Transitions - part II

Here's the second post covering the July 4th update.  I thought folks might like a break from the trees/fields/flowers motif, but it's baaaaack.

We caught the tail end of an unusual July cool front - low humidities and morning temps in the 60's.  I think the Driveway SICKamore thought it was fall. (...or maybe it's sicker than I thought)  It was really dry, and that is what is most likely going on.

The other signs of summer, blooming trumpet vines and crepe myrtles.  This crepe in the back yard looks like it could use some serious trimming...but that's a task for the winter.  Add it to the list.

Another sign of (early) summer was still hanging on...wild blackberries.  They seem awful small - maybe because of the lack of rain.  Another project is to establish some bonafide blackberry/dewberry patches.  Anyway, I forced the mower through some of the thatch in the fields to make a few trails.  The girls love to explore down the trails and have been hitting the berry patch pretty hard.

The above pictures are from the North Pasture.  I cut a spur to the woods on that side - very open in there (that's where I've been taking Buck for his "walk in the wild" - he goes crazy sniffing the ground in there). It's obviously part of the property that was logged back in the 90's.

I did blaze another lawnmower trail through the South Pasture...was it some kind of thick and tall.  It takes us to the south property line, where it's easy to hop over the old fence and get on the logging road.  Scott was able to come put the mechanical sewer to the test (it passed) and also to look around in the woods.  I hadn't been to the back of the property since the first day I saw it back in April, so Jack grabbed the loppers and Scott grabbed the old brush ax, and we headed out to see what the surveyor marked and to work on a property line trail.

We found a really nice white oak on the logging road.  They make fantastic trees and the squirrels and deer love the sweet acorns they drop.  It'll be a great spot to post up on autumn afternoons and wait for the aboreal rodent feeding frenzy.

We found the section marker and plunged into the heart of darkness.  With trailblazers like this, who could have any fear?

There were tons of Huckleberries along the fenceline (more than I remember from the initial excursion) and we took care to clear around them.  With a little attention, we should be able to exploit huckleberry heaven and once again enjoy some of that special jelly next May.  There's a good mix of trees and some really nice spots in the bottom towards the creek.  We first worked on widening the rough trail blazed by the surveyor when he marked off the 10 acres that are tied up with the house.  

The next order of business was to continue the trail.  With the muscles and optimism of youth, Scott and the lumberJacques forced through the tangle knowing we would make it to the North property line.

Hey, wasn't Scotty's shirt a lighter color when we started?  Anyway, we spotted several drainages, large hardwoods, sunlit glades, tree stand hotspots, hollies and hickories...but no north fence line.  We ran out of water and decided the rest could wait for another day.  It was still very nice to get into the woods, and no one was disappointed with what we saw or what we accomplished.

That should hold you over for a little while.  We are looking past the next few weeks to where transition is complete, and our home is ready for guests.  Anybody that shows up before that is still welcome, but you may be handed a brush ax, a scraper, a sanding block or a paintbrush...so don't say you weren't warned.

hasta la vista, baby.

Transitions

It's been a while since the last post, but that doesn't mean there has been nothing going on.  Actually, I forgot to bring the camera on our first two pre-move trips after closing, but I made up for it over the 4th of July weekend.  Let's catch up, shall we?

Here's a look at the 3Gen Renovation crew:

Quite a competent bunch, they have focused on the back three rooms (pantry, laundry, and guest bathroom).  Lots of spackling, caulking, tile stripping/installing, sanding, priming, painting and demolition by this crew.

Jose' took out the cobbled together shelving to start a complete re-do of the pantry.  This renovate included caulking all seams and pulling up two layers of old vinyl, installing new tiles and then turning the priming/painting over to the girls.  These two pictures show the room is now ready for proper shelving (and maybe baseboards depending on what we build in there):

The laundry room underwent a similar treatment, and is ready for appliances.  The cabinets were painted, and the hardware updated, but a miscalculation on the hinge type delayed the re-installation of the doors until the next trip.  Otherwise, it's ready to go.

The guest bathroom was the biggest task.  There were a lot of holes and other superficial issues under the old striped wallpaper, but that was nothing but a thang for 3Gen.  Here's Alice plying her trim paint talents to the window frame.  The base cabinet has been spider-proofed and is ready for the doors.  The walls are just primed, but they already look so much better than before.  One more coat of paint and the paper will come up off the floor, we'll hang a framed mirror, and since the tiles in this room were in good shape we'll be able to declare victory.

Meanwhile, the rest of the house is covered up with boxes and is awaiting a little cosmetic attention of it's own.

On one of our earlier trips, Jose' and Jacques put in a little backyard fence for Buck.  As you can see below, the WonderDog has taken to his new digs and keeps a pretty fierce critter watch for us.

Here's a little of his back yard - Jacques dug the gate out of the old pen in the back to be recycled into a useful purpose. The first picture shows a flying can above the gate...this was actually part of the fireworks fun and games associated with the 4th.

Before we leave the back porch, we can look at some Houston transplants adjusting to their new digs.  We had the ping-pong table set up, but Buck laid under the table and engaged in a mad chase for any ball that hit the floor, so that didn't work quite as planned.

Shifting to wildlife, we saw our first deer in the area (a doe in the pipeline on the way to the highway store), Jose' caught a look at a flock of turkeys crossing the road close to our property, and I spotted some primates cavorting in the old magnolia.  No proof on the first two, but check out the wild hominids:

I previously mentioned having a little fun with the pyrotechnics.  Jacques experimented the destructive effects of large firecrackers on a number of objects with much delight.

The group also demonstrated their curiosity about how a smoke bomb would fare in the trash fire...Alice decided a good whiff left a bit of an aftertaste...

And finally, I'll add a shot of the father and son portion of the team.  It is very hard to catch them with a straight face...hmmm, is that what they mean about the chickens coming home to roost or is it something about the apple not falling far from the tree?  You decide.

So this update included a little more house and people documentation.  I have another full post's worth of property shots, including Scott's first visit and what went on back in the woods.  Stay tuned.