Dear Aunt Pricilla,

From the Baron (just slightly modified):

Dear Aunt Pricilla

We continue to have a roller coaster ride as far as the weather out here in Pennsylvania goes. A week ago we had two days in a row with lows in the single digits. This morning the low was 54 degrees. We missed the recent East Coast snowstorm last weekend and only got a couple of flakes in the air--no accumulation. With this weekend's heat wave our snow has completely melted. Some of our daffodils are starting to poke up through the mulch and I have been trying to cover them up with more mulch to delay their efforts to break out and grow. If I can delay them another week, or so, that should be enough to protect them from any cold outbreaks that sneak up on us.

The warmer weather has brought a rather unpleasant aftereffect--ticks. After going without any ticks since we started visiting Pennsylvania, I have been plagued by 4 in the past 2 weeks. Poor Gambol has accumulated his share of them too, which is not a surprise with him going through the forest and meadow with his nose on the ground. For Gambol we got a standard flea and tick collar and just got a prescription filled for the anti-tick medicine you apply direction to the skin of a dog. This is a 30 day treatment, so we'll be giving this medication to him once a month until winter returns and the cold kills off the ticks. I guess I will have to start applying insecticide whenever I go out, especially on my jeans, shoes, and hat.

We had a bit of excitement at the Barony last week. On Wednesday morning The Baroness was just starting to take a shower when the power in the house dipped (like a brownout) and the shower head produced a burst of gray-black water. The shower water turned cold, so I went downstairs to check on our tankless electric water heater. The electric circuits were fine, no circuit breakers had tripped, but the water heater was leaking slightly and the leak apparently had just started when The Baroness experienced the brownout. My first assumption was that the well had run dry and the pump had surged when it sucked in some mud at the bottom of the well. That, of course, is a nightmare scenario for a home owner: clogged faucets and equipment, like the water heater and even the washing machine, and having the well drilled deeper or treated to increase the water flow--all of which can be quite expensive. We called out the well people and they drained our water pressure tank in the house and it ran as clear as could be. They suggested that the electric water heater had some built up calcium in the lines and a small part of that calcification had broken off, causing the buildup of pressure in the water lines and the water heater (and causing the temporary power surge and the resultant leak). So as a last resort, The Baroness called our builder and asked him for help as she was not enjoying taking cold showers. He responded that day and came out to check the system. He fixed the small leak in the system but couldn't really do much for the heater itself, so he called in his brother, a plumber. The plumber came out and did a quick check, confirming that the systems was not working. He asked his brother where he got the heater (a local plumbing supply store in State College), so they went off to see what the manufacturer (Bosch) would do for the 10 year warranty on the heater. After a couple of days of calls back and forth Bosch agreed the system needed replacement and shipped a new unit by Fed Ex. The new heater arrived on Friday morning and the plumber came out that afternoon and hooked it up and everything worked again. So we were without hot water for 9 days. The Baroness appealed to a hotel in the industrial park where she works to let her use their fitness center for a morning shower. Otherwise the Demmert family was taking wash cloth baths with water heated on the stove. I should add that we will be getting a water softener system installed shortly to take care of that calcium problem. Interestingly enough, our well water is incredibly soft--only 4 grains of hardness. The problem is that the massive amount of heat the water heater applies causes any minerals in solution to precipitate out and that results in the scale buildup in the pipes.

Gambol is maturing every day and although he does not come immediately when called, we have been experimenting in letting him off leash at the end of our walks. For 3 out of 4 times he came running when called for his hot dog treat. On the 4th day he decided he didn't need a treat and took off for 30 minutes on his own. We will graduate from beginner puppy class tonight, but have already enrolled him in a follow-on training class starting next Thursday evening. One trick we have been working on is hiding a treat in another room and telling Gambol to find it. We started out with that trick by just throwing a treat on the floor and saying, "find it." Of course he saw it fall and went right for it. Now, because he didn't see it fall, he has to air scent to find it. He sounds like a pulsing vacuum cleaner as he goes about tracking the treat's scent. It is amazing to watch and he really seems to have fun locating the treat with his nose.

So with the start of Daylight Savings Time and a hot shower to boot, we hope that Aunt Priscilla is on the mend from her recent surgery. Get well soon, St Patrick's Day is just around the corner!

Garage inside

Christmas 2004

As the Baron and Baroness drove up the hill on December 18 the lights were on and the garage door opened. Dave the Builder was there to welcome us to our new home and run us through the mechanicals and light switches. It was everything we'd hoped and more. He even had a basket of fruit from Wegmans to welcome us and a couple of door mats. We were getting ready to figure out bedding when R&D drove up with a Christmas tree and several boxes they had kept for us. What great friends, neighbors, and gatekeepers. We now know why maple floors are called "hardwood". Even with a couple of layers of padding between us and the wood, it is still hard. The mattress and box springs would be delivered on Tuesday, and the frame from the Amish Country Peddler would be delivered on Wednesday. Another minor inconvenience was that our water test came back from Todd Giddings ((814) 238-5927) with bacteria. We had water to flush and shower, but not to drink. Ladies Terra and Ariel and Graf von Tech drove up from the south for a few days. They brought all sorts of housewarming/Christmas gifts. We filled the living room with 2 air mattresses, played Scrabble and put together puzzles for an old fashioned celebration of family.


Kitchen and dining area with hickory cabinets
Looking down from living room into entrance foyer

Bathroom with tiles by Clinefelter's
Cosmetic propane fireplace

Bed by Amish Country Peddler; Compass quilted pillow by Brigitte Bertram
Organizing the Christmas stockings

Dinner is an all day operation with 2 cooks and several supervisors
...and an unfamiliar kitchen.

A supervisor puts his $.02 in.

The Graf stays out of trouble by studying.
Outside looking in.

2 cooks are better than one.
Delegate

View from the drive way
Location of the breezeway and Phase II

Kitchen and bathroom windows from back hill (north face)
We hardly need a doorbell since we can hear a car making the first turn on the road rocks.

From the "summer kitchen" (firepit)
It truly is a little house in the woods. The Baron planted a dozen daffodils with a crow bar and frozen hands and plenty of bone meal to give them a good start. Our trees are tubed and resting for the winter.

Living room
kitchen/dining area

from the stair landing

Dragonfly Tiffany style
...centerd perfectly in front window

stair landing pendant from Cherrytree Designs
Kitchen pendants, cherry and paper

Uplit fans
Watching for wildlife out the kitchen window

Fall 2004

Although we were not around, Steve Balkey and Al Zimmerman kept us informed with these great pictures.

With the heavy construction finished, at least for Phase I (Carriage House), it was time to get the road into usable condition with some culverts to direct water. We've seen how the water wants to cross the road; now Ameron will give it a socially acceptable path. D was leery at first that Culvert 3 was going to pump water directly into her basement, but Balkey assured her he would build a deep enough ditch that wouldn't happen.


Progress, Oct 8
Progress, Oct 8

Culvert 1, Oct 10

Culvert 1 into the forest
Culvert 1 from the house

Looking over Culvert 3
Culvert 3 south

Deep into Culvert 3
Reshaping the road

The septic area from the garage
We'll plant dafodills and feed the birds here.

Septic area up hill, looking back to the house
The mound

Al Zimmerman stopped by on Nov. 23 to check up on the progress and sent these pictures: the first we'd seen of the inside. He was very impressed with the workmanship and said he'd be back.


Hardiplank going up
to the bedroom

Maple flooring with natural water-based finish
Kitchen

Trex deck
on a typical foggy day

From the bedroom to the closet and kitchen
the living room with no railing

Hickory kitchen cabinets waiting in the garage
front yard

Verizon has the phone ready for the security people, Vigilent Security Systems ((814) 237-5450). The next step is to hand over the keys at Christmas.

Summer 2004

Summer Vacation
The Baroness and her Loyal Pooch spent the summer watching the slow start to construction and getting wet. This was the wettest summer in years. No problem with dry wells this year. Living in a student apartment right off Old Main and over the Rathskeller on Pugh St might have been idyllic 35 years ago, but the Loyal Pooch had a hard time getting to the 4th floor and students have a less than endearing habit of using private backdoors as vomitoria and latrines, to say nothing of the late night bar noise sprawled under the Baroness's window. The pair spent most days at the Barony but always managed an Accolade Walk at Old Main. Loyal Pooch could hardly walk 25 paces before he'd be stopped by someone wanting to pet him. Oh, he's so well behaved. Oh, he gets around so well for 15 years old. Oh, his hair is so soft. And on and on and on...
June 18, 2004
The Baroness met with her Construction Boss, Dave Sampsel, and Architect par Excellence to finalize the preconstruction taskers and get a list of contractors to buy things from: Whitehill Lighting and Supplies (814) 238-2449, Ken at Lezzer Lumber (814) 237-3511 for Kitchen, Jason at Mike's Appliance (814) 237-1515, Eric at Kohlhepp's for granite and butcherblock, PennWood for the 'cosmetic' gas fire. Neither Dave nor Michael demanded she shop at these places, but of their recommendations, these were the final choices. In addition to these local vendors, the pendant lights over the butcherblock came from Cherry Tree Design in Montana, although Whitehill ordered them for us. Thank goodness for the Internet; not only did it make remote communicating with the Baron easier, we both did a lot of product research. The house siding will be Hardiplank, a cement-fiber siding recommended by Michael for its durability and low maintenance. The deck will be Trex, a durable wood-like product made from recycled plastic and sawdust.


June 20, 2004
Lady Terra came to inspect for the weekend. The weather cooperated; she christened her trail and checked the camping trailhead in preparation for her Memorial Day outing. We visited the Lavender Festival in Fairfield, near Gettysburg and resolved to make this an annual trek.
June 25, 2004

Balkey and Sampsel cooperate to measure and stake the carriage house, June 21
Allegheny Power arrives (notice the beginning of the driveway erosion)

Power! June 25
Power at 00000

Measure twice, cut once, June 25
Paint out the plans on the dirt so everyone knows where to dig


We have power; no generators and their associated noise and smell for this work site.

June 30, 2004

From the back hill into kitchen 'window', June 30
Loyal Pooch staying out of trouble in his office


It has dried out enough for Dave to get some machines up here to dig our foundation. Water seems to flow off the hill plateau well; nothing sinks in. Our driveway rocks are beginning to fill in the forest. This construction stuff is slow going.
June 28, 2004
We have concrete and more water. Dave had to pump out the holes for several days. Nothing sank into the clay; it all ran off, over the driveway and through the woods, but not to Grandmother's, we hope. We had pools of muddy water.

A new swimming hole, perhaps? July 8
or a mud bath

June 26-July 7
Bear! While shuffling papers in the mobile office (aka '95 Saturn), Loyal Pooch at my feet on the gravel, I happened to look up as a young black bear crossed less than 15 from the car. My heart pounded: should I get the camera first or put Loyal Pooch in the car first? I probably need not have, but I tossed the poor, blind, deaf, and arthritic Loyal Pooch into his office in the back seat and then grabbed the camera. By that time, maybe 10-15 seconds, the bear had sauntered into the bushes on his way to the next berry patch. I called to him, but he had his mind set on berries, not Baroness, for lunch. It was a very exciting 3 minutes. I saw a vision of a Volkswagen loping in front of me: a shiney, chubby, black VW with a cinnamon nose. How big? Smaller than a VW, for sure, but the same shape, perhaps.
July 4th Washout

Washout from a severe thunderstorm
Ditches and a moat

ruts and gullies
We need treads on the car to get over these.

Supervising the chainsaw
Ameron was up July 6 to replace the road and seed the edges

Lopping

The Baron was here to supervise but since it rained most of the time, and since it was a holiday weekend, he mostly supervised the chain saw. We cut dead wood and grapvines to make Pierce's Passage from the house site half way into the meadow. We met with Chilcote several times and enjoyed the Arts Festival with Missy and Al.
Hints of what's to come

CMUs, July 9
Water Well by Hull's Drilling (814) 625-2171

Water, water, everywhere: still more rain that has to be pumped out of the foundation hole, July 13
July 13

2 Big machines
340 feet down and only 2 gal water/minute

Deliveries begin in ernest

CMUs begin July 19



French drain and black goop, July 22
Backfill, July 24

This is a typical view down the drive and into the meadow this summer; it's more Irish than American.

The building begins July 28, 2004
We have lumber; the first frame went up today. The men are very neat and clean up after each day's work. That gives us confidence that we'll have a well constructed home. The Baroness brought bedding, the chain saw, microwave, and other things to leave in the house, but with this amount of rain we won't have a house until after the summer supervision trip is over.

First frames, July 28
First frames, July 28

Framing, July 29
July 29

July 30

More lumber, August 1
The race is on: we have rafters, but only 12 days until the drive west begins, August 3

Visible progress
Now we're cooking; lumber is moving quickly. We can see the garage growing. Thank goodness for Wegman's and Irving's Bagels 131 W Beaver Ave, State College, PA 16801-4816 (814-238-0600)). The Baroness uploads daily reports to the Baron from these cyber cafes.
August 4, 2004
Water ditch from the well to the house is backfilled.

Ditch from well to house is backfilled
It's a nice gentle curve around the back of Phase II, August 8

Nothing is visible except a stick at the curve
We can see the beginning of the front deck.

Accident!

Accident!
Jody Hull, the well driller, slipped off the road at the culvert, tipping his backfill machine off the rig. It was pouring buckets; visibility was poor. I'd planned to stay up on the hill for a hour or so after the men left just to enjoy it; but after about 20 minutes of torrential rain, I got scared that the road would wash out again, and I'd be stuck up hill. As I drove down I could see lights at the culvert, and knew there was trouble. Sampsel helped get the machines back, but not before some damage was done to the culvert and both men were soaked to the skin.
Progress during a semi-dry spell

The bedroom wall, August 5

Geothermal and well water connections, Aug 6

August 13, 2004
Lady Ariel and her consort, Graf von Enaml, came to visit the Barony. They took pictures from a glider out of Soaring Ridge Gliderport a couple of miles from the Barony. Proving once again that it's a small world, their pilot Eric Bliesmer is the salesman at Kohlhepp's who helped the Baroness with the granite and butcherblock just the day before!
The Barony from above

R&D center
From 3000 ft or so

That's a lot of trees

The summer was full of visitors, as is only right for a guest house. Chere Amie came all the way from FlyOver Country, maybe not just to see the Barony, but it sure felt good to have her there. We expected Admiral von UberBaron and Ladies Ariel and Terra, but Empress von Rhein and Señor Florida came too.
The end of the summer supervision

Odd jobs
Beam over the breezeway door in garage

Front "door"
The last view as the Supervisory Summer draws to a close is Jody Hull drilling the geothermal well.

August 15, 2004
Yet another soggy day at the Barony, the Loyal Pooch and his Baroness began the solemn 1025 miles back to Bellevue, by way of Lisle for a RON. Summer is over.

Summer 2004
-- Season-to-Date Statistics -- August 15, 2004

Avg High Temp: 75.88 Rank(1=Warm, 109=Cold): 106
Avg Low Temp: 59.91 Rank (1=Cold, 109=Warm): 79
Mean SUMMER Temp: 67.89 Departure (108-Year): -1.66
Totl Rain or Liquid Equiv: 13.63 Rank (1=Wet, 109=Dry): 9
Totl Heating Degr-Days: 80 Total Cooling Degr-Days: 318

May 2004

May 7, 2004
The weather has dried enough to begin the road. D called to warn us that Ameron was taking lots of topsoil way, but we had arranged to trade topsoil for rocks. We are grateful that she is looking out for us. We needed a lot of truckloads! It must have looked like a parade of elephants in a circus.
May 12, 2004
The construction phase of the road is done. We'll let the big trucks pack it down and see where the weather takes us before finishing it off with finer gravel. We'll probably need some more culverts to get the water downhill properly. Now on to the house and septic areas. Ameron is moving a lot of dirt for us.
May 22, 2004
Steve Chilcote has planted 500 spruce, 100 white oak, 100 red oak, 100 sugar maple, and 50 dogwood. All the trees but the spruce are tubed and staked. He also put down a couple of tons of lime and some fertilizer.


May 24, 2004
Michael is working on Huston Twp to get our building permits. They only meet once a month, so we have to be ready when they are, or wait a month.


May 26, 2004
Michael will interview the 2 low bidders for our building project and have a recommendation soon. The Baroness and her Loyal Pooch take over the Barony supervision for the summer on June 09, 2004.

Spring 2004

Feb. 29, 2004
Our second Spring Break in Julian, we wandered around trying to imagine what it will be like to live here. We saw evidence, a foot print in the snow, of a bear. It seems late, or early, for a bear to be out and about. We met with our team of Architect par Excellence, Michael Haluga, and Ameron Excavation Lead Engineer, Steve Balkey. We got all lawyered up again and signed on for the house on March 2, 2004.

While the Baroness was straightening her left toe, the Baron visited his construction workers to lay out the site and semi-finalize the floor plans with Michael. We can change things up to the beginning of construction without much bother, but after that it will cost time and money.

He cleaned up 17 bags of trash: cans, bottles, shotgun shells, and other detritus of a by-gone era. Trash will not do at the Barony. We had our house plans, so all we though we needed was the big shovel. We were, of course, still waiting for Joe Hall, King of all Septic Plans, to decide on our fate. We aren't too happy with him since he signed off on our first plan which was then kicked back to us by the Pa Environmental Protection Agency for being too close to the drop off. We had to start the whole process all over again including paying new fees.
Our southeast corner is adjacent to Paradise Ranch, a 777 acre hunting resort. They have an 8' high fence to keep us out and, presumably, the exotic wild animals in. Our side is a wild tangle of grapes, roses, and barberries. We'll call it our Bear's Lair. This corner is our lowest corner at about 1,000 ft above sea level.
The northeast corner is near the top of Blueberry Hill and the Jennifer Trail, the old logging trail that runs north/south most of the length of the property, down to a great, private camping plateau. (We haven't yet named a good Shannon trail.) It's close to the highest part of the property at about 1300 ft.
Following the northern boundary is an easy walk down hill, but tracking the orange ribbons on trees and "posted" signs can be tricky. The boundary takes a slight jog about 2/3 of the way down and crosses a seasonal trickle of water. The northwest corner is near a hemlock patch.
To find the final corner requires a hike up hill, across the meadow and driveway, and back into the forest. It's west of Paradise's fence, but we haven't actually found it yet.

Closing on the Barony

The land was officially ours on Aug 8, 2003. Our nearest neighbors have begun to dug the foundation for their log home. We met with Chuck Herr, Septic Designer, to plot out the plan. He'll work with Joe Hall, Septic Enforcement Officer for Huston Twp, to make it work. Ameron will design and build the road. We've also contacted the DCNR Forester Tim Cole and private land and timber consultant Steve Chilcote to set up a plan for the Forest Stewardship Program so we can get some state help in correcting the logging abuses and general neglect of the forest.

Subdivision

030515
Our next trip to PA was in mid-May 2003. No snow, but lots of rain. Wet weather is getting to be a pattern. By this time the seller, Jim Cowan, had presented us with his subdivision plan. He hadn't taken our advice at all. "Our" south facing land was not the 10-15 acres we planned, but was now almost 60 acres. We got all lawyered up and signed our retirement plan. Dale suggested we ask Michael Haluga to be our architect. Although the Baron had found generic plans for basically what we wanted the first phase of the Barony-to-be, we needed site-specific tweaking and local building code knowledge. For a long-haired Beatles and Mickey Mouse fanatic, he designs houses very well.