The Farmhouse

The original farmhouse is a snug sunny home. I would love to live there, but even late September weather reminds me it is time to get back to Tucson, where the temperature will finally go down to the high 80s this week.

So, we will rent this home. And, the project today was to work on it so we can finally advertise it. Didn't quite get that far, but we made real progress.

Alex and Margot worked on tucking the insulation back into the attic - it had a bad case of the droops. Margot made the upstairs sparkly clean. Max installed the new fan over the range and plumbed a new sink faucet. And I worked on the laundry room floor. Stella and Wendy ran in circles everywhere, and Rosa supervised the plumbing.

Alex and Margot met the dairy inspector and his supervisor to go over details of the milk room.

The Clampitts

A Nice Break

We headed over to Vermont to stay with Max's Mom. We cooked steaks and Max made an apple pie. A good time was had by all.

Alex's Project

Alex came up last night and spent today up at the barn getting ready for the Dairy Inspector who is coming on Monday to give Alex and Margot advice about how to set up the milk room. He worked inside to convert the bull pen (the kind that holds large dangerous creatures - not major league pitchers) into a open space, and then worked outside to remove a cattle chute and clean up the area. These 8x8 posts were set in concrete. Oh, to be young and strong!

Miscellany

Another day struggling with plumbing to the guest quarters - a future B&B. Max cut the main supply line today and there was plenty of water there. That line, and the piping, is accessible from this hatchway that opens up to a space that's about 30" high and 3 feet wide. So, that was really good news - no more digging! But now the puzzle is to find which of the lines is blocked. This is only for a bathroom, so there are a limited number of possibilities.

Max started with the hot water tank. But first he had to replace the burned out element. That was impossible given the general deterioration he found. So, now we have a new hot water tank that he is plumbing as I write this. So, keep your fingers crossed!

Other pics include Rosa and her ball which can keep her amused all day, and in progress shots of the kitchen (yellow) and guest quarters (red).

The mountain behind the Sugar House is called Ebenezer Mountain. On the old maps it is labelled Rattlesnake Knob. There are rattlesnakes in some of the rocky areas in the Adirondacks. Shades of Tucson!

The space shuttle flew over Tucson today and Kristin and her co-workers - one of whom took this photo - went up to the roof to see it.

And last but not least our thoughts are with Linda and Keely and Ray. Happy Wedding!

Good Advice

Found this advice to clean the range hood which obviously was not followed. This hood is history.

And, Rosa is fascinated with the compressor. It must make a noise only she can hear.

Another day of plumbing challenges. We can get a trickle at the barn and guest quarters, but then it stops. So, maybe we will have more luck on another day.

And, I check my email at the end of the day.

Sugar House Creamery

Of course everything we are doing at Sugar House Farm is to promote the creation of a wonderful enterprise called Sugar House Creamery where Alexander Eaton and Margot Brooks will milk Jersey cows and make artisanal cheese. They have their own blog at http://sugarhousecreamery.tumblr.com/.
This is an attempt to divert attention from the fact we did nada today - just went out to lunch at Adirondack Brewery in Lake Placid. It has been raining all day.

Pretty Plumbing

Sugar House sink
And, a few other projects -

Turkeys

We see wild turkeys everyday between Upper Jay and Elizabethtown (E-town). This is an especially large mature group.
We took a break today and went down to West Pawlet to pick up a load of furniture, but are returning to UJ to stay in the Airstream, which is super-cosy on these nippy evenings.

The Farmers

Red Letter Day

And the letter is E for electricity

Up on the Housetop (minus reindeer)

A Day of Projects

5 red doors and an exterior paint test
Droopy gutter removed
Mildewy Sheetrock removed
Discovered the access panel for guest quarters plumbing
Old one - kitchen bricks painted

Today

Green tags for the meters mean maybe power this week.
The Twinkie has a nice pad.
A hole for the fuel oil pipes - and what Max took out of the hole.
And, "squeezably soft".
Everything else is a work in progress!

Friends with Mustaches

The day after Max shaved his mustache we arrived at a party only to discover that mustaches are the latest thing!