February 26, 2009

We are finally at the stage where a week makes a huge difference! The footprint of the Hamilton or Writer's Cabin is now covered with floor joists - decking soon to follow. Daddy made the day trip with me this time. It was impressive as the last time he'd seen the site there was only dirt! Mike gave us a tour of the latest work and it all looks great.



This was Mike's big surprise for me. I am sitting on a rock cantilevered over the pond. It is the porch off the master bedroom. Mike had been searching for the perfect rock. He found this way up the creek. Its about 15' in length, 6' in width and 8" thick. They nestled it perfectly up against the foundation.



Here is the back of the fire place. The fire brick will be on the interior fireplace wall, with stone stacked on the outside. I think the herringbone pattern is stunning. Robert has joined the process by gathering limestone from our land and hauling it to the building area. The black pipe at the base is a vent to allow fresh air into the firebox. Its pretty dreamy to imagine sitting in front of the fireplace in the fall and winter. Though still a long way off, the image is encouraging.

Dead End Roads

I've lost count of the hours invested in the exploration of a viable alternative energy source. Terry drove hours to our site a year ago to assess the options. A combination of hydro, wind, and solar was recommended. Pursuing those three, it became clear that each one requires a huge investment in set-up and maintenance. So, we then backed up and opted to select one. Solar did not seem promising due to the shady location of the cabin. Wind could be generated up on the ridge, but the many still days made us realize that might not be reliable. Hydro was our star option with the year-round stream below the site. With great enthusiasm, we gathered all the pertinent information for a calculation of the generating capacity of our stream. Flow rate, drop, volume, etc...weeks to determine all of them produced the number crunching result of --- 2.7kw/day. What?!? That is so little unless lights are all we want to run. What a discouragement. Then we began to pursue a combination of two: hydro and solar. We would have to install the panels up on the ridge in the sunlight and wire the power down to the site. Calculations continued. Dead-ends kept cropping up around every turn of the exploration.

The latest direction came from an astute expert in geo-thermal energy sources when he asked, "Why exactly do you wish to remain off the grid?" The question stopped me in my tracks as I tried to answer. We want to minimize our environmental impact, but the more we learn, often what initially appears to be "green" is, in fact, not so when measured by other means. I am simply not sure which direction is the best. So, here we are, with a cabin foundation and the energy question unsolved. Our next inquiry is into bringing in power from "the grid". If it is brought in underground, trees will not have to be cleared. The final outcome is still unknown, but I am remaining in the process...patience and persistence...it is a mystery where the open road will be discovered.

A Footprint - February 2009

Thrilled is an understatement! I was elated to approach the building site after weeks. It seemed each time I planned to head to the site, it would snow or rain and prevent the trip. To see the footings completed for the guest cabin and partially so on the main cabin, was a huge joy. At the far end of this photo you'll see the form for the fireplace. Myron was beginning to lay firebrick in a beautiful herringbone pattern when I arrived. Construction materials are lining the drive as the crew prepares to make significant strides forward during the present good weather.

Gratitude - January 2009

I ended the last posting with the reminder, "Embrace the process". A major element of this embracing is recognizing the many people who are contributing to this endeavor. I am keeping a log of those individuals that advise, encourage, and provide an array of "gifts" in the development of our property. So far I am at 35 people whom we would likely not have met if it were not for this project. What an enrichment to our lives to add these relationships! I am grateful for every conversation that expands understanding and knowledge. I often pause and marvel at this opportunity. While pausing and reflecting, I ask God's blessing upon each person. Thank you, God, for the richness of life through connection with people.

We are full of gratitude!

The Pond - December 2008

December was such a wet month, crews could only get to the site three days. Our only progress was the lining of the pond, situated between the main and guest cabin locations. The water will continually flow into and out of the pond so it will be nice and fresh. We'll have the visual beauty of water and the sound of splashing as it hits the rocks at the inlet. A valve below can be closed to fill the pond. In the photo, the water only runs through at present until we're ready to fill the basin. Large rocks have been stacked along the edge to provide a stable bank. Dreams are already swirling through my imagination about the landscaping potential! I suppose it is these dreams that sustain me throughout this lengthy process. My constant reminder is, "Embrace the process!"

Horse Trail Disturbance

Disturbing Nature

Prior to beginning our project, a small, pine straw-strewn horse trail meandered through our property. That had to be widened in order for the equipment to establish our water lines from the spring. It is painful to see the mess created in nature from our efforts to be conservation-minded - what a paradox! I've sprinkled some wildflower seeds in the new sunny spaces and we hope that nature will quickly take over when foot traffic only returns to the trail.

Where's the Water? November 2008

With the pipe lengths all connected from the source to the destination, we ran down to the end to see our water flowing out. Waiting, waiting, waiting; the water became visible at the mouth, but didn't pour out. Darn! Decided to wait until morning. Still no water! Mike and Randy got their heads together and realized that in the entire length of pipe through the trench, there are several high spots that would allow air to become trapped, thereby restricting the flow. Seven release valves later: the air was permitted to escape, valves shut down, and eureka! WATER came out of the end of the pipe.

Spring Water - October 2008

Finding a source of household water proved to be challenging. Our original source proved to be fickle; only running with the rains. Contacted the most reputable local well driller to come to the site. They asked where we wanted them to drill...well, I wanted expert advice as to the best location to drill. They do not do that. Paying for a haphazard approach did not suit us.

Enter: Mary, a Native American/Scottish woman. She has "the gift" to dowse for water. Mary arrived, walked serenely into the woods, prayerfully selected her forked twig, prayed for guidance, and began to patiently walk over the land. She finally located a place where some water would be found at 90'. She was not overly encouraging that it would be a significant source, but daylight was dwindling. Mary offered to come again and dowse up on the ridge where water may be more plentiful. The plan was to have Mary located a good spot and then have the well-driller do his thing. While waiting, Mike found a significant spring up the creek. It has never been dry and became the primary focus of our efforts. This photo shows the crew setting a large pipe down into the ground to collect the spring water from its source. Then a small pipe, inserted into the mid-point of the reservoir was directed to our building site through a trench to a 1000 gallon tank at the base of the Hamilton Cabin. Patience, advice, exploration, and time provided the answer to the question of water. One more step forward!