Final cleaning and return home.
I took some more brush to the dump this morning. Hopefully the last of it. I also cut down some dead trees and hauled them off. At the cottage I cut down two dead pines and took them to the dump. I put in the stakes for final positioning on the house. I am pretty happy with how it sits. At around 6:30 I decided to return to Columbia. I loaded up the trailer with firewood and hit the road. It was a nice drive and I surprised Liz with my return. Unfortunately Luke was in bed already.
Beautiful and productive day on the mountain.
I started the day off by hauling three loads of firewood to the cottage before breakfast. Afterwards I hauled lots of brush to the dump. I also cut down a number of dead trees and hauled them off. After finishing work I showered and took my computer to the Goat Market where I took advantage of their internet on the terrace. It was lovely in the shade – not too hot with a gentle breeze. My dad eventually joined me and he ate dinner. We decided to drive to the Templeton Library to see sunset, and were rewarded with a lovely view. The sun was a red orange ball and the half moon was high in the sky.
No relief from the heat on the Mountain.
After getting a bunch of stuff done around the house this morning I came up to the Mountain. As referenced, it is blazing hot up here too. I managed to get in some time chainsawing up the logs and hauled one load to the cottage. Cutting actually went really well since I bought a new chain this morning. It is more aggressive and of course sharper. Despite my best efforts I am really not good at sharpening chains. So I took extra care to keep this one out of the dirt.
After working a bit my dad and I went to the Goat Market for dinner. Unfortunately I was a bit week and ate pizza. Fortunately it was delicious. It was a lovely evening so we decided to drive to the Green’s View Overlook on campus. The light was fading but it was still lovely.
Active Labor Day.
We tried to take advantage of the holiday despite the heat. This morning we went to the park in Spring Hill with the hope of playing at their splash pad. Well, it was unfortunately closed due to a “mechanical issue”. Luke still enjoyed walking around the playground and doing a little swinging though. He also got to kind of interact with a couple of older kids. My dad came down a little later and we hung out on the front porch. Luke seemed to enjoy seeing him. No morning nap so a slightly early afternoon nap followed by a trip to Henry Horton State Park in Chapel Hill. They have a sand pile that Luke played on for a little while. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but seemed to have a good time.
Big city excursion.
Today we drove up to Nashville to celebrate my mother’s birthday, which was yesterday. We had a lovely lunch at my parents’ house. Unfortunately it was a bit hot to do much outside, but we still had a very nice time.
A wet and wild morning.
We went to the farmer’s market this morning and bought bread and watermelon. From there we walked to the little park area by the school where Luke met a big ducky and then got to play in the water. We had no idea that was a feature, having walked by there dozens of times previously. Now we can’t wait to go back!
Firewood and farm.
I cut some of the logs into shorter pieces that will fit into the wood stove. Then I loaded up the trailer and hauled them home. It was good to see Liz and Luke. Not so much the third L, Lilly.
Long drive to Georgia and back.
I won another military trailer at auction, and today was the day to go get it. Unfortunately it was down in Albany, Georgia. I left just after 7am and took a mix of interstates and highways to get there. The drive was nice even though it took about six hours. There were some issues with the trailer, but eventually things got sorted and I made the even longer drive back. This time I avoided the interstates. The trailer was big and heavy but towed well. I got tired on the way home and also pretty hungry.
More sawing.
I cut down the last of the trees today, which went well, and hauled more brush to the dump. Both saws are running strong, although I do need to sharpen the chains. I had dinner at the Goat Market – cheese pizza, which was delicious. I haven’t gone out and taken any pictures yet this week. Not sure if I will, maybe next week though.
Tennessee chainsaw massacre.
I started clearing the building site on the lot today myself. The weather is perfect for this sort of work and I had a lot of fun. I did get pretty chafed and sore though, and got bit by a couple of yellow jackets. The trees all came down pretty easily. There are a few more left to cut, but only one of any size. I took about five loads of branches to the dump. My army trailer is working great, but I sure wish that it was a dump model. I now have a bunch of eight foot firewood logs. I will try to cut them up and haul them before the excavator comes. If not I will ask him to just stack them off to the side.
