September,
2005
The Great Leap Forward
Work has accelerated,
with so many workers
from so many trades showing up that there have been
parking problems.
Most the of the metal roofing was on and
windows started going in immediately after last month's
report.
The plumbing,
HVAC,
multimedia and security
systems were pretty much wrapped up within two weeks.
Most of the timbers outside and inside were cleaned and
finish applied;
timbers remaining to be installed will be
dealt with as they go up.
Things got hectic as the date for insulation approached,
since quite a bit of the electrical,
multimedia,
security,
and plumbing systems would get sealed in foam.
Gary and Pauline spent a couple of full days verifying,
reverifying and helping the workmen with all the details
leading up to the foam installation.
Things got hectic again as we prepared for drywall to
be put on the walls and ceilings.
The stone work at
the "back" of the house moved along;
the masons are
artistes —
it seems to take them hours to place a
single stone.
But they are paid by the square foot,
not by
the hour,
so we appreciate the quality of the work they
are doing.
The stone work makes the house blend into the
slope better.
Other progress includes:
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The slab for the Garage entrance was poured (not visible in
picture).
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Stone work in front was started (see the wall at the right of
the picture);
as in the back,
the stone will help the house
blend in,
especially
since the stone will wrap around to form a
cirque.
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Drywall was put up on most of the interior walls and finish
work started;
the front door is boarded up and a heater kept
running to help dry it out.
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Excavations were started to establish the rough grade;
we can't
cover up the garage yet,
though.
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The septic system was installed.
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Skirting was applied to much of the exterior;
bats remain to be installed.
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The west balcony was roughed in.
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The forms were set up for the Entry slab;
note the blue styrofoam
insulation that will underlay the heating pipes in the slab to melt the
snow.
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We passed the test of the fire suppression system.
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The stucco contractor got set up to start work.
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This was a
month for visitors.
We spent a day in Yellowstone Park
with John and Pat from British Columbia,
and a day hiking the property with Dale and Kathy from California,
then Kendal spent some time here with friend Kris.
Dale and Kathy were treated to a bear sighting as they arrived and
came up the drive.
The next day,
we discovered several deposits of
bear scat in the area they had seen the bear.
At left,
visitor John and contractor Ken help select rocks for landscaping.
The day Kendal and friend Kris arrived it was
94°
in Bozeman;
the next day the high was 54°
and there was
snow 1,000' above on the mountains.
After a couple of warm days,
K&K accompanied Gary on a hike up
Sacagawea Peak
(9,665', highest in the Bridger Range).
Bridger Canyon
can be seen as a light green strip across the middle background.
There
are two mountain goats in the picture,
too far away to make out by the
time it was taken.
The
August 13 race mentioned last month
goes over this peak,
up the trail on the mountain at left and over
Saddle Peak and the other summits extending off the right of the
picture.
Wildlife
It's the time of year for animals to start moving out of the
high country.
We put our bear-proof waste can at the Main House
for the workers to dispose of their food.
This had little effect
until a couple of them spotted a bear on the way up the drive and
excitedly told everyone.
We also
enjoyed watching two bull elk have a test of strength in the large
meadow across the canyon.
Coyotes have been yipping at night;
fortunately,
Neko and Pumpkin just bark back and keep their distance.
