Father's Day - Living the Dream!

June 18-20, 2010 - Father's Day Weekend

Chillin' and Grillin' -

The kids came up on Saturday to celebrate Father's Day with Doug. They brought an awesome lunch and a spectacular dinner! The clouds of the morning broke midday and gave us the gift of a perfect day at the cabin, a glimpse of things to come when we can play and relax all day.

Maddie has to be in the middle of everything...

What a pup, chasing every critter she sees/smells and then sleeping for an hour or two to recharge...

Adam is trainig for a half marathon, so he and Kelly and Kya did a 5 mile run!

We spent some time hanging out on the beach. Yes, we have a beach...Sandy even mowed the lawn and it actually looks like a decent yard! She had found a little Snark sail boat at a garage sale for $50 this spring. And amidst the sneers and laughter of the crowd, Doug and Sandy set sail on the "choppy" waters of Little Chippewa Lake...note the slight rippling on the glass! Maddie wanted desperately to join us for the adventure! Or maybe she feared that we wouldn't have enough wind to power our return! We did, however, find a gust or two and enjoyed a relaxing maiden voyage on board the Snarky.

Everyone else quickly wanted a turn as well.

Kelly and Sandy tacked and came about and jibbed and jibed and all that official sailing stuff too...

The only person not able to enjoy the water was Chris, who was suffering the effects of a nasty dog attack.
Lake water wasn't a great idea for his wound.

After dinner, we enjoyed an evening walk. Here's Lauren and the baby...she's 15 weeks along.  The baby is the size of an apple already and it shows!  :- ) How exciting!!!

Kya got to play with Mike and Bev's dogs next door.

End of a long day...Sandy's still smiling through the exhaustion...

There were huge storms all across Minnesota on Thursday the 17th - tornados, in fact! We were afraid of what we would find when we drove up Friday morning. And although there was severe storm damage just 1/2 mile from the cabin in Millerville, we were pleased to find just as much standing water in the basement as every other time we've walked in! It's sad that that's a good thing!

Here is a post-squeegy view of our sleeping quarters and bathroom. Not too bad, huh! It'll be dry before you know it! Oh, and the dehumidifier should help too.



So, the goal of the weekend was to get some waterproofing on the roof. Of course, before doing that, it was necessary to put the final roof trusses for the front porch in place.

Then the roof decking had to be put on. Having that  finished really gives shape and definition to the road-side of the cabin!

Here's Doug fitting one more little piece of the puzzle in place.

Typically, a new roof gets two rows/courses of what is called "Ice and Water Barrier" closest to the roof edge and in any valleys or water collection areas. Doug had done some research, and in order to protect ourselves from further water issues, decided to use it all across the roof. This is a little more costly, but especially helpful since we cannot get the roof shingled quickly enough. We are always tempted to stay straight through a week and just "Git 'er done", but cannot afford that and wouldn't even have the physical stamina if we did stay!

We have done plenty of roofing together, but this roof has a 10/12 pitch and is three stories high...which means that very few of us will be doing much roofing. Feeling very useless, Sandy would stand on the ground below Doug as he worked alone on the big bad roof. He tosaid it made him nervous when she just watched him. But she told him it made her feel some kind of helpful if she watched and prayed. They both agreed that was indeed helpful!

Doug completed almost the entire road-side of the cabin all by himself...oh, and God's roof angels working overtime!

At the end of the roofing phase, an attempt was made to Tyvek some of the second level. With cramping muscles and crabbiness eeking out, we only accomplished one-half of that floor. Oh well, it's something!

Some cabin randomness...

Inside the cabin basement ... kinda like a kitchen ... kinda like playing house!











We are blessed to have not one, not two, not three, but four loons calling Little Chippewa Lake their home! Their eerie, yet comforting call adds the perfect touch to the already beautiful setting. When Sandy suggested that we should name this first fellow, Chris decided we should have a naming contest and offered several options. When "Eustus" was suggested, the contest was over. As the remaining three came forth, Sandy gave the mother the name, "Shalom". Lauren later offered her input with the daughter's name of "Penelope". It is only fitting that Spencer should get to name the final loon family member...The answer to follow.

As we were working on Sunday afternoon, a VERY large eagle soared overhead. We're not sure if he lives nearby or was just passing through. No picture is available of the breathtaking sight, just a sweet memory.

We have also repeatedly seen a little bright yellow bird flitting around. Haven't "googled" him yet, but he's a cutie and appears to be a "local".

The crops are looking great. We've enjoyed watching the parallel rows of the rolling fields grow taller each week. They must be loving all the rain!

Another random note...I just finished the book, "Cold Tangerines" by Shauna Niequist that I was given by Chris and Kelly for Mother's Day. It was soooo wonderful! I laughed and cried my way through it and wanted it to never end! I have never read a book that hit me so. I highly recommend it and may even loan it out, if you beg. I think that Shauna and I must be friends.
- Sandy

Lastly,

we got our new address marker....

10741 Little Chippewa Road NW, Brandon

Wish you were here! 

You're welcome to visit anytime!