bedfordlandings

This week was SUPPOSED to be the week that we start making our house look real by raising the timbers. However, the timbers didn’t come. Blue Ridge TimberWrights discovered some defects in the timbers called “Shakes.” There is a photo here that shows these defects.  We know we want strong timbers, not ones with defects.  According to this website (linked above), “shake” is the separation of the rings in a piece of wood that occurs as it dries. The wood can also ‘peel’ off around the rings, similar to the layers of an onion. The Timberwright crew could not see the shake until they started working the wood.

The crew is now saying they will be here Monday the 4th to start.  That’s OK,  it will be just in time for mine and Jack’s birthday (March 7 and 8th respectively).  All we want for our birthday is to see some sign that the timbers are taking shape!

This year, Jack will be 60, so he got an early birthday gift!  He has been grunting and complaining about his aches and pains while building.  We knew we would get a hot tub anyway for the house once complete, so we found a pretty good deal with Water By Design in Christiansburg, VA. We put it on the hangar porch and they will come back and move it once we have our house deck on. It only sits 4 people but one at a time, you are each invited to sit with us!  Here is happy Jack with his early birthday present!

Warming up for our first soaking!

The weather has been cold, cold, cold, so we have mostly stayed inside the warm (radiant heated) hangar.  I completed another stained glass that will be used in the front entry hallway of our house. They are poppies and a little more orange that this photo conveys. The next design is for my brother’s new house (in Floyd, Virginia).  As a retired Fire Chief, what does he want?  The maltese cross, of course! I am just cutting the class now.

For the front hallway

I know we keep promising timber photos, but hopefully soon…soon!

We generally awaken between 6:00 and 6:30 but some nights we toss and turn all night with the sound of wind or rain on the hangar tin roof.  Relaxing, you say?  Not anymore!  It means there is a storm, it means a wet subfloor and a wet basement floor!  But by morning, the sun is usually shining and we are thankful for another day.

Each morning about 8:00, Jack loads up the cute golf cart.  Remember the cute golf cart we got this summer (scroll to the bottom of the link)?  It has become a tool cart!

Ready for a day of work

Now that I am working for Virginia Cooperative Extension, I work at my desk.  Jack says it looks like Mission Control with all of the monitors.  I have the Va Tech computer and monitors on the left and my PC on the right.  I am really enjoying what I am doing!

Karen at Mission Control

This past week, Jack has been framing in the basement.  On the lower level there is the garage in addition to steps up to the kitchen, a game room, fitness room, theatre room, steps up to the Great Room, a half bath, and Jack’s workshop.  He is almost through this framing. Note the wet floors.  Each time it rains, we sweep water.  Once we put a lid on all of this, it will be ok!

Basement framing looking into the theatre room through to Jack’s workshop.

This week, I attended a Rain Barrel workshop. It’s far easier to make one than I thought. We don’t have any gutters yet so no place to put it except inside where it won’t blow away.  Here it is with the dumb waiter shaft that Jack has framed.

Rain Barrel & dumb waiter shaft framing.

So in our separate worlds of work each day, sometimes there are mishaps.  Nobody knows that my home office is actually a hangar.  Sometimes the air compressor comes on in the middle of a conference call (really loud) or the dog starts barking.  Or occasionally Jack comes to the hangar and says he needs a bandaid or ice.  Poor baby. I swear I did not hit him!

On Saturdays, sometimes I work on stained glass.  This piece will be for the front entry hallway of the house.  Once it is done, I will share the full piece. Below this picture is a picture of the one I completed for my sister’s new house.  She is building across the lake from us.

Karen working on stained glass.

Lighthouse Glass.

So that’s typical winter life at Bedford Landings!  

Until later, stay warm if you are in the line of Orca & Nemo!