Tuesday 06.11.2013

Round bale sentinels guard the fence by Ridgely!

The glorious Sun returned today--a wonderful Summer Day!

Sherry and SY - the usual & very quiet guests at the Cottage.

    Looking NE as the tail end of the storm retreats!

Our part time yard man - Kevin White - followed faithfully in my (SY) footsteps 

and got our little compact tractor stuck in the bog down by the pond!

Ready for a Power Wash - which soon followed!

Kyle, JD, Nate

Cobblestone thieves
(masquerading as stone masons) 

were discovered early this morning in the parterre garden

as the garden/walkway rehab work continues.

Monday 06.10.2013

The rain poured last night as heavy as at any time since we moved here in early November. We're extremely grateful for the nourishment to all our new plantings--and transplantings--but we're also ready for a bit of sunshine for a few days. IF we can believe the weatherman, we should have drier days this week!

On site today: (depsite the rain!)

Five guests in the Guest Cottage--for the week. (From Los Angeles)

10am-12noon meeting re: garden and walkway rehabilitation work with:
Rachel Lilly - Landscape Arcitect
Ron Bush - irrigation
Mark Schuyler - exterior lighting
Brian Greenfield - grass/sod pro from Charles Town, WV
Arty & Lyle Lundgren - masons
SY - ring master

This team, and one or two others, will have to play a coordinated game of "what happens next?" as we
conduct a major overhaul of the brick walkways, the rose garden, the parterre garden, and the fish pond.

Yesterday, two bright lights made their way into our lives:

    The new pot rack over the island in the Main House kitchen:

...and, Susan and Stephen got to visit their granddaughter Haley Ann, with son Gordon and mom Mellisa near Lynchburg!

Friday 06/07.2013

(1) Tuesday a.m. - Prep

(2) Tuesday p.m. - Electrical Installation

(3) Tuesday p.m.

(4) Thursday a.m. Sheet Rock Install

(5) Thursday p.m.

(6) Friday a.m. Painting Prep

Fri. p.m. Ceiling All Done!

Thursday 06.06.2013

Rain, Rain.... Glorious Rain!!!! and even more forecast for tomorrow.
Thank the Good Lord for this rain.

The rainy weather halted our outdoor crews today, (enabling SY to catch up on some desk work!)
but J&A Painting, Inc. sent Eric and an able assistant to repair the MH kitchen ceiling where the new pot
rack was installed on Tuesday.

A bit of a Jig Saw Puzzle

Ready for sanding tomorrow

Dwight Corle - President of Charlottesville Glass & Mirror - came out to measure for the new shower door at the Studio this morning. Company presidents don't usually make these service calls, but when I (SY) spoke with him yesterday, he said his two estimators were booked well into next week, but "...since we've been friends for over forty years--and I would love to see Ramsay--why don't I come about about 9am tomorrow." (He also told me about a magic potion to redeem the glass shower door in the MH master bath!)

Wednesday 06.05.2013

Part II - The Final episode of the Ramsay Bovine Saga!

By the grace of God, the help of many good friends, the immediate cooperation of dozens of motorists on Rt. 250--including a County Cop--the cows returned to Ramsay late this morning!!! After trying unsuccessfully once again to herd them into the pasture at Ridgely, we were outmaneuvered as the cows bolted for Rt. 250 in front of Lebanon Church and headed east along the highway. Ryan, one of Mike Herring's guys, chased the cows along the  north side of 250, while SY followed along in the truck with flashers glaring--a few folks pulled over and joined the chase. Ryan literally ran the cows for over a mile!!! At the main entrance to Ramsay, the cows tippy-toed past the cattle guard, ran up the main drive where we had another group posted, and they drove then into the pasture. It was quite the community event!!" You really had to be there!"

Meanwhile, back at the farm...

On site:
Sherry - cleaning the Cottage for upcoming guests
Kevin and Mike - carpenters at the Cottage
Arty Lundgren crew - still removing bricks!
Piedmond landscapers - mowing the lawns

Kevin - finishing up the tile and soap stone work at the Studio - it's really beautiful

Tuesday 06.04.2013

Long day today (for SY) 14 hours! Starting with a neighbor from several miles west knocking on the Farm House door at 7:15am to say that the Ramsay cows were in his backyard! Long story---longer day! 3  hours cattle wrestling this morning, another hour this evening at dusk--no luck! (Didn't have the presence of mind to get a pic of the stubborn critters on the lamb!)

On site today:

Sherry - the ususal
SY - the unusual!
Mick and Jody from SC - prepping kitchen ceiling Main House for new pot rack
Kevin W. at the Studio - tile and soap stone - one more day!
Kevin K. and Mike D. carpenters at the Guest Cottage
Arty Lundgren crew removing bricks from sidewalks and garden

Sidewalk demo complete

Chuck Kennedy electricians here - long day till past 8pm hanging
a new pot rack in the Main House kitchen

          20+ man hours of labor to 
               install this pot rack!

                        Less than a week since the hay cutting and the grass has already grown nearly 4"!

Monday 06.03.13

The forecast was for intermittent showers today --which we needed--but nothing happened (rain-wise) so Arty Lundgren's demo crew was able to get started removing the old brick walkways from the Main House down to the Guest Cottage, as part of major renovation of the grounds surrounding--and including--the formal gardens.

On site today:

SY - able "pallet-moving" assistant to Arty's crew! (Thanks to our new JD 5300!)
Kevin - soap stoning at the Studio
Don Wright - bush hogging all pasture edges following the hay cutting last week
Mick and Jody (from SC) dropped by to pick up some things on the way to Alexandria for TS and ended up starting installation of the new pot rack in the kitchen--will stay overnight at the Cottage.

"One brick at a time!"

Stockpiling old reusable brick.

Major progress on day #1