Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas
from
Ramsay


Estate House view from Cottage Lane entrance

Things are relatively quiet here for the holidays. We have guests visiting from California 
staying in the Guest Cottage. They think they've died and gone to Heaven!

We haven't had any snow yet this season, so what follows is a selection
 of photos from previous winter seasons here at the estate..

Feeding time on a wintry afternoon




Driveway cleared--ready for traffic
Christmas card prospect!
View from the Farm House
"Hey! We could use a little bird seed out here!"
First snowfall 2012

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Winter is right around the corner...

Mother Nature - lot's of bark, no bite the last two weeks.
Typical early-winter weather in Central Virginia has teased us with temps in the high 60's and ice on the pond--all within less than 32 hours last week. Threatening skies like those pictured above have been the norm the last week-ten days, but we've had very little precipitation. The long range forecast for this coming Saturday mentions the "S" word, but we'll believe it when we see it!
The dawn's early light...
Following a very busy summer and fall, the winter months find activity slowing down a bit on the estate--a blessed relief! But there are still some good projects in the works, and the Grigg Barn project continues to progress nicely. The new septic field has been installed..
.






































... and the former "milking room" of the barn is being converted to bathrooms where the new plumbing rough-in is 90% complete.



Another project just completed prior to the hard winter freeze sets in, was the installation of new sod at the main entrance to the estate. We maintain the grounds outside the front entrance, but technically, the land  is a right-of-way for the state. Heavy utility vehicles accessing the utility lines along the southern perimeter of the property have damaged the lawn over time. Ramsay has a beautiful entrance, and we wanted to spruce things up a bit. The great folks from Grelen Nursery (Orange, VA) were on site yesterday and worked their magic.


1- Tilling the soil

2- Grading, applying fertilizer and topsoil


3- Rolls of sod













4- One row at a time



5- Like stitching together a quilt

6- Almost done



7- Finishing touches
Most afternoons this time of the year, Mother Nature outdoes herself with displays of color and intensity at sunset. Along with a number of our Greenwood and Valley neighbors, we share glorious sunset pictures like these on Facebook--a small but poignant expression of the joy and company of good neighbors!




Sunday, December 14, 2014

Dana - Our New Beltie!

Our most recent news post reported the death of Bessie--of one our Belted Galloways. Since that time, we have loaned Star and Toby to the main south pasture to keep Beulah company. (See previous post) All of our Greenwood neighbors know and love the "Ramsay Cows" or the "Oreo Cows" as the children call them, and many have asked about the missing cow the last two weeks.
Now, we're pleased to announce the arrival of Dana--
a registered BG from Gladstone, Virginia who joined us right after lunch today.

Our first glimpse of Dana!


The day Bessie died, I (Stephen) was in Crozet having coffee with a friend who we hadn't seen in several years. She was not up to date on my position here at Ramsay. At one point, I had to take a call on my cell. After a brief conversation, I hung up and said, "Sorry, I'm going to have to go. One of our cows just died!" She laughed and said, "Wow, your life really has changed, hasn't it!?" Little does she know...

That's Dana on the left

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

R.  I.  P.

Bessie - the cow

Bessie (foreground)--one of our Belted Galloways--went to that big green pasture in the sky today around lunchtime. I'm mostly a horse-guy, but had gotten pretty attached to these two girls the past two years. Many of our Greenwood neighbors will remember the time these two got loose overnight and wandered 2 miles down Rt. 250 to Lebanon Church (apparently they heard there was a prayer meeting!) The circus-like parade we formed two days later when we "ran" them back up Rt. 250 to Ramsay was the major topic at the Post Office for a week! 
For those who pass by frequently, and are acquainted with "The Ramsay Cows" or the "Oreo Cows" as some call them, please know that we hope to have another BG on site soon. In the meantime, Beulah, the one remaining, will have Toby and Star to keep her company.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Sunday, November 30, 2014

All the leaves are gone...

The famous Ramsay view NW - November 30, 2014


Thanksgiving Week is often the time that Mother Nature begins the transition from Fall to Winter in this part of the world. This past week was textbook!  Early in the week, the weather people called for the first major winter storm to blast the east coast from the mid-Atlantic to New England. Our local forecast called for 2"-4" on Wednesday, but once again, the Blue Ridge Mountains proved a formidable barrier. We had no snow at Ramsay at all, but could see it falling on the mountains to the west and north. This was the view on Thanksgiving morning. 

First snow on the Skyline Drive
I (Stephen) zipped over the mountain late Wednesday to see what our friends on Facebook were saying about snow in the Valley. They did receive about 4" of snow there.

Heading east down Afton Mountain -- Wednesday afternoon
All the livestock are demanding additional food now that the pastures are fading for the winter. At the first sign of human movement early in the morning, the horses whinny and the cows bellow just to make sure we haven't forgotten them! Good thing we have chickens and no roosters!

"Can't you see we can't pose right now! We're eating, please!"

The major project underway up at the Grigg Barn continues to move along well. (See earlier post) The excavators have completed grading the second pad, and seed and straw matting are in place for the winter. There may be enough warm days for the seed to germinate before the serious cold weather sets in. But even so, some blankets of snow during the winter will work wonders on the seed over the winter, resulting in an explosion of green in early Spring.




The installation of restrooms in the Grigg Barn has required quite a bit of ground work for the plumbers and electricians. We rushed to get most of that work completed before Thanksgiving. 

New water line to the Grigg Barn

Chuck, Todd, and Matt


A procession of earth movers

New power line to the leveled pads












Preparing for pipes


New sewer system coming to life

There are numerous tasks involved in preparing the estate--the grounds in particular--for the oncoming winter weather with its challenges and surprises! Too numerous to mention them all, but here are just a few: Care of the animals with food, water, and shelter is paramount. There are four residences that require constant attention to the heating systems, and a number of places that require supplemental heat sources to prevent water pipes from freezing. Back-up generators are maintained and monitored constantly.  Farm equipment must be kept in good operating order, ready for bad weather and snow removal. Keeping the main house, guest cottage, and outdoor fireplace well-stocked with firewood seems never-ending. With no fish to sustain for this winter, we drained the small fish pond and plan to restock a fresh crew next spring. A protective cover is being custom-made.


We have enlisted Stefanie Newman-- http://artrestorationinva.blogspot.com/ --an artist who specializes in restoration work (see earlier post), to restore the beautiful painting that hangs over the fireplace in the library in the Estate House. Early last week, Stephen painstakingly removed the painting from the larger frame to deliver it to Stefanie so she can begin her magic!

Stefanie testing the canvas



















Have Painting--Will Travel!


The early winter sky produces some magnificent sunsets that enhance the already 
wonderful views here at Ramsay. We leave you with these three.




Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Winter comes to Ramsay ahead of schedule


Early sunrise overtaking the Grigg Barn

The north portico of the main house on a cold day
Local meteorologists are calling our current weather pattern a "mid-winter" type, very unusual for our area at this time of year.  At the end of last week, the arctic weather pattern behind the curve of the Jet Stream--which has made national news headlines because of its severity in the mid west last week--slid south and our weather became cold and rainy over the weekend and even colder, but clear and windy today.  At noon today, our phones' weather apps showed the temperature to be 29 degrees with a "real feel," given the strong winds, of 13 degrees.  The following picture is of a little icy stalagmite that has grown up in the grass underneath the spout of the hydrant at the barn where there was a little drip.

 Mushroom?  Plastic pipe?  Nope.  A frozen water drip!
This morning, the horses stood like statues in front of the barn, soaking up some sun and warmth.


In our earlier post, we included some photos from the early phase of the latest project at Ramsay--developing  two new level turf "pads" just west of the Grigg barn. The first pad is being constructed immediately west of the barn inside the fence, and the other one just to the west outside the barnyard fence. At this point, the first pad is just about complete, and the remaining one is ready for topsoil, seed, and straw matting.

Construction of the pads included installing a drain system for them both so that water won't collect on their surfaces.



The lower of the two pads adjacent to the barn has been completed and grass has been sown and covered with straw matting to protect it through the winter.  On dry days with the temperature above freezing, Stephen is managing sprinklers on this and other newly sown areas.


Mike's fence-building crew was here early last week replacing the row of fence that was removed to accommodate the new barnyard pad.  It took two tractors, Mike's with a post hole digger and the Ramsay one adding weight with its bucket, to get the new posts into the heavily compacted ground.


Another phase of this project will involve installing a new restroom area in the south wing of the Grigg Barn. This development will call for a new drain field which requires the expertise of a licensed  technician from the Albemarle County Health Department who came out recently to obtain soil samples from the designated area.  He initially tried taking a core sample with a hand auger, but determined that a larger sample would be needed, resulting in what looked like a burial site!


Hand auger yields small core samples from 3-4'



Track hoe makes quick work of it.



"Ah, that's what I needed to see!"

In anticipation of the heavy rains which were forecast for later in the day, Stephen spent most of Sunday morning this week spreading plastic over the newly excavated and leveled second pad. Today's winds had begun to disturb the arrangement of plastic, but it had done its job, as the soil remains where it should be rather than having washed away despite steady and at times, heavy rain late Sunday and all day yesterday.

Plastic covered upper pad with cinder block and  rolls of matting as weights
Other, smaller projects were underway in various places on the farm.  Art restoration and conservation expert, Stefanie Newman, came to inspect the painting above the library fireplace in the main house.  She examined some sample areas of the painting in order to assess how much work needed to be done and what it would entail.  Stephanie cleaned another painting from the collection in the main house this past summer and did a fantastic job.


The chickens seem to be doing pretty well in the cold weather.  In these sub-freezing temps, Stephen checks their water supply several times a day and often has to add hot water to the water fount. One of "the girls" regularly flutters up onto the top of the coop when he is leaving their area, apparently just checking to make sure she doesn't miss anything.


Connie was here last week continuing her work cleaning borders and pots and replacing the remaining decorative plants with ones which will be more cold tolerant.

Large urn in the ellipse on the north lawn
As usual, Sherry has been busy cleaning, doing laundry, ironing, and other maintenance tasks she does so well in all the residences.

Before the cold snap and wind, there were a few remaining colorful leaves on the maples last week:

Young maple on the south lawn


Afternoon with Chiswell estate in view
The end of a busy day at the farm.