Exploring the Woods
What we found in the woods and what we
built.
Rick came out from VT to visit this past weekend.
Other than some trouble finding the house, all went well. After doing a drive-by
of Jared and Kelly's new house, the 5 of us had dinner at Bray's Brew Pub - the
new place to go once we're all out of
Portland.
On sunday, Heather, Rick, and I went exploring the dense woods that make up the back half of our property. First, we climbed up onto the huge stone wall that runs completely across from one neighbor to the other. I wonder how far it actually goes...
Anyway, its the largest rock wall I've ever seen. Its 3-4 feet hight and at least 12-14 feet wide, with a mostly flat top. Its not a carefully stacked wall, but a tossed wall, more of a long pile. We walked down it to the property line then turned left to get further into the dense woods. We walked back a ways until we reached a swampy area. This was probably close to the back edge anyway. We turned left again and headed back towards the house.
Then, I spotted some sort of building. Its was two stories, gray and had large glass windows on the front and the side I could see. I thought for sure we must have wandered onto the neighbor's land. We approached the building and went it the unlocked door. There was nothing inside other than woodland debris and cobwebs. There was no ladder to the second story but I hoisted Heather up to verify there wasn't anything up there either.
We headed outside and noticed we could see a house not far away. In a few steps, we could tell it was definitely ours. And that the structure is definitely ours also. It was obviously constructed from materials that match our house- its even painted the same color.
Now we have to figure out what to do with this thing. We definitely have to build a walkway out there. Clear a path and construct a bridge over the stonewall. The building itself seems pretty sturdy. The windows don't open at all, so some venting options that involve bug screen could be nice. There are big gaps in the wall boards, so winter time use may not be possible, even with a small heat source in there. Not a big deal though. I think I want to construct some basic furniture and a ladder from downed but sturdy wood in the area.
Rick and I began construction of a bike trail through the pine grove on the front part of the property in the afternoon. In just about 4 hours, we managed to create a fairly decent 1/4 mile path. The full course is about a 1/2 mile, since it loops around and works back the start. We planned it out, then raked, hoed, and shoveled the pine needles and some plants out of the way to get down to soil. After an initial test ride, we changed a couple turns, one quite a bit. Other than that, its quite ridable. Of course, its a work a progress and probably always will be. The biggest plan before winter is to ride it as much as possible so that the trail is established and will be there come spring. Eventually, it would be great to connect it to the back.
Here are a few pics from the initial ride. The flash makes it look a lot darker than it was.
On sunday, Heather, Rick, and I went exploring the dense woods that make up the back half of our property. First, we climbed up onto the huge stone wall that runs completely across from one neighbor to the other. I wonder how far it actually goes...
Anyway, its the largest rock wall I've ever seen. Its 3-4 feet hight and at least 12-14 feet wide, with a mostly flat top. Its not a carefully stacked wall, but a tossed wall, more of a long pile. We walked down it to the property line then turned left to get further into the dense woods. We walked back a ways until we reached a swampy area. This was probably close to the back edge anyway. We turned left again and headed back towards the house.
Then, I spotted some sort of building. Its was two stories, gray and had large glass windows on the front and the side I could see. I thought for sure we must have wandered onto the neighbor's land. We approached the building and went it the unlocked door. There was nothing inside other than woodland debris and cobwebs. There was no ladder to the second story but I hoisted Heather up to verify there wasn't anything up there either.
We headed outside and noticed we could see a house not far away. In a few steps, we could tell it was definitely ours. And that the structure is definitely ours also. It was obviously constructed from materials that match our house- its even painted the same color.
Now we have to figure out what to do with this thing. We definitely have to build a walkway out there. Clear a path and construct a bridge over the stonewall. The building itself seems pretty sturdy. The windows don't open at all, so some venting options that involve bug screen could be nice. There are big gaps in the wall boards, so winter time use may not be possible, even with a small heat source in there. Not a big deal though. I think I want to construct some basic furniture and a ladder from downed but sturdy wood in the area.
Rick and I began construction of a bike trail through the pine grove on the front part of the property in the afternoon. In just about 4 hours, we managed to create a fairly decent 1/4 mile path. The full course is about a 1/2 mile, since it loops around and works back the start. We planned it out, then raked, hoed, and shoveled the pine needles and some plants out of the way to get down to soil. After an initial test ride, we changed a couple turns, one quite a bit. Other than that, its quite ridable. Of course, its a work a progress and probably always will be. The biggest plan before winter is to ride it as much as possible so that the trail is established and will be there come spring. Eventually, it would be great to connect it to the back.
Here are a few pics from the initial ride. The flash makes it look a lot darker than it was.
Posted: Mon - September 19, 2005 at 11:08 AM |
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Published On: Nov 21, 2005 01:53 PM
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Published On: Nov 21, 2005 01:53 PM