Barn Building Day #1

Finally, we get some action and the crew comes out to build our barn. First the holes are dug, then the poles are set, and finally they are filled with concrete. The picture of the truck shows how materials were delivered to our site.

These pictures show the size of the holes, each 5 - 6 feet deep, how the poles are placed into the holes, and finally the size of the auger used to dig each hole.

The following photos show how each pole was placed into the holes.

These last pictures show the concrete being poured into each hole. It was an all day project, but much got done!

While waiting for permits to work their way through the local bureaucracy, we took Popeye over to the Olympic Peninsula to do some sightseeing. Staying at the SKPs park in Chimacum, afforded us the opportunity to spend some time in the area for hiking & sightseeing. One of the most beautiful lakes in the area, Crescent Lake is always a pleasure to visit.

Along the way, waterfalls & gorgeous hiking trails abound.

Finally, back along the lake & homeward bound on the Coupeville-Port Townsend (formerly Keystone) ferry.

By July, we now have a driveway and have marked out the building envelope of our barn.

Here you can see a partial outline of the building envelope for the barn.

Look at this - we now have a legitimate RV pad!

In a couple of weeks the septic system has also been installed. One of the pictures shows Bob walking on the drain field.

Finally, a view from the drain field over to The Popeye Express.

Making Progress

After a couple of weeks, progress! You can see we now have a roughed in driveway, an application for a street address, and have a water meter.

Soon we began laying the lines for power and telephone, piling up debris for a future bon fire, and were making progress towards the rear of the lot.

Now we can see the driveway taking shape, then it was time to burn all the debris (this was a 3 day project) and finally the place where Brian buried all the ash, which eventually will be just after where our barn will be located. Lots of work!

Very happy with our progress thus far.

After another successful tax filing season, we left in early May to arrive in Coupeville and start the process of developing our land. With trees up to 140 feet tall, and a virtual jungle, it took 2 tractors, several chain saws, many piles of tree roots, etc. to clear just our driveway! Here are some of the pictures:

The drive back to Southern CA went without incident, but not without its challenges. While in Coburg OR, 6 miles north of Eugene, and while Portland was having a fierce news making snow storm, Coburg got one heck of an ice storm. We sat for 3 - 4 days waiting for the weather to clear. It was aerily beautiful.

Fortunately we talked to several truck drivers at the truck stop at the end of the road, and they all assured us that the roads (specifically I-5) were clear. We noticed a few miles past Eugene, the ice was completely melted. The trip home was a breeze.