While I went off to Della's Birthday/Frackelton Summer Party with Vanessa, Lawson and Avery (which by the way was awesome to have most of the family under one roof), Dad and Drew worked on sheathing the stair tower. I was so amazed when I got home! It is such a cool space inside and the way the pitch of the roof is so much shorter on the entry side, really makes it seem less formidable and more welcoming. Next, we will work on building the "ladder" for the roof overhang so we can get the Weathershield on and we will be waterproof! Then, we can put in the windows and door and then get the exterior insulation on. We are having a bit of a battle with ourselves as to when to punch the hole through the Lodge wall. In a way it is like a "carrot" hanging just out of reach which pushes us. On the other hand, I am just so darned excited to see how much we can open up that wall and start using it to get to the Pub, I almost can't bear to wait. Stay tuned for what we decide!
We began framing with the thought that the roof would be standard cape style with the two side walls being 12 foot tall each. The amount of slope which this allowed was not as much as we would have liked given that we are getting older and the snow loads could be a problem which we would have to address with a ladder.So, we noted that a saltbox roof profile would not only solve the pitch problem, but would allow us to keep both the existing windows in the upstairs. The eight foot wall on the front would give a much more welcoming look to the entrance than the daunting twelve foot wall. We will install a full view door and on the back wall there will be a two foot wide by six foot tall double-hung window which allows for a view clear through the structure to the screenhouse. A six foot by six foot two window, double-hung unit will go in the end wall providing a huge view of the woods out back to both the Pub and the upstairs. We were so lucky to find this unit at the Westbrook Restore. It is a brand new unit, Paradigm, panes between the glasses for easy washing, and we purchased it for $400. We had gotten a quote from Lowe's for a unit with a rounded top, which was our original plan when we were going to have a cape style roof, for $3,000. That would definitely have completely blown our budget and quite frankly not a figure we felt justified in spending on a single window. Now with the saltbox roof style, I don't think I would have liked the rounded top unit anyway.
Randy got the foundation all poured before the big rain came. It caused a moat around the new stair tower which is tempting to keep. Imagine the granddaughters playing princess and Lawson being their knight in shining armor! All we need do is install the drawbridge! The height of the back wall would be perfect for role playing Rapunzel. Randy did a great job as he had done on the main Lodge foundation. We are so thankful that he was able to fit this relatively small job into his busy schedule.
Tom Hartford is the excavator who now works with Randy McClintick since Larry Hallowell has retired. He also does a lot of work digging graves for both humans and animals. I found it interesting that I had never really given a thought to what may happen when something like a horse or a pet goat dies, but now I know. We had asked if the foundation might be able to be done before our July vacation, since we knew that would be our largest block of time to get started on it. They were wonderful to work with that request as well as go along with our relaxed construction philosophies. It was so exciting to see the project get started. I already can imagine the quick trip between the pub and upstairs and how much easier that will make things. No more snow on our meals when I make the trip all out and around the Lodge like last year, being careful not to slip on the ice and snow underfoot.
After visits to Herb Hidu, Plainview Farms, and the Maine Hosta Society's 2014 Auction, and a gift from Marla and CR Davis of an astilbe, I have enough plant material to fill a new hosta bed. I credit Herb Hidu with most of my love of hostas. Previous to meeting him, I only had two varieties, both dug from my parent's home, one all green and one white and green. When I met Herb I was enamored with his beautiful old home in a very private spot in Sheepscot as well as his amazing knowledge of the names and growing habits of the 15-20 different hostas he had at the time of my first visit. He and his wife are wonderful people, so warm and eager to help others with their interest in gardening. I have made my spring pilgrimage nearly every year since my first introduction and though I may not acquire new varieties, his plants are so robust and sensibly priced that I eagerly gather more of my favorites. Plainview Farms happens to be along the way to Kat and Pat's, so it is an irresistible stop for me if time allows. They have the best selection of hosta in the immediate area and there are still a few I do not have. This visit I came away with "Firm Line" which supposedly goes to almost white as the summer continues. I am skeptical after purchasing "Mostly Ghostly", but it is a nice looking plant right now. Marla and CR were thinning out their beautiful gardens on Montsweag Bay and brought me a lovely pot of astilbe which will compliment the hostas. This trip to the Maine Hosta Society Auction yielded some spectacular plants. I am so pleased to add "Humpback Whale" to my garden as I have been in search of it since seeing it in a display garden on the National Hosta Tour in 2011. It forms a tight mound which very much looks like a whale surfacing for air at maturity. I also got "Royal Wedding" to place by "Diana Remembered" as I am so fond of all things English. Other hostas I added were, "Ullyses S. Grant", "Winter Snow", "Blueberry Waffles", and a sweet little mini named "Church Mouse". Erica is campaigning that it be placed appropriately in the Angel Garden, but it would also make sense to let it join the other minis by Nutshell Cottage. (Erica won, I planted it in the Angel Garden) Maybe a division is in order as it is loaded with plant material! One of my most exciting purchases was an unnamed seedling which Ron Dow of Belfast brought to the auctiion. The timing was amazing as I had only just read an article about the woman from Massachusetts who hybridized the "Birchwood series" of hosta so-called because that was the name of her home. I was so excited by the thought of an Oak Hill series, I did not contain myself and bored poor Eric to tears with a summary of her accomplishments in the Hosta world! Ron said that it would be a year or two before we could determine if the plant was distinctive enough from its parents to be registered, but that he would help me both with the evaluation and the registration process if I wished to follow it up. I shall keep my fingers crossed!
After my annual spring visit to Herb Hidu in Sheepscot and a trip to the Viles Arboretum for the 2014 Maine Hosta Society's Auction, I am the proud owner of about 25 new hostas. Some are new varieties for me and some are repeats of my favorites. I enjoy placing them in groupings and trying to be creative with patterns of colors now that I am not strictly on a binge to add new varieties. There is an area part way down toward Acorn Cottage that just begs for a garden. Before any cutting began, there was a sort of clearing in the tangle of pines that makes up most of the land we have yet to clean up. I know it was once part of my Grandpa's garden, so the soil will be tremendous. It simply needed several trees cut down and much branching of the remaining trees. We will go back during the winter and remove three more of the larger trees which are on the edge of where the lawn begins, but they are likely to fall on my perennial garden, so best to wait until we have snow cover. Not to mention the fact that after working about six hours in the heat, we were ready for our evening wine and garden tour! Now there remains the tilling which will take some time, but it will be a lovely spot for my new plants.
