Sunday, May 29, 2011

Progress!!

I'm trying not to panic (insert deep breathing here), but it's less than two weeks until our first guests check into the new and improved Passages room! The project "to do" list still has way too many items unchecked.

We've been here before and somehow the work always gets done, but not without a few twists and turns along the way. Like right now, the BED is on backorder. And the Plan B bed is also on backorder. And the Plan C bed is being used ...

Beds are kind of important to a BED and Breakfast so please pray!

On a brighter note, we had a great work day last Saturday. Several of Wayne's co-workers came over for the day to tackle some of the projects that need to be done before the season hits.

Here are some of the scenes from the day.



Remember the blue floor? The blue paint that chipped off every time you looked at it wrong? Well once you decide that you WANT it to come off, it decides that it loves those old floor boards. Not even a power sander can convince it to let go!


So we had to resort to a little old-fashioned personal persuasion - otherwise known as elbow grease.


Wayne worked on grouting in the new tile in the bathroom.


Outside, Ray and his trusty chainsaw began chunking up a large tree that needed to be cleaned up.



Wes and his trusty axe tackled the same job in a different way.



And with a more than a little gruntwork, they loaded the logs into the pick-up truck and hauled them up to the site of a future firepit where they will make nice "chairs" from which to roast marshmallows.


In the kitchen, I worked with Sodie to prepare lunch for the troops. There was a lot more food than this, but Sodie took the picture and I guess she only liked this part of the buffet!



Alan, who is a great carpenter, worked up in the barn building doors for an addition to the woodshed.



It is so exciting to have doors! Now we can store our trashcans in here and begin to clean out our "Friends and Family" cottage. It will be our next project - after we recover from this one. Which may be about three years from now! (By the way, for those of you who are new to the blog or who have forgotten, trash cans must be locked up here in the North Country. Otherwise they become bear bait!)


After weeks of rain, the weather was great for our workday. By afternoon, Wayne couldn't resist starting to paint the trim on the outer doors and windows. We've never been fans of the bright green. So we're repainting them with a darker, more "Adirondacky" green.





Wayne and Wes painting the second floor windows. You can see that the window in the middle is still bright green. The window on the right is my writing room window. Funny thing, but now it won't open ... hmmm!

We are so thankful for all of the help. It would be great if we had a crew of six guys EVERY Saturday, but I guess that's a little unrealistic! The work day gave us a good boost toward the summer season. Thanks again, guys!

And another wonderful thing happened last Saturday ...

My daffodils are finally open! Can you believe it? Almost June and they finally opened. I remember them being more of a late February event in Pennsylvania. It's good to see their bright faces.

Now back to work!!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

And the Rains Came Down ...

While our thoughts and prayers are with those in the south who've experienced such violent storms, Keene Valley has had a little excitement of its own. Torrential rains have turned our peace little Ausable River into a raging monster. Roads and bridges are closed all over the area ... including the only way for Wayne to get home from work tonight!

School was cancelled for the day, so the girls and I went on a little sight-seeing trip.

First ... let me refresh your memory of the Ausable River.



This is how the river usually looks as it meanders along across the road from our Bed and Breakfast. I love to sit on the porch and listen to it's soothing melody.

This is the MIGHTY Ausable River today ... thundering almost to the edge of the road. I can hear it from inside the house with all the doors and windows closed and the sound is NOT soothing. It sounds wild and a bit scary!

Wanna hear? Here's what I'm seeing and hearing!






And our sweet little waterfall ...


On a normal spring day, flowing from snowmelt ... it looks downright polite!


Today, the waterfall is projectile flowing! (Sorry - but that's the best word I could find to describe how it is exploding from rocks) The girls loved standing in the spray ... they also loved an unexpected pajama day!

Here are a few more local scenes ...




That water is RIGHT up to the road!


And it's still raining! Thankfully, the Snow Goose sits high above all the commotion. Some of our neighbors in town are not so fortunate.

The constant roar reminds me of the passage:


"The voice of the Lord is over the waters;

the God of Glory thunders,

the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful;

the voice of the Lord is majestic."

Psalm 29:3-4




Today, it's not hard to imagine what that must sound like.

I hope all of you are safe and dry. Blessings and hugs ... it just feels like a good day to hug those you love.