November 21 - More small projects and snow

It seems like September - November have become lodge project months.  This is hard to believe since we usually spend most of fall attending Cal Football games (instead of working at the lodge).  But now that Jim is retired, we have more time for projects and we can still attend the Cal games (this year Cal has struggled with the loss of our first and second string Quarterbacks during the season - but that is another story).

This week Jim worked on getting the mantle for the new cast iron stove stained and continued to work on the railing on the "updated" deck steps, while I did some stone tiling in the snow entry room.  Photos below.

We also had a bit of welcome snow this week.  We are hoping for a lot more next week (cross your fingers and spin around 3 times while saying "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow".  We are inching closer to Christmas.  Expecting about 30 this year for a 4+ day celebration of Santa, Snow and Schnapps.

Oh, and since I am a bit late in posting this,  there is a photo included from Big Game.  We beat Stanford 24 - 20.  Go Bears!

November 16 - Still Seems Like September

We had some early snow in September - but since then, no snow, no rain.  This is great news for the logging companies that are taking out the burned trees from last year's forest fire.  We are getting to know a lot of the loggers by name now and are planning a visit to one of the company's sawmills down in Grass Valley (we are hoping that they have cedar lumber at a good price).  Plus I am hoping the sawmill is the same one used in the Hallmark Movie - the Christmas Card (one of my all time favorite Hallmark Christmas movies).

Since we have not had much snow, Jim and I have been taking a lot of drives out past North Fork campground to check out the fall colors.  This year, we found 2 Sierra Maples and one Dogwood growing on our property.  We had to move the dogwood and one of the maples since they were growing directly below the PG&E power lines.  We are hoping they survive and we can have some additional fall colors at the lodge.  With the slow  loss of all of our cedars (global warming), we need something to keep the place from looking too "open" to the elements.

We have also been ferrying around a few rocks from the back of our property to the front.  We are getting ready to create a rock retaining wall just below the sun deck.  The area currently holds our big park picnic table and need a wall to stop snow melt erosion.

And, of course, projects.  We continue to work on installing the cast iron stove in the game room.  The stone hearth is done (installed, cleaned of mortar).  And now we are waiting on parts for the fireplace stove pipe and for Jim to complete the mantle.

Jim has been working on the deck steps (he added a concrete step to the base and is adding the trex to the top of the steps and new railing).  He asked me if I could get one of the landings in the snow room "leveled" and tiled with slate.  So far, I have added the leveling concrete (the floor dropped 1 1/2 inches over 5 feet since it used to be an outside concrete landing).  I also added some skis to our ski gate (next year I will remove the chain link and re-do this but I wanted Jim to see how cool a ski gate can look).  It reminds me of the ski fences that they used to have in Breckenridge before that town became trendy.

And we continue to work on other "odd" projects around the lodge.  All part of getting ready for Christmas rush.

New firewood holders in front landing of lodge.

Snow room landing - leveled and ready for tile.

Deck steps - working on rails and steps. 

Ski Gate - 12 more skis to go.