Spring 2012 is a good place to start . . .

I have to play catch-up to get to November, so I’m just going to post some “before” photos for a few entries, and then wade in with the narrative.  And it is a dandy narrative, full of intrigue and old town lore and colorful characters who, if there are ghosts, are still present in this wild north end of town populated only by horse and dairy farms, old railroad beds turned into hiking trails, reservoir land and miles of state forest.  In 1950 this land was Barney’s dream come true, and since the rest of town remembers him with such fondness, there has been no end of curiosity, stories, and kind but anxious interest to see what I’m up to here.  In these Spring 2012 photos this little former fishing shack may not look like much . . . but I promise, that will change.  I just don’t know if it’ll kill me first. J

You've seen the front--this is the side of the house facing the pond/stream.  It sists 90 feet above the pond on a fairly steep slope so from this vantage point you can see the entire pond and beyond to the stone wall 2 acres away, and the christmas tree farm and state forest behind that.  It is 20 feet long. This end will have an 8 foot addition with a shed-roof --there will be an 8x8 foor interior addition on the left side and the rest will be a covered porch so I can sit out and look at the pond.  I originally wanted a deck, because the winter sun is so nice, and this side faces west so I was afraid I'd lose light through the windows, but friends and carpenter said I'd be happier with a roof.

Deep breath . . . it doesn't get any better any time soon.

 

 

Barney was the former building inspector for town and he got things given to him all the time--all kinds of materials and lumber and whatever, and he took it all.  Here you see his plan for a new kitchen when he expanded the cabin to be the retirement house for himself and his wife Bea. I have no idea how he planned to fit all those metal cabinets in there, but that was 1989, and they sat there till this summer.  Cute chimney, huh?  You'll sing another tune when we get to the current "Oh my god it's made of sand" construction photos.
Across the street is a horse farm.  That's the only other house on this end of the road. The horse farm owners, by the way, are especially interested in what I am doing--they fear trailers, junk cars, and pink flamingoes.

Down by the stream is the old generator house that Barney used to power the cabin.  Old timers say he had a water wheel in the stream and could generate electricity that way but I'm a little suspicious.  This little thing is 6x8 and as you can see, the bank needs excavating so we can pull the cinder blocks back and straighten it up.  Barney's daughter says that this probably happened when thugs stole the generator a few years ago--they just squished the bank down and clipped the shed with their vehicle.  Turds.

What interior would be complete without an iron bathtub and (look closely) a player piano?

The other end of the cabin, visited by indiscreet vandals over the years.  We all wondered what tha little window-cage thing in the corner was for.  But ou'll notice those beautiful wide wooden boards--they are on the walls, cieling and floors--some are nearly 2 feet across.  They just do not exist anymore.  We have removed as many as we could and will use them as the new cieling for the raised roof; the interior will have a loft above this area, and be open on the fireplace end.

Here is the  north end of the stream/pond, flowing through a gorgeous culvert under the converted railroad bed.  The cabin is to the right, up the hill, about in line with the large downed tree. This is March/April; it was a complete jungle in the summer, but the lobelia and other water plants are phenomenal.  The plan is to remove all the fallen trees and get the water flowing in the middle of the stream to avoid as much bank-sogginess as possible.

Here's the culvert.  What a beauty.  We're going to clean him out and expose him -- WPA did not exist in vain!!!

Randy and MacKenzie take an Easter walk along the stream bank, surprising several turtles.

There's the idea of what I saw this spring.  Unfortunately I have run out of time, so narrative and intro  tomorrow, I hope!