Is this Heaven? No, It's Brevard.

Snow, snow, snow, snow...SNOW!!!

2009-12-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

I know it's not New England, but it's the most snow we have had since we moved from West Hartford. 8" and still coming, until 7AM tomorrow morning. Marsha is correcting SAT essays on her laptop in front of the fire, like she always dreamed she could. Cosmo has a new fleece coat- sassy argyle- but he not impressed with the white stuff. I am tending the fire. Happy Winter!

Love,

Emmettand Marsha

Every Morning is Christmas!

2009-12-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We are ready for the holidays. We just wanted you to see what a typical morning looks like out our window. Why would you want curtains? God is quite the artist! You may recognize the Gnome who used to be in Ashford, CT at the lake. Now he's looking at a new scene. We hope that all is well with you.

Love,

Em and Marsha

Summer Visits

2009-08-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been a great summer. Marsha and I have been working at Harmony House, the retail store of the Brevard Music Center. The music season has just closed, and we have volunteered to be in charge of Harmony House next year. So far, the one thing I am sure of is that I do not understand what people will buy. I believe my high school Latin teacher would say, "De gustibus non disputandem est."

Bev and Doug Jackson came while the music center was going. We ate on the porch, saw beautiful native bonsai at the NC Arboretum, and went to the Enigma Variations at BMC. All those Conard musicals seem like so much fun when you are looking back at them.

Mike Fadzewicz, Conard math teacher, came next. Mike likes to be active- it was unclear who was running whom ragged, but we had fun. We introduced Mike to Walter Kluge, our blackpowder riflery friend. We went ziplining at Earthshine. Mike filled us in on all the current Conard teaching tidbits. He really left us pining for the fjords, if you catch my drift... nudge, nudge, wink, wink!

Josh, Jess, and Connor came, and we spent a week at YMCA Camp Greenville. Riflery, archery, horseback riding, swimming, rock climbing, square dancing, canoeing, great food, Goosebumps reading... there was no end to the good times. We met the Warrens in Waynesville for a day, Jess and Josh explored Brevard's nightlife (surprisingly extensive), we went to the Asheville Fun Zone, and did some gem mining. It was plain good family fun!

We hope to see you soon. Remember, we have four distinct, but mild, seasons. Fall foliage is coming up.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

What's been going on?

2009-06-15T04:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We've been planting, topsoiling, and mulching. We've been warning signing, gating, and camera-ing, due to our break-in. Mostly, we've been waiting for you. When are you coming? Marsha is teaching a course at Blue Ridge Community College. Em got his first audiobook job. Cosmo got his teeth cleaned for the first time in 15 years. Jess and Connor came up from Florida for Grandma's birthday. It was great to see them. Marta and Kate came to visit, and we had a wonderful time. Now, we are ready for you. Hope to see you this summer.

Love,

Em and Marsha

Christmas 2008 & MLK 2009

2009-01-25T05:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We are settling in to our new home. Boxes are gone (almost). Things are hanging on walls (almost). Despite a colder than usual winter, things in Brevard are great.

We went to Florida at Christmas to see Jess and Connor. Josh was 2 days late because Portland OR does not do snow very well, but we had a wonderful time. The best part was Josh teaching Connor how to ride his two-wheel bike. Independence! Adventure!

Josh came back to NC, becoming the 1st official family member to stay at Brigadoon. He tested the various beds and showers, proclaiming them fit for family / friend service. It was a real treat to watch Standing In the Shadow of Motown with my bass-playing son in our new home theatre.

Martin Luther King Day brought Peg and Mark. We had our first fancy meal- Peg's shrimp scampi, tested the "Man Fridge" downstairs, as Mark proclaimed it, and enjoyed fires in the fireplace and sitting with good conversation.

The house works, so all we need is you. C'mon down, y'all.

Oh, There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

2008-12-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends.

We've been in for 2.5 weeks. The boxes are unpacked, stored, or at the dump. We've put our first hole in the wall for a picture, had our first fire, and even our first party- a thank you to the wonderful people who we have met in Brevard lo these 2 years.

Now, as promised, is what will be the last of The Construction Blog. After this, we hope that it will be blog, part 2- "The doors are always open, the neighbors pay a call, and Father John, before he's gone, will bless the house and all." To make the house a home, we need to share it with you. Looking forward to seeing you on the blog in the near future.

Meanwhile, all our love and good thoughts to you.

Emmett and Marsha

We Be Jammin'!!!

2008-11-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We have water! We have heat and AC! We have phone! We have permanent electricity! We have landscaping! We even have a view! Most significantly, we have a MOVING DATE! Anything that we haven't moved goes on Wednesday, November 26.

The guest beds are in, fresh and new! Now that we have hot water, we can clean, and start bringing boxes up. We hope to see you soon.

Since our last blog, Jack and Marjorie have come for a wonderful visit, and we went to Florida to celebrate Halloween with Jess and Connor in their new apartment. Except for Cosmo running away every chance he gets, things are great.

Take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Three Weeks and Counting

2008-10-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We are almost there. Upstairs trim is stained and coated with 4 zillion coats of polyurethane, and we are just waiting for final coats on the walls. Appliances are in, the plumbing is in- but not tested with water yet, the countertops are in, the heating and air are in, the electrical is 90% done. If the Power Company ever gets here, we can hook up the house- they represent our first delay in 15 months, so we can't complain. Shoji screens, backsplashes, surround sound, screened porches- with screening! It is happening.

We are looking forward to moving in mid-November. Y'all come see us, hear?

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Closer and closer and closer

2008-10-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It's getting closer! Upstairs trim is mostly stained, waiting for polyurethane. Hardwood stairs are installed- and beautiful- waiting for stain. I installed shelves in the master closet and the pantry, and in Marsha's study closet. It ain't California Closets, but the price tag reflected that, too. I've been painting my workshop cabinets for the garage, just waiting to put them in.

This week- Duke Power should trench electricity to the house, countertops should be installed, I will get the bubinga island top out of our basement, and the painters may do the final coat upstairs. The foundation is ready to get stuccoed, and then we can do final grading and planting. Then, plumbers and electricians and Certificate of Occupancy, Oh My!

We are realizing that we have to get ready to pack up and move. We hope that you are making your plans to visit, as well.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

The House vs. The Land

2008-09-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

When I named Phase 4 "The Home Stretch", I had no idea. I always say that I am going up to the land, but this week I started to say that I am going up to the house. Things seem to be racing along. In one week, the cabinets were installed, the water got connected to the house, the downstairs was completely painted with two coats (it's finished and ready!), the porch was screened, and tons of small details, too.

The painters have started to stain the trim and doors upstairs, and counter tops come in 7-10 days. The railing goes up on the screened porch, and we just get closer. The end of October seems like a real possibility.

We can't wait to see you down here.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Floors and Doors

2008-09-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

The pace is really picking up. Hardwood floors are in upstairs. The master bath is tiled in slate and stone. The master bath wood walls are cypress (half-done). Fans are in. Gutters are on. Trim is painted downstairs. Second coats of wall paint are starting. Stone porches and patios are done. The decks are being stained. The rain chain is hung and the drain is built with our own stone from the land. I imagined the Mule would be good for moving the stone. It turned out that I was the "mule."

Cabinets were delivered yesterday and get installed next week. Countertops follow that. Screening goes on the porch next week, and hardwood stairs go in. Upstairs doors and trim get stained. After that, power and water get connected, and suddenly, we get closer to a punch-list. Instead of December 1, we might be looking at November 1st!!!

I doubt that we will be out of boxes by Thanksgiving, but a 12' tree at Christmas is a distinct possibility! We cannot wait to share this with you IN PERSON! Meanwhile, take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Fireplaces - Colors - Downstairs Flooring

2008-08-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Construction is picking up speed. Stanley, our builder, has upped our completion time to sometime in November. We told our landlord that Highland Road would be available for rental on December 1st, so now we are committed to being in or being homeless, whichever comes first.

Drywall is done, all the rooms have 1st coats of color, and trim is starting on windows and doors.

The stone fireplaces are being completed this week. It is very gratifying to watch the guys be so careful in their stone selection and placement. The fireplaces are really show-stoppers.

I didn't take lots of paint color pictures for two reasons:

the colors don't really show up in the pictures. They look very nice- trust me.
I talked to my life-long friend George Betz this week. He thanked me for doing a blog that had a picture... "every time you hammered a new !!!????%** nail!" Hmmmm, what was George trying to tell me? So, no pictures of colors.

The downstairs floor is done. It is a vinyl product called Appalachian Slate- Teton. We love the way it looks- anything with the name Teton has to be good, yes?

This week- doors downstairs, wood in master bath, wood flooring arrives, gutters start, and the electrician starts to install switches, receptacles, and fixtures. All those plumbing and electrical things that have been living in our rental basement are now on-site and ready to go.

Things really are moving forward. We hope that all is great with you. We look forward to sharing this with you.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

YMCA Camp Greenville

2008-08-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We are back from Family Camp at Camp Greenville. What a great time! Connor got to be independent in a new place, do Riflery, Archery, and Rock Wall Climbing. Connor was an awesome doe-si-doe-er in square dancing, and his mother and Ampa horrified the crowd at the talent show with a spirited version of Weilla Weilla Wallya (Clancy Brothers). Some parents are sooo serious about what their kids should or shouldn't hear. Oh, well.

This was a good week to be away from the house- smoothing drywall is like watching paint dry. Drywall should be complete by this Wednesday, then preliminary painting begins, fireplace rock goes on, and flooring starts.

Some of the deck railing is up. The design is ours, and people seem to like it.

You know that we will keep you posted.

Please take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Drywall

2008-08-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Drywall has begun. Rooms are really starting to emerge. We are going to Camp for a week. Jess and Connor are coming up from Florida, and we are all going to YMCA Camp Greenville for 6 days. Jess always enjoyed going to Camp Jewell in Colebrook for family camp, and has wanted Connor to experience that. So, next week, you will see what happens when Florida Boy meets The Woods... and horses... and s'mores... and archery... and bug juice...and crafts... and....

By the time we get back, mud & taping will almost be over, mantels will be up, and interior painting will be ready to start.

Have a great week.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Roofing and Insulation

2008-07-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends.

The roofing is complete. They are starting to put the spruce ceilings on the porches. Insulation will be done on Monday, and drywall will begin. Railings for the deck are all built and are stacked and ready to be stained. Things are really moving forward.

We are volunteering at the Brevard Music Center, and loving it. We saw a fabulous production of The Mikado, will work at Carmina Burana today, and are just enjoying the sights and sounds of everything. We hope that lots of you take advantage of this next year. It is terrific.

Meanwhile, take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Before and After

2008-07-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Heat and shingle supply have slowed roofing completion until tomorrow. So, instead of new pictures, I thought it might be fun to do some before and afters. The pictures will try to show how it used to look, and how it looks now.

I hope you find it interesting.

Take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

C'est Incroyable!

2008-07-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

New phase of construction- new format for the blog.

Stanley has started to work on the interior, and painting and roof shingling has begun. There is a first coat on almost everything (in one week) and the roof is almost half done (in three days). Boy, these professionals don't dally.

The Great Wall is complete. 11 weeks and 2 days. Boy, these amateurs sure drag their feet.

I loaded the excess rock into the Mule (5 loads) and moved it to the head of the driveway- the Island of Lost Stones, as I call it. I will start Tienanmen Square out there on Monday.

It is very gratifying to see the colors look so good together. When the painters say they like it, you know something is going right. Thank you, My Marge, for being the family arbiter of good taste. Remember, if you don't like how it looks, it's the homeowner's fault.

We passed our plumbing inspection. Our last electrical work gets done on Monday, and then electrical, framing, and chimney inspections. Once they pass, it's on to insulation and sheetrock.

Peg, if you look at the front door picture, you can see the block under the light block that is set aside for Laurie Lengyl's Owl Door Knocker. In the back, we have a lovely shot of Cosmo's sassy dog door.

It is very exciting to watch things move more quickly.

Have a great week.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Painting Begins!

2008-07-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Painting has started. The soffits (trim under the eaves) are being painted so that the roofing can begin. Window and door trim are starting too. The color is Spanish Moss, which actually is a brown. If you look closely, the dormer walls (lookouts on the roof) have also been painted. That is the color of the main floor - Pewter Gray- which reads as a green.

Next week, Stanley our main contractor starts work on the inside, and we get a zillion inspections. Once it passes inspection, we are ready to insulate and sheetrock.

The pocket door frames for the master bedroom and bath are in. The tub has been framed, but the outside light fooled the flash- sorry. I have finished wiring the sound in the family room. If it works, all credit goes to our nephew Evan Crass. If it sounds crummy, you know who to blame- the homeowner. The rock wall is complete out past the garage. I am rounding the corner of the turn-around space. Only 4 more tons of rock to go... unless I need more.

We just came back from our 4th of July downtown celebration. An antique car show with over 200 cars! The community band played- 75 members , including 17 former band directors. Wonderful crafts and vendors. Tonight, we will sit on the deck and see if we can see the fireworks from our house. Next 4th of July, we hope that you will / y'all come to Brevard.

Take care.

Love,

Em and Marsha

Black Powder, Nate, Waterfalls, Paganis, Chimneys, and siding

2008-06-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It's been a busy 2 weeks. We started volunteering at the Brevard Music Center last night- opening concert with Keith Lockhart and Yo-Yo Ma. Talk about incredible energy and excitement!

Josh has returned to Portland, OR. There are pictures of him firing black powder rifles at Walter Kluge's, hiking to waterfalls in Dupont State Forest, taking an Italian cooking class, visiting his college roomate Nate, his wife Chrissy, and their new daughter Gwyneth in Durham NC, fishing, and enjoying his first jackpot win with his Mom at the casino.

House developments- lots! The upper chimney is clad in stone and has its vents. These will eventually be covered by a copper hood at the very end of construction.

Siding is almost complete. The back has the vertical board-and-batten on the lower floor, and the vertical siding on the upper floor.

The painter starts to work this week, spraying the soffits and the porch ceiling boards. Once the soffits are painted, the roof gets shingled.

Our main contractor, Stanley, will take over the finish work on the house this week, as framing is completed. Stanley says that we can start to figure on a NOVEMBER finish date! That is great news!

We got our second rock delivery for the wall, so it's back to the rock pile. Weather is warm, plants are suffering from our drought, and we are looking forward to more progress.

We went to Herb and Darlene Pagani's daughter Sabrina's wedding. That is Herb, standing by the "little" tree we gave him when he retired 10 years ago.

Feel free to come see how things are going first hand. Take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

East Meets West- Josh in Brevard

2008-06-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Our son Josh is between semesters at massage therapy school, so he left Portland OR and the foot of fresh snow on Mt. Hood, and is in Brevard for a week. We took him to "Camp Kluge", as Jess calls it. Walter Kluge is a retired Industrial Arts teacher from Long Island, and one of his many skills is making- and shooting- black powder rifles. Walter showed us how to clean and load (powder-patch-ball), and blaze away at a target in his back yard. Only down here can you take target practice in your back yard. Josh liked what he called the zen of black powder shooting. It is one thing to empty a clip on a firing range. It is quite different to clean, load, and fire a handmade rifle. In case you are wondering, the shot closest to the X on the target is the one demo shot that Walter took. Like any good teacher, he sets a high standard of excellence.

Josh is visiting his college friend Nate, Nate's wife Crissy, and their new baby daughter in Durham NC this weekend. His camera has all the shooting pictures, so I'll add them when he returns.

I hope the blog pictures do justice to what is happening at the house. The front door frame is set in with a temporary door, and Rainey, our lead carpenter, made the Japanese Tori Gate door frame trim that I designed. We think it is beautiful, and we can't wait to hear what our refreshingly politically incorrect brother-in-law Mark thinks of it. You remember Mark- he's the one who has brought us The People's Republic of Portland, Golden Hand Grenades for Secretaries, 3rd Children as Spares, and other delights. C'mon now, Markie, we're counting on you.

Fireplace units and metal flues are in. They are real wood-burning, not gas. Stainless steel on the outside porch, black metal inside. This means that the rock guys can start doing the chimney next.

Electrical continues- I have spared you from more pictures of wire, but there is a lot of it. I put in speaker wires for the family room, and a mic cable for a Voice-Over recording studio. The bad news is, any hum that we hear will be nobody's fault but mine.

Stanley our builder says that the picky building details are almost complete, so progress should start to be faster and more noticeable. Roof shingles are in and are just waiting for some final porch framing and flashing.

We hope that all is well with all of you. We will do some touristy things with Josh, and then start our volunteer schedule at the Brevard Music Center. We won't be ready to have Keith Lockhart over for snacks this year, but maybe next....

Take care.

Love,

Em and Marsha

Connecticut, and Back Again

2008-06-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We had a wonderful visit to Connecticut. Marjorie and Jack were great hosts - as usual - and we touched base with some of our CT friends. We saw Cabela's of East Hartford(a personal high point) and Blue Back Square. Blue Back felt more like Universal Studios than West Hartford. I was waiting to see a tidal wave of water from Trout Brook come around a corner and then recede under the Police Station, or Cruella DaVille offering autographs at an intersection. Lots of fun, however. We were a little disappointed to see that the new owner of 122 Clifton Avenue has not changed a thing- not paint, not plants, nothing. So, no pictures there. It's just like you remember it.

When we returned home, there has been progress. The chimney has an official top framework, because chimney stone has been ordered. Vents are in 3 gable ends, so siding is moving forward. The garage passage door is in, the foyer closet framework is in, Marsha's outdoor shower is all trimmed. Scaffolding has moved to the east / screened porch end, so that roof can be finished. Electricians are there pulling even more wire today. Do we really need all these lights? Our old house was very dark, but my mother would say that this house is "lit up like Luna Park."

Josh arrives for a visit tomorrow- Wednesday. We are looking forward to his smiling face and strong back, if the stone delivery comes.

We made it home from Connecticut in one day- 16.5 hours, with gas and one food stop.

So, c'mon down, y'all!

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Gene Kelly, Eat Your Heart Out!

2008-05-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We leave tomorrow for Connecticut. By the time we get back, there will be big changes. No new pictures today- we'll wait together to see what's happening on June 11.

Meanwhile, here is a picture of the sign for the house. A local man who runs the Brevard Sign Company painted it by hand. I don't know if the picture does it justice. It is an old stone / thatched cottage in Ireland, like the one I remember from a childhood music box. Brigadoon pays tribute to all those Conard musicals- except this Brigadoon doesn't disappear. We are here, peaceful and waiting.

Take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Electrical & Chimney

2008-05-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Memorial Day! We had a lunch in the unscreened screened porch today. The breeze is delicious, and it is fun to imagine it being finished, and full of rocking chairs.

The chimney is framed above the roof, so masons can start to apply the rock facing to it. Electricians worked for three days last week. It is amazing how far they have gotten. All the lighting cans are in, all the wall boxes are up, and most of the wiring is pulled on the main floor.

I have run out of rock on my wall. Thank goodness they won't have any more until next week! I get a short break before 6 more tons arrive. The part of the wall that is pictured is full height, and officially "finished." We have one more week of work, and then we are off to Connecticut.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

The Garage Roof, Tubs & Showers

2008-05-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It is a glorious spring day here in Brevard, NC. Temp is 71, a cool breeze, a Carolina Blue sky. All we need is you to make it complete.

The last of the 700 lb. beams are in place, and the garage roof is starting to truss, frame, and sheath. Plumbers installed the shower in one guest bedroom downstairs, and a tub / shower in the other. We are getting ready for you to visit.

The wall continues. I am going to need more stone! Aauuugh! This means that 6 tons = 20 tons exponentially increases. Rough estimate- 12 tons = 50 tons, allowing for increased indecision.

Next week we may meet the electrician for the first time. Siding is waiting on vents- as soon as they arrive, siding makes a jump forward. Then, when siding goes around back, Cosmo's Pet Door goes in! Talk about personalizing the house. Speaking of Mo- Marsha had him professionally trimmed (for the first time in his 14 years). He looks like a fat, short dalmatian! His black spots (his token version of Jack Russell black) now show through clearly.

Before we know it, our framers will be done, and Stanley, our main contractor, will take over the finish of the house.

We look forward to coming up to see you CT folks June 2-9. Meanwhile, take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Siding & Mechanicals Start

2008-05-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Plumbing and Heating started this week, as well as siding on the outside. Some of the sassier pictures of ductwork and venting are for Brian Lindsay's benefit, because of B.T.Lindsay HVAC fame.

The trim on the house is 2" rough cedar- it is very nice. The siding is Hardie-plank, which is a concrete product. The bees and insects will be very disappointed.

The wall continues to grow.

All you math lovers, forget the problem about two trains traveling in different directions. Try this one- how much does a 6 ton rock wall weigh? I am slowly learning the answer. When they deliver it, it weighs 6 tons. Then you move it into piles by size- now it weighs 12 tons. Then you place it in the wall- now it weighs 18 tons. Then you change your mind- now it weighs 20 tons.

This job gives me new respect for New England walls, Irish walls, and Stonehenge.

Take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Windows and Views

2008-05-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Although you have already seen some window shots, here are some more. You also can see the views from the screened porch, south down the hill and north up the hill. As the weather improves, we realize that we are going to be living out on this porch all the time.

This week, the garage roof ties into the house, and siding goes on. The heating duct work has already started, and plumbing begins on Monday.

You can also see my stone wall. It may not look like much, but it takes a lot to get this far. 300 square feet of wall to go.

And, for you lovers of flora and fauna, a shot of a Brevard native White Squirrel, hanging upside down on our squirrel-proof feeder, indulging in Sunday brunch.

Take care.

Love,

Em and Marsha

Windows on the World

2008-04-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We have windows! They are almost all in. The siding is being ordered. The garage and carport are next. The tub is being framed.

We be jammin'!!!

Love,

Em and Marsha

Florida Invades North Carolina!

2008-04-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Great visit with Jess and Connor, great progress on the house , we planted yesterday and it's showering today...what could be better?

Jess and Connor flew up for a long weekend April 11-14, celebrating Connor's and Grandma's birthdays. We had a great time. We went to the Asheville Fun Zone on Saturday. Connor rode the hovercraft-bumpercars, real go-karts outside with his Mom, and LaserTag with Mom and his Brevard friend Amy. Mom won 500 million tickets playing "Feeding Frenzy."

On Sunday, we forgot our camera, but had a great day visiting a friend, retired teacher Walter Kluge. Walter is 79 and hiked us into the ground. We rode in the back of a pickup truck- so NC- saw beautiful waterfalls, and shot Walter's .40 caliber black powder rifle. Jess was very accurate- I wonder what target she was visualizing???

The house is jumping forward. The guys finally got the last big porch beam in place. Once that happened, they could quickly get the last roof trusses up and do the porch deck. The outside silhouette of the house is now complete. When the garage trusses arrive next week, they will tie the garage into the house, and we will be ready for chimney and roof shingles. By the end of next week, we should be ready for windows and doors. Once we are "in the dry", then electrical, heating, and plumbing can begin. By May 1st, we will be ready for big jumps forward again.

Marsha and I planted 60 assorted junipers and evergreens on the north bank to stabilize and soften it. We got 6 tons of Tennessee field stone- in a 6 ton pile!- delivered for a dry stack wall. We are going to get the well activated because we are schleping gallons of water from home to spray on these plants daily, which is a losing situation. Mercifully, Mother Nature is cooperating today with soft, soaking showers. Our friend Carol Reiger gave us beautiful plants as an early housewarming present, so they are happy in the ground as well. Southern tradition does not allow you to thank someone for a plant, because then it won't grow. However, publicizing them on the world-wide-web is probably OK.

Speaking of publicity, we'll share this one- http://www.evergreenplantnursery.com/. We got beautiful evergreens from these people in eastern Tennessee at 1/4 the cost of local nurseries. We have expanded our Tennessee circle of trust- the Crasses, stone, and now evergreens.

We hope that all is well with you. Take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Garage Pad & Porch

2008-04-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Our patience has been rewarded. We had a number of days of rain that prevented us from moving forward. But, good weather and progress are upon us. The garage pad and front porch were poured, and they are beautiful. The concrete guys are really good at what they do. You can see the garage pad shining in an overhead shot- it is as smooth as glass. Sawdust will fly out the door of the workshop.

We planted 24 juniper on the hill to start landscaping and erosion control. For fun, we planted a 'Flying Dragon' plant- wicked thorns and gnarlly branches and orange fruit- if you could even get to it. And a quince... and a Red Jade weeping crabapple tree. I am going to start making a dry-stack wall out of Tennessee Field Stone. This does not imply any disloyalty to Geno and the UCONN Women. As a matter of fact, it is well known that the only good things to come out of Tennessee are the Crasses and rocks.

The guys are starting to frame the screened porch. This is amazing. They use a 16' rafter saw- a circular saw with the biggest blade I have ever seen. They use a chain saw blade that is attached to a circular saw. All this for beams that are 10" X 10" X 22' long. These weigh about 800 pounds! And they lift them into the air... carefully. They will be glad when this part of the construction is over. They started the garage today, just to take a break from the beams.

The countertop I am staining is for the kitchen island. The top is highly figured bubinga. It is great.

Jess and Connor are coming to visit tomorrow... we are excited.

We are planning to come up to Connecticut June 2-9, 2008.

We hope to see some of you if you are around.

Take care.

Love,

Em and Marsha

It Became a House This Week

2008-03-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

This was a great week. Matt Cantrell, our grader, did a fabulous job. We had a giant mound of earth- he made it a manageable hill ready for landscaping.

It is amazing how the house looks rooted to the earth. There is plenty of room for car turn-arounds now. We expanded the front planting area, and made room for a Japanese Courtyard Garden (after construction) under the master bath windows.

We made final decisions on cabinets and countertops on Thursday. You'll have to wait for pictures on that.

The big north wall where the logs are stored is ready for planting. I did so much wood-cutting last week that I had to send the chainsaw to the shop. That's why the pile looks a teeny bit smaller.

It's raining now, but I seeded and wheat-strawed this morning, so we are ready!

Listen to the grass grow!

Take care.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

March Rolled In Like a Lion

2008-03-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

The first full week of March is history.

Our builder, Stanley, warned us that the roof of this house is more tedious than usual. This is proving to be true. All the exposed ends and rafter tails and soffits mean that you can't just bang the roof on. So, we have relatively few new pictures.

The main gable at the front of the house, which frames the windows on the stairs, is complete. This kind of detailing goes around most of the house.
The two fellows in Superman poses are - Fabs, on the right, who is a South African who imports exotic hardwoods from all over the world. He owned the lovely board at his feet, until the Caseys came. Ryan, on the left, is the cabinet maker who will cut the 14' X 25" piece of bubinga, join it so that the grain matches, and sand it until it is almost as smooth as Kate Crass's and Alyssa Warren's cute little tush.... Wait a moment. In our litigious world, I probably can only speculate on the smoothness of hypothetical baby bottoms. Anyway, it's nice wood, and Ryan is excited to work on it.
I also included shots of the mountain vanity with sink and faucet attached, for those of you who wondered why I left those holes in the vanity top.
Finally, there are pictures of a "moldy oldy." Some of you remember our original dining room table, circa 1972. This is the new version- natural finish on the oak, mahogany, and basswood strips, minimal linear base, awaiting stools at counter height, with drop-leaf extensions. Recycling at its finest!

Looking at these pictures, one might think I am working faster than the crew. Hmmmm....

We can't wait to share this with you. Until then....

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

It's March, and More than Buds are Emerging

2008-03-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Despite the fact that we are still in a drought, we have not had a five-day work week that is uninterrupted by rain. So, I don't know how different these pictures will look to you. Some of the roof details that make this a mountain home are starting to emerge- exposed mitered beams at the ends of gables. I am not sure that you will be able to see them in the pictures. About half the deck framing is on. If the house details are unclear, then enjoy the Carolina sky. This must be a great place for teachers to work. Although it rains during the work week, the weekends are beautiful!

We went to a hardwood distributor who has wood for our kitchen island top. More to follow in a future blog.

Please take care, and enjoy!

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Clerestory Windows and Powder Room Vanity and Progress!

2008-02-24T15:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We made an Appalachian style vanity for the powder room. Branches of locust and rhododendron from the land form the base, with a quilted maple top from Oregon.

The quilted maple is amazing- the pictures do not do justice to Mother Nature. There is also a picture of my corridor cubby of a work area- a space between the boxes in our rental basement. It may be crowded, but it sure was fun to be working on projects again.

There is a picture through the woods of the construction site. This is taken from the road above our house that leads down to the music center. You can barely see the house now- when the leaves come out, it will really disappear.

Building details show the two clerestory window sections, above the living room and the master bedroom, starting to emerge. The deck has just started- it should go on this week. Once building material at the site is used up, we can backfill the foundation- a big step forward. We are picking up the two mantels on Monday- locust with intact bark for the inside, and peeled cedar for the outside. Windows were ordered last Friday- progress! Cabinets will get their final measure this Wednesday- progress! This week I will work to finish the drop-leaf dining room table. We are hoping for our first 5 day work week, unaffected by weather. But, no weather complaints, because the daffodils are out, Connecticut (and Wisconsin) and it is the end of February. PROGRESS!!!

Take care,

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Boss, Boss...Ze Roof! Ze Roof!

2008-02-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

The roof trusses are going up. You can see views out of the bedroom window, the kitchen window, and the living room window (which is HUGE, I must say). The framers decided to cancel the crane and do it the old fashioned way. The "old fashioned way" consists of one really strong high school guy pushing the truss up to the two guys in the air. Ah, to be young! If you look closely at two of the pictures, you will see that the professionals make their fine adjustments the same way you or I do- with a sawzall and a circular saw. Monday means finish the roof trusses and start framing the decks. Once that is done, you will see the entire footprint of the house. I think we are getting ready to backfill the foundation, which will change the look of things again.

There are also two pictures of mantels. We went shopping for 100+ year old beams for mantels. Just looking so far- one more place to try.

Have a great weekend.

Love,

Em and Marsha

Full Main Walls, and a hint of edges

2008-02-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Not many pictures this week, because we realize that it just looks like a sea of framing lumber. However, here is a hint of what's to come. This week should be the start of the extensive decking, or the start of roof trusses, or maybe BOTH!

So, let the plywood sheathing whete you appetite. You can see the plywood corners of the living room / front entry, the corners of the main stairwell, and a hint of laundry room window by the back door.

If you can let your imagination run wild this week, I think we can promise some good images for next week.

In the meantime, take care and be well.

Love,

Emmett and Marsha

Our First Dinner

2008-02-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

We decided to have our first dinner at the house. We are sitting "under the kitchen sink". The window opening won't be quite that big in the final house. We have four sides of walls on the main floor. Still some interior wall structures to go. If the weather would only cooperate. Today was 72 degrees, but we seem to be in a rain pattern.

Things are definitely moving along. The concrete has cured for 28+ days, so as soon as the framers have some weight on the walls, the grader will be able to backfill the foundation- and start to cut down on our giant mountain of earth to the north.

I am starting some carpentry. I have taken our old dining room table from 1970 and made it into a drop-leaf table for the new dining room. I have made my first mortise -and-tenon joints, by hand, for the table base. I am so proud, I must say! The simple pleasures of a retiree's life.

In case you are wondering, our first dinner was Southern Fried Chicken from The Clock Of Brevard- THE BEST!

Prediction- once you come visit, you are not going to want to leave. The views are pretty amazing.

Take care,

All our Love,

Emmett and Marsha

A Main Floor

2008-01-31T16:19:00.000-08:00

It has just been a week since the last post. The downstairs walls are framed. The sheathing is on and protected with Tyvek. The floor trusses are in, so we have a ceiling downstairs and a place to walk on the main level. Framing for the main floor was delivered today, and main floor walls are going up. You can look out the living room window (framing) and the french doors (framing) and see the view. It is exciting!

Take care,

Emmett and Marsha

1st Day of Wood

2008-01-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

Brian, our framer, has started to construct the downstairs rooms- two guest bedrooms, two baths, and a media room. His crew is 5-8 people, so things have started quickly. The Warrens (Peg & Mark) and the Crasses (Evan, Marta, and Kate) arrived on Martin Luther King Day Weekend for a snap inspection- snap because of our cold snap- teens and snow.

Stage One Complete

2008-01-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Welcome to 2008. This week marks new beginnings for us on the house. The time of concrete is over... we're going "Into The Woods"! Lumber arrives on Tuesday- honest-to-goodness 2X6's and plywood and trusses and stuff. We will mark this change with a new blog format next time- hopefully one where I can put comments next to images, for better clarity.

These pictures include Christmas at Josh's in Portland, OR. Josh, Heather, and Justin fed 26 people at their home at Christmas - a sit-down dinner of the most amazing roast beef I have ever eaten!

Connor came to visit Grandma and Ampa after Christmas. We had a pottery class, went to the Asheville Fun Zone, and the WNC Nature Center.

In terms of building, the downstairs slab is poured! The guest bedrooms and baths now have a floor! Nicky, our concrete man, is unbelieveably meticulous. The final coat of concrete is as smooth as glass- literally. You will be pleased when you stretch out on the media room floor- it won't be undulating.

It scares me to say this, but we may be rethinking our Labor Day in Brevard concept. We may be lucky to hit Christmas, 2008 at the rate we are going. However, that continues to be OK, because we are loving our life at the moment. Subliminal message- if you are thinking of visiting, you don't have to wait until the house is done. That might be a while. Our little rental house is comfy, and we are slowly learning to be Southern hospitable. Graciousness is still beyond us, but we can do hospitable.

Love to all,

Emmett and Marsha

Filling the Block walls

2007-12-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

Ola, Mes Begonias!

We have plumbing roughed in before the downstairs concrete pad gets poured. We have all the block walls complete. We have waterproofing on the uphill and side walls. We have a temporary electrical board waiting for Duke Power to bring in electricity (guaranteed by Dec. 28). We have concrete in the block walls. AND we have our first mishap. Last night (Tuesday, 12/12), a cement mixer just like the one in the picture tried to back down our driveway in the dark! I wasn't there to see it, but he went partially over the bank. Whoops! No one was hurt. Not sure if we will have to widen the driveway there- it seems that daylight approaches are more advisable.

Not to worry, though. If he went over, we could either cover the mixer with all our extra dirt, or you know those lawn sculptures? Well, this would have been a doozy. Plant a big lotus in it.

We are looking forward to Christmas. We are also looking forward to framing with wood. It's coming!

Love and take care,

Emmett and Marsha

Prepping For Concrete

2007-12-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It is hard to believe that Dec. 1 marks our first year in our rental home in Brevard. As we make new memories here, we are very mindful of our wonderful West Hartford memories as well.

More Progress. Here are pictures of the block walls half- complete (above), and then basically complete with gravel for the concrete slab. It gives a nice contrast. There is also one picture of the Transylvania Chorale Society Christmas Concert. It is an opportunity to play "Where's Waldo?"

Block will finish, electricians and plumbers will prep the necessary fittings in the slab, and then it will be time for large trucks with concrete! I do not understand how these guys back these trucks out of our 500' driveway.

Half-Block and Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-26T05:08:00.000-08:00

Ola, Family and Friends,

We have pictures of block walls half completed. Actually, after Thanksgiving, the walls are one day away from being done, but it is raining, so no work- or new photos- today. We went to Peg and Mark's in Virginia Beach for Thanksgiving. Babies everywhere! Kate at 6 months and Alyssa at 8 days! Pretty amazing! We watched the Warren's new 60" television. The Macy's Parade was like being there, and you could see individual hairs at a dog show. Andy Rooney's eyebrows would be pretty scary in high definition, though. We put up a new cabinet in Mark's Gladiator Garage, and cleaned some old residue off Peg's family tablecloth. Hopefully we will post more wall and concrete later this week. Marsha is knitting socks and I am getting my voiceover publicity material in order. Take care, y'all. Emmett and Marsha

Disney & Voice-Overs & Footings, Oh My!

2007-11-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends.

Marsha took Connor with Jess to Disneyworld last weekend. They had an excellent time on Connor's first trip to the Magic Kingdom. Tiger face-painting was a highlight, as well as Buzz Lightyear and StarWars.

I was in Orlando to start a new career, taking a master class in voice overs for radio, audiobooks, etc. The class was very well done, and I am looking forward to making this creative endeavor produce some extra money at the Casey household. After years of my drama students having fun, I thought it was my turn. Here's hoping!

Footings are dug, block has been delivered, and foundation walls are ready to start. We have a Porta-Potty, so we must now be an official "building site." Leaves are falling and temperatures are dropping. It is definitely fall, heading into winter.

Take care, y'all.

Kate Crass and Footings and Halloween

2007-11-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Marta, Evan, and Kate Crass stopped by last weekend. It is nice to be close enough where family can drop in. Kate is five months old and a beauty.

Footings have turned our neat house site into a lunar landscape. However, that is progress. The surveyors were back to check that all the footings are in the right places. Concrete goes in at the beginning of next week- before any rain!

We went to our first Halloween costume party in 35 years. I was Mr. Whipple and Marsha was a 4-Pack of Charmin. Those Conard costume skills paid big dividends. We fired up the hot glue gun, and away we went. You can see our Brevard friends- Carol & Lloyd as Annie and Oliver Warbucks, Anne and Roy as Pinnochio and Geppetto, and Sally and Mal as Sister Sal and Father Mal. When Sister Sal waved her ruler at me, I had a definite deja-vu experience.

This weekend we are going to Florida. I am taking a class in Voice-Overs. I will try to put into action all those exhortations from people to put my voice on the radio. Marsha is taking Connor to Disneyworld with Jess. This is Connor's first Disney experience. He is a little excited, to say the least.

NASCAR and The Well from Hell

2007-10-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Bloggers,

Where have we been? Here's where. NASCAR in Charlotte, NC, and well-drilling in Brevard, NC. You can see that NASCAR is a curious mix. People with incredibly expensive motor homes living like tent-city homeless folk. We are the campers with the two tents and the electric porta-potty in the shower surround shelter. My sister and brother-in law are the MASTERS of good living through camping. We are not converts to NASCAR, but we did have a wonderful time with Peg and Mark.

The well was interesting. I cannot endorse dowsing 100% after our experience. The good news is we have a good flow of water. The bad news is that we went 800' to get it. The water didn't come in strong until 740', so we feel very fortunate. The good news is that when you visit, you will be able to flush the toilets. For a while there, it was looking like a dried sponge.

The well pictures show how really large the rig is- both truck and drill heads. The two pipe pictures show Marsha having a conversation with her new best friend from New Zealand. They are very nice, but they were concerned about the pipe coming through their kitchen ceiling.

Next on the docket- power comes in courtesy of Duke Energy, footings get poured, and then the block wall foundation goes up. I am raking and seeding the septic to hold for erosion, and I am plotting and scheming for landscaping.

Leaves are turning color, like New England. As the leaves thin out, we realize that we are going to have a spectacular winter view. With a little selective cutting once construction is over, it will be a gorgeous year-round view.

Y'all are always welcome to come see us.

Back From Oregon

2007-09-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since last we "blogged." 3 amazing weeks in Portland, California & Oregon coast, and the Pendleton Roundup. Then, back to Brevard. In our absence, a new dowsing took place because the previous location was too tough / costly to drill. Tony, our grader, cut the entire foundation hole in a day. Then, he cut a path through the woods with two switchbacks so that we can access the property. There is a nice location for Connor's & Markie's treehouse (it is unclear who is more excited about the treehouse). We are within 100' of the Music Center property. We got the new Mule, and it is a great work vehicle. I have seeded and fertilized the entire path, and the embankment between the house and the septic. On Monday, October 1, the dowser returns to do a final locate on the new well site, and then we are ready to drill the well. The surveyor should be formally staking the foundation, because we are ready to dig footings. I am making piles of rocks. It beats the daylights out of teaching.

The Pendleton Roundup pictures are too amazing to describe. Peg and Mark said it best- a rich experience, always a surprise, always wonderful. It was so exciting to see people living a life that we mistakenly think has passed into history.

Dowsing & Septic & Power, Oh My!

2007-08-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

What a day!

Gus was up at the land when we got there at 8:45 am Thursday. He had the hole for the septic tank dug, and the tank was ready to go in. Because the family spends so much quality time in septic-related issues, we wanted to be sure to capture this critical moment for posterity.

Gail Fisher, our Dowser, arrived at 9:15 am. I had established 100' from Gus's septic work, and we were ready to dowse. The septic takes up more room than I had thought, so we have a narrow window of opportunity for Gail. It was pretty amazing.

She uses maple forked branches. Her husband has pruned / defoliated most of the highways in a 20 mile radius. She started uphill on the north side of the garage, in front of "Firewood Mountain" and the stick went wild! She feels that there is a strong water source there- one at 300' and another stream at 450'. So, now we will dig out a space for the well truck to get in, and we will see.

Eddy from Duke Energy came up, and we got our power supply settled. That can go in as soon as Tony the Grader sets a level site for the box. It nestles in the woods, just before the clearing, closest to the house at the screened porch end.

We put a deposit on a 2005 Kawasaki Mule, 3010 Diesel this week. We will be able to do the landscaping, go to the Music Center, and pick up the mail. NellyBelle gets delivered when we come back from Portland.

Gravel Road & Surveyor 1st Staking

2007-08-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

We took Connor to Charlotte on Friday, August 17, 2007 to see The Lion King and to fly home to Florida.

On Friday, Tony finished graveling the road. It now has 3 culverts instead of 2, and they all work. The low spots have been eliminated, and the terrain is much softer. It is approx. 13 feet wide at all points- very comfortable for travel.

The surveyor located the house- it is canted a little more west than I thought. This will prove to be very nice. As you come up the final rise, you will still see the screened porch and hearth first. But when you reach the top of the last rise, the house will be more angled, presenting the front porch and door to you quite nicely.

Construction- Days 2 & 3

2007-08-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how fast Tony is going. He runs the track hoe, while Victor uses a chain saw. Not one tree has been "cut down" in a conventional way. The track hoe pushes the tree over and plucks it our of the ground, roots and all. The chain saw trims branches off, and cuts larger trees into 8' sections. If the tree is 4" or less in diameter, the track hoe just snaps it in pieces. Each day sends 12-16 dump trucks of debris off the land. By the end of day 3, the road is cleared, the building site is cleared, and the septic area is cleared. On Day 4, earth will be moved to improve the road. Once that is complete, we are ready to stake the house by surveyor, do the septic system by Gus, and have our dowser locate the well.

Construction- Day 1

2007-08-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Stanley, our builder, and Tony, our grader, are doing a great job starting the lot. The road needs to be cleared of brush, as does the building site. Then the building site will be lowered in elevation, and the hills and valleys of the road will be softened. We will start to get a view.

Before Construction

2007-08-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a baseline of what the lot looks like before construction starts.

There are 5 wooded acres, with a gravel road leading to a small potential building site.

We look south, with a winter view of the college, the town, and mountains. The lot is very densely wooded with deciduous trees, rhodedendron, and mountain laurel.