28 2007) and together we got the joists and uprights in. Fairly plumb and mostly level. Not without our difficulties (we lined up the first upright the wrong way--long story and had a few other humbling experiences), but we persevered, thought things through (2 or 5 times), and, as we say 'round these here parts: We got 'er done!
In the afternoon, my friend Jeff came down, and he and I got up the angle braces and STARTED LAYING DOWN THE FLOOR!!
Woo Hoo! The boards we got screwed down are on the right side of the last photo. The others are all waiting to go into place. AND the plumber worked about 2 1/2 hours today and got the bathroom roughed in. How cool is that?! I'm beginning to think we might get done before I have to renew my driver's license. In 2012. When I'll be SIXTY TWO!! For cryin' out loud.

minimal progress--but progress nonetheless

Last Saturday, Jeff Valder and I cleaned up a lot of the "construction mess": We cut up all the pallets that weren't being used, and the scrap lumber that wasn't re-usable. So now there's lots of kiln dried fire wood next to our fire ring, much to my brother Paul's chagrin. It won't be there long, at the rate we burn wood! Sunday, Alisanne and I figured out how to put up the back support beam for the loft, so now we can rock and roll. The weather has been miserable--HOT and HUMID. But at least we can work in it--unlike the torrential rain we had early on, when we were still outside. Anyways--excelsior! (see Longfellow and Whitman . . . )

More windows! More windows! July 6 & 7 work

Alisanne & I got THREE windows in Friday and Saturday July 6 & 7! Amazingly, they are all pretty level and plumb. We have one more to cut and install--on the right side (north) wall you can't see in the first picture below--which will be over the kitchen sink, if we calculated correctly. After that, no more excuses for not building the loft. Yikes!

July 2, 2007 Taking the Plunge (cut)

Working together, Alisanne & I got another window in! Using the circular saw to cut the opening--after watching my brothers do it--was pretty nerve wracking, but I did a fair job. It is so hot now, it is really miserable. Sitting on the porch after a hard day's work is very satisfying!