Beaming

Got a lot done this week. Started on the chicken coop and finished the garage beam project. The coop is complicated and the beam was heavy, but it came from the white pine that was once growing in our backyard. Also got the bearings in the trailer greased. Sure was difficult getting a few of those lug nuts off! 

Last Sunday we went for a walk along the Yellow Dog River and had lunch in Big Bay. It was a lot of fun. The girls and I also went down to Escanaba on Friday to cut the lawn and water some plants. We stopped at Dominic's to see the farm and mill up a bit more cedar. One round left. Still no chicks. We also rescued a skunk that had fallen into the window well. That was a bit scary!

The girls had fun with a friend this week and made lots of boats for the stream. They are testing out different designs. It has been a rather chilly week, so the garden hasn't grown much, but this week it will heat up so things should change quickly. Finally got a new dehumidifier and it makes a big difference!

Fun at the Yellow Dog River.

The final beam.

Amélie learning to cut the grass.

More cedar!

Payday

I was able to wrap up the job on Middle Island Point. Client is very happy and it was a lot of fun to work on it with him and the builder. What a beautiful spot, and we lucked out with the weather apart from one storm that got everything wet. Managed to get the screens attached to the posts in a fairly seamless way. Nice to be able to get through this summer financially without dipping too far into the savings account! That was getting stressful. 

Also managed to get the stream flowing. Garden is planted. Now we just need some more rain! On Sunday night Naomi cooked a 5-star meal to celebrate the girl's good report cards this year. Normally we go out to eat but this was better. Got the new grill fixed and working as well. Teaching Amélie how to use it. 

One of our teachers is retiring, so transferring her students over is taking a lot of time. Giving too many to one rather unreliable teacher who has been doing better lately, but I just don't have better options. Really hard to find good teachers. 

Got ladybugs for the greenhouse. They should take care of the aphids. The problem is that I got black swallowtail caterpillars as well. Nice snack for the ladybugs. Also worried that the plants I got for them to eat are full of pesticides. These unexpected wrinkles always seem to throw a wrench in things!

Fancy dinner!

Garden is ready for the rabbits and chipmunks to enjoy.

Screen attachments. Tricky.

They kept the roof but everything else is new.

Sean the builder. 

Nice covered workspace!

The wall keeps out most of the wind and rain. Original windows.

Rough cut cedar looks great.

Rails for grandkids to grab.

Black swallowtail catepillars.

The chef learns a new tool.

Jobsite

It was a pleasure to work for a client who has a cabin on a rocky peninsula jutting out into Lake Superior. He is a great guy, and helped out a lot. There was a builder who he hired as well. The three of us had fun together and made some good progress with rebuilding a screened in porch. Had to get creative to match the old style as much as possible. 

Didn't leave much time for other things this week, so the garden got pushed back. Fence is done for now and tomatoes are in. Maybe the rest will get planted today. Just in time for some colder weather, haha. 

The girls wrapped up with their last week of school. They had all sorts of fun activities planned. Definitely a transition to figure out the new summer routine! We did get to collect some tadpoles from the Black Rocks for our pond, and that was fun. 

Lucky with the weather!

Nice walk at Black Rocks.

Scribing trim to fit the old logs.

The rails are in!

Collecting tadpoles.

Amazing they can live there!

Garden Building

It's been a busy week in the backyard. Pond plants arrived along with some snails. Got the raised beds in. Tried to avoid the heat, but got pretty sweaty anyway. Even turned a stump into a planter for a blueberry. 

Bringing the plants out of the greenhouse to get used to the great outdoors. Reluctant to plant them until the fence is up. Got some posts and the gate in. Had ideas for the gate which didn't work out. Not happy with the look, but it should be functional. 

Started work on the porch project for a client as well. Need to prep further for that this morning. Finally getting some much needed rain, so I was hoping to plant today, but not sure time will allow it! Had a nice dinner with Pish last night. She was surprised by our lack of bugs.

The stump planter.

Ready to go out!

Tractor sure made this job easier. 

Tourist Time

A friend came up to visit from Ann Arbor this week, so we got to be tourists for a bit. It was his first time to the UP and he enjoyed it! Lucky the weather was good. He also interviewed me for an article in a Michigan Alumni publication. We had fun, and hopefully we can stay with them if we visit Ann Arbor some day.

Got a lot of cleaning up done this week and made some progress with the landscaping. The spiral raised bed is ready to go and the girls helped me get the pond liner in yesterday. School had their field day on Friday, and it was fun, but Amélie hurt her wrist. She gets to wear a removable cast for a while. 

Way too hot dry here. Can't seem to get many seeds started even when I water them. Feels like August. Sure hope it rains soon, but the forecast isn't promising. 

The dam by our house is impressive!

It was Miss CJ's double golden birthday.

Got the tire off the camper. Need to figure out how to get air back in.

Goose school.

Been a while since we saw a sunset!

Went out to TNT.

Partway blown over.

Fun with the drone.

Pond time!

Shovel and Rake

The tractor was a big help during this week of landscaping, but the shovel and rake still got quite the workout. I was able to level the lawn, add in a border, make a couple piles disappear, and get some seed down. Transplanted some lilac and peonies. Even dug the pond. Starting to look a lot better in the backyard!

My parents and I, along with my sister, all went out to our land to mark out the clearings so that the logging company knows where to cut. Need to finish marking out the new road. Really running out of time as the leaves are coming in quickly!

We enjoyed the rest of our time with Auntie Claire. Amélie got to go all the way to the airport in Green Bay with her. Abigail has some time with just Mommy and Daddy. Naomi is working hard on getting the mudroom finished up. It is looking so much better! 

Finished the beams over the car, so we can park inside again.

Fun with Auntie Claire. 

Tractor Time

The ground has mostly thawed, so may the landscaping begin. So much to do in the backyard. It would take so much longer without the tractor! Yesterday I was able to finish the greenhouse roof and the hill behind it. Some piles are shrinking. Others will grow. 

Claire had more time to spend with us this week, so that was fun. Finally got the knives sharpened - one of my routines for her visits. She will be back on Tuesday after spending some time with family. Had a goodbye dinner with French Claire and Doug. Naomi is having a rough time with that.

Had a big meeting with my dad and another forester from a logging company. We walked through our land and discussed the possibility of a timber harvest later this summer. Looks like they should be able to make a few clearings, build and improve some roads, and thin a good chunk of the property to improve the forest. Need to get the tire fixed on the camper so we can move it out of the way! 

Big mess to clean up.

New roof membrane is on!