Siding done. Yes! Attention now turning outdoors again…to piles of gravel and wood, and the tiniest bird to grace Camp Many Moons. See also, below, a cameo appearance by our domesticated animals….
With siding all on, the Cabin at Many Moons actually looks like a cabin, both from the road…
…and from the water. Notice how much darker the siding looks depending on sun direction. I was going to put shakes on the gables but decided to go simple and am glad I did. The point of this house is to meld into the background, not “announce” itself. I think it does that.
We ordered a new delivery of gravel, since a completed house (at least outside) calls for a completed landscape. This is Stage 1. The house is surrounded by sand, and we’re tired of tracking it in and out. We plan a gravel path from porch to water, then some kind of ground cover and/or bark around it. No manicured lawn here!
Wood piles are a constant around here, and this weekend, I split a huge pile of cedar stumps into kindling and then re-piled it while Jeff worked with the gravel. I’m so grateful for Jeff’s wood splitter, but it doesn’t prevent a sore back. We have years’ worth of wood to burn, from trees we took down right here. This two-acre parcel was densely wooded when I bought it.
This is just part of the split stack. While piling, I startled a garter snake. I don’t like “slithery” any more than most people, but I welcome the garters.
Another ongoing task on the waterfront, where erosion is a threat, is the piling of rocks along the shoreline. I pull them from the water and toss them into the bank. (Another cause for the sore back.) Does it help? Who knows, but I feel better afterwards. Except for the back.
While I’m doing my outdoor thing, Jeff continues to install the kitchen cabinets. It’s tricky to fit all the pieces exactly where they need to go and make them perfectly level. I will enjoy choosing the backsplash to complement the cabinets above and the quartz countertop (on order) below. Notice our fence outside the window. Jeff and I installed that ourselves almost two years ago to create a rustic-looking barrier between our septic field and the neighbors.’
I reported a faulty drawer-front (see bottom drawer of this piece) and expect a replacement. When a major delivery arrives, it’s tempting to feel relief that it’s finally here…but the job isn’t done until it’s inspected and then installed.
A time-out with Roscoe in the rowboat helps de-stress. At age 14, he’s already outlived a Huskey’s life expectancy but still prances in joy occasionally and enjoys our outings.
Befitting his age, he spends most of his day like this.
Boo also loves it here. I let her explore outdoors, to the horror of some of my urban friends. At age 15, she still has a youngster’s need for stimulus. Quality-of-life matters….
Jeff has a new E-bike but is working too much to enjoy it much. It’s mostly a convenient mode of transportation between his camp and mine. We’ll get out on our bikes one of these days…me on the old-fashioned kind…just for fun and exercise. I know he’ll zip by me!
We did get out together in kayaks. The water was so low that Jeff hit a sandbar where there usually isn’t one. Looks like he’s walking on water here, doesn’t it!
Back to our wildlife, here’s one of the the smallest birds in the world. The ruby-throated hummingbirds love my little feeder. I sometimes see four here at once. Quite entertaining! A homemade concoction of sugar water is all they need. A smaller flying thing is making itself known, too: biting black flies. Yuck. I have a concoction for them, too. The traps work well, but sure do stink. (That’s why they work.) I prefer the stink to the bite, so put up with it.
For Many Moons 
This is so astonishing! I’m trying to imagine one man lifting and installing a cabinet by himself – I can’t!
And all that wood you chopped – how could your back not be protesting?!
From the photos, the cabin looks like a work of art – so many beautiful features. Congratulations!
Love, Terry
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I’m trying to portray the real-life experience here, not solicit sympathy, but it’s nice to be understood! 😊
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PS I love the “tame and wildlife” stories. I can’t believe Boo is 15!!
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