The Staining Begins . . .

The last photo for 2011, taken just before we drove out the front gate, headed for Phoenix.

The staining crew was just starting on the exterior stain.

Chief Cook and Compound Mitre Saw User!

Nancy Ribar!

Okay, just kidding about the saw, but NOT kidding about

being chief cook.  We ate very well while Nancy was with us!

Thursday, October 8th.  Nancy and Marty surprise us with a

deck christening ceremony!

Marty has a heart-to-heart talk with the jeep about aging gracefully.

The fall color was nearing its peak!

Some Inside Views!

Getting this tub/shower unit upstairs and getting it into place was a

BIG JOB for Marty and Greg.

Plumbing for the washer, utility sink and ice maker.

Laundry room is currently full of insulation!

Upstairs loft, looking towards the smaller of

the two bedrooms.

Walk-in shower in the master bedroom.  We ordered this custom-made

form.  It was another big job for Greg and Marty to get this put in.  The tile

will go right on top of the form.

This is a small storage area Greg and Marty created in the basement to house the water

manifold, the hot water heater and shelving for storage.  Marty is just finishing

up the door he has installed. 

Installation of Ceiling Fan outlet in peak of great room!

Brother-in-law Marty and Greg rent a 40-foot extension ladder to do the job!

Exterior logs complete!

Exterior 1/2 logs are complete.  They still need staining, which is coming up next!

Also, the exterior railings are finished and the front door is in!  The front door will eventually be green to match the windows.

The front porch has a tongue and groove ceiling.

LOGS!!!

Half-wall for island in kitchen.

Deck flooring complete!!

More progress on the deck!

We love plumbing in the springtime . . .

We love plumbing in the fall . . .

We love plumbing in the summer . . .

We love it anytime at all!!

Supports are set for the deck!

Soffits and Fascia

Nothing like soffits and fascia to begin to add a look of completion to a home!

I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree.

Between April 1945 and May, 1948, my grandparents, their friends, my father and my future mother, would plant 19,000 trees on the property our family now owns on the Pigeon River. 

Here are the notations from the books:

4/25-26-27-28/45   1,000 Jack Pine, 1,000 White Pine, 1,000 Norway Pine

10/15/45    3,000 Spruce, 1,000 Jack Pine

9/21/46    500 Red Pine, 1,500 Spruce, 1,000 Douglas Fir, 1,000 Jack Pine

5/5/47    500 Jack Pine, 1,000 Red Pine, NE of Cabin

10/2-3-4/47    500 White Spruce, 1,500 Jack Pine, 1,000 Red Pine on E & W side of Driveway on N 80

5/7-8/48    1,000 Jack Pine, 1,000 Spruce, 1,000 Ponderosa Pine, 500 Scotch Pine

More framing is done on the second floor.

Second floor bathroom.  Shower with tub will be against the far wall.  Can you picture it, Nancy?

Closet at the end of the larger bedroom.

Closet at the end of the smaller bedroom, with the bathroom behind it. 

How about some WINDOWS!!!

And sliding glass doors!

And, basement stairs!

I call this composition "Basement stairs with Ladder".

Basement stairs, no ladder  : - )