What kind of wood (lumber) to put on the vaulted ceiling of the Cabin at Many Moons?
And where is the snow, anyway?
Those questions distracted me (in Virginia) and Jeff (in Michigan) for weeks. Finally, both questions are answered as we continue our long-distance DIY home-building collaboration.
Winter officially arrives Dec 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, but it didn’t look like it. Today, Jeff reports that the ground is finally all-white and the bay is finally freezing. Also today, I put in the order for 1,500 square feet of manufactured wood — i.e., lumber — for our ceiling. (And some walls.) I’ll announce my decision, and reasons for it, later. But I am so glad to be done researching this one! Pine, alder, cedar, or…? Stain or no stain? Dark or light? Warm or cool? Which company can deliver when we need it and can we trust them? Doing this remotely is unnerving, but I finally feel confident in my decision. Why such a big deal? We have a really big ceiling (for a small place) and open space. Yet I’m aiming for “cozy.” I could’ve hired an interior designer, but I’m not that rich! So I taught myself. Stay tuned for the results.
Hint: If you’ve been following this blog, you know I call myself a centrist (independent) in terms of political and spiritual outlook. I seek the middle ground. Even, it turns out, in wood.
Photos and captions below ….
Yesterday, the water was flowing freely here on the shoreline of Camp Many Moons on Huron Bay. Today, this. The waterfront froze overnight as temperatures went down to near-zero.
The north wind splashed water against the shoreline. The splashes froze and created this….
…and the snow left a clean blanket around The Cabin at Many Moons. It won’t look like “home” until we get the siding on, but it’s getting closer to that inside…
…because all the walls have sheetrock on them. Real walls, waiting for paint! We also need to stain those door (and window) frames, and add trim around them, to perfect that view. (The dock is on land for the winter and will eventually be moved back farther so it’s not visible like this.) The upper part of this wall is not covered in sheetrock because we will cover it with wood instead, to match….
…the ceiling. This photo is taken from the loft. See what I mean about open space?
While Jeff works at the cabin (house) almost daily, he continues to live in his real “cabin” here in the woods. It’s a good thing he cut a lot of firewood because he’s using it up on these very cold nights! The two little snow-covered snowmobiles are waiting for an outing. I’m eager for it, too–as long as we don’t repeat this experience!
Snow also covered the ground today at my townhouse in Arlington, Va. for the first time in two years. We’re expecting more tonight. (My place is the end unit on right side, behind the realtor sign. My neighbors recently moved and put their place up for sale. I liked them a lot so I’m sad. That’s how it goes; we are a mobile society. They kept their jobs in the D.C. area and will work remotely in northern New York State. They love snow, too.) We’ve had some big snows while I’ve lived here–up to 24″ in a single storm– but not in many years.
In my neighborhood, most people stick their windshield wipers in the air like this before going to bed if snow or ice is expected. That way, you don’t have to unstick them from the windshield in the morning. I don’t see this often in Michigan. When I’m in the rural north, I often hear wise-cracks about “city people” and their habits, but this urban habit makes sense to me.
Another urban habit is “day-of-service” events on Martin Luther King Day (which is today), to honor his life of service while improving one’s community. I took part in a trail clean-up. I’m bundled up because it never went above 30 degrees. Even so, more than 100 people turned out..…leaving bags of garbage alongside the trail. It feels to work on a common cause with neighbors I don’t even know, and don’t need to know. It’s enough to know that we all care about our community.
Just read the “stuck in snow” post that you referenced – Wow! Loved your evolution from proving you can take risks in your 30’s to nothing to prove in your sixties – so you can leave these adventures to Jeff.
Your cabin looks so cozy already – can’t wait to see the wood choice.
Love,
For Many Moons 
Just read the “stuck in snow” post that you referenced – Wow! Loved your evolution from proving you can take risks in your 30’s to nothing to prove in your sixties – so you can leave these adventures to Jeff.
Your cabin looks so cozy already – can’t wait to see the wood choice.
Love,
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