Cornell Plantations

I've started volunteering at the Cornell Plantations. It's the most beautiful place ever! To start off I will be helping Tuesday afternoons with the Natural Areas Program and Thursday and Friday mid days at the Visitor Center. The people there are super nice. I am really excited. This is a chance for me to also learn more about natives, non-natives and invasive plants. The Plantations are close enough for me to ride my bike there and back, too. Here are some pictures of the gardens:

Sapsucker Woods

One of the most amazing resources close to us are the Cornell Ornithology Labs "Sapsucker Woods." We've been hiking there and have become members. Our goal is to learn as much as possible so that we can   develop our seasonal pond to be a wildlife habitat. Last summer blue herons nested there! The most important thing we need to do is firm up the dike so that water doesn't leak. We have a picnic table and fire ring near the pond and will have a lunch cook out there during the barn raising, so bring your binoculars. :-)

Sapsucker Woods (what our pond will be like):

Volunteering

So Yo and I just registered to be volunteers at the Varna Volunteer Fire Department! It's about a mile from my sister, Julie's, house (where we are living). They helped us out a few months ago when we were in Ithaca visiting. Super helpful and incredibly nice. I will train to be Emergency Medical Support (someone to just help direct traffic and move things at the scene); I'm too squimish to get up close. I'll also help with any administrative/outreach stuff they need. Yo will train to be an EMT. It blends in really well with her schooling. We won't be official for a month or so, but it seems like a nice way to give back to folks who really gave to us in a time of need. We start training next week and will bring our skills to the barn raising. :-)

New Addition to our "grid"

We have a new addition to our "Off the Grid" family. Meet Freddie. He was a stray that came to the SPCA emaciated, dehydrated and with no fur (he has a flea allergy). He's got half his weight and fur back and is the most lovable guy ever! He and Brady hit it off right from the start. They touched noses and became friends. Our "grid" has even more love in it.

Houseboat Trailer

Ryan just emailed me a picture of why I needed to "embrace my inner pond.". This was the OLD build site!

Here are some pictures from the start

We started the off the grid cottage project about 2 years ago. We bought a tow behind trailer and put it in a meadow next to a seasonal pond on my property. My brother John, his friend, Yo and I built the road in. We thought we could live in that until the cottage got built. Unfortunately, in the spring it became more of a boathouse. My first thought was to drain the pond, but Ryan (my best friend and construction guru) said to "embrace my inner pond and move the construction site".

We got out the survey map and walked the boundaries of my 14 acres. Then we walked throughout the mostly wooded property. Ryan suddenly stops and says "what do you hear?". I could hear all the leaves rustling in the winds. Then he asks "what do you feel?" Nothing. We were completely protected. It was a nice flat shelf with a hill behind us. It was a small clearing with a sea of ferns. "This is the spot to build".

We first had to build a 1/4 mile road to move the trailer closer to the build site and then another 1/4 mile road from the trailer to the build site. Ryan and Ben with chain saws and Julie (my twin sister,pictured with me at the end), Yo and I with bow saws worked 2 weekends. My brother Tommy moved the trailer (which took an aviation degree to dodge the trees).

In the meantime Ryan was working on the cottage design. He calculated the most efficient dimensions using the most space with the least cost. The cottage will be powered with a generator and solar power. We will also use marine storage batteries (connected to the solar panels) and many RV/Marine type appliances. It will be highly insulated and wood heated (of which incorporates a pizza oven).We plan to use composting toilets. Initially water will be brought in and collected with rain barrels until we can afford to dig a well.

Next we marked out the cottage boundaries and using a construction transit/level, Ryan calculated the posts. Ryan and his cousin Andrew went up and hand dug all the post holes! Anna, Yo and I helped with the last 3 holes. Posts were cut, tarred at the bottom and cemented into place.

We have been extremely fortunate with the help of my brother, Tom. All the materials have been delivered to his house and he has brought everything we needed to the build site. My sister, Alison, has provided amazing blueberry cobbler for our work sessions. (She is pictured in the earlier post.)

Last weekend Ryan, Andrew, Ben and Anthony came up and we got the first floor all finished! (See earlier posting). We are now ready for the barn raising!

Here are some pictures of the earlier stages:

Sept 1-2 work weekend. First floor is done!