Christmas in the country

I love this tree, a spruce of some kind that they told me was native to this region of the U.S. The first one I got at the annual DNR sale is barely hanging on because I failed to realize these poor things do need some sunlight.

A few years ago I planted this one back by the road, knowing it'd benefit from a long day of sun. Then my neighbor pointed out that I stuck it right beneath the electrical lines. 

Merry Christmas!

From vision to reality

It has taken five years (or six, depending on when you drop the gate) along with the patience of Chris the Handyman, endurance of builder Brook Waalen, constancy of Alchemy Architects, flair of St. Paul designer Laurie Plattes ... plus lots of anxiety (mine) and drywall dust.

From the outside, things look damn inspiring. The inside? Still a work in progress. And loads of drywall dust. But I'm feeling confident we'll have a shower in 2017. 

Hat tip to the vision makers!

All I want for Christmas is ...

DOORS!

It has been five years since the weeHouse arrived at Loveless via flatbed truck, providing the centerpiece of this wild-and-wacky adventure to build a modern lake home. The beautiful, light-filled weeHouse arrived complete with an Ikea kitchen, bamboo floors and living area. Meanwhile, the lower level -- with two bedrooms and a bathroom -- has been a construction zone of drywall dust and clutter.

But local builder Brook Waalen and his team have been busy little elves this December. When I arrived yesterday for a holiday visit, this gift of doors and trim awaited me. In one fell swoop the downstairs has gone from perpetual Glamping Mode into something that seems, well, civilized. My goal to pull this project across the finish line in 2017 suddenly seems within reach.

Merry, merry!

Heave-ho

The Loveless To-do List is long and my yearning to get through it is strong. Fortunately I've got friends with shovels!

Bandmate Steve and his industrious wife, Terry, didn't let the threat of rain stand in the way of a non-stop weekend of work at my not-quite-ready-for-prime-time lake place. In short order, we made quick work of a sand pile I'd been staring at for more than two years (gulp), though Chris has been winnowing it down bucket-by-bucket.

Then the boys took to the task of repairing the dock. We had clumsily pieced one together a few years back using sections still hanging around from when I bought the troubled property in 2010. After a couple of winters in the water, the old dock had taken a beating. Chris and Steve pulled it apart and reassembled it to make it even better than before. 

Steve used the morning to ward off a potential hangover after a wine-filled evening at the fire pit the night before. He hauled big rocks down Stairmaster Hill while the rest of us -- Chris, Terry and friends Sharyn and Laryssa -- sipped coffee and Bloody Marys from the upper deck. The result is a masterpiece of a landing to the "new" dock.

Sharyn and Laryssa were troopers who spent a night on the concrete floor, as my camping mattress slowly lost loft due to some unknown leak. The gals had arrived at Loveless ready for adventure and loaded with treats -- freshly made guacamole, cauliflower hummus, ginger brew and more.

They were able to squeeze in a short walk and canoe ride, which made me happy beyond belief. So happy, it seems, I forgot to take photos. Next time, ladies!

Twisted and torqued after a few winters in Loveless.

The first step of rebuilding? Disassemble.

As raindrops kept falling on their heads.

As Mick Jagger said: Success, success, success!

A winning team.

Springtime in sweaters

Though the photo doesn't show it, we had a sunny-for-a-spell day at Loveless and temps touched 70-degrees. The perfect day for my pals Ramona and Margie to drive up for afternoon hors d'oeuvres on the OSHA-unsafe deck and a light dinner.

The last time Ramona and Margie were here, October 2012, we had just built the Saturn Walkway. There was no furniture, no tile in the bathroom and the drywall project had just begun. Their visit was a nice way to mark some progress and take note of the first sprouts of woodland flowers, now that the green wave of spring is beginning to wash across the North Country.

Ice out, where are the fish?

I don't have the official ice-out date, but it's smooth sailin' at Loveless Lake. Chris wasted no time trying to roust out some bass from their winter slumber. No luck on that front, but it's nice to have a whiff of spring to give us weary Midwesterners a sense of hope again. At least until the next snow sprinkle. Tomorrow.

A toast

We made a little birthday toast to the absent Chipper a few weeks back. Then this Snoopy image floated across my Twitter feed. So I'm doing a sappy little posting here. Just because.