As it is mid-October, cold and raining, here in New
Brunswick, we are thinking more and more about heading back to Cat Tales. However, it makes sense to tell you what
we've been up to. This may take more
than one entry.
The biggest thing in our summer has been the work
to the cottage. Last year,
Laurie (me)succumbed to the (ahem) requests, and
began working on a small addition.
Indeed, the summer before, two years ago, I moved the shed to allow both
planning and building. Last year, I cast
an engineered, thickened-edge slab as a foundation.
As it took so long and as I could not get the
laminated beams for the addition required to match the existing cottage, I
worked last fall on the landscaping, rounding up rocks to make a patio around
the construction.
This year, the beams were ready, and I started cutting
and pounding in earnest. I did all the
work myself, except for the roof, where I had assistance in getting the sheets
of OSB up and hired a contractor to shingle it.
Of course, I also put the Cove crowd to work when it was time to lift
the heavy windows. For the exterior
lumber work and much of the interior, Dawn worked hard staining and painting,
and I could not have gotten the ceiling pine up without her. Indeed, Dawn and I worked side-by-side for
the weeks of late August and September on the siding, ceiling, and the floor.
The floor is tongue-in-groove bamboo; very pretty. We haven't finished the decorating inside yet and will do it over time as we find suitable items.
Check in again for more highlights from our summer: travels, visitors, purchases for Cat Tales.
