Looks Pretty From the Road

We were able to get one half of the front turret done. We must have put our scallops closer than usual because we only had enough to do one half of the turret. We like the way they look close together.

 I got home from an appointment with Mom and was surprised with what one guy got done. It doesn't go fast since it is up and down, up and down on the scissor lift continually. Bill measures for several rows and then goes down to cut and paint the cut ends of each piece and then up to attach.

 The drive slopes away from the house so the scissor lift has to be leveled before it will run. If you are off balance at all it alarms and won't move. Love the safety features, especially when it is fully extended and our Oklahoma winds are blowing.

 We have the light sensor for the front column lights around the corner of the turret so you don't see it on the front.

From the ground you can't see the sensor. Used a grey plate to match the siding.

 The only tricky cut on the side was around the inside/outside corners of the trim.

 The wall is used as the memo pad. Big numbers so they can be read from the ground. The siding covers them up; so write away.

 Side done then onto the front.

 Bill got smart this time around and used the jack to lift the lift so it is level and then slid the boards under it. Last time we had a tall project we would drive the lift up onto the boards and it was a difficult thing because they would slide on us. This is easy.

We love the rounded front edge of the front porch. Unfortunately, it moves the scissor lift away from the house and we have to stretch a bit more to reach the wall.

 Lots of high work. Makes me nervous but what a view!

Looks pretty good. The window takes away the look of a big block of color stuck up in the air. Now we just wait for the siding order to come in so we can finish the other two sides.

Artistry

When the rock mason was starting on the West Wing columns we told him straight columns. Then Bill thought maybe we want them curved out so they support more of the porch ceiling. When I got home he told me he had changed our plans. Great, good idea. Then we both came home and saw what the mason had done and loved it. This man is an artist. He had figured out that we like the unusual and just started creating.

 Why, just have an arch when you can show off the beauty of the rock so well.

Love what he came up with.

Clean Up On Aisle Three

Now that the rock masons are gone we have a mess to clean up. When you start digging in  your yard and find brick or rock twenty feet away from the building it's because the rock can fly a long ways when they are breaking it.

We have 8 various pallets of rock left, waiting for the next rock project.  Lots of trash between the pallets.

 Rock pieces, mortar glob and sand are everywhere.

 Piles of rock with mortar and sand mixed in.

Took buckets of this over to the pond where we are fixing some erosion issues.














After dropping the rock in the hole we have been filling. Darrick pushed it over as far as he could.















Then he used the box blade to level it out.

 There was a large pile of sand left over. We will use it when we have the rest of the rock work done. For now, we need to move it out of sight.

Sand had blown everywhere.

 Used the tractor to move it to the side of the Residence.
 

 Tractor fits between the fence and the building as if the walkway was made for it..

Sutton got to use the blower and blow the sand away. I think the boys like the headphones as much as the power of the blower.

 Since the tractor was working we moved the compost out of sight.

Be Still My Heart

Disorganization disturbs me. I don't like things left out when they are no longer being used, I like to look at pretty things. The rock work has been done for a couple of weeks now. The pallets of rock were still sitting in front of the West Wing Door. When renters or business people came to our office they had to walk around the pallets and junk. This was distressing me a lot.

There was trash between the pallets I couldn't get to when I was in a tidying mood. There were four partial pallets of rock that I combined into two. I spent a week moving about 500 pounds a day until I got 2 1/2 tons moved. I wanted to get the footprint of the rock down as little as possible. The mason chose from all the pallets, just like you do when you are laying tile or flooring. So every pallet had been torn into.

 After I emptied the pallets Bill took them over to the burn pile. Too many to put in the dumpster so after we burn we will use our roofing nail magnet and get the nails picked up from the ashes.

 Nice clean clear area to put the pallets of rock until we are ready for the next rocking portion of the building process.

 Need to move all these guys away from the West Wing door.

 Even just one pallet gone it is starting to look better.

 This pallet had broken so Bill lifted it with the forklift and I pushed a good pallet under it.

Didn't have to move the pallets far but had to have equipment to do it. Sunstate Equipment was wonderful since we are good customers, just 4 miles away, and used to be neighbors with the rock yard they waved the delivery charge. And since we only needed the lift for 15 minutes the driver just waited for us to finish the job. Which was good since I stepped on a broken pallet board and a nail went into my shoe and he was the closest to pull it out of my shoe. I knew that was a possibility with all the junk under the pallets so I was testing before putting a foot completely down.

Just from one side of the drive to the other. Put no mileage on the forklift. We rented a warehouse lift since we didn't need to lift high, just scoot along the ground.

 A little toad was living under the pallets. I took him to a wonderful new home under the down spout flagstone. He is very happy!








 Big truck for a little bitty piece of equipment.

 Nice and neat rows.

 What a mess!
















Bill used the scraper and I followed behind with the broom and dustpan.

Now we can appreciate our beautiful rock and have a grand entrance to the West Wing. I am content again. At least for a bit.

Getting Ready

Now that the brick work is done we can finish the siding on the outside of the buildings. When that is finished it will be time to start on the extra bedroom and hallway. Before that can happen we need to clear out the area for building

these are all the financial records from our businesses that we have to keep for eternity.  Moving them up to the attic.

 
  Of course, there are no stairs to the attic yet so we have to get creative. They need to go through that hole.














This is a job  I can do! I figured I would use the scissor lift to take them up and unload.  Loaded the first load.

Took it up and extended it over the furniture. It was too tall for the ceiling for it to go where the two floors would line up for me. Boxes too heavy for me to lift over the railing to get to the attic floor.

 So, Bill had to do this for me. I do try to do projects without asking for help all the time it just doesn't always work out.

 Boxes moved to the attic and the floor is getting cleared for the next step of the interior building process. Wonder how long before the mice find all this paper. The Residence is not rodent proof yet and we will hear them at night above us and have to put poison out the next day up here.