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Category Archives: Log Cabins

The ups and downs of cabin life.

Spruce bark beetles are ravaging our trees, everywhere. At home we have dozens dead but at the cabin they are more noticeable. Three lovely big spruce by the cabin have died and either us or the wind have taken them down. Cutting these trees was certainly bittersweet. I love these big ole trees. But they were no longer safe and had to go. Definitely a down.

Spruce bark beetle damage. There are thousands of these on a single tree.

It opened up the yard tremendously and let in more sunlight. Also less privacy, win some, lose some I guess.

The three stumps.

Jake came out with his mini excavator to help take down the trees closest to the cabin as well as pull some stumps for us. While there I had him dig a test hole in a consistently wet spot of the driveway. After about half an hour we had a pretty good seep of clear water so it looks like I’ll be developing a spring house for fresh water!! I’m so excited! Up for sure!

Little boy on board.

We still have several downed trees to turn into cord wood. And a deck to finish. And another coat of sealer to get on the cabin before snow flies. Our last two weeks of moose season will be filled with chores during the “not hunting” hours. Here’s to having a successful and productive moose camp! Hoping for a big ole up!!

No more stumps!
My test hole full of water. Will be pumping it out and developing the spring here!!

#aklife #drycabin #beetlespruce #beetlespruce #bettlespruce

Finished!

A happy little cabin, nestled in the happy little trees on a happy little lake.

Finished!! The building that is. There’s still plenty of clean up to be done this weekend. On to another waiting project.

#alaskabuilt

#cabinlife

#lakelife

#whitespruce

Almost done

We’re almost done with this little log tiny house build.

280′ square feet of interior living space. Equal storage space below. 4′ x 14′ of covered front porch. Full service kitchen and 3/4 bath. The customer will be doing the shower at a later date

So much finish work. The bathroom pocket door trim consists of 12 components! All custom made trim, nothing store bought. It’s all Alaskan white spruce. Local logs milled at SND’s sawmill. You can’t get more “Alaskan Made”.

#alaskalife

#tinyhouse

#logcabin

We’ve Been Busy.

Where has the time gone? Between working snow removal (Dean) and running the sawmill for a month we’ve kept busy. A month ago we were riding snow machines and wearing the warm clothes. Now we’re digging drainage ditches, jumping on the trampoline and wearing summer attire.

Training the new guy.
Feels like summer.

Also last month I started experimenting with oyster mushroom cultivation and started my first tote of substrate. I had started with a grow kit from Home Depot. I grew one out last year and we enjoyed the ‘shrooms so much I thought why not grow more?

Growing kit.

I pulled a bit of the grow block off and used it to innoculate some straw and coffee grounds. I let it sit and grow mycelium until today when I checked it and I had pinning!! Woo hoo!

Lil baby oyster mushrooms!!

Can’t wait to eat them in about 10 days or so.

The kiddos set up the trampoline today, with some difficulty. But it’s up and ready for high energy kids. While we were out a large flock of sandhill cranes flew over chattering steadily. We’ve seen several geese flocks over the last few days but these were the first cranes. Summer is here.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Dean has been in the boat every available moment. He’s so excited about the prospect of halibut fishing at will. To be honest, so am I. But I still do have a house that needs finishing…

Future mushroom bed.

The kids helped me prep our wine cap mushroom bed today. We raked it out, layered cardboard first, then straw. We added our spawn and then top coated it with sawdust. Over that I put some wood mulch to keep the sawdust in place.

Straw layer with spawn scattered about.

Next on the list is an outdoor oyster mushroom bed. Maybe next weekend? And I’ve got to get another tote started indoors. I’ve got pearl and phoenix varieties for indoors.

The Oldest has plans for gardening this year, so a few more raised beds and updating our current hillside beds.

Back to work on the rec cabin build tomorrow. Another day another dollar.

Enclosing the gables.

#aklife

#aksummer

#winterisover

Busy Little Bees

That’s how I feel this past week has gone, a busy, buzzy, blur.

We took last Friday off to spend the weekend at the cabin. I love going to the cabin but it requires a significant amount of preparation what with taking six people and a dog. So the day off from building work was spent on prepping work, grocery planning and shopping along with packing food and supplies. Then there’s the loading of the snow machines and gear, which Dean usually takes care of. So not really a “day off” from working.

But when you finally get there, the peace and quiet sets in and all that hustle and bustle is worthwhile. Then it feels like you’re a lazy little bee buzzing leisurely from flower to flower without a care in the world.

Back to work Monday and along came the snow. Dean works snow removal at nights when we’re in a snow cycle. Monday night was snow removal after building that day. Then Tuesday we started at a one hour delay and worked a short day because he had to go in Tuesday night. Weds was another short day and as soon as we got back from work we got a call for another moose salvage, so back out to collect a very young injured moose that had to be put down. Another late night. Moose takes precedence. Dean was supposed to work snow removal that night so Jake filled in so we could get the moose.

Thursday was another “day off” to work up the moose that we’d prepped and quartered the night (early morning?) before. Dean worked snow removal that night and I worked the moose.

Feeling a bit like burning the candle at both ends. Today we’re just wiped out. It’s not productive to try to build in cold temps while also being physically exhausted, neither is it safe. So we’re home again today. I’ll work on canning some of this moose meat, there’s nothing quite as good as fresh canned moose. And maybe take a nap.

I’ve never been more grateful to have so much to do.

A bee’s work is never done. 🐝

#gratefulforallthethings

#Aklife

Back to Building

We started a new rec cabin this week. It’s been a long break but I’m back.

This is a 14’×20′ on a picturesque lot overlooking Island Lake.

It’s always exciting to start a new project.

Beams and floor joists on techno metal posts.
Subfloor down.
Temp stairs, door framed and first two logs laid.

Hoping to end the week with three courses of logs done. We’ll see how tomorrow goes!

#aklife

#shebuilds

#winterwork

Cabin Fever

I’ve got cabin fever, not the kind you’d think either. I wish to go back to the cabin. Back to the change of pace, the different priorities, the quiet riot.

We’ve been home two days now, after spending 9 days out there. It’s moose season so we went out in hopes of filling our freezer with delicious moose meat (sorry Patty) but alas, not a moose was seen by myself or Dean.

We spent some time teaching the older ones how to hunt spruce hens. Thing Two managed to bag one early on but that was the extent of his marksmanship. Guess we’ll add target practice to our PE regimen!

In between gun toting and walking in murky muck, we worked around the place. Sanded the cabin down and applied some new sealer. I’m in love with the deep rich color.

West side of the cabin.

We also put a new coat on the outhouse. It was showing some weather but looks pretty nice now. The kids all chipped in and “painted”.

The woodshed and outhouse.

We also filled the woodshed here and at the main house! Since the road crew took out an enormous amount of trees putting in the road extension, we took advantage of the plethora of stacked logs. Easy getting firewood, you don’t have to tell me twice!

The toolshed was looking a little weathered too so I had enough sealer and time to get the front coated. I resealed Tami’s memorial sign for Dad as well and hung it over the door. I decided to do a memorial wall on the shed and hang the things I find that remind me of Dad. Just got a few things up, next time I’ll add more.

The toolshed.

The stand of trees in the middle of the drive had become a problem. We took the alder out earlier this year as it was taking over the driveway. The two tall spruce have succumbed to spruce bark beetles and will need to be dropped this winter. Dean spent some time working on the alder stumps but finally got them pulled out. With all that new space I decided we needed a fire pit! This one is much smaller than our bonfire pit and will be better suited for weiner roasts and marshmallows. I even scattered some grass seed. Who knows if it will grow or not, stuff might be 10 years old. I’m ready to try out my new pit, can’t wait to build that first fire!

Now that we can drive out to the cabin our time spent out there will increase exponentially. As will our projects!

Next on the list is a new deck and an outdoor, gravity fed sink for hand washing. Can we get them started before winter?
#winteriscoming
#cabinlife
#lovealaska

3rd Day

3rd Day 5-18

Hauled 4 gals. water and started work on garden-rained all A.M. until late P.M. worked until 11:30 P.M. tonight. Got strawberries – chives and one hill of rubarb (sic) in today. Noki is getting on my nerves already. 

Landmark: Homer

image

We took Pearl for our first road trip to Homer. And one cannot go to Homer without at least cruising by the Salty Dawg Saloon.
Starting out as a mere cabin in 1897, it has served as a post office, a train station, grocery store, and a coal mining office. Around 1909 it got a new life as a school house when a second building was added. Then again serving as a post office, and grocery store.
Sometime in 1957 it became a saloon.
After the Quake of 64, the buildings were moved to the spit and the lighthouse tower was added to camouflage a water storage tank.
One of the most recognized landmarks in the state of Alaska.
For more info go to http://www.saltydawgsaloon.com
And when you come to visit us, we’ll go visit the Salty Dawg!

Dad’s Cabin: Work-In-Progress

During March and April we spent three weekends going back and forth to the cabin, when we could actually drive a vehicle out! We spent lots of time working on the outhouse and have very little left to do. We added bats to finish out the front and sides, only have about 3 more to add to the back (we ran out!). We also put shingles on the roof and insulated the inside roof and walls. It is nice a cozy inside!

Adding bats to the door.

Adding bats to the door.

I think Dad would be pleased!

The last weekend out we started sanding on the cabin. The kids helped and actually did most of the sanding.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 sanding the logs.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 sanding the logs.

Then together we put a coat of sealer on. Wow, what a difference!

A fresh coat of sealer!

A fresh coat of sealer!

Dad had started the front of the cabin so we only have to finish the gable end on the front, then the rest. One side down, the second side started sanding (we started putting sealer on the porch/sunroom part) and then the back-end to do.

And for our valiant efforts (mostly on the kid’s part) we had some awesome pizza for supper!

Homemade pizza!

Homemade pizza!