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!"
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!"
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!
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!
Got Dirt?
September 2008
We staked out the cabin footprints, tagged important trees, then began to clear out a "hole" in the forest for the construction site. The indentation in the dirt is where the pond will be. Prior to moving the dirt around, that area was a ravine (or "holler") flowing with water during heavy rains. Up the holler, a spring bubbles to the surface briefly before flowing back underground. One consideration is to tap into that spring and feed it into the pond. At the base of the pond, a levee allows the water to spill into the creek directly below the building site. During the site prep, some glorious rocks were unearthed. We are crafting ideas as to the use of those specimen rocks.
I guess this marks the official beginning of the construction process. Building off the grid, in the middle of the Tennessee mountains is not a straightforward project. The research, considerations, consultations, decisions are all part of the process. Desiring to leave as minimal a footprint as possible, we take each tree, contour, rock, and spring into our thought processes. This is not a speedy endeavor, but will be worth the investment of time when completed
Hamilton Cabin
I love the way paths are designed to cross in God's perfect timing. A casual conversation at church ended up connecting us with Anne in Alabama who had a cabin to sell. This hundred year old cabin originated in Mississippi, was moved forty years ago to Alabama, and now has a new home in Tennessee. The hand-hewn logs were numbered that they may be re-stacked as our guest cabin. The day we were dismantling the cabin, we were headline news in the local newspaper. Newspaper reporter, cameraman, and many curious passersby all had to hear the story. A neighbor even provided a shade tree and cooler with cold drinks for us to watch the process. A piece of history will continue to be cherished as it is relocated for the second time.
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