 |
| Starting to build the stairs |
 |
| The finished stairs and Dinga |
Then: The Rest of August 2010
At last we are going to build our stairs to the loft. We have been discussing various scenarios for the past several months and were finally able to agree on how they should look and where they should go. That was the easy part. Since they won't be the standard size, the formula for building them does not apply. So we had to skew the math to make them fit. JB figured out the lumber we would need and ordered it, along with some extra for a floor to ceiling bookcase in our bedroom. The lumber was delivered on the 16th, and on the 17th, JB drove Down There to buy the necessary hardware. Glad he made the trip. It was a very hot day.
I have been splitting wood, as usual. Also primed the battery shed/generator room. I am going to paint it the same reddish brown as the outhouse. On 8/23 I attended the first of four canning classes Down There. They are held in the evening, so it was the first time I drove our road by myself at night. Sure looks different. And I discovered that we have what I thought were pigmy owls. After looking through our bird book, we found that they are poor wills. Not whippoor wills, they are east of the Rockies. They are in the owl family and are the ugliest birds I have ever seen. If they were any bigger, they would be downright scary! They nest on the ground and come out at night - into the middle of the road. They only move when the car is practically upon them. After reading about them, we realized that we had been hearing them occasionally after dark.
JB built the bookcase in the bedroom before starting on the stairs. I love it! Then came the long awaited project. The stairs will run South to North along the wall between the bedroom and livingroom, so we will enter the loft on the far North side. The ladder had been situated so that we climbed up into the middle of the loft. I had spent the previous weeks completely reorganizing the loft to accommodate the new entry. I actually like it a lot better. There seems to be more room. We will both have a large work area and share the computer desk.
JB started by building the landing on the North side, above the side door. Then he put up the two sides to which the risers will be attached. We put in the risers and enclosed the spaces. We have stairs! What a difference it makes in the look of the whole great room. It's very easy to write about, but it was definitely the most difficult of our projects to date. What a relief now that it is finished.
As August ends, the smell of Fall is in the air. The nights are getting cooler and the change to Fall colors has begun. All our trees are evergreens, but the underbrush turns gold, with some of the plants and bushes adding shades of orange and red. By the first day of Fall, the colors will have already arrived.
Now: July 30, 2011
Hard to believe its almost August again. Yesterday we cut and installed the last four metal sides on the shop. We have two pieces of metal siding left with which to build a door. Haven't quite designed that yet. But the sides are up and it is starting to look like a shop. JB worked on organizing the inside and deciding where the window will sit. I filled in the ditches with dirt all the way around. Now we just have to sculpt the ground for drainage.
The 2"X6"X12' tongue-in-groove lumber was delivered about 1:00 pm. JB drove down to the gate to lead the truck up. It is the first time we have ordered from this company, so it was the first time coming up to Rose Camp for the driver. He really admired our place and was in no hurry to return to town. But eventually JB led him back down after the lumber was unloaded. Since he was going down our road anyway, JB went into town to check the mail and get some paint I needed. Today I plan to paint the three 6"X8" poles that hold up our porch. They will be the same reddish brown as our outbuildings. I also want to paint the large, metal triangle on the top front. It was supposed to be the same brown metal as our roof, but there was a mis-communication somewhere along the line with the contractor, and it ended up being the same color as the house.
While I am up on the tall ladder, I also want to caulk along where the outside wall meets the roof. There are tiny spaces where the yellow jackets get in. I will have to caulk all around the house where the sides meet the roof, but at least it will be easier on the back now that we have the deck on which to put a ladder. It will also be easier because there are no yellow jackets this summer to bother me while I'm up there.
The cooler, wetter weather this summer seems to have kept the rattle snakes on the warmer, south slopes. We have only seen and shot one this year so far. In 2008 we shot about nine. In 2009 there were six. And in 2010 there were four. With any luck, next year we won't have any!
At last we are going to build our stairs to the loft. We have been discussing various scenarios for the past several months and were finally able to agree on how they should look and where they should go. That was the easy part. Since they won't be the standard size, the formula for building them does not apply. So we had to skew the math to make them fit. JB figured out the lumber we would need and ordered it, along with some extra for a floor to ceiling bookcase in our bedroom. The lumber was delivered on the 16th, and on the 17th, JB drove Down There to buy the necessary hardware. Glad he made the trip. It was a very hot day.
I have been splitting wood, as usual. Also primed the battery shed/generator room. I am going to paint it the same reddish brown as the outhouse. On 8/23 I attended the first of four canning classes Down There. They are held in the evening, so it was the first time I drove our road by myself at night. Sure looks different. And I discovered that we have what I thought were pigmy owls. After looking through our bird book, we found that they are poor wills. Not whippoor wills, they are east of the Rockies. They are in the owl family and are the ugliest birds I have ever seen. If they were any bigger, they would be downright scary! They nest on the ground and come out at night - into the middle of the road. They only move when the car is practically upon them. After reading about them, we realized that we had been hearing them occasionally after dark.
JB built the bookcase in the bedroom before starting on the stairs. I love it! Then came the long awaited project. The stairs will run South to North along the wall between the bedroom and livingroom, so we will enter the loft on the far North side. The ladder had been situated so that we climbed up into the middle of the loft. I had spent the previous weeks completely reorganizing the loft to accommodate the new entry. I actually like it a lot better. There seems to be more room. We will both have a large work area and share the computer desk.
JB started by building the landing on the North side, above the side door. Then he put up the two sides to which the risers will be attached. We put in the risers and enclosed the spaces. We have stairs! What a difference it makes in the look of the whole great room. It's very easy to write about, but it was definitely the most difficult of our projects to date. What a relief now that it is finished.
As August ends, the smell of Fall is in the air. The nights are getting cooler and the change to Fall colors has begun. All our trees are evergreens, but the underbrush turns gold, with some of the plants and bushes adding shades of orange and red. By the first day of Fall, the colors will have already arrived.
Now: July 30, 2011
Hard to believe its almost August again. Yesterday we cut and installed the last four metal sides on the shop. We have two pieces of metal siding left with which to build a door. Haven't quite designed that yet. But the sides are up and it is starting to look like a shop. JB worked on organizing the inside and deciding where the window will sit. I filled in the ditches with dirt all the way around. Now we just have to sculpt the ground for drainage.
The 2"X6"X12' tongue-in-groove lumber was delivered about 1:00 pm. JB drove down to the gate to lead the truck up. It is the first time we have ordered from this company, so it was the first time coming up to Rose Camp for the driver. He really admired our place and was in no hurry to return to town. But eventually JB led him back down after the lumber was unloaded. Since he was going down our road anyway, JB went into town to check the mail and get some paint I needed. Today I plan to paint the three 6"X8" poles that hold up our porch. They will be the same reddish brown as our outbuildings. I also want to paint the large, metal triangle on the top front. It was supposed to be the same brown metal as our roof, but there was a mis-communication somewhere along the line with the contractor, and it ended up being the same color as the house.
While I am up on the tall ladder, I also want to caulk along where the outside wall meets the roof. There are tiny spaces where the yellow jackets get in. I will have to caulk all around the house where the sides meet the roof, but at least it will be easier on the back now that we have the deck on which to put a ladder. It will also be easier because there are no yellow jackets this summer to bother me while I'm up there.
The cooler, wetter weather this summer seems to have kept the rattle snakes on the warmer, south slopes. We have only seen and shot one this year so far. In 2008 we shot about nine. In 2009 there were six. And in 2010 there were four. With any luck, next year we won't have any!
 |
| The Asters are blooming |
No comments:
Post a Comment