The vision

We've hired a builder, pulled permits, lined up subcontractors and found a crane operator. And on Monday,  we finally got plans! Per usual, I'm pushing deadline. (This time, dear editors, it is not my fault. Really!) If Old Man Winter cooperates, we've got until the end of November to get the concrete walls poured on the walkout basment so we can welcome the weeHouse to its new home.

Here's the basic idea. If only the slope down to Loveless Lake were this gentle....

Year in review

A year ago this week, I signed the title to the property at Loveless Lake.  We pulled out truckloads of stuff from the cabin, carted off lawnmowers, weed eaters, furnaces, even a snow mobile engine. We recycled or reused as much as we could -- from the moss-covered shingles to the plastic bottle tops.

It’s impossible to account for all the hours of work. But it looks like we (well, Chris mostly) got it down to the slab in 33 visits, four trips to the Polk County recycling center (cash out: tires, mattresses, a fridge; cash back: aluminum cans), two trips to the Shakopee landfill (cash out: recycle shingles). And no dumpster. 

With notable assists from:

Mike the Master of the Come-Along: Who hauled three truckloads of scrap metal to the recycler and brought the place to the ground with a chain and his come-along.

Demolition Dave: Who helped send the kitchen crashing to the ground and found someone interested in restoring the pontoon to its former glory.

Youth of America: Chris’ sons, who showed up during searing 90+ degree temps to load shingles into the truck for us to recycle.

Neighbor Doug: Who was the first "outsider" to visit Loveless. On a cold winter day, he helped haul several foul mattresses up to the truck and to the Polk County Recycling Center, and then did a lap around Loveless on cross country skis.

As Frank might say, we did it our way.

Day One: Champagne on the deck. 



The footpath we cut through the brush and trees.




The (former) cabin captured in the cross hairs.





Down she goes.



The current scene.

Bringin' the ’rents 2 Loveless

My parents came up from Florida last week for their first visit to Minnesota in more than six years. We gave them the royal tour over to Wisconsin in Chris’ new-to-him minivan.

The weeHouse re-do is coming along nicely! Beautiful bamboo floor and walls are in, and the countertop and Ikea cabinets are ready to go.

Still a few things in need of repair from the storm damage.

Chris found some fire pit pokers my folks could use as walking sticks.



 We didn’t attempt Stairmaster Hill, with its lack of handrails and straight-down trajectory. Instead, we headed to the boat launch where they could take in the southerly view of all 140-acres of Loveless Lake.

My Mom was smitten with the weeHouse.

As for the Loveless property? “It’s got potential!” said my Dad.

Chipper hits the drink

We’ve picked up enough of the glass, nails and assorted rubble that we finally were able to introduce Chipper to his newest playground. For the past year, I’ve been slinking out the door, guilt-ridden, as I ditched the poor pooch to head off to Loveless.

It was his first time around a fishing rod, and he was slightly obsessed with trying to retrieve that mysterious thing Chris kept casting out into the lake.

 

I was overjoyed to see him paddling along, doing his funny Lab snort and scaring off all the fish.

Dumpster Diving

With all that waterlogged bamboo getting pulled from the weeHouse, Chris and I headed up to the wee’s current resting spot in Siren, Wis., to do a little scavenging. We’re thinking of using the "reclaimed" bamboo as a floor/wall of a future outhouse or storage shed. That'd class the place up, don't you think?

The flooring is a lovely blonde, horizontal cut. Oooh la la.