Is this October..or November??

K with the weather being as cold and windy and wet as it has been, laying flagstone has been tough. Not being a woose or anything but the fingers get numb real fast! However I did make some progress. Today seems to be can I say 'nicer' outside so hope to get further along..

On another note, I did get to spend some time creating some product in my zazzle store http://www.zazzle.com/artsofeden/

Im excited by these new products!

Flagstone progress

The weather has not cooperated with us getting much done outside. But we have done what we can and are making progress! At this rate, I will be so happy just to have it all down before the snow flies...here are some images to show where we are..

Top shot shows where we were and where we are as far as the front goes. Stones are almost all in place. Just trying to go thru the pile to find the pieces that will fit into this last area. The deck will be going back up on this very front edge. There is a corner section which will be deck that is about 3 ft wider then the flagstone on both sides so it will be protruding some. Another deck will be built off this little deck that will wrap around the pool we will be putting up next year. The flagstone out front that you see above will be level with the deck. The flagstone that will go around the corner(images below) will have a 4" step up from the deck.

Top photo shows where it was and the bottom one shows today. The lines show the area left to do here. At the top of the photo is an area completed. This comes down 4" off the patio area and is about 4-5' long then will have a 4" step about 14"wide and then another step down to this level. The deck will be at the front end of the drawn line and will step down another 4" to the deck height..if that all makes sense. It has been difficult to come up with the different heights as the back terrace door on the patio is a very different height to the front door. We didnt want to have regular 7" steps incorporated as they would not be as comfortable to walking around on all the time. As well we also had to consider the height of the pool and the deck needed that will go around it to decide the height of the small square deck on the corner. I think all this figuring took most of the time we have spent on this but hopefully we figured it out right..

This is the same area but taken from the patio. Here I have shown where the flagstone will be-toparea closest to us is the area done and then the double lines are the step down and then the lower area that will be 4" higher then the deck drawn in blue

And this is the back patio area. Not much done here accept filling in dirt about 8" and putting up the ledgerock wall. The dirt we have been digging up from down below and bringing it up in the trailer on the tractor so not fun, a lot of work but gotta be done...

To help make this all a little easier to understand, Ive scanned in a drawing that I did of the whole area. It shows the house, where the flagstone areas are,the two decks and the pool & gardens. Hope it all makes sense.. The ink area is going to be the covered roof area that will be over the flagstone...one day...lol

Some of my favourite things..

On this chilly rainy dismal fall day, I thought to share some of my favourite things....

My home here in the valley.....

My kitty 'Stars'....

The life in the gardens....


And my ladies, Lena....

and Cherokee...

Renovations

5 years ago we bought this old house out in the country. Not old like in an 'old country farmhouse' that is made of brick or stone and in some gala Victorian style but old like in a timber frame wood General Store circa 1800. We bought for the incredible land and location..the house was an added bonus or nightmare depending on how you looked at it. The buildings, house and barn, are situated on the side of the hill and roll down gracefully to the river below which borders our property along with ravines and woods. We have a cozy view of the farmers fields across the way and are sheltered from most winds and storms that roll in.

We spent the first few years cleaning up the land of previous owners debris, Nightshade, fallen trees and used that time on the house as our 'discovery' period. Too many 'closet handymen' have had their way with this old house-cutting support beams, covering timber sill plates with dirt so they would rot, and changing the top hill to a degree that it interrupted the underground streams of water so that now they spring up in inconvenient locations flooding our basement at will. We have dug by hand trenches to lay in Big 'O' to catch ground water and steer it away from our foundations and many, many other things to try and repair and correct what damages have been done.

This past summer we decided to set forth to replace windows (since most you cant see out of anymore) and the siding as the existing siding as seen more then its day. The windows we chose white vinyl single hung with grills in the top half. This would keep them in the style they were originally but with a bit of interest. The siding we spent more time on deciding. The earliest photos we found of our old place presented it as wood ship lap with a whitewash paint. I think back in the day, it was a common practice but I really didnt want to make back to that. Although vinyl siding has its bonuses, it wasnt a material we were interested in for this project. We just knew it had to be wood. Now Board and Batten is a popular practice these days and in fact our neighbour used this technique when he built his house 10+ years ago. Looking thru various magazines and such to find a style that appealed to us and was going to make it a bit unique for our parts, I came across two.

The first was a 4" red cedar ship lap. Absolutely rich and stunning looking. Red cedar is not common in these parts so I would be looking at shipping it in.....THIS I could really go for!

The second was pine log. After much searching and research, I found a company in north Michigan that created a half log siding that would be ideal. http://www.woodworkersshoppe.com/ One of the features that really appealed to us about going with this company was that they used a tongue and groove technique not only on the top and bottom of the log, BUT on all four sides! This feature would make installing not only easier but also would allow us to not have to worry about end cuts on posts or beams in the walls thus less waste...:) We have always loved logged homes and right now was our prime opportunity to create that look we both so loved. We opted for the 3x8" half log with full vertical log outside corners for the outside AND for a 2x8" quarter log for the exterior walls INSIDE for the greatroom, diningroom and kitchen for a full log effect.

(Picture from their website-NOT our home)

Before we can tackle the windows and siding, we have had to go underneath the main part of the house and jack up the floor joist to try and level out and repair previous damage plus a steel rod needs to be inserted into the the outside walls in the main and also the kitchen addition that was put on around 1840. The rod going thru the Greatroom will be going thru the walls upstairs and hidden within the handrail of the balcony that overlooks the greatroom down below. This will just add support and keep the house together hopefully for many years to come and to help compensate for the damage done by previous owners. The second rod will go thru the upstairs bedroom and actually pull the walls back in(they are bowing out and the roof is sagging in)and pop the roof back out so that new cross ties can be installed. This one will remain for a month or two and be cranked slowly to bring it all back together again. Once it is back in place and the new cross ties are in the ceiling, this rod will be removed...much to our daughters joy Im sure as this will be taking place in her room making occupancy most difficult. This whole process is on the agenda for this weekend..oh joy!

Before we can tackle the siding, we need to see what is under the present siding but first the deck that had been put on 2 sides of the house had to be lowered as, well, naturally it was put on too high letting snow and water seep into the doors and of course keeping the sill plate, well, wet! On the most part it should have been an easy job...thats if it were being done by anyone else or more so in any other location but here. Most of it rotten, of course, due to incorrect installation and lack of ventilation so off it came. That was not on the schedule or in the budget. So before installing the windows or replacing the siding, we are now replacing said deck with flagstone. This has proved to be a very time consuming process that with our limited time has kept us occupied for the past few weeks.

At times we can really get overwhelmed with the projects we have underway but its the vision of the final outcome and the knowledge that we are saving this old house. It is afterall the last remaining building of Wilsonburg, a town that was created and built by Ambrose Wilson back in 1820. Wilson came to our valley and built a sawmill with dreams of creating a flourishing town. Our home, the General Store, was built to accommodate the many men that worked the various mills that were incorporated upon our land. But as with so many of the towns and communities of that day, it succumbed to fires and floods which over time destroyed everything that was here...everything accept the store. Our land is now made up of lots and streetnames for the town that once thrived here. And our 'General Store' is finally getting a facelift it is so deserving of so it can look out over the valley for many more years to come...:)

So in between creating my paintings, I am hands on into these glorious renovations, spending absolute quality time with my family, with my fabulous girls Lena and Cherokee, my feline/canine crew of rescues or simply just enjoying all that we have been blessed with...

Stallions continue...

This has been a large 24x36 commission for a Gypsy/Drum Horse farm in Pennsylvania depicting 4 of their prized stallions.

I continued work on Slainte(far right) and Guinness(right). Need to add the lights to his bottom legs and feet feathers. Tonka, the black horse has begun to get work done on him. His eye is in place along with his mane and highlights have been started. Needing a break before I continue on him. Hope to have him complete tomorrow leaving Cobalt to be worked on last. This has been a long time in progress and it feels good to see it coming to life...

Gypsy Stallions progress...

Back to work on this large commission for Old Mill Farms featuring 4 of their prized stallions. From left to right-Cobalt, Tonka, Guinness(a Drum Horse) and Slainte.

Will be adding finishing touches to Guinness today-legs, feet, etc and then moving onto Tonka..

Full shot taken yesturday before working more on Guinness..

Summer Run Down...

Fall is apon us and I am slowly getting back into the cyber world. The last few months have been dedicated to home and family life here on our ranch and have given us experiences, joys, changes and challenges.

The end of the school year in June, gave us all the wonderful feeling of summer approaching, but not only us but also some of the furkids. Four of our furchildren started to experience the great outdoors and loved all the new sights, sounds and smells that it brought. They have been amazing for remaining at the house even though Im sure the river and woods just beyond would offer much, much more. Our one boy did however get over confident with his new found freedom and started to venture to parts of our property that really were too far for comfort. He then lost his freedom and became confined to the interior side of the glass. One Sunday early evening, Sunday June 25th to be precise, we experiences a fairly heavy rain. Thinking that no creature would want to be venturing outside in that when they had the dry, safe comforts of home, I opened the screen door to let in some of the sweet smells of rain not thinking of the hole in the screen the dogs had created with their nails. A few hours into the evening I sat comfortably on my bed and then came to the realization that my Shai was not. This was a highly unusual event. Shai is ALWAYS on my bed or realatively close to it...not far out of vision. No where!

Shai was gone for almost a month and it was the longest, most stressful time I have encountered. He returned early morning and nothing more then skin and bones. His purr never stopped and he would let me out of his sight for almost 3 weeks upon his return. It took a while for his weight and personality to return...but it all did. I thank the Powers-That-Be every day for keeping him safe and guiding him back home to us. I just couldnt imagine life without him..