Barn Delivery!

At 7:30pm, on Tuesday April 26, 2016 the homestead received its' first structure.  Some would call it a shed, some a barn, we have taken to calling it our cabin.  One day the alpaca boys will make it a home, till then, we will keep it warm for them.

Since he was on vacation, John was there for delivery. Everything from moving large round bales of hay to accommodate the large truck to a winch battery that died, it eventually found its' way to the homestead.

So, Friday after work, I picked John up and we drove out there so I could see the new arrival.

I am especially enamored of the detail above the windows...

The smell of fresh lumber was intoxicating...

Finally we have a 'home base' on the homestead. A place to rest while working on the land.

We drove back to the city with smiles on our faces.  We talked about all the wonderful things we could now do with a sturdy roof over our heads.

John usually works on Saturdays, but since he was on vacation we decided to go on an adventure.  We headed to Erie Pa on the trail of a floor loom.  She is a beautiful, well loved loom. I named her Mabel after her previous owner. She is small at around 3 feet by 3 feet square and has 2 harnesses. I am excited to dust her off and see what she can do.

With Mabel safely stowed in the back of the Rav we decided to poke around a bit. I noticed we were very near Presque Isle State Park. It was a beautiful day for a drive...

This adventure led us to another one in Clymer New York. We had a lot of fun and made the most of our extra day together.

Sunday morning came and with it a trip from the city to the farm in Irving NY.  While John cleans out the alpacas pasture and barn, I catch up with my mother and step-dad. Sunday was quite rainy and dreary and the alpacas looked a mess. So I will spare you pictures of soggy pacas. I wish they would go in barn when it rains but they don't seem to be bothered by it.

After the alpacas were fussed with and any chores my parents have for us are done, we decided to drive out to the cabin.

I brought fabric with me to hand sew some curtains while we were there. John on the other hand could not decide if he wanted to relax or work. I just smiled and encouraged him to do whatever he wanted.

There was something very satisfying about this project...

And for the record, no... I did not buy this fabric for this project.  I actually had it on hand and thought it would work!

So what's next? We plan on a few things this summer. John is eager to clear out the trench behind where we plan to put the house. After the flood of last year, we feel this would be added insurance for any structures we might build or place closer to the woods.

Once it dries out from the rain, I am looking forward to staining the cabin and setting it up for camping. All the while we are working on finding an Amish house builder, and finalizing the building plan.

We will keep you posted!