A Visit to The Pit

by marjasisu, posted in Camp Many Moons

The little dog was new. The men in ball caps were not new. I’m getting quite familiar with men in ball caps, and usually wear one myself these days. But I’m not so familiar with myself in this environment. Who is this woman, anyway?

This week, I’ve been to “the pit” and I’ve been to “the yard,” both big construction sites. I’ve washed mud off my feet a dozen times a day before entering the camper because, well, this is also a construction site now. I’ve taken the garbage to a roadside pick-up and paid $3 per bag to get it hauled away. And when our well got clogged by sand, I put off my shower yet another day.

Those of you who know me as “Captain Mary” or another professional title, I’m talking to you! 😉 This is my life in retirement right now as we stay in a camper while building a cabin on the shores of Huron Bay in Michigan’s U.P. No military uniforms, no suits, and no daily showers.

Sometimes, on this adventure, the old collides with the new. Just yesterday, the phone company laid fiber optic cable down our private dirt road, burying the orange conduit on the edge of Camp Many Moons while I was hanging sheets on a clothesline. (Because campers don’t come with washing machines.) So we will soon have access to 500MB while I continue to wash clothes in a bucket! Sometime next year, we will live like “normal people.” For now, it’s amusing…and sometimes trying. It’s a good thing I was raised with sisu, a Finnish term that means grit and determination (and is becoming quite a fashionable term in the world). Meanwhile, Jeff seems ever-energized by the building process while I get periodically drained by it. Ah, well. Onward! Photos and captions below.

Jeff sent me to “the pit,” which is what they call the quarry near Hancock Beach. I was tasked to pick up risers — yet another new term for me — for our septic tank. What, I just drive in and ask for risers? Yep….
So I knocked on the door of the office–for some reason, I was surprised to find that a quarry has an office–and was greeted by this funny little dog who hangs out there. He qualifies for “so homely that he’s cute.” A mix of Yorkie and Chihuahua, the owner said.
This sign was behind the desk. David is apparently the boss. Hope he has a sense of humor!
My visit to “the pit” reaped this reward…three risers that will sit on top of the septic tank holes. This allows us to bury the unsightly tank so it’s invisible but accessible. (Jeff built his own riser at his house. Which he also built, of course. Nobody is more “handy” than Jeff!)
Next day, I was on my own errand (not Jeff’s), seeking the right source for stamping-and-coloring our new concrete patio. “Do you know anyone who…?” is a frequent question these days. It led me to this huge construction yard, also with a quarry. Creating the patio I want is proving even more challenging than our “decorator” heated slab, but I’m optimistic after meeting a guy named Ed here. (He wore a ball cap. 😉 ) He helped me figure out how to turn vision into result. I think. Stay tuned for more on that.
Between my search for quarry pits and construction yards, I continue to “keep house” as best I can. This includes washing laundry in a bucket with a simple-but-ingenious metal device called an Amish washing machine, which acts like a butter churner, then hanging it on a clothesline.
While I was hanging the laundry, the local phone company was laying fiber optic cable alongside my lot. “Non-compute!” as we used to say in college when something was hard to absorb. (Computers were just arriving in our lives then…the old “punch-card” kind.) Rustic meets high-tech! The conduit-laying process is itself a testament to technology. It’s laid a few feet deep — or several — by using a computerized drill. The drill operator sends it exactly where he wants it to go, sometimes several hundred feet along a horizontal underground track. (Notice the ball cap! :))
With our walls up and wrapped and while waiting for a roof, work proceeds on the 72 feet of patio. Jeff dug a trench for the footings, which is the bottom part of a foundation that spreads weight evenly. They’re needed here because this will be a covered porch with posts.
Digging is tough work but has its benefits. As Jeff said, “I’m a lot more fit than when we started.”
After the footings came the Styrofoam. Not every patio needs Styrofoam underneath, but Jeff added it to reduce the likelihood of frost damage. We’re on the 47th parallel — closer to the North Pole than the equator. (The equator is at 0 degrees, the North Pole is at 90.) Winters are long and harsh here so construction decisions must reflect that. Exactly what this patio will look like remains a question, related to base color and secondary color and type of stamp and skill of the stamper. Like I said, complicated.

18 thoughts on “A Visit to The Pit”

  1. Wow. What an adventure, Mary! Reminds me of when I first moved up here after my husband died. I didn’t build a house from scratch, like you’re doing, but I had a lot of ‘undoing’ with this house from the shortcuts of the previous owner. (I still do!) Your cabin is going to be wonderful. And Yep… Jeff can do ANYTHING! Thanks for sharing the ride. Can’t wait to see the finished product. Now I have to go cut down some dead-fall branches on DaLedge with my Makita saw.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Just got out own “saw-zall”… well be easier to manage, Jeff says, than my little chainsaw. I like my chainsaw fine, but okay! You continue to amaze me also, living alone in the woods with your dog that way and making things happen. You must come see the progress here soon. Feel free to drop by any time.

      Like

      Reply

      1. I will! I’m really eager to see your progress and see the 2 of you. It’s been too long since the last visit. I just know you’re SO busy, but you put out the invite and I’ll accept (soon as I can!)

        Like

      2. Do that! I’m going to Duluth tomorrow for an overnight (FinnFest), now that the next step is sorted… but Jeff rarely leaves. People drop in just to look, so feel free to do that without notice….

        Like

  2. Ginny gave me a similar method for washing clothes. I use a large, tall plastic kitchen waste basket and a double walled plunger.. both new, of course. It works great for cleaning rags, small rugs,dirty work clothes, etc. Things I don’t want to put in the washer. And using a little Pinesol in the water helps

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Mary, I love the way you describe your situation, ‘rustic collides with high tech’. It does take grit and determination to keep up the pace that the project demands. Taking those moments for yourself out on the water every day is a way to remember the beauty, peace and family connections that make it all worth while.

    I hand it to you, “Captain Mary”! Diane Kartchner

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Katherine Salisbury Cancel reply