UPDATE FOR 2013 !

 The current Closet/guestroom.

 The view from the circle where we were going to build our BIG House....

 The circle as seen from diving into the compound....

 The office/1st building built........

 The Buda alter in the center of the circle...........

 The carport where the cars have better coverage then we do.........at least in the kitchen anyway.....

 The future Kitchen, dining, living room.......sooooooon I hope....

 The well house/Bathhouse.......a long way to go on this.......it at this point is only dried in ( that means the roof, windows and doors are installed, but no inside stuff has been done....

 The Pigeon coop............

 The future shop, a slab with a tarp at this time..........

 The rye grass is thriving but the trees are having a very hard time letting go of their leaves.....not a good sign...

And our sweet dog Mana, taking a nap in the sun................

Kitchen area Wall

 It is hard to believe that it took two months of sanding to prepare this small stack of recycled 1" X 6" lumber, it had tar and wear marks that needed to be removed.  (It was used as a sub floor installed on the diagonal. Thus the markings that are visible as a lighter color. )

 So the process of measuring , cutting and nailing  begin .Because the boards were not the same width and not perfectly straight, we covered the wall with clear plastic so we would not have the insulation seeping through. The reason for using clear plastic was so we could see the wood framing easily to nail the boards to.

 Where the pipes and electric come through the wall ,cuts needed to be made.

 The wall slowly moves up....

 Richard is mechanically measuring the wood for the cut around the switches. What one always needs to keep in mind is the depth of all layers involved in the construction, making sure the end  result is what you want. This is a good example: if the electrical box is too shallow , there would be a space between the switch plate and the wall. Placed too deep , the switches would not be long enough.

 WOW IT's DONE!!!!!

With the first coat of varnish... what a difference!!!!   This is our work for the month of December... and the last days of the year are here!

CHANGE OF DIRECTION

We have come to the conclusion that Time and Money have guided us to revisit our goals on moving forward with what we need , want and how we want to spent our time.
THUS the SHOP has become the MAIN HOUSE. WE will finish it as such with , framing out the remaining walls finishing with Sheetrock and insulating the ceiling.
Our plans at this time is to build a bedroom/closet next to the carport and build the shop on the slab that we already have. We are playing musical buildings and feeling good about it all:PLAYING IN THE SAND BOX!!!

                                         AND PRAYING AND MEDITATING ON LIFE!!!!!!!!!!

Where does the time go.......

 As I walk down this road of life and reflect on how I envisioned my life unfolding: There are parts of it that hold the picture of that vision, yet the vast majority of what my life looks like now is quite different. It is all good! For I am grateful for the mysterious unfolding of it all. I embrace this sacred journey for what it is moment by moment , even though I know not where each moment goes.

 A quilt for our first Grandchild.....

 Flowers blooming .....

 A "new" old tractor to work the land, to keep the weeds at bay...

and to prepare the fields for the winter crop of rye....

Triming The bathhouse peak vent

This is the special vent trim that is needed for standing seam roofing. It is designed in such a way to vent air/moisture out of the roof and keep rain water out.

We needed to cut each piece to fit in between each standing seam.

I am placing window glazing between the roof and the vent trim to seal it from water.

The vent trim all in place.

Installing the Windows for the Bathhouse

We are placing the side trim that will hold the window in place.

The windows are attached from the outside and are screwed into the wood trim. We will then stucco the outside of the building right up to the window edge.

All the windows are in place. It only took 2 hours to complete this part!

Summer Garden

Pictures speak louder that words!!!

13 MORE BABY CHICKS

Another crew comes in. I have found it is easier to acquire a dozen chicks a year than to get 3 dozen every 3 years, it keeps it all fresh and one always has attrition from predators. 

Roofing the bath house.

We have set out the roofing sheet in the order that they will be placed on the roof.

I am measuring the sheets to be cut, this is a very important step to get the roofing the right length, too long and the water will miss the gutters, too short and there could be leaks.

We have gathered the clips, screws and driver for securing down the sheets.

We pulled a string as a guide for where the roofing will end.

The clips are installed to anchor the seam down before we place the other sheet.

Each standing seam needs to be placed in position to lock it together with the previous panel.

The vent roof treatment here is a metal gasket piece which is glued down and screwed.

Finished!!!!