The Lodge Game Room has finally been moved. On Friday, the movers came with their big equipment and moved the building 12 feet onto our property (it used to cross the property line by about 3 feet plus the overhang). They were able to raise the building up about 24 inches so that we can add new supports and keep it out of the snow drainage.
Jim was busy all weekend adding new support framing while I worked on staining and sealing the mantle and some of the woodwork in the screen room. Here are some photos of the moved building.
(photos to be added tomorrow from my phone).
Monday, August 20, 2018
Monday, August 13, 2018
August 12, 2018 - Work Weekend
We had to pick one of the hottest days of August to work on fixing the foundation and drainage on the portable Big Game Room. The room is actually a doublewide prefab building that we own next to the Emigrant Gap School. When we first surveyed the land for the lodge, we learned that the school had placed the prefab on our property and, at one time, had payed a minimal lease fee for the land. Once we notified the school district of the survey results, we re-instated the lease (which included the requirement to restore the property back to it's original state at the end of the lease). Restoration would have required removal of the prefab, removal of a chain link fence, removal of all blacktop. So when the school was about to close, we agreed that the restoration would not be required as long as the school gave us the prefab (a pretty good deal for both of us - since restoration would have been very costly and we liked the idea of having the pre-fab).
Since then, we have added a bunch of game stuff to the building (a foosball table, ping pong, a bumper pool table, and air hockey table) and added a propane heater (the original electric heater was broken) as well as detail cleaning and painting the inside of the building. But we recently noticed that one side of the building was becoming unlevel - hence the foundation work. And we need to adjust the location slightly since the building is just barely on the school property.
Once we get the problem corrected and the building adjusted, we plan to add a door on the "lodge side" of the building, close off the back side of the building (adding a storage room where the overhang is located today) and possibly add a small deck. We will also be removing the chain link fence on our side of the building, fixing some leaks on the roof and painting. One day, we hope to add a cast iron stove and possibly water.
There is no water or sewage in the building so it is not "living space" but it is fun for everyone to trek down there to play games.
This summer has also seen more and more forest fires in California, so Jim and I used the better part of two days to remove low branches from many of the trees on the property and cut down our now dried out sweet peas. The lodge still has a lot of debris clean up to do and a lot of dead and dying trees to remove this fall. We continue to lose trees to the Pine Beetle.
We hope our next visit hold less work and more fun.
Since then, we have added a bunch of game stuff to the building (a foosball table, ping pong, a bumper pool table, and air hockey table) and added a propane heater (the original electric heater was broken) as well as detail cleaning and painting the inside of the building. But we recently noticed that one side of the building was becoming unlevel - hence the foundation work. And we need to adjust the location slightly since the building is just barely on the school property.
Once we get the problem corrected and the building adjusted, we plan to add a door on the "lodge side" of the building, close off the back side of the building (adding a storage room where the overhang is located today) and possibly add a small deck. We will also be removing the chain link fence on our side of the building, fixing some leaks on the roof and painting. One day, we hope to add a cast iron stove and possibly water.
There is no water or sewage in the building so it is not "living space" but it is fun for everyone to trek down there to play games.
This summer has also seen more and more forest fires in California, so Jim and I used the better part of two days to remove low branches from many of the trees on the property and cut down our now dried out sweet peas. The lodge still has a lot of debris clean up to do and a lot of dead and dying trees to remove this fall. We continue to lose trees to the Pine Beetle.
We hope our next visit hold less work and more fun.
Friday, July 27, 2018
July 21, 2018 - Slow Summer
It has been a rather quiet summer at the lodge. No reunions, no big parties, no family get togethers. Jim has been working on updating the deck next to to the screened in deck room - a 8 foot by 20 foot deck that is down about 4 steps from the room. The original trex on it needed to be flipped (like the trex in the screen room) and it needed new railings, support and steps. I am hoping it will be done by the end of summer.
However, we have run into another project that may take precedence. Rather than doing a lot line adjustment for our Game Room portable, We have decided to move the portable about 10 feet onto our property and raise it about 3 feet off the ground (for better drainage). After that project is complete, I plan to remove the lower chain link fence from our road and from behind the game room since we no longer need it.
Additionally, I will be scouring Craigslist for a nice (but affordable) wood stove for the game room for us to install - hopefully this winter. And of course, I need to paint the game room to match the lodge. Once all of those items are done - the game room will look more like it belongs to our property than the school property.
We have not seen a lot of our neighbors lately. Bryan and Leslie are working hard at their bike shop and Leslie is dealing with some health issues - so they are not up often. The Russians have left and the rest of the owners of the Hyatt building are still deciding of they want to keep their shares in the site or sell it. And they have not been up since June.
So - it is just Jim and Quincy and me most weekends at the lodge. That's ok though - it is alright to have a slow summer for a change.
However, we have run into another project that may take precedence. Rather than doing a lot line adjustment for our Game Room portable, We have decided to move the portable about 10 feet onto our property and raise it about 3 feet off the ground (for better drainage). After that project is complete, I plan to remove the lower chain link fence from our road and from behind the game room since we no longer need it.
Additionally, I will be scouring Craigslist for a nice (but affordable) wood stove for the game room for us to install - hopefully this winter. And of course, I need to paint the game room to match the lodge. Once all of those items are done - the game room will look more like it belongs to our property than the school property.
We have not seen a lot of our neighbors lately. Bryan and Leslie are working hard at their bike shop and Leslie is dealing with some health issues - so they are not up often. The Russians have left and the rest of the owners of the Hyatt building are still deciding of they want to keep their shares in the site or sell it. And they have not been up since June.
So - it is just Jim and Quincy and me most weekends at the lodge. That's ok though - it is alright to have a slow summer for a change.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
June 3 2018 - Butterflies and Bugs (It's Spring!)
This weekend, spring finally arrived at the lodge. While Jim worked on the stringers for the new sun deck (someday I suspect to be a covered and screen deck because of the bugs), I used 3 of our 4 fire pits to burn branches and rotted wood that we had gathered from around the property. I then attempted to mow some of the 3 foot tall meadow grass.
Since we are continuing to lose our majestic cedar trees to the beetle blight, much of our property is beginning to look like a steep hill meadow with moraine (boulders and rocks). It is a pretty site in spring - but very dangerous if not cut back once fire season begins. So, around this time of the year, we usually hire some guys to come in and whack down the grass using our gas string trimmer. This year with the delayed spring, we have not found anyone to do that and the grass keeps growing higher. The weight of the old gas string trimmer is a bit hard on my back and shoulders, so I pulled out the old weed mower and started cutting the grass that was under 3 foot high on the main "lawn" and side 'lawn" (last trip) and around the fire pits and on the lower "lawn" (this trip).
I use the term "lawn" loosely since the grass is mostly clump grass and meadow grass and dies out by mid-summer. Leaving us with a lost of "camp dust" (alas).
While I was burning the debris, I was visited by many of our local butterflies and, unfortunately, bugs. Below is a photo of one of the butterflies. I did not take a photo of the bugs, but I have some nice mosquito and horse fly bites to prove they were there.
Once I finished the closest burn piles and it got too hot to continue mowing, I put the cover on the portable car canopy. I plan to convert the structure to a corrugated roof canopy this summer. But for now, we needed to find a place to store the old mower and old outdoor yard stuff (and the old ATV as we haul it up and back to the lodge). The structure is currently good for keeping the tree sap and sun off the stuff - but not much good for keeping the rain out as the cover has many many holes and patches.
Once the structure is more "permanent", I may use it to store the old canoe and kayaks during the summer. It would be nice to get those out of the basement.
I am hoping that I will be able to do some more burning on our next trip (and that the burning moratorium is not in effect by then). That way, we can clear some more of the debris piles in forest area behind the school and make the property much safer from fire.
I am also planning to remove the chain link fence from the lower part of the road (heading to the portable) and installing a picket fence. The chain link divides our property in two and is just an eyesore. Ugly though it is, I plan to keep the upper chain link and gate fence in tact to keep people off our shared property with the school.
Our neighbors that own the Hyatt Lodge are still making a decision about whether or not they are going to sell (last weekend). I have not heard any decision yet about that. Hoping to know by next visit. It is a lot quieter now that the Russian Church construction guys are gone, and only a few people are at the Hyatt lodge.
Additionally, someone has been marking and cutting trees on the property down from the Hyatt Lodge. The good news is that they are cutting out the dead cedars there, the bad news is that they are leaving them cut, on the property, sometimes leaning on other trees (which is a dangerous decision). I am hoping that they cut them up and remove them - but that may be a silly hope.
And some low lifes stuffed a lot of boxes and garbage into the old boarded up railroad cabin basement (which means someone gets to haul all that stuff to the dump!). And then either a bear or some one else ransacked the junk to see if there was anything worth having in it. A mess!!!! I hate when people are too cheap and lazy to haul their garbage away! There is currently an old couch and a bunch of junk wood piled on that property just rotting away (and not much I can do about that since it is covered with debris, rusty nails and probably full of mold).
And finally, we have transitioned from winter and our campers have returned. I am hoping that they respect the area this summer and do not litter or start any forest fires. Ah, spring (soon to be summer).
Since we are continuing to lose our majestic cedar trees to the beetle blight, much of our property is beginning to look like a steep hill meadow with moraine (boulders and rocks). It is a pretty site in spring - but very dangerous if not cut back once fire season begins. So, around this time of the year, we usually hire some guys to come in and whack down the grass using our gas string trimmer. This year with the delayed spring, we have not found anyone to do that and the grass keeps growing higher. The weight of the old gas string trimmer is a bit hard on my back and shoulders, so I pulled out the old weed mower and started cutting the grass that was under 3 foot high on the main "lawn" and side 'lawn" (last trip) and around the fire pits and on the lower "lawn" (this trip).
I use the term "lawn" loosely since the grass is mostly clump grass and meadow grass and dies out by mid-summer. Leaving us with a lost of "camp dust" (alas).
While I was burning the debris, I was visited by many of our local butterflies and, unfortunately, bugs. Below is a photo of one of the butterflies. I did not take a photo of the bugs, but I have some nice mosquito and horse fly bites to prove they were there.
Once I finished the closest burn piles and it got too hot to continue mowing, I put the cover on the portable car canopy. I plan to convert the structure to a corrugated roof canopy this summer. But for now, we needed to find a place to store the old mower and old outdoor yard stuff (and the old ATV as we haul it up and back to the lodge). The structure is currently good for keeping the tree sap and sun off the stuff - but not much good for keeping the rain out as the cover has many many holes and patches.
Once the structure is more "permanent", I may use it to store the old canoe and kayaks during the summer. It would be nice to get those out of the basement.
I am hoping that I will be able to do some more burning on our next trip (and that the burning moratorium is not in effect by then). That way, we can clear some more of the debris piles in forest area behind the school and make the property much safer from fire.
I am also planning to remove the chain link fence from the lower part of the road (heading to the portable) and installing a picket fence. The chain link divides our property in two and is just an eyesore. Ugly though it is, I plan to keep the upper chain link and gate fence in tact to keep people off our shared property with the school.
Our neighbors that own the Hyatt Lodge are still making a decision about whether or not they are going to sell (last weekend). I have not heard any decision yet about that. Hoping to know by next visit. It is a lot quieter now that the Russian Church construction guys are gone, and only a few people are at the Hyatt lodge.
Additionally, someone has been marking and cutting trees on the property down from the Hyatt Lodge. The good news is that they are cutting out the dead cedars there, the bad news is that they are leaving them cut, on the property, sometimes leaning on other trees (which is a dangerous decision). I am hoping that they cut them up and remove them - but that may be a silly hope.
And some low lifes stuffed a lot of boxes and garbage into the old boarded up railroad cabin basement (which means someone gets to haul all that stuff to the dump!). And then either a bear or some one else ransacked the junk to see if there was anything worth having in it. A mess!!!! I hate when people are too cheap and lazy to haul their garbage away! There is currently an old couch and a bunch of junk wood piled on that property just rotting away (and not much I can do about that since it is covered with debris, rusty nails and probably full of mold).
And finally, we have transitioned from winter and our campers have returned. I am hoping that they respect the area this summer and do not litter or start any forest fires. Ah, spring (soon to be summer).
Monday, April 23, 2018
April 2018 - Still a bit of snow
It has been a while since I have posted to this site. Mostly because, although we have been at the lodge every other weekend (and some weekdays), we have not been working on any projects, until now that is. There is still snow at the lodge - mostly below the roof eaves and it managed to snow last week (probably the last gasp of winter). Winter came late for us (in March) and put in a pretty nice punch of snow, followed by a pineapple express that melted most of what we had.
This last weekend, Jim put in some pretty hefty posts for a new deck off the screened in room. It is kinda funny that he is building this, since the reason we have a screen room is because there are so many bugs up at the gap, and we never sat on our old deck without some kind of portable screening on it. So we shall have to see how long this deck lasts "as is" without a cover (snow can be pretty crazy in some years) and screen siding.
I managed to get two tall cabinets out of a 1935 tudor house in Berkeley that we are going to install in two of the downstairs baths for use in holding towels. For a long time. I have used baskets for the towels - but that seems not to be the best option - so we are going to "match" what we did in the upstairs bathrooms for additional storage.
Also - we continue to lose our wonderful cedar trees to the Sierra Beetle Blight, so Jim and I cut down another 5 trees, then cut them up for next years firewood. In the back of the property, about 4 of the big cedars (that we dead) finally feel down - one is still leading into one of the big pine trees and will be cut up next weekend.
So, from now until June, I will be manning the fire pits with all of the debris from the tree cutting. Nothing like a hot fire, a cold beer and a folding chair.
Another note - the school has still not be placed on sale, so we are thinking that there may have been some trouble with the original deed or title that prevents a sale - either that or the school district does not need the money or realized they made a poor decision in closing it. And, our new neighbors (in the old Hyatt Mercantile) have decided that the winters were not what they were expecting and have decided to sell. They have only owned their place for 2 years. No price yet since they have to finish out a building they added to the property (at least close it in for the next owners). I like the Hyatt building, but it is way too close to the rode, has NO parking in the winter (unless the new owners invest in a snow plow) and has too many buildings for the one acre (there are currently 3 buildings on site). It is pretty old - was built between the Emigrant Gap Hotel (1870s) and our lodge (1925). I am pretty sure the land was sold to Mr Hyatt by the Allen Family (maybe around 1918) since Mr Hyatt was a boarder at the Emigrant Gap hotel at that time. So - if you are looking for a 5 bedroom cabin, let me know and I will give you the price once it posted by a realtor.
This last weekend, Jim put in some pretty hefty posts for a new deck off the screened in room. It is kinda funny that he is building this, since the reason we have a screen room is because there are so many bugs up at the gap, and we never sat on our old deck without some kind of portable screening on it. So we shall have to see how long this deck lasts "as is" without a cover (snow can be pretty crazy in some years) and screen siding.
I managed to get two tall cabinets out of a 1935 tudor house in Berkeley that we are going to install in two of the downstairs baths for use in holding towels. For a long time. I have used baskets for the towels - but that seems not to be the best option - so we are going to "match" what we did in the upstairs bathrooms for additional storage.
Also - we continue to lose our wonderful cedar trees to the Sierra Beetle Blight, so Jim and I cut down another 5 trees, then cut them up for next years firewood. In the back of the property, about 4 of the big cedars (that we dead) finally feel down - one is still leading into one of the big pine trees and will be cut up next weekend.
So, from now until June, I will be manning the fire pits with all of the debris from the tree cutting. Nothing like a hot fire, a cold beer and a folding chair.
Another note - the school has still not be placed on sale, so we are thinking that there may have been some trouble with the original deed or title that prevents a sale - either that or the school district does not need the money or realized they made a poor decision in closing it. And, our new neighbors (in the old Hyatt Mercantile) have decided that the winters were not what they were expecting and have decided to sell. They have only owned their place for 2 years. No price yet since they have to finish out a building they added to the property (at least close it in for the next owners). I like the Hyatt building, but it is way too close to the rode, has NO parking in the winter (unless the new owners invest in a snow plow) and has too many buildings for the one acre (there are currently 3 buildings on site). It is pretty old - was built between the Emigrant Gap Hotel (1870s) and our lodge (1925). I am pretty sure the land was sold to Mr Hyatt by the Allen Family (maybe around 1918) since Mr Hyatt was a boarder at the Emigrant Gap hotel at that time. So - if you are looking for a 5 bedroom cabin, let me know and I will give you the price once it posted by a realtor.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
January 27, 2018 Finally some snow to talk about
For most of the month of January, Emigrant Gap has had little snow on the ground. The end of the month brought us over 2 feet in one storm. It is nice to be back to a "winter wonderland" again. You would think we would take advantage of all that white stuff and go skiing. But instead, we decided to finally put the insulation back in the ceiling above Katie's and our bedrooms. It was removed some time ago to add ceiling lights and since it was blown in type and quite filthy, we threw it away with the thought that we would soon replace it with R19 batts. 2 years later and we finally laid the newer bats in place!
The attic is a wonderous place. The ceilings are high and pitched and the room is basically the size of the entire cabin with very, very sloped sides. We have managed to put in a type of flooring (mostly partial sheets of plywood) in almost 1/2 of the space. We keep hoping that as we remove the old blown in insulation, that we will find some old treasures (like an old bottle or diary or just about anything old). But all we have found so far is chipmunk acorn stashes and mouse turds. Alas.
This weekend, Jim had some roof work to do, so I finally replaced the last ugly downstairs bathroom vanity light. When the previous owners remodeled the lower floor, they put in off center "Hollywood" lighting in each bathroom. Replacing the lights, usually turns into a big cut in the drywall to add support between the 2/4s and moving the light box (J box) to the correct, centered location above the mirror, then patching the drywall and painting. A lot of work for something aesthetic. But well worth it when the job is complete.
And we have finally converted to LED and CFL light bulbs in all the light fixtures. We hope to save about 75% on our energy bills (of course, we still have the portable heaters that jack the winter PG&E bills up).
No word yet about the school. It remains closed and boarded up. We hope to get an estimate on moving the portable 10 feet (part of it sits on the school grounds) this spring.
For the rest of January and early February, the weather is going to be quite warm. So bye bye snow and we hope for a few more storms before the season is over.
The attic is a wonderous place. The ceilings are high and pitched and the room is basically the size of the entire cabin with very, very sloped sides. We have managed to put in a type of flooring (mostly partial sheets of plywood) in almost 1/2 of the space. We keep hoping that as we remove the old blown in insulation, that we will find some old treasures (like an old bottle or diary or just about anything old). But all we have found so far is chipmunk acorn stashes and mouse turds. Alas.
This weekend, Jim had some roof work to do, so I finally replaced the last ugly downstairs bathroom vanity light. When the previous owners remodeled the lower floor, they put in off center "Hollywood" lighting in each bathroom. Replacing the lights, usually turns into a big cut in the drywall to add support between the 2/4s and moving the light box (J box) to the correct, centered location above the mirror, then patching the drywall and painting. A lot of work for something aesthetic. But well worth it when the job is complete.
And we have finally converted to LED and CFL light bulbs in all the light fixtures. We hope to save about 75% on our energy bills (of course, we still have the portable heaters that jack the winter PG&E bills up).
No word yet about the school. It remains closed and boarded up. We hope to get an estimate on moving the portable 10 feet (part of it sits on the school grounds) this spring.
For the rest of January and early February, the weather is going to be quite warm. So bye bye snow and we hope for a few more storms before the season is over.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
How to Make it SNOW
This year we need all the help we can get in the Sierra - so here are some suggestions for how to make it snow.
Wear your pajamas inside out and backwards. . .
Drop One Ice Cube in The Toilet for Every Inch of Snow you Want. . .
Shake a Snow Globe Every Time You Walk Past One. . .
Eat Ice Cream the Night Before. ..
Drink root beer the night before with a straw. . .
Wear a colored sock on your left foot but not on your right. . .
Do a snow dance! Get your whole squad in on it for a stronger force. . .
Throw ice cubes out the window. . .
Yell “Snow Day!” into the freezer. . .
Put a penny under your pillow. . .
Sleep with a soup spoon, a wooden spoon or something silver under your pillow. . .
Throw ice cubes at a tree. . .
Put a frozen white crayon under your bed. . .
Sleep backwards in your bed. . .
Sleep with toothpaste on your nose. . .
Kiss a tree. . .
Run around the house 5 times. . .
Wearing pajamas, run five times around the kitchen table in each direction. . .
Wearing pajamas, spin around ten times in each direction. . .
Put a spoon in the Freezer. . .
Put a spoon or white crayon on your bedroom windowsill. . .
Put a white stuffed animal toy on your windowsill. . .
Line your bedroom doorway with white chalk. . .
AND
Say Your Prayers. . .
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord lays the snow down deep
Please give me a snow day before I wake
So I can have big snowmen to make
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