I don’t usually start blogging until we take off to go south, but this year our summer was a big new adventure for us. We have moved….. and not just moved but we are paring down to the bare bones-at least I am. We have decided that it is too much work to keep up with all the work at our albeit beautiful place. So when we got back in May last Spring we immediately chose a site out on Roosevelt Lake and bought it. Our plan is to live in our 5th Wheel year round. We would spend our summers here and winter down south. Our property is 5 acres on a ridge above the Lake with a great view. We can lunch our boat at a campground about 4 miles away.
We moved our trailer out in June and started construction on a large pole building which will contain a shop for Dale and a small studio for me. It will store or boat and car during the winter. We also started a cover for the trailer that will contain a 36 X 12 deck.
Well this turned out to be one of the hottest summers on record so we were up to our fannies in dust. We had all the usual problems: waiting for permits and inspections, estimate overruns, extra equipment to get through the basalt shelf, and on top of the dust and heat, I got a a sinus infection that was aggravated by the conditions. A couple of times we just packed up and moved down to a nearby campground to get away from the bedlam. If that wasn’t enough, Dale had an operation on his foot and couldn’t drive the truck. So I had to drive the trailer a hundred miles and park it at our site. That entailed driving up over a small bank and down to the bottom of the property to leave enough room for the workmen.
We were very fortunate to find a local site man who did a wonderful job for us and has become a good friend. In fact all our dealings with sub contractors were very pleasant . But the heat was oppressing and we had to go 6 weeks without power and water. We drove down to the lake a lot. I probably swan more this year than any other time of my life
Because this whole plan wouldn’t have happened without me spearheading it, I promised to do the lions share of any landscaping I wanted. My plan is to let the grasses and wildflowers have their way, but I do need to make some pathways as well as build some rock walls. The land proved to be very rocky under all that grass, so when we had to clear it, I ended up with a lot of boulders for building walls. I really enjoyed that work but could only do it till about 9:30 each morning because of the heat. Many of the rocks were way to heavy so with the help of Babe-our UTV- and her winch I was able to accomplish a lot. I planted a number of plants that are invasive in town gardens but make great ground cover out here. My problem was having to haul water to get them started.
Once the water and power were in and the buildings completed we arranged a deck building party to make that happen.. Thanks to good friends and family we got it built in a weekend. That doubled our living space. Unfortunately Dale broke a toe so he was once again hobbling around. But all in all we have accomplished a lot in a short time.
The grass and vetch is all coming back to cover the raw dirt. My walls look great and our driveway is graveled. Apart for some wiring we are almost set to go south for the winter. This year will really be like a holiday after 4 months of hard work.
Till next time.
Travlin’ Gal
