Hobbit Steps

Got a shot in my wrist for carpal tunnel and the doc said to lay low today. I got bored and cut some wood into slabs and started to make some Hobbit stairs to the swimming hole

Then I noticed all the sawdust I had made so I got the ShopVac and my battery pack and sucked the sawdust up and packed it around the steps.

Probably will rot soon but it was fun.

Ashland's murals

Spotted a bear and I don't have a bear proof garbage can yet...

I  kept hearing about an area called The Barrens. So I went there on the way back from Ashland. Even after reading the plaques I still don't understand what they are trying to do.

Just looks like a place where they clear cut anything that had a leaf on it. ?!?!!?!? How is this a Natural National Monument? I must be missing something.

You see a few murals around in Ashland. I tracked them all down. The pictures were done using Panorama. All of the murals are on giant flat building walls. They are very well done and preserved. The Panorama makes them look like they are on corners but they are not.

Foaming at the Mouth

More foam

Everything is ready for the concrete. 

Very cool cloud formation over the bay near Ashland. You could see under it.

Foam my Ass

Spent hours burying a foam panel for a wing damn I dont' need. According to the inspector we do need them. People haven't needed them for centuries now all of a sudden we need them.

Stupid waste of time and money! Just ask me and I'll tell you what I think. :)

The lupins continue to amaze. They are in different colors as well.

Went swimming after digging.

Lupins Everywhere

I swear I don't remember so many Lupins. They have taken over this whole area. Pretty but I wonder if this is normal. They are literally all over the place and in different colors.

The above is one patch that is literally 40 acres of Lupins. My neighbor says that he has been trying to grow them for years with no luck and all of a sudden he has a patch where he didn't even plant them. It's very hard to avoid them. Very pretty but kind of like a zombie invasion.

The Soil Tester Guy was here and we had three dry holes. No conventional septic system for us. We need a mound system, which is 2 times more expensive. I'm getting real tired of these expensive surprises. 

Cut down my first major tree in 30 years. A big rotten birch that had to go. I research a method using wedges that "guaranteed" the tree would fall in the direction you wanted...

Not so. This one fell 90 degrees from where it was supposed to. I think the rotten trunk had a lot to do with it.  It was supposed to fall to the right...

At least the wedges worked like they were supposed to. They did bring it down...just not quite in the right direction. 

installation of Insulation

Needed a bigger cargo hauler for the insulation foam for the floor. I retro fitted my boat trailer to carry the 4 X 8 foot panels.

A couple of U-bolts to attach a plywood sheet to the trailer frame and there it is...

And here is the official ground breaking for the installation of said insulation. Notice the ceremonial silver trowel. Mosquitos made up the majority of the crowd.

KayaK!

Put the kayak together and into the water.

Perch Lake is gorgeous and just the right size to putz around in for little kids

Went swimming and started to clean out swimming area. I believe we have one of the better areas. The ground is not mucky until it gets up to my waist. I spent about and hour picking weeds, tossing wood chunks and stones. Once  you get the dead leaves out of the way there is sand.

I saw the turtle I put in the water today. I think she likes me. :)

Shindig

One of the local eateries...there are only two, put on a free pig roast for everyone in town.

A local band named the Lords of Baltimore were excellent and so was the pig.

Chopped more wood

Levitated the pressure tank so the Concrete Guy can pour concrete under it.

Four strings attached. 

PLUMBERS!

Ran around today getting paper work done because THE PLUMBER GUY SHOWED UP!

They rough in the bathroom which means now the Concrete Guy can come and pour the concrete.

Here is the lineup for the 

Big Top Chautauqua

Its like Prairie Home Companion with more music in a big tent at a ski hill outside of Bayfield.

Looks like a good time will be had by all. 

Road my ebike all the way to town and back to get my mail. It works!