NEW DUNBURY

Actually it’s in the FedEx system.

It? What “it”, you ask?

Well, it’s not the “it” (whatever “it” is) that is advertised on TV.

It’s the reams of paperwork to seal the construction loan, all signed and notarized.

Thus the last, but one, major hurdle to make this all a reality has been jumped — assuming we didn’t forget to dot an “i” or cross a “t” somewhere. We’ve still got to sell a certain pesky house.

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Well, it turns out that there was a slight miscommunication between contractor and excavator. The hole in the ground is yet to come, as the excavator was available today only to learn where it was supposed to be.

But there are stakes in the ground and there is a decision about how deep to dig. That hole may yet appear before the end of the year.

Appearing now, however, a few new shots in the “around the property” gallery, including the first appearing of our contractor’s sign (at least first on our property, as it used to live across the street at our soon-to-be-neighbors’ house).

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The window order is in before the price rise deadline. Hurrah!

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Earlier this week, we’d heard from Alec that Loewen (our chosen window maunufacturer) was getting ready for an annual price rise soon. We needed a new bid as their were some errors in the old one and some changes since. So I called the window supplier and got an appointment for Thursday. I was promptly informed prices were going to change after 15 December. Friday, as in the next day. Yowser!

We sat down and went through the bid, looked at options, examined samples and all that good stuff. Net result: the new bid is a couple grand less than the old and, assuming a couple of phone connections get made today, we’ll be able to get the order in at the old prices. Yippee!

On another front, I was able to get Alec the new timber frame drawings, window scheme, and elevation drawings in a lightning meeting as he was running out from the office.

On another another front, I was able to clear the clearing of the last of the tree pieces I dropped. Important lesson learned this time: let the dang things sit around for a month or so. They’re much lighter that way.

I was also able to scout what looks to be a good trail through our woods to the dam on the “beaver pond”. Said pond is really looking like an “old beaver pond” these days as water is the lowest we’ve seen it yet. But I dragged some deadfall around to set up trail markers in places for the path. Some more improvements like more trail markers as well as clearing some saplings, prickers, and the occassional mountain laurel will be necessary to make it a simple stroll. There are some really prickly things growing on the dam itself, but their elimination will make for an easier passage across the stream to the community walking path. We’ll probably leave the last spread of mountain laurel at the clearing edge, to be pushed though every time passage is made. It’ll look better from the other side.

On the wildlife front, there were four salamanders (clearly a different species from the one we saw on the property circumnavigation earlier) in a pool just upstream from an auxiliary beaver dam. These guys were about 3 inches long. No more details as they were mostly silhouettes in the water and quite skittish. Also a squirrel dashed accross the driveway as I was walking up it. And a flight of 16 vultures headed southwest for the night. No pictures since I didn’t have the camera with me for any event of the sightings.

The weather was absolutely insanely gorgeous for December. I stayed till the sun went down behind the western ridge. It looks like we’re going to have long dusks. The sun was down and not a hint of darkening sky in the east. Lots of directionless light and oh so quiet. Wonderful!

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On Tuesday we finally received an email from the Quarries ART (Architectural Resource Team) approving our house plan. The Quarries covenants require ART approval before starting construction. And now we have it. Yippee!

Coincidentally Alec called earlier the same day (while Bob was working on timber frame plans) to see if we could go down to confirm the house location. After clarifying that the Wednesday he was talking about was next week not today, he went on to announce that he’s got the excavator lined up.

The chosen day is the same as the loan closing. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe it’s the stars coming into alignment. More as it happens.

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