Happy Fortieth Anniversary to the Lord and Lady of Oak Hill Lodge!

So we don't exactly fit the "cookie cutter" mold in many respects, one of which how we choose to celebrate our Fortieth Anniversary. Knowing this, our wonderful daughters and their families got together and planned the best ever celebration we could ever have hoped for! We are having a zero clearance fireplace installed the first part of December and have to get the framework for the piping and the hearth all done prior to that date, so planning a party or going away, seemed like it just did not make sense. The girls all got together and planned that they would all arrive early morning on Sat. the eighth, guys with tools, women with food and grandchildren ready for another Lodge adventure. Pete had arranged to have a manlift which we picked up early that morning to reach the 35+ feet in the air where the rest of the work needed to be done. Eric and I had managed the first 25' from ladders, but this final section required cutting into the roof, flashing and lifting the framing sections beyond where our ladders could reach. Not to mention, at those heights, a manlift makes you feel much more secure than a ladder. That afternoon a few of our nearest and dearest friends arrived on site, some to join in on the work and others to enjoy an Italian Extravaganza Feast that the girls had put together. They had made decorations including the fabulous "40 light" pictured above and a delicious cake topped with our wedding picture! The grandchildren provided much entertainment and lots of laughter!
By the time darkness fell, the top of the chase was near complete... just a bit of flashing left to do, but ALL ready for the install. Thank you, thank you, thank you! ... and still a few weekends to complete the hearth!

The Seasons and The Screen House

All too quickly the seasons escape us, turning almost before we realize it from spring to summer, summer to fall and fall to winter... only to become spring again. I am thankful for the pictures I take throughout the seasons to remind me that each has its beauty and that tho' winter may seem long as we are about to enter another one... each season truly has its own special beauty.

First Snow of 2014

November 2, 2014 will go down in my memory as the first time ever I can remember a significant snowfall that early in the year. We received between 6 and 8 inches at Oak Hill Lodge. A wet, heavy snow, it took its toll on the trees and shrubs most of whom had not even had the chance to drop their leaves. As the day went on, oak leaves encased with snow hit the roof of the Lodge, making loud thuds and forming into snow balls as they rolled their way several feet down the roof. We went out shortly before dark to see if we could help any of the trees that had bent to the ground, but it was a case where you risked more damage in an effort to help. The Kousa dogwood, the birches, the fruit trees, the Japanese maple and all the forsythia were bent right to the ground, some having lost branches which snapped under the weight of the snow. We lost two fairly large pines in the storm. The weathermen said it was a nor'easter with winds gusting to 50 mph. Winter surely came fast this year. The morning I still had roses blooming, marigolds looking grand, tropicals such as canna lilies and elephant ear still in their glory, potted annuals like love lies bleeding and nasturiums still cranking out blossoms and by afternoon, all was frozen under a blanket of white. Now I start crossing my fingers that we warm up again so that tubers can be removed from pots, gardens can be cleaned up and leaves can be mulched.