BBQ and Bibles

Last weekend we went to the Jack Daniels distillery to take the tour and check things out, with Jeff & Deb. How cute are they?

A couple of weeks prior, we learned that the weekend we planned to go would also be the International BBQ Championship cook-off at the distillery. They were expecting a crowd.


So we toured the distillery (but you can't take pictures inside) and we had some BBQ...


And upon arriving back at the car, found this parting gift on the windshield...


I guess someone figured we wouldn't know what to do with the rest of our time there, since Lynchburg is in a dry county.

In case you're here to see actual cabin progress...



The floor of the front porch is finished (altho not in the picture) and the floor inside the cabin has been insulated (above) and the sub-floor has been installed. This past week more sheet rock has been put up, mudded and sanded, and the HVAC was installed.

Moving along...

Collateral Damage

I know, I know - two nights in a row. Shocking. I really find it necessary, though, to get completely caught up since things are moving so fast. Although, as far as I'm concerned, "fast" is relative.

They've got the upstairs completely sheet-rocked and have (maybe) the third coat of mud on.

They've started chinking the cabin and put up the pillars and floor for the front porch. What appears to be mortar in between the logs is actually styrofoam that they are going to stucco over...something about insulation and expansion...blahdy, blahdy, blahdy...



In the process of creating, there is also destroying.

Progress

September 25 - another Saturday work party that included removing the floor from the cabin. We've got to treat for termites, put down a vapor barrier, etc, to pass inspection, and it appears ripping the whole floor out was the best option, particularly since the logs all around the base of the cabin were rotten and/or eaten.


We found some especially gross things under the floor - mainly mummified cat carcasses - evidently it was a popular place to die. And, I did take pictures, but...ewww. We have found a few interesting things, but that's for a separate post...

We received a load of stone to replace the bottom logs...


They've made a stone foundation on both sides (above) and Jay installed a big fat steel beam across the front log, below the door, as well as rods from the front to the back to keep the walls square.

In the meantime, they've put up most of the insulation.

And, no, those aren't urinals on the floor.

In other news, another huge branch fell off the tree, once again missing my potting shed, by mere inches.


Oh, and ...

Llamas! Not mine, but still cute!

p.s. - I don't know who this lady is, but if she sees her picture on my blog and wants me to take it down, I will.

July, August, September 2010 (3rd Quarter)

July has been hotter than blazes, but I've still canned some - blackberry jelly, using blackberries the size of your head.


I also made some Meyer Lemon and Lemon Verbena Curd. Pretty and yummy!


Sweet baby Ellie is getting bigger and bigger...


There has been more canning - green tomato relish, blueberry basil jam, fig preserves, fig & balsamic jam...enough of that.

We camped with old friends and made new ones...


And saw some beautiful sunsets over the mountains...


Most recently we went to Pesto Festo...


That's Jay with Jeff's two foxy roomates.


A week ago Saturday (Oregon football game), we had a huge storm - seriously, can anyone remember a UT game being held for 70 minutes to wait for a storm to pass? We got home and were without power until nearly 8:00 the next morning. So somewhere between 8 and 12 hours without power here...

Anyway, the storm blew down part of a huge tree out back. If it had taken the right one third, I would have lost the potting shed...


In terms of the house project (because isn't that why you're here?), they've gotten the siding on.


Jay and Jeff spent all day yesterday securing the house to the foundation with these metal bracket thingys...



I don't know the technical term for them, but what I do know is (a) our next inspection requires them and (b) sadly, we won't be able to do this...



Boo.

Things I Can Promise You

I'm still making jam - peach this month, but I didn't take any pictures.

Keeping bees is no easy chore (and my hat is off to those with more than my 2 measley hives), but it's well worth the reward.


While picking your own blackberries is well worth the resulting desserts...



The CHIGGERS that accompany picking your own are SO NOT WORTH THE PRICE! (Thankfully, no pictures of that.)

Road trips with the nephews are a total blast!

Especially if you let them be in charge of the camera...

Mostly, though, I promise you that I DO NOT POSE THESE ANIMALS!

A New Addition and A Beer Tree

June has been a quiet month for cabin building. Deathly quiet. So to bide my time, I've been canning and preserving. It's my new favorite thing. I've put beans and tomatoes in the freezer, I dilled green beans and I've made several preserves and jams, including my latest, blueberry lemon preserves.


Have you ever tried to stir 6 cups of blueberries and 6 1/2 cups of sugar? No easy task, but eventually it looks like this...


And then this...


And it is SO GOOD! Jay's new favorite request: "Can we have TOAST for dinner?" He is, afterall, the Idea Man.

Several weeks ago, Jay discovered a half-starved kitten in the empty lot next to his shop. Being freakishly in love with small critters, he fed her what he had in his shop refrigerator and decided the poor thing couldn't continue to live on taco meat. He caught her and I stopped by and brought her home, promising him we would find a home for her. We took her to the vet the next day to get her checked out. And OMG, she's totally the cutest thing ever...


We figured she's somewhere around 8-10 weeks old. She loves and purrs and headbutts and wants her belly scratched, and CAN NOT get enough food...


So we tried (not very hard) to find her a home and we were totally unsuccessful and after 10 minutes of trying really (not very) hard to place her, we gave up and named her Ellie Mae.


Because, really? How could we give up that face?And she fits in pretty well - there's JUST enough room on our bed for her...


Jay and I just curl up on the floor now at night. Hoarding? Where's the line?

This weekend, evidently Brian heard my silent screams and he rounded up a crew of gentlemen to give up part of their Saturday and come finish the roof over the back bedroom and complete the side and back porches. Hugs and thanks to Brian, Matthew, Jon, Dave, Aaron, SouthKnox Randy, Jonathan, Mike, Bentley, Jason, Jim, Tim, and David.

We woke up early Saturday and by 7:00 a.m. the trucks and tool trailers were rolling in. Ladders went up, tool belts went on and they rolled.




And after all the hammering, measuring, drilling, leveling and whatnot were done...

I have, hands down, the BEST LOOKING beer tree in all of South Knoxville...