then, you top it with a roof

You hope the roof is on before the rain comes.

food on the run

Went to a seminar related to my church work, held at Laurelville. On the way stopped for lunch at the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Sidling Hill. I had a chicken meal at http://www.popeyes.com/ with a side of red beans and rice. Never had that before; liked it. Then finished it off with a Starbucks coffee and oatmeal cookie which came in this bag. Not everything happens in Monterey.

steam technology

There's nothing like a steam whistle to bring romance to country living! This 19th century relic chugged by, on the way to steam seed beds to kill the weed seeds before the crop seeds are planted. The white plume is steam from the whistle.

then, the second story goes up

These are not just sheets of plywood. These are highly engineered weight-bearing panels with an insulation rating of 30.

boiling the sap

I tapped five sugar maple trees and collected about 35 gallons of sap. Then I retreated to my man cave behind the barn to boil it down. This year I added a hydrometer. The thicker the liquid the higher the hydrometer floats in the stainless steel tube. Notice the grass getting a spring green color. At times I had to set up wind breakers. After dark a rabbit hid about 15 feet away in the plowed ground and watched. For a fleeting moment nature and I enjoyed the magic.

then, the walls go up

After the Sabbath, come Monday, the walls go up. Some assembly required.

next, the first floor

Say good-bye to the cellar as the floor covers it. Notice the large opening in the cellar wall? The non-electric house will use that to bring sunlight in, down through a huge window well--common practice I'm told. Even church services are held in such basements. While the house is going up, though, we'll use a Japanese electric generator for power. It's lunch time, and the carpenters drop their tool belts.