Photos of our Progress!

WOW, has it really been over 3 weeks since I last updated this blog? So sorry, but our lives seem to be so busy lately. And, without the camera to document out progress, didn't seem too exciting to tell you what was going on when I couldn't show you. So, since Poppy bought a new camera the other day, thought I would get back on here. But, before updating you on the progress at Loon Lake Lodge, we must share the excitement of adding yet another member to the family. Jillian Claire was born last Monday, August 24 at 6:44 in the morning. Mother and baby are doing great. She joins big sisters Kate (who turned 2 August 6) and Elizabeth (who will be 4 on October 8!) so they now have their hands very full with three little ones. We drove down to see her and help keep the others this past week and it made for a week that flew right past. I am going to go help with the girls and new babe next week, so I promise to post some photos of Jillian, as well as her adoring sisters when I get back home.

Now, here is what we have accomplished here. When I last posted I reported that the furnace closet had been finished off inside. Well, now we have an entirely new heating and AC system installed. This new geothermal unit will keep us toasty warm and comfortably cool whenever we need it. Plus, it is tucked away back in the new utility room, so when it runs we won't hear it. But, even if we are in the utility room you can't hear it run. The old geo unit was under the stairwell in the family room and when it kicked on we had to crank up the volume on the TV to hear over the loud rumbling. This new system will be so wonderful!! The guys were here for an entire week getting this all installed and all the new duct work done. This closet will eventually have bi-fold doors to hide if from view. All in due time!

Next, the upstairs hallway is about totally drywalled. We have framed in a doorway to create a storage closet on the one side of the hallway, utilizing the wasted space created by the knee wall. We also will have a desk area recessed back into this area off the loft at the top of the stairwell. Hanging the drywall on these angled ceilings and all the can light and electrical plugs/switches made for some time consuming measuring and figuring. This view is looking from the loft area down the hallway. At the end is the doorway into the back bedroom. The doorway on the right is the other bedroom and the doorway framed on the left goes into the storage area. Where the drywall turns the corner there at the right leads into the bathroom at the top of the stairwell. I think I have Poppy convinced to hire someone to come in and mud and finish off all this drywall, as it will be one HUGE, messy job. Money well spent, plus we will then have the textured ceilings we want.

Some of the trickiest and toughest drywall to hang was over the stairwell. This was up two stories and I wasn't sure we could even do it. Well, last weekend with the help of one strong neighbor friend, they got the ceiling hung above the stairwell. This photo is from the vantage point at the bottom of the steps looking up. They positioned these leftover beams across to create "catwalks" on which to stand, then they could be out over the stairwell to access this high space. This picture is actually quite confusing if you don't know what you are looking at, but you might be able to figure out just how treacherous it looked from my viewpoint as I prayed no one would fall!

These next two show the upstairs bathroom. Poppy has started to tape and mud this room, as we hope to have the vanity set and shower/tub functional next weekend. The only part yet to drywall here is inside the linen closet. This first view is looking into the tub/shower, stool area, which can be closed off by a door from the rest of the bathroom. Linen closet is the area there to the left without drywall.

This is the other view of this bathroom, looking in from the hallway. The left side of this divided area will house my top loading washing machine I will use specifically for felting knitted projects. I want him to put a cabinet above the washer for storage. Then, the middle portion of room will be the vanity and sink. We started with a full wall between these two and decided to take it down to a half wall so it would not seem so broken up. Glad we did. The blue up in right hand corner near ceiling is where vanity light will hang, with mirror below. Just to right of this area is the linen closet seen in the other photo.

This week we accomplished one BIG task. On Friday we rented drywall jacks with plans of hanging the drywall on the bedroom ceilings upstairs and MAYBE the master bedroom too. Well, since the master bedroom is a 10'6" ceiling height, he needed the extra tall jacks. This meant they were too tall to use up in the bedrooms with 8' ceilings. (great planning Poppy!) So, we tackled the master bedroom ceiling, which also must be done in order to do the blow-in insulation above that area. However, we had 12' sheets of 5/8" drywall, which are very, very heavy. There was no way the two of us could lift these big sheets up on to the drywall jack, which was about shoulder height. Another poor planning on Poppy's part. He just did not anticipate all of these things. But, don't say that Poppy is not up to any challenge. He soon went to the garage and brought in his old block and tackle pulley system. After hooking it over the main beam of the master bedroom area, we devised a way to hoist up each sheet of drywall high enough to get it on the lift. We could never have done this without the wonderful help of our kind neighbor, Tom. He came over six times to help when we had a full sheet to hang. The smaller 4' square sections we could handle the two of us. In this photo you can see Poppy after fastening up the first section after it was successfully hung. But, notice the chain hoist in the photo, that was our lifesaver! Thanks Uncle Art...who sold us the block and tackle with a sailboat some 30 years ago!

Here was the drill, as I caught the last sheet hoisted up with the camera. This was a piece narrower than the other large ones, as this was only a partial width. But, you can see Poppy and Tom steadying the sheet midway through the process of hoisting it up. I stopped to snap the photo, then hoisted it on up to their shoulder height, then I rolled the lift under it so they could sit it on the rack. I'm surprised they were smiling, this was hard work! I think the "spots" that look like water spots on the lens are all the dust that was floating around in the room all day.

This was a great application for the Roto Zip tool the kids gave Poppy for Christmas. He is "zipping" around the can light in the first section that was hung. This was much easier than measuring and figuring just where to cut that hole prior to hanging the piece. Thanks for the nifty tool!

Here is Poppy screwing the final piece in place. Ah, a job well done!

So, now we plan on renting the regular height drywall jacks tomorrow in hopes of getting the ceilings of the upstairs bedrooms hung. I am leaving Tues. to spend the week helping with the baby, so if we want it done before Labor day when the kids will all be here again, tomorrow will be the day. Wish us luck! I'll be back as things progress. Thanks for stopping by! Come on up to Loon Lake and visit us here at the Lodge. We'd love to see you all!

Where Have We Been??

You may wonder why no posts for quite some time! Well, for about two weeks we were without a computer. It crashed and we finally got the new one up and running today. Also, as I reported a month or so ago, our camera also died. Therefore, we have not been taking any photos, thus not the urge to post our progress on the blog. So sorry it has been a while.
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We have been pretty busy although absent from blog land. Two weeks ago Poppy was able to get the furnace closet totally drywalled and finished, applying the primer paint the day before they came to install the new geothermal heating and AC system. They were here all last week, and now we have a totally new system to keep us snug and warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The old geo furnace was removed, giving us some new storage space, which is badly needed right now.
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Yesterday we worked to get the half bath drywalled and today while Grandmommy slept all day (after working last night) he hung some sheets in the hallway where the new section transitions into the old section. Of course, most of the day he was working to get the new computer up and running. Hopefully tomorrow he can get even more drywall hung. He must also install the drain for the half bath sink, which we had the plumber leave undone because we were unsure on the type of sink or vanity we wanted in that room. Now we have the vanity and are ready to install the drain so we can get that new room up and functional. Things are moving along, yet seem to be moving slower than desired. With August here, we are shocked how quickly summer flew past. The weather has been so unseasonable that we keep waiting for "summer" to really happen.
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Today was our darling grand daughter's 2nd birthday. Kate is a fireball and yesterday she gashed her head open on a door frame, requiring three stitches. I guess it did not slow her down too much. We look forward to seeing her, as well as sister Elizabeth on Saturday when we travel there for the big birthday party. GG will be going with us and it should be a fun day for everyone! I hope to be back soon with more progress and maybe some new photos to share.

A Busy and Lonely Week for Grandmommy

Well, here it is, eleven days since my last post. Seems I have trouble finding enough news and progress to report lately. But, thought I better fill you all in on what is new with us.
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Last week Poppy was gone on his wonderful Canadian fishing trip with his brothers, cousins and nephews. They had a great time and he brought home his limit on walleye and some pike, tucked away in the freezer for a yummy fish fry soon. While he was gone, Grandmommy kept busy here at home and with a few extra shifts at work. I spent extra time with GG to alleviate the boredom and loneliness. Last Sunday I spent a few hours putting insulation up in our new master bedroom, a task I told Poppy I would try to get to. I went through several rolls of insulation as I installed maybe a third of what was needed to insulate the walls. Today we finished that job, all walls are now insulated except the one wall where drywall is leaning up against it. We also got two thirds of the ceiling drywalled in the utility room, as well as the ceiling in the furnace closet. Tomorrow the heating and AC guys are coming and we look forward to getting the new geothermal furnace installed soon. Progress is being made, just seems a slow process. Sorry I do not have any photos to share tonight, guess the camera is on the fritz right now.
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Yesterday we took a break to relax and have fun. They held the first annual Loon Lake Poker Rally. This was done with boats and you had to solve the clues to find which pier to tie up to where you would receive your next card. We joined up with some friends on their pontoon and six of us all tried to gather the cards for the best poker hand. Lots of fun, sun and friendship. Then, in the late afternoon there was a party to attend on the lake. There was wonderful food and corn hole games. Finally, last night we played euchre with our neighbors, where the guys ended up winners of the best of five games.
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We are really enjoying this unseasonably mild summer weather. Temps and humidity are much lower than normal and nights are perfect for sleeping with windows cracked open a bit. Hard to believe July is 3/4 of the way over and August is close on the horizon. That means our third grand baby will be here sooner than later, due the first week in September. Everyone pray for Amanda as she endures these last weeks and pray for a healthy baby, maybe even a BOY this time. We will love whatever God has to share with us, but how much we would all LOVE a BOY to add to Libbers & Kate. We will just have to wait and see!

Where Have We Been...

You may ask? Keeping busy, that is for sure!

Sorry it has been so long since I posted a blog entry. We have been making progress here on the Lodge, but just not photo worthy progress. That makes me forget to update you on progress. More drywall has been hung and we got the door installed between the garage and utility room. However, Poppy has been distracted by other obligations and hasn't been able to do as much on the interior finishing.

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This Friday Poppy takes off for his annual Canadian fishing trip, so that has kept him occupied. He is in charge of meals and taking groceries, so he has become a bargain shopper and is very excited about this year's trip. This will be the first time it has been just family. His two brothers, one nephew, two cousins and their sons. A total of 8 who should have a marvelous week together. He has also been busy redoing the brakes on his SUV, a dirty job that has entailed both front and rear brakes and ordering parts to complete the job.

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But, we took time out to have lots of fun. This past weekend was 4th of July, so we got to celebrate with the kids and grands.

Libbers loved the new sand toys and staying close to shore in the sunshine on Friday.

But Katers did not disappoint her Mommy, as she loved the water and did not want to get out!

Saturday was a dreary, cloudy day but it didn't dampen much of the fun. When it rained lightly that evening, we just stayed up on the porch and stayed dry. GG was here for the whole afternoon and evening and got some great quality time with her two great grand daughters. This was very special! Libbers and Kate got their first sample of somores and LOVED them. It wasn't raining enough to douse our bonfire, so toasted marshmallows were possible.

Libbers was even old enough to stay up for the fireworks and lightening bugs, so that was a lot of fun to hear her reaction to all this excitement. The rain stopped in time for the fireworks to go off as scheduled, followed up by a slice of Grandmommy's turtle cheese cake before bed. YUMMY!

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It is hard to believe summer is half over already. We hope to make some great progress on the drywall and all once Poppy is back from fishing and we finish out July. Enjoy your summer everyone!

Break On Through to the Other Side!

Just a snippet of why we love living here on Loon Lake. One morning this week Poppy caught this fellow visiting our pier as he watched for fish. The herons are often seen wading along the shoreline fishing and it is fun to watch their crazy actions.

OK, now in tribute to the Doors, today was the time to "Break On Through to the Other Side." We finally moved things out of the walk-in closet in order to break through the back wall into the new addition. This makes the new space more of a reality. Now we have a walk-through closet. We moved the filing cabinet and the hanging rod and shelf from the closet and tore down the back wall. After removing the studs we now have the hallway that will connect the lodge room with the new section. Here you see Poppy resting after all this work. He is sitting on the steps that lead up to the new bedrooms and bath upstairs. If you walk through this closet and turn to the right you would enter the new master bedroom. If you turned to the right, you would have the new half bath.

Here is the opposite view as I stood behind Poppy up on the stairwell landing halfway up. To the left at the bottom of the steps is the doorway into the master bedroom. To the right is just a tiny niche outside the half bath. Once we are complete, this closet will no longer exist, but this area will be a short hallway of sorts leading to this new area.

After a little rest, Poppy took my job and sucked up all the drywall dust and mess from breaking through the wall. Gotta love this guy!

The other accomplishment for today was removing the old window from inside the closet. This window used to be in the bathroom that occupied this space when we purchased the home. Now we will be able to side the front porch area so it matches the green of the new section. That will make us feel very good to complete this area where we spend so much time.

Next on our agenda of priorities is to decide on flooring for the utility room and upstairs bathroom. Then we can get the furnace set in the new utility room and install the door between the garage and utility room, as well as setting the sink and vanity upstairs and getting that bathroom more complete. Stay tuned for future progress!

Where Did the Last Two Weeks Go??

Sorry I have been so absent from Blog land! I can't believe it was already two weeks ago that we were anticipating the arrival of family to fill the two new bedrooms we had prepared. On Friday, June 5, the fifth anniversary for our younger daughter, she arrived with her hubby and the wonderful grand daughters. What fun to show them the new space we built just for them! Of course, it was very crude accommodations for this first visit, but they were just fine with it. That night they took off to celebrate their anniversary and left Elizabeth and Kate with us for the evening. What fun! The next morning was the annual kids' fishing derby here on Loon Lake. Poppy and their daddy took off to register them and came home sporting wonderful fisher-girl hats and containers of worms. To say the least, the interest on the part of the girls was a bit lame. However, Poppy and Mike had fun trying to catch fish out here from the pier.

But, later that afternoon, once Elizabeth had "won" her own special Barbie fishing pole, she was hard at work trying to catch some. Don't you just love the hat??

While big sis tried her hand at fishing, Mom and Katers enjoyed just sitting on the pontoon. Suppose the new babe still in womb will enjoy the lake like the big sisters do already? Baby #3 is due in three months! Of course, Kate had to "practice" her driving skills for when Poppy allowed her to drive on a cruise.

On Sunday Great Grandma Jordan was able to make a trip to the lake to see how the girls had grown. She was thrilled to get to know them better and enjoy our front deck and a burger cookout.

Kate, just two months short of her 2nd birthday loved the lake and being at Grandmommy and Poppy's. She really didn't remember it from last summer but this year will establish many, many traditions and memories. Here she enjoys Poppy's big recliner.
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The past two weeks we have been busy with all the work to finish the new addition, but it all seems like such slow progress. We had water softener problems and got a new one, but we are still having problems. Hopefully this will be cleared up soon. We also had GG in the hospital for four days with a mild stroke, so that took up quite a bit of Grandmommy's time. Between working and caring for GG, it hasn't left much time to just relax, much less help Poppy with much. Hopefully we can get some good productive days and make stuff happen around here soon. At this rate, we may not have a whole lot more done before the fam returns for July 4th! Wish us luck!

Huge Progress When Under Pressure!

WOW! The past few days have been non-stop work all day. But, look at the progress we have made! This is the back bedroom, where our daughter and son-in-law will sleep tomorrow night! It will still be a bit like camping out, as the ceiling is not drywalled yet and they will have a blanket hung as a door, but otherwise we have made great progress with drywalling. The ceilings must wait for drywall jacks and some men to help, as the 12' drywall sheets are just too heavy for Grandmommy to help much. Plus, until we cleared out the piles of drywall in the middle of the rooms, we could not get a drywall jack set up in here. So, this was done a bit unconventionally, but done none the less.

Here you see the hallway, which was taken mid-afternoon. At this point, at 8:30 pm, the entire hallway is drywalled on the left hand side. That closed in the bedroom for the little girls who will sleep there tomorrow night! We have one and a half wall to cover yet between the front bedroom and the bathroom, then that will also be all enclosed. Hope they like their new room at Grandmommy and Poppy's Loon Lake Lodge. They were the reason for all this extra space we built upstairs!

Check out this wonderful shot of Poppy installing the toilet in the upstairs bathroom. It is quite unusual to catch a plumber squatting over like this without seeing the proverbial "plumber's crack!" This portion of the bathroom is also partially "private" with drywall half way up the walls. This will be the only functioning facility in the new bathroom, as sink and tub are not plumbed yet. They will use the old shower and sink in the existing part of the house like they always have. But, with our daughter being 6 months with-child for our 3rd grandbaby, she MUST have a toilet upstairs and close for all those night time potty calls.


You would not be able to take the photo from this angle at this point, as we have drywall along this wall to close off the bath from the stairwell. Tomorrow morning we will hang just a couple more pieces of drywall, then Poppy will tuck all electrical wiring into their boxes so I can put cover plates on and safety plug covers. Then, when the kids arrive tomorrow afternoon, Mike can help Poppy take beds up to set up, a queen, a twin and the crib. Then, Amanda and I can make up the beds and hang some sheets at the windows and doors to complete the look. Hope they all sleep well at the lake this weekend! We can't wait to have them here!