Our first trip back to Connecticut in a long time. We ended up in a new location for lunch. The original Flatbread Pizza! In Amesbury, Massachusetts. We felt safe being both fully vaccinated and visiting people who were vaccinated, with the exception of one holdout and the children.
Plaque in Flatbread PizzaAmesbury Falls, running through the center of townLooking out over the fallsPatty’s garden fence and paths. I’m envious of her gate! This house is sold, so it’s the last time we’ll be seeing it.
Our trip went great overall. We did a lot in only four days away. Visited my side of the family and Sam’s side of the family, as well as friends on both sides. And didn’t feel rushed! But the traffic and hectic nature of Connecticut and New York is bothersome after getting used to downeast Maine.
We have had strong winds almost every day this spring. Maybe that’s the reason the zipper stitching pulled out of the front door of the hoophouse. With some encouragement from Sam, I decided to repair it with some hand stitching. It was challenging because, of course, it was windy when I worked on it.
Starting from bottom to join previously stitched rowBetter view of stitching, about four feet of it in totalRepaired door now closes. Still buffeted by winds but not as bad as a half-loose doorTook a few extra stitches at the top to serve as a zipper stopI really didn’t have the right thread for the job. I used this cotton thread because it was thick. I also used a scrap of gray thread, not sure of content.
The crops in the hoophouse suffered significantly from voles this year. The voles ate all the claytonia, spinach, lettuces, and whatever else I had planted – with the exception of kale and arugula. Not to their taste, I guess. So we had a meager crop of kale and arugula for our green supply this winter. We even had to supplement a little with purchased greens. But now the kale is lush and the arugula is going by.
Sam put an electric wire around the central beds, but we only found one dead vole. I don’t know if they left the scene for greener pastures or if the wire clicking scared them away. In any case, new baby greens are coming up undisturbed. And I’m using the heat of the sun during the day to baby my tomato seedlings and help germinate my parsley and peppers (at bottom of photo).
Eighty tomato seedlings – 8 cherries and 72 non-cherries of various varieties. The cherries include the delightfully named: Sunrise BumbleBee, Tropical Sunrise, and Principe Borghese. The most impressive of the non-cherry varieties so far are the Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye and the Italian Heirloom.
The seedlings are looking pretty sad and spindly at the moment. I just moved the tiny blocks into the larger blocks, which is a delicate operation. I’m counting on the natural vigor of tomatoes to make these guys want to grow!
I haven’t been at camp very often, but work continues. Sam has hooked up the water – see black pipe heading for camp from the lake. The camp looks majestic next to its neighbors. No leaves yet, but the trees are budding out. Black flies expected by Mother’s Day if not sooner.
It’s mud season and the camp road threatens to swallow up the car in many places. Nevertheless work continues. Cam is working on trimming out the windows and Sam is working on the shower stall and finishing up the painting.
Bathroom window and outside wall of showerLinen closetElectrical box and problematic outlet paint job Broom closet with handy outlet for rechargeable battery device such as a DustBusterBedroom windowsillShower stall with Schluter baseWorking on the curbBathroom windowsillEast side window looking out on neighbor’s
The interior paint job is close to complete. The color is a faint greenish tint known as Silken Pine (Benjamin Moore). Sometimes it looks grey, sometimes tan. Subtle and foresty.
There has been some major progress at camp. The stairs are in, which makes accessing the loft much easier. And the walls are sheetrocked, which really helps define the space. Sam is working on compounding, as well as continuing the work on the electrical and plumbing systems.
The stairs are in. And the sheetrock. Sweet little loft room with storage space along the sides. View from the loftAnother view from loft. It’s snowing but you can’t really see it. Looking up from kitchen areaUnder stairs. There will be a desk under here.Ceiling fan and light fixture, protected from sheetrock dust.Pendant light in dining roomPendant light hooked up to switchAnd with a dimmerLittle woodstove cranking awayBroom closetBathroom
