HOLIDAY GREETINGS

‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the chambers,
Not a creature was stirring
Not even our framer.

The rafters were hung
From the roof beams with care.
The contractor was gone;
There was nobody there.

Gunnar & Karl were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of turkeys danced in their heads;

Michelle went to run , and I with my saw,

Had just started down the steep slippery draw.

When up on the pad there arose such a clatter,

I sprang into action to see what was the matter.

Away up the hill I flew like a flash,I tore up the slope,

I was incredibly brash.

And lo and behold,
There stood a big bear.
If he’s hankering for white meat,
I don’t have a prayer

His fur was all black, from his head to his foot,

His size was enormous and he was going to stay put.

A big bunch of pears he had on the ground;

And he looked like a ‘big foot’ every

pound for pound.

His eyes -- how they twinkled!
His teeth sharp and white!

He gobbled the pears

In one gigantic bite.

The stump of a pear branch he held tight in his teeth,

And the pulp it encircled his mouth like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a big round belly,

That shook, when he roared like a bowlful of jelly.

Then he looked over and saw me standing with my eyes wide agape.
I had to act fast and make my escape.
I sprang to my jeep, and started her up,

And flew down the hill like a very scared pup.

But I heard him exclaim, ere I drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Merry Christmas

Gary, Michelle, Gunnar, & Karl

From the Mystical State of Jefferson

Did you know that we live in the 51st state? It's called the state of Jefferson. You will not find Jefferson on a map. You may meet people who live in it who do not know it exists. It is invisible to eyes looking at road signs along major highways. Click on the link to see where it would be if it were a real state.

http://www.jeffersonstate.com/animatedgraphic.html

Below is some history on the 'state.' (You can skip this section if you hate history!)

"The State of Jefferson is in the region of southern Oregon and northern California, in the areas of the Siskiyou and Trinity mountain ranges, and the Klamath and Rogue river valleys. As far back as the 1850s, people living in that area were alienated from the distant regional authorities in California. After Oregon was incorporated as a state in 1859, miners in the area refused allegiance to either state government and declined to pay taxes. Around the time of the Civil War some settlers were interested in creating a northern haven for slavery, but separatist sentiments were fueled most commonly by the poor quality of infrastructure. Residents of both the California and the Oregon portions of the region felt that their state governments in distant Sacramento and Salem did not fairly represent them, and did not distribute infrastructure funding equitably to the area. The poor road quality directly compromised the ability of people in the region to earn a living off the lumber, fishing, and other harvesting businesses that are available in the area. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several waves of mounting frustration at the region's isolation and wretched infrastructure culminated in a great push toward the secession of 1941. The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7 abruptly interrupted the secession movement. "

That's your history lesson for the day, week, and year.

The roof is starting to take shape. It has a very steep pitch. For those who know building terms, it's called 8 & 12. The incline slope of a roof or the ratio of the total rise to the total width of a house. Roof slope is expressed in the inches of rise, per foot of horizontal run.

In other words...it has a very steep pitch!

This is where the patio will be in the back. Look closely at the fireplace inside to see our Xmas decorations.

See you next week for a special edition of the Christmas Blog.

Bet you just can't wait!

'Tis the Season...

...to be running

...to be decorating

...to be wearing long pants (remember he was wearing his shorts until a week or so ago)

...to be putting up roof beams

...to be adding really long beams!

...to be enjoying more sunshine again
















...to be climbing in the rafters
...to be adding more wall panels

...to be hiking above the fog

...to be 'enjoying' the fog

More animals from Southern Oregon

We saw this guy on one of our walks near our lot today. He seemed like he wanted to be part of our blog and we couldn't say no.

... or it could be a premonition to a continuation to the bull market.

... or maybe we were just looking for some good blog material.

... or maybe we were just thinking about dinner tonight.




The front of the house is coming right along.
and more walls are going up.
The beam is back - only 2 Ft. higher this time.
















...And the view from the inside is MUCH better!
















Two good (and photogentic) friends.
Two less photogenic goofballs.

We haven't seen any more animal life at our property this week but we found some in our hotel room at the Vintage Plaza.

... a leopard, zebra and a small polar bear.

Watch out for leopards as they are the predatory ones.

...And yes, those are rose petals on the bed, compliments of the hotel.


Note: The foot print in the previous post is a coyote according to the guide at the National Park. See you next week.