"It's a go," Jeff said while I was getting my first cup of coffee. "What is?" I asked. "The roof. We start today." His eyes were alive with excitement. Well, I woke up fast! An hour later, Jeff had put metal scaffolding in place to make it possible. (I don't even know where he got … Continue reading The Roof-Raising Begins
They're here...57 pieces of lumber, designed by engineers in various sizes and shapes to match our house plan, delivered 115 miles to Camp Many Moons on a flatbed truck. Soon, they will become a roof. It looks complicated to me as Jeff studies the design to plan his approach. We wanted a distinctive shape to … Continue reading The Trusses Arrive
Jeff has a new toy. A big one. It weighs about 14,000 pounds and its tires are as high as me. It's called an Iron Mule. It hauls logs. (In the winter, it can also plow snow.) Did he really need a log-hauler? He already has a tractor, bulldozer and backhoe! I guess so, because … Continue reading A Boy & His Toys
While awaiting arrival of trusses later this week to continue construction of our waterfront cabin, we scrub the new concrete patio (repeatedly), dig out one dead tree and cut down others, and wait. We also take outings on the bay to remember why we are building here. Nature! When you're immersed in daily tasks, it's … Continue reading Scrubbing, Digging, Waiting…
Next up, the patio, as we continue to create "The Cabin at Many Moons" on Huron Bay. Wood or concrete? Wood requires maintenance but concrete is boring...unless you "dress it up!" So we did. And now, we have the best of both: a concrete patio with the look of wood. At least I think it … Continue reading The Patio: Concrete or Wood?
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 … Continue reading A Visit to The Pit
Before a house is roofed, it should be wrapped. So say the construction experts. So we did, pulling this light-weight but strong stuff across the walls and around the corners, then stapling it into the wood frame. Each roll was 9' x 100'. We managed it, between the two of us and with the help … Continue reading That’s A Wrap
When you're building your own cabin, you need to make sure everything is plumb (vertically straight) as well as level (horizontally straight). So I put my eyeball up to the old transit, taking care to not nudge it and thus disturb its settings, while Jeff holds a yardstick up for me to focus on and … Continue reading On the Level (or Plumb)
As our nation divided several years ago, an assumption seemed to grow alongside that divide...that you can be an intellectual personal or a practical person but not both. I think you can be both. Henry David Thoreau was both. He's the latest American writer to absorb me while doing the practical cabin-building work at Camp … Continue reading Thinking of Thoreau
The vision takes form...3 patio doors and 10 windows, with a view to the water or woods or both. That's a lot of glass for a 1,000-square-foot dwelling. And that's the point. With four walls up now, the Cabin at Many Moons in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.) emerges more every day. It brings to mind … Continue reading A View Runs Through It
For Many Moons 