Hi all, been a long winter here in Altamont, NY.  There is still snow visible on the farm and the temperature tonight is going down the teens.  Wanted to give you a little update on what has been going on.

1. The barn we all worked so hard on is still standing tall and strong.  We've got a bit more trim work to do and then over the summer we need to tighten up the floor.  Oh, I almost forgot the joy of a bit more roofing work to do. For sure we'll be back up there adding the remainder of the screws that we did not get too last year.  We'll also be adding the snow slides....Does not seem quite as daunting a task as last year.
2. In case none of you noticed last year, the pole-barn that houses the saw mill was in pretty bad shape.  That structure was erected on the late 1960's and served the farm well but time took hold and it slowly rotted into the ground, in fact way into the ground..... Tim and Dad doing what they do best have been raising it to it's original position over the last couple of weeks....Take a look at the photos below see if you see a difference.
3. Today 3/22/09 Tim, Dad Ken and John cleared all non-fruit bearing trees from the orchard that is being restored this year.  We're working on a fruit tree order of Dwarf and Semi-Dwarf trees to start the first row of trees from the old Crab Apple tree along the road the to the south.  We'll be exposing the old well up bu the cabin so we can siphon water down to the new trees.

Before

After

Here's Another Before and After  -  You Might Enjoy

No pictures today, sorry!  Today was a planning day. Tim is fresh and back from his vacation with Stacie in Florida to celebrate her 22nd B'day.  Happy Birthday to Stacie. Tomorrow construction of the bents will begin. We'll be up at Lewey Lake enjoying the fall colors, but the work goes on.  Join us for this history making event in the Town of Guilderland.  We're not building a shopping mall here, we're just recreating what made this town great.

Ken

The pump house roof was finished today.  Since this is the first truly new structure since the saw-mill pole-barn was completed in the late 1960's we went all out with architectural shingles.  Again it was a HOT day for late September.  In the end we got the roof on.  The south side wall will remain open until the floor/ceiling is installed and insulated for the winter. 

We still have to.

1. Fill in the foundation with concrete.
2. Finish the siding.
3. Build the floor/ceiling
4. Install a freeze proof winter faucet.
5. Wire the pump permanently with a disconnect
6. Install temperature monitoring warning equipment.

So here is the finished product.
 

I'll tell you for September it was HOT....The started around 8:30AM with a general session of wood sorting on the East side of the Butch Barn. The construction area had gotten a little helter-skelter with blocking, boards and pallets.  I did not take a before and after picture but now you can drive down the barn driveway and into the construction site.  Now all the wood is sorted and neatly stacked.  The next time wood is delivered it will come right down to the work area.W

We needed to head up to Berne to the lumber yard to get 7 - 4x8x8's to finish the floor joists of the German Barn. They were sawed as we waited, loaded into the truck where as of this evening they are still there. Why you ask, because they were too darn heavy to unload with it as hot as it was today.  What did get unloaded and used was some much smaller and lighter wood for the pump-house. We got the West side closed and started in on the roof. We decided to make it solid and use shingles.  There is a 10 inch eve on the North and South side.  We got the roof all on and covered it with Tar-Paper.  I admit historic tar-paper was used on this building.  This role of paper was from another generation.  Dad had first used it when he shingled the farm house - 60 years ago.  The paper was in original condition and much heavier than what you can purchase today.

By the end of the day the little barn was trimmed along the roof line and the 60 year old felt paper was installed. Next it is the shingles and floor that will keep the underground area from freezing in the winter months. So the pump-house is almost done.  Hats-off to Tim for making such a nice frame that I could close in and add a roof.
 

That was about it for today.  And yes, the 4x8's are still in the back of my truck, sitting in my driveway.