Attack - July 23rd

Hello hello hello, we're back. It has been a long time now, and you have all been very patient. After we finished the braces last Monday, we had to take some time to figure out what the next big step would be. It all depended on what was salvageable and what was not. It depended on windows, it depended on a LOT of things. We got it all figured out, we got to enjoy the lake a bit. Dave got to catch up on work. So, this week we are back on the job and ready to get this place livable. On Monday, I did a lot of pulling out of old boards that were tacked onto the ceiling. Then I vacuumed (for hours) all the rodent poop that had fallen from the ceiling. You know how exciting vacuuming is - I guess it is alright that I didn't get any pictures.

The next day was more fun. We have come to the conclusion that the front gable wall needed to be replaced. It was all rotten. So, the first plan of attack was to pick some windows for the front wall so we could frame them when the time came. So, Dave and I went on an exciting trip to Big Jims. This is the place in New Hampshire where you go to get good windows for cheap. There were lots and lots!!



We picked out five really nice ones for the front room. We haven't taken pictures of them, but you'll see them once we get them in (and we are sure that you will all approve.)

So, now that we had the windows that we needed, we needed to start taking down the front wall. Here I am painstakingly removing the old windows so we don't break them.



Oh, I forgot that in order to start taking out the wall, we needed to set up the scaffolding. Here Dad is testing it out.



Then we made it taller!



Here is Orrin enjoying an afternoon under the scaffolding. Lizzy is right near him, but out of the picture. Don't worry, he is set pretty far from the construction project, it just looks like he is there to catch demolition debris (I put that sentence in for when his mother reads this update!)



Okay, things are really going in the right direction, now. But, since we took so much time off, I thought I would fill you in on what we have been enjoying while we put the project on hold.

One thing I should point out is that the weather this week has been really crumby, But last week was beautiful. Here is a picture Dave took when we woke up the other day. It turns out that when you sleep in a tent, it is really hard to sleep in. Between the sun shining in and the crows yelling to each other in the trees above our heads, we are up around 6am every day. So, here is a sunrise we took in and remembered to photograph.



Ahh, nature is nice isn't it. Here is a sunfish that Dave took a picture of.



Okay, that is all I am going to give you this time, but I'm putting in the next update right away, so read on to see the demolition continue.