Kuma d.o.g.'s first night at the cabin

My chocolate Labrador, Kuma d.o.g., spent her first night at the cabin and really enjoyed it. After I made a trip through Kroger's for coffee beans, sausage, eggs, ice, beverages and rawhide chewys, we settled in together for a rainy night. Kuma is a nervous dog that gets uncomfortable with change and as a result does a lot of pacing around when in a new environment. Ignoring her stressful routine, I started a warm fire in the hearth, tuned in a favorite radio station and broke out treats. Kuma discovered that stretching out in front of a warm fire on the hearth rug with a chewy bone was just what she needed to relax and settle in for the night. As I stretched out on the sofa, I later awoke to find her snoring peacefully; still in front of the fire with a half-ate rawhide bone at her side.

During the day, it rained off and on and was too chilly to spend much time outdoors so staying inside where the activity outside could be observed from the comfort of the sofa was just fine. I soon realized that everything envisioned when first selecting the cabin site was being fulfilled. Four young deer grazed in the meadow below showing no fear or concern in their surroundings. Turkey wandered around, often walking rapidly through the woods in and out of site. They are timid birds and very untrustworthy; quickly running away at the first sound or sight of danger; whether real or perceived. The squirrel and chipmunk population continues to grow and over a dozen at a time share trips to the feeders or pick at fallen grain. The ground just below the porch appears to move with all the doves, cardinals, chipmunks and squirrels moving about looking for food. I can't imagine a better setting on the farm as it takes full advantage of the wildlife living in the adjacent Scioto Trails forest.

ManCamp Dependents

Temperature 55 and very windy at the cabin this evening. Didn't stop all the animals from coming out begging for hand outs. The squirrel population continues to grow while the wild turkey hen has become a regular.

A common fight for a feeder

Ms Turkey picking over the spilled corn

Lazy Sunday

Spring in Ohio is so unpredictable. Temperatures often get in the high 80s in April only to fall into the high 30s with wind the following week. Today with temps in the low 40s, all I wanted to do was build fires in Beulah and the hearth and stay inside with the warmth. It was a good break from the unseasonably warm weather and brought things back into mid-Spring perspective. I found Beulah up to the task of percolating a pot of coffee and boiling some eggs for a salad while I sat back with an old Neil Young album. Cabin life on weekends gets pretty slow.

Sunday afternoon fire and music.

Beulah doing her part in heating up the cabin and helping with lunch

A pot of cabin percolated coffee is always appreciated

Beulah boiling some eggs for egg salad

ManCamp Concert in the Woods.

Youngest son Nic providing the fine arts in the woods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNxmgB1nNeQ

Blues, Cider, and Rain - Rest

A busy week at work with evenings dedicated to bushhogging the farm left little time for the cabin. Consequently, the bird and squirrel feeders went dry which did not go over well with the ManCamp dependents. The squirrels have a way of letting me know they are displeased as they typically invert the feeders leaving them hang with their lids open. Its as if they are trying to say, "look dummy, can't you see we are out of food and this thing is empty?" I tried to make it up to them by making my run on the outdoor section at Walmart where I loaded up on birdseed, squirrel food and corn on cobs.

With the weather forecast calling for late night rain, a trip through Kroger's for weekend provisions was all that separated me from a long week and a relaxing evening. I'm getting hooked on NPR's Friday night classic Blues selection. Some hard cider, Blues and the porch chair was all I needed to bridge me over to a good night's sleep with the windows open and the slow rain on the roof.

I awoke to find all my bushy tailed friends happily feeding on the feeders. The little chipmunks have to feed off the ground below or run up on the porch to clean off the spilled bird seed.  The wild turkey hen that frequents the cabin was also back to share in their bounty.

A fire in Beulah, a pot of coffee and a skillet of eggs with ham prepared me for another day.

She is becoming a daily regular at the cabin

The chipmunks keep the porch cleaned

A young gray squirrel enjoying the new feeder

The overfed squirrels are now fat bottom squirrels.

Ninja Returns

Today, Kuma d.o.g. accompanied me to the cabin. This was her first visit since the flooring went down and I don't think she was as impressed as the other recent visitors. However, she was happy that I still had a supply of Slim Jims on the bar to share as treats. It was warm with temperatures in the low 80s and very windy today in the woods.

A recurring problem when opening the ranch windows to air out the cabin is that the blinds were installed too low and too close to the top of the window frames. I've had to remove the blinds from under the valances just to get the windows to open. So today, I worked to correct this error by relocating the mounting brackets and raising them about an inch. This shouldn't have been much of a task except for the stripped screws securing them to the frame. Once all brackets were relocated, all 4 windows were opened wide to allow a warm breeze to flow through. With me horizontal on the sofa and Kuma stretched out in front of the fireplace, we both slipped off into an evening nap. That was until I was awakened by a loud clatter on the porch; Ninja had returned. As I raised from my slumber to peer over the cushions, my eyes met those of the king of squirrels as he rocked side to side while wrapped around a feeder. Still amazed at the over sized girth and broad arm span, I was particularly shocked by the size of his ears and broad, full head. We have a bishon frise at our house that is my wife's pride and joy and it looks weak and small compared to Ninja. Finding the corner feeders empty, a 4 foot jump to a hanging lantern was perfect for catapulting onto another feeder still full of seeds. Kuma was oblivious to anything beyond her outstretched paws as she continued her slumber so I was on my own to capture the beast's attention by rapping loudly on the large pane of glass before me. As expected, Ninja stared me down as if threatening to breach the security that separated us before jumping to the porch floor and bounding off into the forest.

Once again, I realized I had no camera to record evidence of his existence.

Sunday cabin visitors

Today some first time visitors and others that returned for the first time since much of the work has been completed showed up to inspect progress. My nephew Nathan, his wife Jenny and children; my nephew Matt, his wife Beth and their infant daughter; sister Sandy and Mike Childers; and brother John visited after the Gene Fosson breakfast at dad's cabin on the farm. They seemed to appreciate the work and progress.

I returned late afternoon after mowing grass and trimming at our home in town for some rest and relaxation. What started as a refreshing sit on the porch ended as a long nap on the sofa with all the windows and door open. The wind whipping outside was reduced to a gentle breeze blowing through the cabin that was at the perfect temperature for a relaxing siesta. The sounds of the birds, the wind chimes and the whisper of the pines had little work singing me to sleep.

Youtube video of a virtual tour of the cabin

A virtual tour of the cabin

Feeding Beulah

This evening I found myself on the working end of a chain saw cutting stove wood for Beulah. I have a Stihl saw that I purchased from a classified ad a number of years ago that is still very functional and up to the task. Over the years, there hasn't been a problem with that saw that couldn't be fixed by taking it to Foster's in Piketon for repairs. There is something about the high decibel roar of the engine, flying chips of wood and the blue haze smoke from 2 cycle internal combustion that always takes me back to cutting wood with my father years ago. In the pasture just beyond ManCamp woods, there are a number of large locust trees. These trees are all natural lightening rods as they often are struck during passing thunderstorms. Cutting the fallen branches in the Spring serves two purposes; fuel for Beulah and clean up of the trunk area for future bush hogging. Although a dirty wood, locust burns very hot and splits easily so Beulah's appetite should be satsified with today's haul. I can recall groves of locust on the farm while a young boy 10 years of age. Dad would select the strongest and straightest 6" to 8" diameter trees to cut and prune for future fence posts. I remember many locust thorns embedded in my hands while having to handle these posts as we stacked and eventually transported them to fence lines. Dad always said they would last for years and were much stronger than store bought posts from Landmark in Waverly. After 40 years, they are still supporting the woven wire line fence separating the farm from Scioto Trails so I guess he was right. After filling the front end loader, the fuel was tansported back to the cabin where with an 8# hand maul, the wood was split into digestable chunks. Beulah should be hot and happy the next time I stoke her fire box with this fresh load of wood.

Midweek Solitude

Going to the cabin today with the cold weather lingering outside, I didn't even open the blinds. A fire, a good station tuned into the radio and a glass of Merlot (or two) while stretched out on the couch was a capper to a long day. The only thing productive I accomplished was inserting furniture pads under the sofa legs to protect the wood flooring and mixing my own 'trail mix' with nuts and dried fruit. I fell asleep listening to a 1969 album from Crosby, Stills and Nash. With all the little things still needing done before this cabin is complete, I need to get focused again. Unfortunately, I've created comfort spaces where all I want to do is enjoy the finished work. 

Winter's return to ManCamp

Some days you just need to kick back and not do anything real productive. After the UPS man made a drop at the 'city' house, I quickly grabbed my cabin packages and ran to the woods. To my surprise, winter had returned. It was 45 degrees, overcast and a 30 mph wind was whipping the pines. I grabbed an arm load of firewood and went into the cabin. After building a warm fire, I didn't want to come out until mid-summer.

The metal art Pines came in today by UPS. They are what I want to accent the bar.

The bar has the feel I was looking for. A place where friends can feel comfortable
solving life's issues over a beer while warming their backs with Beulah's heat.

A Facebook friend and former co-worker, Nita McGinnis, said the cabin
needed a hearth rug. She may not believe it but I listen to her and respect her opinion.

With a 30 mph wind, 45 degrees and the trees being tossed from side to side
above the skylights, it was a perfect evening to start a fire and open some Merlot.

One of my favorite cabin additions; an iPad stereo above the mantel.

With 2500 songs recorded, who could pass up the Outlaws
and Green Grass...who needs a television? 

Passover at Fosson Family Trails

Its been over 45 years but I can still hear her scream echoing through the hollow, "Gene, Gene, Gene!! You cut down one of my little pink dogwoods!" In 1965, dad may have been the king of the farm but mom was the queen and she was the guardian of the little dogwoods and redbuds. When we first moved to Fosson Family Trails, the old farm was beautiful with an abundance of flowering dogwoods and redbuds. Unfortunately, over the years, the stroke of a scythe, the slip of an axe or an overzealous chainsaw slowly eradicated the vast population in spite of mom's efforts to protect them. The latent errors were often committed on cold late fall days while clearing brush and cutting firewood long after the signature blooms had fallen. Only my brother Don possessed the keen eye to pick out a bare dogwood in the woods; to dad and me, they were just brush. Our errors in judgement were often overlooked until Spring when mom would realize her favorite little trees were gone. Dad had an obsession with pushing the woods north to open up vast areas of new pasture land. His dream was to have a herd of champion Hereford cattle just as his own father had raised 85 miles south on Lost Creek in Carter County, Kentucky. As a result, for decades, there were no longer any dogwood or redbud on the farm. Over the past few years, through some focused effort they are slowly coming back. I am now the self appointed caretaker and new guardian of the dogwoods and redbuds. Every Spring, I walk the farm with fluorescent nylon ties and affix to the trees as they bloom in April. This is 'passover' at Fosson Family Trails as the ties provide a visual indicator to avoid cutting these special little trees down when bush hogging or clearing brush. Walking the farm this evening for over 3 hours, its as if my parents were accompanying me as I know this is what they both would want. This year, thanks to the warm weather, I tagged over a dozen new trees that were not identified last year. One day, the farm will once again bloom with pink and white dogwood and redbuds as it did in 1965.

Making Small Feel Big - I don't want to leave.

One of the objectives of designing our cabin was to make something as small as a 16'x24' structure to have a feel of a much bigger place. Another goal was to give it plenty of windows to let natural light in but more importantly, that can be opened in the Spring, Summer and Fall to allow gentle breezes to softly flow through. The scent of the forest air and sounds of nature under natural lighting is the perfect environment to kick back with a good book and relax. Finally, when the sun goes down in the evening or in the dark of a winter's night, the objective was to create an atmosphere where you feel like you never want to leave. After 3 years working part time on a limited budget and at the price of a used automobile; we have achieved our objective.

Great Lakes Appalachian Hickory Flooring

Nic picked out the sofa and it's back is low so you can look out at the wildlife.

My favorite cabin addition. Love a fireplace.

Laura selected the red textured paint for this wall. Still
need to stain and finish the loft ladder.

Our 28 year old nursery rocker is right at home at the cabin.

Natural lighting makes reading and visiting very comfortable.

Plenty of window for light and fresh air on a Spring day.

Enjoy a book by the fire?

Making small feel big.

This tickles the senses. I don't want to leave when it calls to me like this.

Breakfast at the cabin

After finishing the flooring on Friday and then picking up a sofa with Nic, staying the weekend to enjoy the fruit of the labor seemed appropriate and well deserved. The weather man was calling for a heavy frost with lows in the 30s which is perfect for building a fire.

The original plan has finally come together and the cabin has the atmosphere I strived to achieve. There would be no sleeping in the loft bed this weekend with a new sofa calling my name. With nothing but the light of candles and slow burning seasoned wood in the hearth, I stretched out and relaxed while watching the flames dance shadows across the ceiling boards.

Morning came early as 10 squirrels converged on the feeders and the porch for breakfast. Chipmunks too timid to risk battle over the feeders picked their share from scraps dropped on the ground. Even the turkeys came out of the woods to feast on the corn and grain that fell as the squirrels fought for the best feeding spot. Although most were gray, a couple of red squirrels also showe up. Missing from the group was the king of Squirrels, Ninja. This was not unexpected as the legendary Ninja is very much like the great wolf Rarden, Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. He only appears when you least expect him.

A turkey wanders in just off the porch.

ManCamp shops at the South Bound Flea Market

Between Piketon and Wakefield, Ohio, on US Rt 23, there is a large flea market named 'South Bound Flea Market' in close proximity to the south bound lanes of the 4 lane highway. Although many friends and co-workers have never shopped there and probably never will, I find myself right at home looking for cabin bargains in this spacious alternative to malls. As an Appalachian and the son of appalachians from eastern Kentucky, flea market shopping comes natural to me. My mother was a flea market vendor. In fact, on the last weekend of her life she was set up at the Washington Court House market selling fine antique glassware while sleeping in her car at night. I have found some very humble and kind people that sell their goods at this Pike County market that are very much like mom and I'm glad I can help them out. Today, I got a number of bargains in under an hour of browsing around. Starting with a fresh unopened 24oz bottle of dish washing liquid for $1. Next, a nice elder gentleman was selling bird and squirrel feeders of which I purchased 5 different ones for a total of $25. I've paid $25 for 1 at Walmart and it was a piece of Chinese knock off junk so I considered his handywork a genuine bargain! I also bought a couple of evergreen bushes to plant beside the porch from Day's Nursery. Mark and Julia Day have a nursery on Yankee Hill Rd in Piketon and were set up selling trees and shrubs. I paid $15 for each; they are $35 each at Lowe's and Menard's.  I also found an accent table for the cabin; it was $35 and well worth it. I highly encourage those that have never been there to give it a try. Go early on a Saturday morning as the bargains sell out fast.

After the shopping trip, Robbie and I went to the cabin where he cut baseboard trim. I stained and installed it before quiting for the day.

5 feeders for $25 at SB flea market

This table was $35 at the FM

Day's Nursery, Piketon, OH selling these for $15 each

Robbie cutting baseboard molding

Robbie fitting baseboard. I wouldn't let him install flooring with his
bifocals. He would either hit is fingers or ding the boards trying to strike
a nail set. However, he does great on trim.

First coat of stain on baseboards