Here's a couple of grading pics from today. . . .the property looked pretty different by the end of the day. . . .

things are moving forward

haven't blogged in quite some time, but things are moving forward with our house dream at the WHR. Here's a quick recap of events.

• was approved for our loan in late spring

• selected Kevin Hunstad as our contractor

• firmed up design and plans with our friend, Jen Martin from Elements Design (will post soon)

• drilled the well and found more than enough water in mid-June

• permit was approved in record time, about 3 weeks total, picked it up yesterday

• grading started today!

now the fun, fear and decision-making really start. . . .

not much give in the budget, so we are praying for a smooth, no-surprises building process.

that stinky brown pond

We're excited about some cousins joining us for the later half of Easter week. I've got my list and I've been trying to use the company as an excuse to get few things done. Tonight after dinner, I decided to quickly bail out the pond. It filled up naturally this winter, but was an ugly brown. The frogs didn't seem to mind, but we started to. After a few consultations with friends, we figured it was the pine needles that had blown into it that were the cause of the brown water. The fix was to empty the pond, clean it out and clean the bottom and fill it back up with water. So I waded in this evening, between downpours, saved a few tadpoles for the new water and started bailing. Before I knew it, I had two helpers, in their boots, too. So it turned into man-time in the pond . . .

It's clean. We'll let it dry for a day, if it doesn't rain tomorrow, then see about adding some clear water, some goldfish, a little aeration and those tadpoles.

12

Sage turned twelve back in January. Her desire was to have her party out at the ranch, so that's what we did. This was before we even moved here at the end of February. It was a great day . . . .

shooting guns and bows . . .

crafting . . .

riding . . .

enjoying . . . .

and celebrating!

Great group of girls and one very special girl. Can't believe she's 12 already!

Thanks, Gib!

My motorhead friend, Andy Gibson, was kind enough to come out and see if he could get the quad running again.

(He also helped with a Tundra oil change. He insists synthetic is the only way to go and has all these other witch doctor tweaks to improve performance. . . .and they work!)

It needs a carb overhaul, but with a little fiddling and a new battery, its working great for now. Kids are having a blast puttering around the perimeter of WHR . . . .and Henry seemed to like it, too. But Andy seems to have biggest smile of all!

Got Poison Oak?

This is not a picture of the stuff at WHR, but I'm pretty sure it's out there. I was told by an experienced friend back in January that he didn't think there was any poison oak on the property. I'm pretty sure he was wrong.

Virtually certain I got it here on the property as I was clearing some trees and brush. Wasn't thinking about it. Had my shirt off and was just going for it. Came on strong, took me down and laid me low. I'm feeling better finally, but still itchy. You bet I'll be pretty careful from here on out. None of the kids have gotten it yet, so its not everywhere and you've got to work hard to get it.

Here's what my elbow looked like for a while . . .

Happier posts to come. . . I promise. So many great pics and things to share, as time allows.

tree swing

The kids have been talking about a tree swing at the Wild Hair Ranch for months. I promised that I'd make it happen. It's so easy to promise and then just sort of put it off. I want to keep my promises.

So this weekend it happened. We picked the oak best suited for a tree swing and then I drilled through a six inch limb to insert a big eye bolt. We then had to get the right rope and use splices to attach it to the eye bolt. A friend gave us a fun round disk to sit on. We also had to move the 200+ log wood pile that happened to be located under the selected oak. The kids were a great help and so excited to finally swing. Its built to last and built for fun. I predict the tree swing will see a ton of use.

So here are pictures of the older three. . . . and I've posted a bunch more at the picasa site. . . .