Homestead Update: our first summer–winter
I initially envisioned posting regularly about the projects we work on and keep better track of the overall progress of the property...but like so many things...that hasn't happened too often. So I am going to do a quick bit of catch up. First, the end of the Summer (2015) through the end of the Winter (2016). Below is a quick overview of the work we have been doing with some photos from various cameras, phones, and friends phones.
Summer 2015– I am searching to find any early pictures of when we first moved in (August 2015) and what it all looked like, but I don't think I thought enough about documentation at the beginning. Here are a few shots that show glimpses of the property when we moved in. Johnny cut down 4 Norwegian Spruces that were 80ft or so. The dominated the only flatish area we had on the southeast side of the house.
The first two photos (taken on our neighbors yard) are of the back when Johnny was cutting down the first tree, the third of the front (taken at the front door) after some trees had come down.
the spruces down across the back (taken on the roof)
The first and temporary chicken coop and run got built to house three hens and a bantam rooster.
Fall 2015–Johnny built a stone wall that runs along where the spruces were. word to the wise, he built it once, but it was actually on town land not our own (which was impossible to guess from the maps) so he had to disassemble and rebuilt a few feet back off the road. Together we rolled larger stones in place, and the wall flew up in a few days. It was built dry stack and Johnny's was aiming for function and efficiency. I need to run out and take a final updated photo with it completed.
first wall...
back from roof, spruces are cut up and most of the brush was wood chipped. rotting shed before removal.
the second wall in process. (now finished)
the mason
The driveway originally came right up to the front door. We ripped up asphalt and base material and put in a walkway and gardens. Here are a series of photos of it transformation...
Jumping forward to the summer...
JUNE 2016 here is the garden starting to grow in
SEPT 2016
SEPT 2016
Winter 2015/2016–We started working our way up the slope removing trees, cutting up trees, splitting and stacking for firewood while piling brush to be used in the hugelcultures.
a small portion of the stack
The brush fire
Johnny did some initial digging of the root cellar and the back terraces with an excavator. He moved soil around to help level out a section of the back / to fill in behind the stone wall.
