Starting to look like

The last 2 days have seen a lot of activity. A lot of the basement framing has been constructed. We have a well that is 350' deep and produces 40 gpm. We had watched the well driller most of yesterday only to have it "come in" about a half hour after we left.

Today they poured the garage floor and have enough of the basement studded that the floor joists can be installed on Monday. The septic drain field was "capped" with topsoil today and a lot of rough grading was done on the left side of the lot.

We were on our way home when we saw a red Austin Healy 3000 approaching. Knowing it was Wally we found a place to make a U turn and met them at the lot.

Click for today's pictures and here for yesterday's pictures.

A bee hive of activity

It wasn't supposed to rain until after noon today. Just can't believe the weather guessers. We decided to go to the lot just to see what was going on and give Casey Adams Construction their next draw. When we arrived there were 2 cement trucks there as well as Charles Tinker, our cabinet maker. Charles wanted to know when he could take measurements to start on the kitchen cabinets. He also talked to Casey about the vanity tops so he could start on them.

One of the cement trucks was just finished and the other had just started to pour their load for the cellar slab. We thought that was going to happen on Thursday. The cement contractor decided to risk the light showers and get the cellar floor in. He wanted to let it cure some before tomorrow's forecast sun. So it goes.

While we were there a large tractor trailer arrived with the roof trusses. That wasn't expected either. So Ben moved the big shovel and the driver moved the dump that were in the way of off loading the trusses. That big rig backed down the drive with no problem and deposited the trusses on the ground where they would be handy for the crane to lift.

Terri arrived and we reviewed the window plan with her so she could make that order today.

By 11:30 the well driller hadn't arrived. They were delayed with tire problems. Maybe later today or tomorrow. So we went for mail and lunch. After lunch we went to Essex and stopped in at State Farm to check on our construction risk policy. That policy will be effective tomorrow.

Framing should start tomorrow.

Today's pix.

Another day of progress

Today the septic system installation was completed and inspected. Also the insulation was installed along with the pex for the radiant slab in the basement.

The well driller should start tomorrow, they may have arrived after we left today.

The slab should be poured on Thursday.

On Monday night we played bingo again and won about $20 which covered most of our expenses. We had an enjoyable evening.

Pictures here.

An update

Saturday we went to Mo'ville to see Henry, aka Jerry, at the store and wish him a happy B'day. We then decided to go to Green River to check out the boat launch and just get the lay of the land. While we were there watching some kayaker's return from their day's paddle we got a "hi what are you doing here?" from Sherry our Hairdresser. She was camping with family near by. After a short visit with Sherry and her cousins we headed for home.

That night was a Taco dinner at the resort and also a Halloween costume contest. We won the Adult title dressed as tourists looking for our cruise ship. Oh, we were the only adults, other than staff, that were dressed up.

Sunday was just a down day but we did get the laundry done and the dog washed.

Today was shopping and back to watch more of the build. The stone was placed in the cellar hole to get ready for the insulation, radiant heating piping and cement on Wed. The power and phone conduit was installed and the septic tanks arrived and they were also installed.

See pix here and watch the stop action movie.

More progress

The forms have been removed, foundation sealed, plumbing rough-in, backfill nearly completed.

Next week should see the drain filed completed and the well should be drilled. The garage and basement floor should also be poured. The basement will have radiant heat so the pex will go down before the pour.

Stay tuned and follow pictures here.

Foundation poured

We missed the cement trucks by a couple of hours. We had some appointments to take care of and got to the site about 2:15 and found the forms were full of cement.

The next site visit will be Thursday.

It looks like we will get a few passing T'storms as the cold front goes thru. We saw 91 on the car thermometer.

Follow the construction here.

Oh the frustration

June and July were mostly wet. Mostly it was a time of great frustration with building a house. Basically nothing significant happened other than changing the design, restaking the foundation, then finally getting a quote we didn't want to afford. So we told the contractor we were DONE. We contacted a Realtor to consider selling the lot and purchasing a house. Our new Realtor, Diane, found us some potential properties and also suggested we consider a different builder. That was an excellent suggestion. We met with the builder recommended and after a lot of discussion decided to build. So now there is progress.

The house has been sited. Foundation dug, footers poured and the foundation forms are up. We decided not to use ICF's, integrated concret forms, or spray foam insulation becasue they are to costly. So it will be standard 2x6 construction with the basement walls studded and insulated.

You can follow along looking at our web album.

Reflections on Belle Isle

I've been slacking for a couple of months now so it is time to get things up to date.

We had spent nearly 2 months at Belle Isle State Park in Virginia working as camp hosts. This assignment was a quite a bit different from what we had done at Lake Anna and Smith Mountain Lake state parks. At Belle Isle the main task was to man the camp store on Thursday afternoons and all day Saturday and Sunday. We had limited responsibilities in the campground. We divided the work so that Suzette handled the campground and I manned the store. Since it was early season most of the time in the store was major boring. Since much of the store work involved web applications, Reserve America and VA Fish and Game, there was a large frustration factor with the internet. They used Hughes Net with a repeater from the Visitors Center to the Camp Store. Even though there was clear line of sight the internet connection was frequently dropped. Major frustration.

We did get in some kayaking and did get to see some baby eagles. We did not get to see them fledge but they were fun to watch.

We also made a side trip to Tangier Island which was quite interesting.

There are photos on our web album. Look for the one labeled BelleIsle.

From Stump Pass to Apple Island Resort in Vermont

Yes it has bee a long time since I posted any update.
We left FL on April 3. We had overnight stays at Crooked River SP in Georgia, a KOA park near Charleston SC and then a few days at Myrtle Beach SP to celebrate Suzette's B'Day before we made our way to Belle Isle SP in Virginia.

We were camp hosts at Belle Isle from April to the last week of May. We did a lot of kayaking and made several new friends. We enjoyed our time there and the staff was wonderful. We left Belle Isle on the 28 of May and arrived at Apple Island a few days later.

We have a POB, new VT drivers licenses and registrations of the car and truck. We will do the camper a little later as well as one of the motorcycles. Maybe I can get some summer riding in.

We have made several trips to our lot and have the foundation, driveway, septic, and well staked out. We have had several meetings with appliance folks, the kitchen planner and our builder. A few days a go a few test holes were dug to hopefully identify possible foundation issues. We didn't find any concerns.

I did get on a Wednesday night race on Sundance and again this Saturday. It is nice to be on the lake again.

I will recap some of our activities while at Belle Isle later. To view pictures of Belle Isle take a look at our web album.

Stump Pass but no kayaking

We met Rich and Linda at Stump Pass but decided not to kayak because the wind was really blowing and the current was running hard. So what to do? Walk the beach, what there was of it, to the pass that gives access to the Gulf. What a nice walk. Not much for shells but we did find a lot of sharks teeth.

The waves were really breaking onto the shore and forming little rivers as they flow back to the Gulf. When we arrived at the Pass we saw about 8 dolphins "playing" in the channel. Nice marine show.

Once we returned to the parking lot we ate lunch and chatted. We decided to not kayak since we didn't have a lot of time to play.

Once we returned to the park we decided to get in some pool time so off we go. We visited with some of our neighbors while we bobbed around on noodles. Once we were sufficiently wrinkled we got out to dry off in the sun before returning to the camper. When we got back I looked at my cell and found we had missed a call. Ann S. said they were going out for Chinese and wondered if we wanted to go along. Well of course we did so it was dinner out.

After dinner we visited and had a couple of glasses of wine.

Another nice day in paradise.

Today's pictures are here.

Another full day

Today we spent a few hours at the glass studio where I was able to solder my project together. Suzette cut and ground glass for her project.

After lunch we went to the Reds VS Bo Sox game. Not much of a game. Many of the first line players were on the field for the first 7 innings. At the end of 7 it was Reds 1 Sox 0. By the end of the 1st half of the 9th the Sox had 2 runs. The Reds had nothing to offer in the bottom of the 9th. Go Sox.

Once we returned to the park and got ready for the volunteer thank you dinner. It was a very nice evening with an excellent food and drink and a very good comedian. We and the other 338 volunteers had a very nice time.

Tuesday

Today we spent the morning in the glass studio working on our projects. After lunch we defrosted the fridge since it has been running for over a year and there was considerable buildup in the freezer compartment. Since we had depleted most of the refrigerated items it was time to replenish so off to Wal-Mart and Winn Dixie.

Once everything was put away we fed and walked Logan and headed for the pool.

Then it was supper and back to the glass studio to continue work on our projects.

What have we been doing for the last month or so?

Well it has been somewhat of a routine. Kayak on the best days, go to the beach when we want to, do our weekly shopping. Clean the coach, walk the dog, wash the dog, wash clothes, go to the Stained glass shop and work on projects.

Yes Larry also took the beginner class and is working on his 2nd project, Suzette is working on her 6th project. Suzette has also made several pine needle baskets using shells for the center. Larry used the dremel tool and a diamond tool to make holes in the edge of the shells so they could be used in the baskets.

We have returned to several of the paddling venues to spend enjoyable days on the water. We have seen dolphins, eagles, and many other birds.

We have attended a shell show in Sarasota, a seafood festival in Placida, a street fair in Englewood.

James came for a short visit and we were able to kayak with him as well as a couple of good dinners out.

Look at our online photo album here .

Another paddle day

We decided to try a new launch site that is in the Sarasota County Blue way's trails book. We got there and it was a long walk to the canoe/kayak launch and then there was a large mud flat before we reached the water. Also the wind was blowing pretty good and it was still cool. So we found another launch site in the book. We ended up at the end of the road and in a private yard. No launch there. So we headed back to the main road and went to Aingler Park. This is a pay to park boat launch/park along the river. We put in and headed up river for a good distance. While we were paddling along my cell rang in my dry bag. Damn. Thinking it was son James to report on his surgery I fumbled for the phone and answered. It was Ann, they had arrived at Sanford Lane and she was just checking in. After we talked with her we decided to head back to the launch site and have lunch and then to head for the ICW, down river about half mile.

We had a nice paddle up the bay and another river/creek. The tide had turned and the current was pretty good going up stream. When we turned to head back we did get a good push in unexpected directions when we approached the bridge.

As we neared the launch the cell rang again. This time it was James reporting that his operation had went fine and he was doing well. Good news.

Pictures from today.

Pappa Rot Z

On Monday 2/2 I volunteered for a "job". Since we had decided to give ourselves a Christmas present of a new Nikon D60 Digital SLR. Man what a camera. So with the new camera I decided to become one of the park photog's. That does get me into events for free and the pictures I have taken have found there way to the park's cable TV channel. It's been fun. The main event I have covered has been the Blue's Brothers Review.

Suzette continued to work in the Glass Shop and started a class on making a lamp shade and I started the beginner class in Stained glass. While Suzette does her glass thing I have been out taking pictures around the park and turning them in to Gary, my park contact.

The only paddle we did in the last couple of weeks has been at Turtle Beach with Rich and Linda. The weather wasn't the best so we spent time shelling on the beach. Finally the weather cleared enough for us to paddle. So we did our usual down to where Midnight Pass was and did some more shelling.

Suzette did get here lampshade finished and I have my beginner project ready to solder.


I'm sure I have left a few things out but take a look at our online picture albums for ones that I haven't posted here.

Stump Pass again

We really like paddling at Stump Pass. We frequently see dolphins and of course Osprey and we can get to the Gulf if the current and wind are in our favor. Also the shelling is quite good. On this trip, with Linda and Rich we had a pretty stiff breeze so we didn't go out the inlet. We did however find a lot of good shells and sharks teeth.

As we were getting ready to launch a car with VT tags pulled in. Suzette and I started calling "Wood Chuck". Linda asked if we knew them. I said I must know them they are from Vermont. So I went over to meet them. They are from Shelburne. And would you guess they worked at IBM. Oh yeah I knew them, Vic and Linda Brenner. What a small world.

No pictures just good times with good friends.

Time to ketchup again

Well not real ketchup but catchup, like bring this thing up to date. So I will make several posts today to catch the highlights of the last few weeks.

Following our paddle at Robinson we met Bill Crowe and Dwight and went to Myakka State Park to paddle on the Myakka river and visit the alligators. We had a nice paddle down the river to near where we would have had to portage so we paddled back to the launch. We saw a lot of alligators and other wildlife.

Robinson Preserve

After stained glass class we headed to Bradenton to purchase tickets for a Pirates game. There weren't any decent seats left for the games we considered going to and the parking at the park is poor. We decided to skip Pirates games there. So we headed for Robinson Preserve and paddle. We launched and found the entrance to the preserve through a short mangrove tunnel.


There was an area with more mangrove tunnels but we didn't feel we had time to explore and the tide was a little low and we were not sure how far we could go.

We reached an area that was blocked off for the Eagle nest so we had to return on the same route.

We did see this Imm White Ibis.

All in all a neat area but you need to insure the tide is in.

More pictures here.

Nokomis Beach

On January 24 we were to meet Rich and Linda at Nokomis Beach. Since the Gulf was flat we decided to paddle to Venice Inlet and go out to the Gulf. We spend about 45 minutes paddling around before returning to the island just inside the inlet to eat our lunch.

Heading out Venice Inlet

Larry and Rich on the Gulf

Our lunch stop

After lunch we headed back to the launch area looking for the "kids". We met up with them and headed up the ICW to above the draw bridge and see if we could find "begger". "Begger" is a dolphin that is known to hang out above the bridge. We did catch several glimpses of him but he didn't approach our kayaks.

Life on the ICW

The weather was cold. I know it's realitive

Well for Florida we had a couple of cold weeks. But that really worked out pretty good since Suzette was taking Stained Glass class and I was taking a class in bowl turning.

Suzette completed her class project and then did a project on her own, the sailboat below. Once she decided on the pattern the glass had to be chosen. So off to Glass Crafters. So much glass to choose from.

The lighter bowl was the first bowl I did in the class with help form the instructor. The darker one was done more on my own. One thing I learned is that making a flat bottomed bowl is a lot more challenging than a rounded bottomed bowl.


On Friday the 16th Mati, Judy, Suzette and I went to the Tampa RV show. It is a large show and we spent a lot of time going thru the vendor area before looking at a lot of the high end rv's. It was interesting to see Spartan chassis as well as a RV with nothing inside but plywood floor. One could easily spend 2 days at the show.