SITE PREP.........CONTINUES

Haven't seen any weekend fishing pictures yet, maybe by the next post. The trip was another success with a few new stories to tell. Including a fire in the Dickenson stove, big waves on the outer coast, and a whale that surfaced so close they were looking down into its blow hole. As long as the Seraphina made it back to port and there are coolers of fish heading south today all is well.

Meanwhile the driveway is really taking shape, much of the elevation has been shifted to make for a gradual grade up to the parking area. The pad for the garage/shop area is seen in the last picture with the upper house pad above it. I can already imagine some interesting winter driving adventures ahead.

SITE PREP .........PHASE 2

Last post has been renamed Phase 1, the noisy rock splitting stage was finished.
Every day when we stop by it is amazing to see the progress. Yesterday more dirt was moved shaping the path of the driveway, conduit for the utilities buried, the corners of the house are marked with a bright pink X, next the concrete will be poured.

Now for a weekend of packing/purging/hauling at the house for me. The Seraphina left Auke Bay at 4 this morning with Shawn and Scott taking their sister and niece on a 4 day fishing trip. Next update will include some fish and whale photos.

SITE PREP ........PHASE 1

Even though the weather wasn't the best over the weekend, the work continued and the driveway is in place and the top of the rock is gone, crushed to form the base for the house foundation. Amazing that after so many years of rock climbing to get to the top to show people the view it is now an easy stroll up.

There won't be much activity at the site for awhile, we are finalizing the blue prints and the move, purge continues at the house. Will update as soon as there is something exciting to report.

LET THE RUBBLE PILE UP.........

Still haven't mastered inserting pictures in any kind of order. The first picture is of the elusive rock splitter. All reports in June were that every available one had already been reserved by a local mine for the summer. Rob was able to find one to use only for a week or so and with the break in the weather started pounding away. The sound is quite lovely, I'm sure the neighbors already love us.

Realized at 5 this morning that we don't have 4 weeks as I posted yesterday, but 3 weeks till the move . One more scheduled fishing trip between now and then with Shawn's sister and niece next week so the days are ticking down. Shawn is calm, cool and collected looking ahead to a life of no more house projects, and I'm just the opposite wondering how are we going to get everything packed. Just once I want a move that we don't say '' if only we had one more week''.

LET THE DIGGING BEGIN.......

Much to our surprise when our builder Rob set up a meeting with Shawn today to discuss where the driveway would go..........he had already started playing in the dirt and crushing rock. After 8 years of talking and dreaming since moving to Alaska it is beginning to seem real. Now to finish packing and moving in 4 weeks to our temporary housing. If the weather holds the construction should progress really fast, if not living in a 24 x 24 garage apartment could be a real challenge through a Juneau winter. What a relief after 20 years of building, remodeling, painting etc. not to have to move home improvement books, magazines,This Old House tapes dating back to the 80's that have been hauled cross country during 7 moves to different 5 states.


More pictures to come once I figure out how to do this better.