Betsy's Family at the Lake

I have been late in getting this posting online. Betsy's family joined us at the lake in late July, but shortly after that, I was away for the cabin raising and so did not get these pictures shared with you, my faithful readers, whomever you may be.

Prior to arriving, Betsy had alerted us to the fact that the grandkids wanted to do minnow races. This involves using two lengths of gutter which have capped ends and are, of course, filled with water. There is also a small "starting gate" which is merely a piece of plywood cut to the shape of the gutter and which can be used to hold back the race participants (minnows) at the starting line at one end. Contestants choose a minnow from those lucky enough to have avoided being used as bait on a fishing outing. The minnows are constrained behind the starting gate at one end, and at the sound of the starters pistol (or, rather, the shouting of the word "GO!"), the gates are released and the race is on. Or not––minnows can be unreliable in choosing to swim rapidly to the opposite end of the gutter. Indeed, sometimes they dally at the starting gate, choose to try to swim in the wrong direction, or loaf along. Their champions are allowed to wriggle fingers behind them to encourage them to do the right thing. Anyway, here are the contestants shortly after we set up the raceways. Honestly, I don't recall that there were any major results, unless you count lots of laughing and fun (which is what it is all about for me).

There was also a "family game night." We all played a version of Pictionary®️ at a whiteboard. There were two teams, and everyone was extremely creative. A couple of examples follow. Henry did a nice job trying to portray the word "panic", though I recall his team didn't succeed in deciphering his intentions. Frederick, on the other hand, had a winner with "dead man."

We rented a pontoon boat for a long outing one day. Frederick loved being at the helm.

Each of the grandkids succeeded in catching some fish too. I don't recall if this was Frederick's first ever successful fishing trip or not, but he was mighty proud and happy nevertheless.

Henry thought his catch looked good enough to eat, though I don't think he followed through.

Mom and dad enjoyed themselves also.

After we located an unoccupied, sandy beach, swimming happened.

The bear at Treeland's Resort greeted us when we went out for dinner one night. The kids were all fascinated with the true-to-life model of the world record musky that is on display there.

Kathie and I took some nice photos of each of the grandkids with us.

Just before they headed back home, Pete took a nice selfie of all of us. There were other activities that I should have photographed as well. What you are not seeing here are photos of Betsy and the kids being pulled behind our boat on a large tube. Both Henry and Clara claimed this was "the most fun thing they had ever done." (I suspect until the next most fun thing comes along!) There was also a fair amount of zip lining. I have to resolve to get more photos next year.

A Cabin in the Woods (People)

In my last two postings, I focused on the timber-framed structure and its raising. There were lots of individuals who helped with the project, plus there were children and others around watching and having some fun with Anders while the project was underway. In this posting, I want to share photos of these folks while paying tribute to the contributions they made.

In 2009 Will and I first took a class on timber framing taught by Peter, who you may recall guided, directed and assisted with the cabin raising. Peter also offers design services for timber-framed structures and worked with Will on the cabin design as well as providing complete specifications for the making of the individual timbers. Most of all, he is a delightful and interesting guy, and I feel has been a good friend to Will and Sandy. He sure knows the ins and outs of timber framing. With any little glitch that arises, he knows immediately what to do.

Will thoroughly enjoys working with his hands, and timber framing has become a special interest of course. He loves working with traditional tools too, which are often the best ones to use when doing this kind of work. Here he is working with an adze to put attractive curves on the ends of some of the cabin's loft floor joists.

Other tools Will has found useful include spokeshaves and drawknives. I admire how skillful he has become with all of these tools.

Kathie is holding a ladder steady while Will pounds home some pegs. My stalwart and loving life companion, she was willing to help with anything needed.

Sandy's sister Becky and brother-in-law Tom were present to help as well. Unfortunately, we don't seem to have gotten better pictures than this one of their participation, but they were present for the full first day of work and helped with the raising of the first two walls and assembly of the others.

Brother-in-law Michael said that the cabin raising was one of the most fun things he had ever experienced. I couldn't agree more. Here he works with a slick (think large chisel) to bevel the edges of a spline. Mike tackled anything and everything and frequently provided extra muscle when it was needed most.

All of the grandchildren wanted to try their hand with certain of the tools or to help from time to time. Carrying pieces of wood to needed locations was something Leo liked doing.

I'm working here with a router to create a recess around a mortise into which one end of a knee brace will go.

My brother-in-law Ron made a number of important contributions to the project. He is an excellent woodworker, and I know he found the project both interesting and satisfying. Here he is cleaning up the edges of a mortise recess with a chisel.

Of course, one of his biggest contribution may have been the self-sacrificing he did by crawling under the cabin's "bump outs" to screw the plywood bottoms in place. We were glad he doesn't suffer from claustrophobia!

Another of the tools Will uses is an old boring machine which bores very straight and accurate holes. Using it to remove most of the wood from an intended mortise works really well. Afterwards, some time with a chisel cleans up and squares up the joint.

Of course, such a device draws attention. Leo couldn't resist giving it a try. With a crank on each side, this is a two-handed job. He and Maia and the other children loved watching the "potato chips" come up out of the holes.

John (aka Obie) is a long-time friend of Will and Sandy's. They all met years ago when working at Sawbill Canoe Outfitters during their college summer months.

Maia was fascinated with this gadget which is used to move heavy timbers from one location to another. One simply balances the center of the timber on the "cart" and then steers it to the desired location by managing one end or the other.

Peter brought along a very large wooden mallet to help with stubborn joints. I thought of it as "the persuader" because it could help persuade to timbers to join properly. (My father had a very large wrecking bar [which I now have]. Dad used to call it "the persuader", and I have been fond ever since of the idea of certain tools as persuaders.) The kids all found the mallet fascinating.

Sandy also took a class with Will and helped make many of the cabin's timbers. Here she is donning her gloves to help wrestle timbers into position.

At some point, Anders, Leo, and Maia decided that the pile of wood scraps would be an excellent source for construction of a hideaway.

Working with my son over the approximately two weeks of floor construction and timber frame raising will always be one of the highlights of my life. I have been fortunate to have such chances for one-on-one time with each of my children––nothing can equal those experiences.

The treehouse got plenty of use by all of the kids during the project.

Fortunately, the lake provided a good way to keep the grandchildren and others occupied. Kathie and Anders took Leo and Maia for a short canoe trip at one point.

The lake's water is very clear, so scouting out the bottom can be lots of fun.

There are always rocks and critters to find along the shoreline.

And in spite of what seemed to me like very chilly water, the kids never seemed to mind jumping in.

We had lots of good things to eat. Sandy and others arranged for some terrific meals-in-foil that we cooked over a campfire.

My sister Paula and Sandy's sister Becky provided some very yummy bars and coffee cake. Neither of these lasted long. Will's Uncle Tom, Uncle Ron and I contributed to their demise.

Will and Sandy's dog, Kelso, scoped out what it would eventually feel like to lie in a comfortable spot on the floor of the cabin.

Finally, here are some shots of the cabin's family in their new space. In the last two, they are checking out the loft.