Happy Thanksgiving 2016

Bob and I went to check on things and enjoy a warm November day. There are some ruts in the newly graded road by the bridge from the piano movers' truck, but we had no trouble. Bob even went over the ruts with Bert (our SUV) to even them out a bit.
We emptied and turned off the refrigerator. There really was hardly anything in it. The oil tank (filled while Eric was there) says over 3/4 tank. The water is off. We turned on all the faucets and flushed the toilets and drained as much water out as we could that way. The thermostat is set at 50 degrees. The 'piano room' looks a bit bare without the piano! It should be arriving in its new/old home in Great Falls today!
The yard has been leaf blown and some paths created with a leaf blower, and Matt's (Saunders?) deer carrier is back next to the barn. I assume he's the one blowing leaves: he did it last year. I haven't signed any hunting licences, although I have talked to Rene and Steve Larosa on the phone.
So - the house is ready for whatever winter has to offer.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

The New Bridge!

 The Prius makes it across!

The flooring is amazing, the bridge seems very solid. The black plastic is still down along the brook and there are no posts/railing along the roadside on the embankments approaching the bridge on either side: a bit unnerving with the drop off on either side.  The equipment is all gone, the roadbed is solid and seems compressed down. There's more water in the brook, we've had a bit of rain, thankfully. Our governor has issued a water advisory! All's well at the house. 

latest bridge work and house visit

Bob and I went down to see how the bridge work was coming and it is noticeably farther along. The approaches to the bridge on the 151 side are shored up nicely, the concrete's been poured, the cross beams have been put down. The top of the concrete blocks is above the I-beams, I suppose this is to leave room for the flooring? The road was soft and muddy with all the moving of dirt. I hope I took helpful pictures, Eric. I have a bunch more on my computer, let me know if you want more.
The brook is a bit fuller than earlier in the fall. The fallen leaves make a nice picture.
The house seems shipshape, the oil tank still reads 3/8 full. We're expecting freezing weather overnight tonight and tomorrow: the first really fall feeling days! The colorful maple leaves are falling like crazy with the latest winds.
Rene Desjardins called me to ask if he could have me sign his hunting permit: he lives in Wethersfield, so I told him to stop by. No one else this year?
Enjoy the pictures!

Bridge and house update

Here are more pictures of the work on the bridge. Sorry for the blurriness of the first, I'm not a great camera-on-the-phone picture taker... They've supported the old wall now with telephone poles and created a concrete frame. They've also put up black erosion barriers on both sides of the road down by the water on the 151 side of the bridge and one just to the left in this first picture on the house side.

The brook is even lower, I didn't have to get my feet wet at all crossing this time: and the slippery moss on the rocks is drying out.

As for the yard/house: Bob and I mowed the yard (it was very healthy and long) and the field. I went in the house and put all the storm windows down, closed up the attic windows, and turned off the water heater. I turned on the heat to 52 degrees. I put the patio chairs in the barn. (The orange fish is still in the pond). We're supposed to have a brush of Tropical storm Hermine, and get the wind and rain, so I thought I should go ahead and do this. Hope that's okay. 

I checked the oil tank level while I was in the basement: it is between 3/8 and 1/2 full.

Then, since it was nearing supper time, we went over the the Haddam Neck Fair for supper and wandering. Of course we ran into family: had a very nice talk with Connie. And a great conversation with the guys in the Middlesex Land Trust booth who immediately remembered Dad and Aunt Sandy and the work Uncle Chuck did to get the land preserved in the first place, when I told them who I was. That was so comforting.

It's a cool 62 degrees this morning: Fall is coming!

Bridge work started

Here are some pictures of the bridge work. Bob and I went down this evening to check it out. We crossed the brook easily (it is still very low) to go up the hill and check on the house as well. The grass is long, but the house is fine. We brought home some of the perishable food (bread, potatoes, butter) that David left. The fridge is still on, but needs to be emptied: not sure of Eric's plan so we left it running. However, we did turn off the water but NOT the hot water heater yet. And the attic windows are still open.

Here are the pictures:

Looking towards the house

 We're standing on the edge of the bridge looking at the hole. The rocks appear to be from the old foundation.

Looking down into the hole.

 

 You can see the edge of the bridge in this picture. Bob is on the left.

 These are rocks falling down the embankment. See the backhoe up and to the left?

 We are under the bridge standing in the brook

 This is from the down stream side of the bridge

 Now we've crossed the brook and climbed up the hill. That's our car 'Bert' across the way.

 You can see the old foundation abutment under the old concrete slab here.

It's a not-too-hot August day. I stopped by to check on the house/yard and who should be there? David Whiteside! He was packing up to leave after spending parts of 2 1/2 weeks. He appreciated the opportunity to be there. We had a great time catching up together. He said he'd met Rene who was just down to check on the house and wander in the woods, and 2 of the bridge guys. They were checking the upper road to see if they could bring down some heavy equipment that way. David wasn't sure what they decided. We've had some rain, so the lawn looks green and is growing again.