Following moose tracks

There is a cool panoramic setting on our camera. I decided to test it out while on a walk in the woods today. For most of the walk, moose tracks in the snow were followed.

Siding and other progress

 

While a couple of inches of snow fell overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, leading us to have the driveway sanded in anticipation of a delivery of sheetrock for the walls, by late afternoon Wednesday things weren't really bad as you'll see below.

 

 

Notice that they are making good progress with the siding!  We are very pleased with how the different shades of grey and black are working out. Just one more window to have delivered and installed and that is expected before week's end.

 

Here you can see the pipe for the solar panel conduit coming down from the roof next to the wood stove stack/chimney.

 

The electrical breaker box is installed and there is LOTS of wiring throughout the walls and above the ceiling.

 

While it might seem odd that the "Painter" is already at work, he has been very busy painting outside trim black and working on sanding and staining the window and door frames to match the interior wood of the windows.

It is really coming together quite nicely!

House progress and a wonderful view

Roofing was placed on the garage today.  The two north windows in the garage were also installed, as the first photo shows.  Progress has been made on the screened-in patio frame.  On the inside, the electrical work continues.  The electrician said he used over 500 feet of wire just between the breaker box and the kitchen! Kitchens need lots of outlets.

Oh, there are trees and great views up here, right? Here's proof.  Nothing in the picture below is on our property, but I was standing on Hardwood Hermitage when the shot was taken.  I was at the higher part of our eastern lot line.  There's a portion of a really big oak on the left of the photo.  Too bad the acorn didn't fall a foot to the west.  It would have been ours!  The main part of the picture looks toward the Kilkenny Range. Wow, it's great to live in the North Country!

"Whose woods these are I think I know . . ."

This post's title is the first line from a famous poem by Robert Frost.  Below are some pics taken recently.  More celebration of trees, as well as an interesting view of the house from the west.  The house can be seen in the last photo between a big paper birch and one of its own side sprouts.

Which makes me think of the end to another Frost poem:

I’d like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches

 

 

 

Son of a Beech

There's so much excitement about the progress of the house build.  Yet, we don't want to forget about the stars of the show, our trees.  Each walk in the woods provides new objects of wonder, thanks to our arborous friends.  Fagus Grandifolia, the American Beech, exists throughout the property.  Most are relatively young (sons of beeches, we call them), but a few really big ones were found yesterday.  Like Sugar Maple, beech enjoys the shade.  One distinctive feature of the beech is the smooth bark at maturity.  They are easy to identify because of that.  One problem that beeches can develop is a bark disease that creates cankers and weakens the tree.  Beeches have wonderful color in the fall, a striking orange/gold. 

Beech and oak are on the same wing of the tree family.  Both have edible nuts as fruit.  Moose and deer apparently like the small beech nut.

An excellent double-trunked yellow birch was photographed yesterday.  This one will knock your socks off:

Although we named the property for the great hardwoods like oak, maple, and birch, we don't want people to think that we reject the conifers (a.k.a. softwoods).  Here are two photos of some.  This first appears to be a mix of hemlock and fir.  The second shows several white pines (pinus strobus), which can reach towering dimensions.  They are the most plentiful mature softwood on the property:

Roof and windows update

The metal roof was almost completed last week.  They just have the small spot over the kitchen bump out.  All windows but one are also in. 

We really like the black metal roof.  This is the south side that will be graced with solar panels by next spring.

We thought it would be a good idea to have a window in our pantry.  This looks east.

Both exterior doors are in, as well.  This one will lead to the screened in porch on the north side.

Of course, we're still thinking about our wood supply.  The cutting done to make way for the power lines should give us about four cords.  Here's one of them temporarily stacked along the driveway.  We'll cut these four footers in half.  They'll be perfect for the wood boiler.