Masters of the Domain

In some past posts, we have featured photos of forsythia - the bright yellow bush that is currently in its flowering season. It is especially prevalent out in the Shenandoah Valley, so much so that I thought it was a native plant until I did my research: http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/fovi.htm . Most varieties are native to Asia, although one species is native to Albania/Kosovo.



Still, we are seeing the plant just about everywhere we go in Page County - large plantings that form hedges, clumps that have gone wild and form large yellow clouds along the roadside, and even little flashes of colors peeking out from the edge of the woods, as with this small "wild" plant growing at the back of our lot.





Mary had spied some nice forsythia plants at Home Depot recently, and so that became our weekend project - we drove down to Harrisonburg (from now on: H-burg) to the Home Depot and bought three, with the idea that we could use them to take back a part of the yard that is now overgrown with ivy. Here is the planting after we finished it on Sunday afternoon.



The soil here is clay, as it is in most of Virginia, including Alexandria. We added some organic material to help the plants get off to a good start, and then mulched over the area to help kill off the ivy. These plants will hide the little scrap wood pile there as it decays; there is also a small wild rhododendron right there with them.



Also, we planted some seeds for summer color: cone flowers, cosmos, zinnias, rudebeckias, and hyacinth bean. We're keeping our fingers crossed the deer will leave them alone long enough that we will see some flowers here and there.

Update on Clarendon Demolition

I was back in my Arlington office for the first time in nearly a week and found that the site prep of the lot across the street is nearly complete. Most of the large machines have been removed and all traces of the old building are now gone. They have left a large hole in the ground for now, quite interesting, but late Friday new fill dirt was being delivered. Also, while we don't yet know what will be built on the site, we know who will be building it: Clark construction.

Pool Plan

Last weekend we got started on making serious decisions about the pool. We had an estimate about what to do, way back in August when we bought the place…a five figure price tag that we weren’t sure about.


Also, there are pros and cons about having a pool, such as, “Does it really add any resale value,” “will we really use it enough to make the expense worthwhile,” and, “would a deck with a hot tub be more useful to us” – all of which lead me to think I need to do an analysis of alternatives and business case analysis to make this decision.





Photos 1 and 2 – the pool and pool cabana.





A new pool company called “Uncle D’s” has opened in Luray. They were featured in the Page County paper a couple of weeks ago, and we went in and met with Darris – “D” – to talk about our situation. As a result, he is coming out this weekend to take a look.


The way I see it, there are three main alternatives about what to do here:
1) Get the pool – as built – repaired and start enjoying it
2) Demo the existing pool and install a new fiberglass one
3) Partially fill-in the pool, and build a deck over it


“D” is going to help us cost out that first option. There are some repairs that need to be made, but he believes we can use a liner system as opposed to doing expensive plaster work. Also, the pool motor and related systems, along with the drain will need to be replaced.

Photos 3 and 4 – motor, and photo of the existing skimmer and drain








The last step in this process involves relocating the motor from where it is to a new location under the deck, the main candidate location shown here in photo 5…Then we'll have to buy the water, which we will have trucked in from someplace. More to come as we get additional information.

Cabin Chores and Projects

Over the weekend, we worked on getting estimates for some of the projects this year. We found a local pool guy and have an appointment to get that estimate started, and we gave a list of projects to Jesse so that he can give us an estimate.



Meanwhile, I went to the Page County Farm Store and picked up some tools - shown in the first photo. I figure, with the number of trees on the lot, having these items is a must. And it is likely I will need a chain saw as well, even though the neighbors have them and would probably lend them, or I could rent one.



Here is the new ax, a sledge hammer, and a wedge. So even if I don't use these on the current tree, I'll use them to chop fire wood.



After purchasing, I decided to test out my new ax. I worked for about an hour on the downed tree on Sunday - cut off about ten large branches and began gathering the smaller branches from around the yard. If this ends up taking too long, we'll get the landscaper out, and have him cut this down into 14-16 inch sections that I can then breakdown into the proper size.



In fact, once I have the branches off, we'll probably have him out to do that anyway. I think I can get it ready for him over the next weekend. We'll see.

Signs of Spring - episode 2

We were back at the cabin this weekend, obtaining some early estimates for this year's projects. All in all a pretty industrious visit, there are several blog posts to catch up on soon.

Here are a few more photos of the spring flowers as they come into bloom...first here is a group of forsythia bushes that are near the entry to our little community. While in Alexandria the forsythia is already past prime, they are in full bloom in the Shenandoah Valley.

Second photo, here is the daffodil drift that had not yet bloomed last weekend. Now most of the blooms are open. In the photo you may just see some small asters that grow wild on the hillside, their purple makes a nice contrast to the yellows and golds of the daffodils.

Last, another photo of the daffodils, this time giving a perspective of the house.

Signs of Spring - episode 1

During our last visit to the cabin, I was pleased to see that the daffodils I planted during the fall have come up - it means the deer missed them, which was my biggest worry. This small patch is one of five patches I had planted around the yard, this one up the hill in the back and just visible out of the clerestory windows in the kitchen and dining room.



This second photo is of an older daffodil drift - it was a surprise to find them. They are planted near the base of the big pine that fell last month. This was taken on Saturday, before they fully opened. The sunny and warm weather on Sunday encouraged them and they may be in full bloom when we are out this weekend.

Two more photos, one of a three year old planting of daffodils at the Alexandria house, these are at the base of the dogwood tree in the front yard. I hope that the ones planted at the cabin will multiply like this - this group started with four bulbs. And our forsythia is blooming, although, in its sunny spot, it is already past peak.

Another one down

We went out for a quick turnaround trip this weekend, leaving Alexandria on Saturday night and spending the day on Sunday, having a nice Easter lunch with some visiting friends. In a later post, I will start a new series called "Signs o' Spring" and snap shots of flowers that bloom at the cabin and at the Alexandria house....



During my normal walk of the lot on Sunday morning, I found that we had another tree down. There are a couple of interesting things about this. First, it is the same species of pine as the other downed tree (which we haven't cleaned up yet and need to), except that this tree was clearly dying, where the other seemed healthy. There are four or five more of these trees located around the lot, with two other evergreen species appearing in similar numbers.



The second thing about this tree's falling is the direction of its fall - in the first photo here, taken from near the earlier fall, you can see that the new trees lies almost parallel with the earlier one.



This tree is further downhill, and while it was on our lot, it now straddles ours and extends into a neighboring unbuildable lot near the little Beaver Run stream. In the second photo, you can see the little stone bridge that the road runs across the stream on, courtesy of the Commonwealth.

Also for Sale in Hawksbill Pines

Two more properties in our subdivision have recently come up for sale. The first is a new cabin, completed in 2008. Unfortunately, it is built in a contemporary style that doesn't match any of the other homes in the neighborhood.



The listing price is $218,900 and it is on a .44 acre lot. MLS number 63232, it is a 3 bed/2bath property.

A second new listing is a .4 acre lot that adjoins the new cabin property, MLS 63233. This lot is between ours and the new cabin - our house is visible in the photo, as is Hawksbill Peak - and the lot has been improved with a septic system.

We are keeping an eye on these. We welcome the chance to have some new neighbors! Regarding the land for sale, most of the lots in this neighborhood are in the .25 acre range, and while unimproved, have been assessed at values more like $5-$6k for property tax purposes.



Adding on March 24, here is a photo from our driveway looking across the empty lot and up the hill to the new cabin:

Meanwhile, back in Arlington...

Since joining a new firm in January, located in the Clarendon area of Arlington, I’ve been able to enjoy a unique view of some site preparations going on in this high density, high growth urban corridor from my office on the 8th floor. This district is home to a lot of mixed-use, transit-oriented development, and it has changed a lot in the nearly 20 years that I have been in the DC area.

I started out with a firm in this neighborhood, as a matter of fact, and with all the new apartments and condos, and retail buildings, it is very different from back then. This old building was located right at the exit of the Clarendon Metro stop. On my first day at work, they had already demolished the rear parts of the building, leaving only the red brick façade, as shown in the second photo.

Then they began the careful demolition of the façade itself, with these large machines that reached, clenched, twisted, and pulverized the concrete and mortar. Over the course of 10 days, they tore down what remained of the building, with limited interruptions of traffic or street life.

Finally, with the building gone, site work and prep has begun for what’s next on the site – we suspect it is another apartment building with retail on the first floor, like those shown surrounding it in the third photo, although it may be an office tower as well.

Currently, they are in the process of breaking up the old concrete and separating the steel rebar out for recycling. Then the “cleaned” concrete is mixed with soil and ground, and is used as fill for the old basement and foundation areas. It is a sustainable approach – we anticipate that the building will include many “green” elements when it is finished. Over the next year or so, I may have some follow-up reports as the building goes up.

Old Post Cards

We have a small collection of postcards with Skyline Drive subjects - we are going to have them framed and put them up on the "gallery" wall in the cabin.

In addition to one of the "alphabet" cards - "Greetings from Skyline Drive" - there are these three new ones, each with an image of a nearby land mark. We found these on eBay today, they are views of some of our favorite spots on Skyline Drive, which overlooks the Valley and is visible on the way into the cabin.

The first is Hawksbill Peak, which dominates our part of the valley. When the leaves are off the trees, the peak is visible from the yard.

The second is Old Rag, the mountain Chris and I hiked up back in November.

The third is a view from Skyline Drive near Stoney Man peak. This pull off area is just before you get to Skyland Lodge on the Drive, and offers a view down into the Shenandoah Valley, mostly of Luray.

Cabin For Sale in the Hawksbill Pines Area

Just came across the listing for one of the "vintage" cabins in our area:




MLS ID# PA6661491
.25 acre
$198K
Apparently these folks updated the kitchen, although the realtor.com ad doesn't mention it.

There is another property for sale, but it is "new construction" and did not maintain the stone character of the rest of the neighborhood. May post that at a later date.

Auction Action part 2

So I have been out of the loop a few days, down with a cold. Today we’ll finish up the story about the auction last week.

There were over 200 registered bidders at the auction. The auction began promptly at 10am, with the items that were on display in the back of the house. In the backyard, there were a lot of garage-oriented things, some construction materials, and livestock equipment. Promptly, the temperature dropped and the winds kicked up. After watching the action and getting an idea of how long it would be before the action returned to the front of the house, we decided to go home for an hour or two and get out of the cold. Before we left, we saw a Craftsman tool chest sell for $600, contents included.

An hour later, Mary and I returned without Mom, and the auction was at the front of the house. As the crowd assembled, it was easy to get out of the wind. The “ring men” gathered at the trailer, where the iron pots and pans shown in a previous photo had been arranged. Other significant items on this table were about 30 crocks of various types, sizes, and vintages, 20 or so baskets, and a few other collectable types of items. In short, I expected that there would be a lot of action on these things.

There were three Luray/Page County memorabilia items that we found of interest and had planned to bid for – one was an aerial photo of the old tannery works in Luray; we want to collect a few of these kinds of historical items to display in the cabin. There was a framed set of memorabilia from the Stanley Garage – a photo, one of those old-timey fans people used in church back in the day, and a little calendar. The other was an item we first saw in the Hawksbill Diner – a poster that was distributed when the Hawksbill Pool in Stanley first opened – and we had seen that there were two copies of this in two separate lots in the auction.

This poster features black and white photos of the pool and the dance hall that was built as part of the Hawksbill Pines development, where our cabin is. At the bottom of the poster, there is an ad for quarter-acre cottage lots – which is how our development was started. This was our primary target in the auction, but not having a good idea of its value, Mary and I set a bidding strategy of $25 for the item when it came up.

So the collectables starting going up for bid. The first basket was a large, rectangle shaped one…I was stunned when it sold for $400. The auctioneer said to the winner, “Let’s hope you don’t need a new set of tires this week!” Next, a crock – “that’s an old one” – sold for $300. On it went – baskets in the “multi-Franklin” range, and crocks, too.

The aerial photo came up for bid – there was interest with about five bidders – it went for $70. Then the poster we wanted – about a dozen bidders, we went in twice but the bidding quickly passed $25. We were out of the game, and the hammer was $65 for this item. One last thing, as the auctioneer passed over Mary for another chance when the bidding hit $40, he said, “Where are you going to get another one?” But we had a fallback plan, since we knew there was one coming up later.

As you can see, we were learning quite a bit about our neighbors and how this kind of thing works. After about 30 items were sold from this trailer, there was a guy with about $1500 worth of crocks at his feet, and a woman with about $1200 in baskets. The aerial photo and Hawksbill Pool poster had gone to the same person as well. So, collectors were there in force, and with them bidding against each other, things could get “pricey” in my opinion – probably not in theirs.

Finally the trailer was cleared of items and we moved to the next area, where our poster was among the lots. This trailer featured 50 or so green depression glass items, another 50 pink depression glass items, other china, some vintage military photos (interesting stuff – V-2 test photos, and atomic tests at Bikini Atoll!), three or four old accounting ledgers, and our poster.

The two items I can remember well enough to highlight: Two of the accounting ledgers were sold as a lot; the entries in them were dated in the 1830’s. I hadn’t looked carefully enough to know what the business was. This lot sold for more than $300. The other item was a little matched salt and pepper in pink depression glass; it included a glass caddy. When the hammer fell at $250 – there were as many as 10 people bidding on this item all the way to $200, I was stunned.

Then, finally the ring man picked up a little child’s story book, pretty old. No bids at $5; dropped the price to $3, no bids; dropped the price to $1…no bids. There is another little trick of the trade that had been going on from time to time during this auction when an item generated no interest…the auctioneer would say, “Okay, let’s spice it up” and the ring man would combine another lot with it.

To our surprise, the story book was “spiced up” with our poster. Interest quickly swelled, but this time we knew what to expect. The poster was in much better shape than the previous one, and it included actual photo prints rather than lithographed ones. We figured it would go for more than the $65 we’d seen the previous one go for. Mary did the bidding and stood her ground thanks to her New Jersey heritage. The hammer fell at $100, which was more than we had expected to pay at the beginning of the day but we had learned an awful lot during the process.

Because of the cold, we took off right afterwards and went home to warm up. Here are a couple of final phone cam shots of the loot.

I’m keeping an eye on Mike’s website. This seems like a fun outing to do from time to time out there on the weekends.

Auction Action

The big plan for last Saturday was conceived a couple of weeks ago, when the Page County News and Courier started arriving. I had read about an upcoming auction given by http://www.mikesauctioneering.com/ in Stanley, and having missed the action in a previous one last Fall, we decided we would go and check this one out.

The description of the items on the website was extensive - we have been looking for Hawksbill memorabilia to decorate the cabin with, and that was among the items that were advertised - as was furniture, baskets, crocks, garage equipment and findings,etc. Checking this morning, the information has already been taken down from Mike's site - I was going to cut and paste the list. The auction took place on a property not too far from the cabin, listed by the agent we worked with to buy our place.

First, on arriving at the house the big auction trailer, above, was there in front. This hauls the loudspeakers, registration tables, and a lot of equipment that is associated with doing these on-site, country auctions. After passing by the crowds, you go in and register, getting your bidder's number.

After registering, we came back outside to check some of the items up for bid. You often run into memorabilia that remembers the agricultural heritage of the valley - as seen by these flower sacks and produce labels. We did not stay to see these items auctioned off (it was a very cold day), but we did watch these cast iron, mostly "Griswold" branded, pots and pans as they were sold for bids ranging from $15 to $80.

Also, there was a lot of furniture on sale at the auction - these wardrobes and other items on the porch, for example, and other items in the backyard. We saw a few of these items sold, including the oak farm table shown here, which received a winning bid of $850 (chairs sold separately). Again, we were not after furniture, and now that the cabin and the Alexandria house are fully furnished, we just don't have room for anymore...

In a second auction post, I will share some additional photos of the action, and of our experience with the process.

Page County population growth

A while back I was startled to find out that Front Royal, VA a town in Warren County, just to the north of Page County, and about 35 miles from Stanley, is in the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

On finding this out, I grew worried that development is inevitable - there is a rich agricultural heritage in the valley that I would like to believe is sustainable.

There are seven counties that are typically counted as part of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley...using a clock face as the frame of reference, Page would be at about 4:30, Rockingham at 6, independent city (uniquely Virginian reference) Harrisonburg in Rockingham, Shenandoah at 9, Frederick at 10:30, independent city Winchester in Frederick, Clarke at 1, Warren at 2, and Rappahannock at 3, due east of Page.

The boundary of Page and Rappahannock is interesting, as it runs along the top of the ridge line in Shenandoah National Park.

The 2007 populations of the seven counties range from 7,193 in Rappahannock to 74,160 in Rockingham. Fastest growth during the 2000 to 2007 timeframe was Frederick County, which grew 23.2% from 59,209 to 72,949. Frederick is developing fast as an outlying bedroom community on commuting corridors to cities in Maryland and the DC area.

Most of the counties have seen significantly slower growth in the 2006-2007 timeframe, indicating that growth has slowed after a boom in the early part of the decade. That is, with the exception of Page and Rappahannock counties, which each grew slightly faster from 2006-2007 than their average annual growth rates for the 2000-2006 timeframe.

The two cities in this area, Winchester, 2007 population of 25,896, and Harrisonburg, 2007 population 44,707, continued a track record of growth. Both have unique attractions and are located on the busy I-81 corridor, a solid commercial region in the state.

This data is from last week's Page County News and Courier - credited to Weldon Cooper Center at UVA.

RWX @ Page County

Our subscription to the Page County News and Courier has begun arriving. The paper is a regional weekly covering county news, published on Thursdays. We receive it, conveniently enough, on Fridays, which should give us enough overlap to know what's on out at the cabin when we head out there for the weekend.

Last week's edition had an article on January temps and the weather in general in Page County, file by Carl J. Quintrell III, Special Correspondent. Highlights:

January 2008 average afternoon high temp: 45.5 degrees
65 year average afternoon high: 43.5 degrees
Highest January 2008 temp: 69 degrees
January 2008 average low temp: 26.4 degrees
65 year average low temp: 24.5 degrees
Lowest January 2008 temp: 6 degrees

Two snowfalls during January:
.25 inch on January 15
4.5 inches on January 17.

Total rainfall was 1.12 inches, 1.44 inches less than the 65 year average of 2.53 inches. This continues the 2007 trend of less rainfall than average. The January 17 snow is included in this count, translating 4.5 inches of snow to the equivalent rainfall of .47 inches.

Peak wind gust was 52 mph on January 22.

There were 25 clear to partly cloudy days in Page County during January 2008.

All in all very pleasant weather, but the lack of rainfall does give one cause to worry in an agricultural area such as Page County.

Massanutten Google Earth Image

Quick follow-up to the earlier post - here is a Google Earth image of the resort, with the ski slopes visible in the southern part of the image.

Mass-o'-nuthin' indeed

I told an old friend about the Massanutten "Four Seasons Resort" a while back - a friend who is a great skier and goes to the slopes in Utah and Colorado. He dubbed Massanutten mass-o'-nuthin' while we talked about it.


On Sunday we took another ride down to the little resort on the Massanutten ridge. While it is too warm in this part of Virginia to have reliable snow, they do make snow on those hills. I have some photos here to show the activities - one of the lift line and one of the "apres ski" area on the slopes.


It's not Europe, or the west, or Vermont, but it looks like fun and I'm looking forward to getting out for some winter sports there. Also, they have a snow-tube run, a groomed slope that has its own specialized lift, so even if skiing on the mild slopes at this resort is too risky, there is something to do.

Meanwhile, I am waiting for a report from my sister, who took the family to Wisp in western Maryland. The location there has more reliable winter weather, and it is near the Deep Creek Lake resort area. Hope they had fun.

If a trees falls in the forest...

We drove out to the cabin on Friday evening, leaving after rush hour and arriving after dark, some time around 9:30 pm. Typical for an after dark arrival, we rushed to unload the car and get inside to go through our "opening" procedures of turning up thermostats, turning on the water, etc.

The next morning, enjoying a cup of coffee outside on the brick terrace, I noticed that sometime in the last two weeks we lost a pine tree. This first photo is the perspective that caught my eye. The tree is one of several in the yard that are scrubby and have clusters of small cones on them. It had grown up next to an old stump and an oak, which looks to be about 15 years old. I think the mix of root systems likely weakened the tree.

This tree was about 80 feet tall, and up to two feet in diameter at the base. It fell parallel to the house, missing all the structures and taking down some branches from the neighboring pines with it. Kenny, our friend at Southern States, told us that there was a storm with strong winds last Sunday, the 10th of February, so that is likely when the tree came down. Here are a few more shots of it.

The question before us is what to do with the sudden bounty of nature-provided firewood and gardening materials. Should we take on the project of clearing the tree ourselves, or hire someone to do it. Some preliminary research indicates that we can rent a chain saw for $65/day at the Farm Co-op...we can get a mulcher for the same price...and this tree trunk would make a substantial quantity of firewood for next fall and winter, during the camping and hunting seasons. More to come on this.

Glimpse of the simple life - part 2

Continuing with the summary of the Best Places to Live in Rural America, from the February 2008 edition of The Progressive Farmer...

Wexford County, MI

• 80 acres woods, prime recreational, $199,000 or $2,499/acre
• 168 acres prime hunting land, $285,000 or $1,696/acre
• 294 acres with mature timber surrounded by wetlands, $564,000 or $1,918

Fayette County, TX

• 266 rolling acres with lake, pond, and wildlife, $1,200,000 or $4,511/acre
• 160 acre ranch with home, hills, and ponds, $600,000 or $3,750/acre
• 160 acres partially wooded with two barns and pond, $410,188 or $2,564 acre

Coffee County, AL

• 50 acres with home, pond and buildings, $225,000 or $4,500/acre
• 216 acres with ponds and pastures, $2,000,000 or $9,259/acre
• 155 acres pasture and forage, $527,000 or $3,400/acre

Gilchrist County, FL

• 480 acres of pastures and trees, with home, $8,640,000 or $18,000/acre
• 400 acres with pastures, ponds, and buildings, $7,200,000 or $18,000/acre
• 80 acres of pastures and trees, $800,000 or $10K/acre

La Plata County, CO

• 70 acres with home and barn, $2,350,000 or $33,571/acre
• 80 acres, mountain views, $275,000 or $3,437/acre
• 305 acres, $510,000 or $1,672/acre

More of this, including the stats for all of the top 100 rural places to live, are at www.progressivefarmer.com/bestplaces

Glimpse of the simple life

Somehow we find ourselves subscribing to the publication “The Progressive Farmer” – I suspect it’s because of our account at one of the co-ops in Page County. I am going to look forward to receiving it in any case…articles in the February 2008 edition include: Beating Back Wicked Pasture Weeds, Hanging a Gate Perfectly – the First Time, Parasite Control Starts at Calving, and Holding on to Farm Life. I’ll sum it up by saying the magazine offers a pretty fascinating glimpse of a lifestyle that is very different from what I am accustomed to.

This month there is a feature called “Best Places to Live in Rural America” and ten locations are covered in detail. Among other information about these top ten locations, there is a summary of real estate information – recent sales – on three selected farm properties for each. In this post, I’ll list the first five, and in a future post the remaining five.

Kent County, MD:
· 462 acres, mostly tillable with a new irrigation system, $5.95 million or $12,879/acre
· 34 waterfront acres with limited river access, $995K or $29,265/acre
· 77 acres of rolling land, 50 tillable acres, $640K or $8,312/acre

Ellis County, KS:
· 157 acres, all grass with water well, $234,900 or $1,496/acre
· 80 acres all tillable, $192,000 or $2,400/acre
· 160 acres with 42 acres grass, $256,000 or $1,600/acre

Livingston County, MO
· 300 acres with CRP, timber, hunting, $600,000 or $2,000/acre
· 538 acres with timber and cattle ranch, $888,525 or $1,651/acre
· 45 acres, excellent hunting, $78,500 or $1,744/acre

Obion County, TN
· 200 acres with 40 acres cropland and remainder in marketable timber, $250K or $1,250/acre
· 700 acres prime bottomland for crops, $1,890,000 or $2,700/acre
· 157 acres farmland, $471,900 or $3,006/acre
· 63 acres flat farmland with frontage, $270,000 or $4,286/acre

Columbia County, PA
· 203 rolling acres with views, $1,300,000 or $6,404 acre
· 94 acres with 90% tillable, $700K or $7,447/acre
· 91 acres with frontage and wildlife, $410,000 or $4,505 acre

If we have any readers from these locales, sorry in advance if we’re giving away your secrets. To the rest of you, they aren’t making any more of this stuff! What are you waiting for?

February already?

Well, looking back over the posts so far this year has me thinking. We are busying our thoughts with the construction projects ahead, there are a number of them to prioritize and line up...the pool, the brick patio and stone wall that needs repointing, new insulation in the addition. Which ones will we get to, which ones will have to wait another year?

We've had Jesse out for a look under the house - you can't make that adventure during the summer, but in the cold of February it is pretty safe, at least from reptiles. We're waiting for his report, which will tell us the state of the post and beam system under the addition. It is likely that there will be some new tasks out of this. For one thing, we know that the under-house insulation is installed paper side down, and will have to be replaced.

We have been talking to a number of friends about the cabin and the potential for visits and hiking. In the midst of the cold weather (unfortunately, no snow here in Alexandria yet) it is great to be thinking this way already. I've got a number of hikes in mind this year, and need to put some thinking in on a great destination hike, like the Old Rag hike last November and the Half Dome in 2005. Starting easy this year, though, with some of the kindler, gentler trailheads off of Skyline Drive.

After catching a little bit of the Pebble Beach golf tourney on TV today, I reread the Robinson Jeffers poem from the January 2 post. Decided to google "Pico Blanco" - apparently it is owned by the Boy Scouts. Also, it led me to browse the Ventana Wilderness, here is a related site....http://www.ventanawild.org/ ...been a while since I have been in that part of California. I need to talk to Mary about a vacation out that way soon, taking in Monterrey and Carmel, along with Big Sur.

A couple of photos to break the winter monotony....here is a photo of the Carmel beach, fond memories of that place from my DLI days at Monterey, and the Bixby Bridge, down in Big Sur - just before the Ventana Wilderness, in fact.

Used Bookstore - Front Royal

Back in October, we took a drive up to Front Royal on a tip that there was an auctioneer who specialized in midcentury modern furniture. While we found the warehouse for this auction, our trip turned out to be a wild goose chase...no furniture and no preparation for an auction turned up.

We did find something else during that trip, a fine used book store in the same complex. We browsed a while on that previous trip, and I made note of the range of WW2 books that they had on hand.

One of our activities during the last trip was a Sunday drive up there - url is http://www.pagemaster-books.com/ - Mary and I both made some purchases.

Among mine are Behind the Steel Wall, A Swedish Journalist in Berlin, 1941-1943, by Arvid Fredborg, and The GDR: Moscow's German Ally, by David Childs. I also picked up a couple of WW2 history books, and a short autobiography by Heinrich Boll (proper spelling would include an umlaut), a Nobel prize winning German author who wrote extensive about the post-war period.

Our next trip to the bookstore is likely to be late spring, when we'll be looking for summer reading. With five purchases here, I think I have all I need to get through the winter!

Been a while...

After nearly a month, we were finally able to make a trip out to the cabin last weekend, February 2 and 3. I started a new job and had to wrap up a Linden Street project - these were the reasons we were unable to visit for nearly a month.

We went out on Saturday - after seeing Greg, my roommate from Berlin, off to the airport. From what I remember, we had an excellent reunion visit with some of our other colleagues from those days: Doug, Jamey and Stan. Cheers to you, buds.

During our absence, we'd had a fellow out to finish leaf raking and do some other yard work. There was a large felled tree out in the back that had left lots of debris on the roof of the garage, and for some reason it had been a good idea, according to the previous owners, to store 17 old tires under the pool area. These were all removed, while the leaves were raked into the woods down at the bottom of the hill in front of the house.

Two photos here, above, from the leaves looking back up at the house. I don't think I have posted this view before - shows the brick wall supporting the pool foundation and the deck area. Second one here is the vast pile of leaves that covers the floor of the woods around the little stream.

Next trip will be the 16-17th of February. We're looking into a winter hike that weekend.