Jen & Rick left Sophia, Emma, and Cookie with the Smith grandparents and headed up to The Farm Wednesday, August 5.  By the time I arrived a little more than 24 hours later, they had stripped the former kitchen (the west room on the first floor) and,well, here are a few photos:

Before......

......and after.

I showed up Thursday afternoon and gazed in amazement.  Acting only as a consultant, I refrained from disturbing the workers and did not let on how impressed I was.  I did figure out how to get the plumbing working next visit.  I need to recover a little more from surgery (2 weeks ago) first.  Just a little more - as long as I don't get caught lifting weights over 10 pounds.

Jennifer and Richard took me to dinner at The Casselman Inn.  It must have been senior citizen night, and I almost asked Rick and Jen to leave me in the dining room - perhaps they could eat on the porch. 

Here's hoping and praying that Rick gets his next permanent duty station recruiting near home. If he does well, he can complete 20 years active duty as an Army Recruiter, MOS 79R and retire to Fort Living Room, Maryland about 2023 if I did my math right. 

Away too long....

Last went to the farm in October, 2014. Last week in March, 2015, we had a nice visit.  Richard and Jennifer, and their girls, Sophia and Emma, overnighted at the Casselman Inn, but visited at the country place all day.
Greg, our dogs, Cash and Willow, and I stayed in the farmhouse.
I think our next priority is to repair/replace plumbing to give us hot and cold running water, with toilet, sink, and shower, again.
Talking with Michael and Richard on returning home, and we want the future partners to be involved in planning - especially where capital is concerned.  My question, for the group, is, "what is the purpose of The James Morrison Family Partnership regarding the real estate?"
We have some income from coal mining - but it changes with the marketability of metallurgical coal.  We cannot make plans expecting it to continue, giving the state of the world coal and iron use, and steel production.
What we have profited amounts to about about enough to pay the real estate taxes for the next 20 years.
Keith and I are overdue a partnership meeting - maybe we can - and should - let you future partners observe and comment via Skype.

Back from another visit to The Farm.  Rick, Greg, and I drove up mid day Wednesday.  We happened to meet at Sidling Hill.  Parked right next to an RV.  Says I to Greg, "That RV looks a lot like Rick's" just as Ricky came down from the latrine (GIspeak for "bathroom").

Jennifer, Sophia, Emma, and Cookie drove their Jeep up Thursday and spent the night.  Of course, they bunked in their RV.

Wonderful family time, including a campfire and s'mores. My quiver is full to overflowing! They left Friday morning for Ft Hood, TX, Rick's new duty station.

Greg was still recovering from gall bladder surgery the Friday before.  He was unable to help much physically, but I loved his company, especially during the load-out.

We went to The Farm to complete what we had started - mowing and spraying, plumbing, and electrical systems.  Rained every day but the one we left on - Saturday.  No mowing or spraying.

We accomplished a lot of detailed tasks.  The results of this and two prior work trips:

1. Running cold water from the tank in the cellar.
2. Water heater in bathroom (so it can be adjusted by a showerer)
3. Flush toilet
4. Basin
5. Nice shower stall
6. Replaced kitchen sink faucets
7. Grey water, sinks, shower, spring overflow, and tank overflow combined in the pipe that drains at the barn foundation
8. Kitchen cabinets hung and re-assembled
9. Several 12V CFL lights
10. Outside:
1. House battery charging station
2. Waste composting system vented up the sunny side of the house - 4" PCV black painted soil pipe - great draft - no stink in the basement.
11. In the cellar:
1. Basement toilet waste composting system vented outside
2. Water tank (existing blue drum)
3. 12 volt RV pump
4. 120 volt powered 12 volt x 45 amp RV battery charger
5. 3,700 watt 120V inverter.
6. 2,200 watt Kawasaki 120/240 volt generator (run out of doors, of course)
12. Rick demolished the old range, base cabinets, and sink from the old kitchen. We will mount the old pitcher pump on the deck once we replace the plywood and roof membrane.
13. Cleanup - started but not completed.  I'll take photos when the work areas are neater.

Rick left a long post in the journal.  I loved this time with my son.  I am pleased that Richard loves his family, wife, kids, and grands. He's a good father and a good son. 

Greg is also faithful to family and helps out as much as we ask him to do.  His are a good pair of eyes to observe and check my work and provide counsel.  As he heals from his gall bladder excision, we will go up again.

We are more able to travel as Nora's condition has improved enough to be left alone or to enjoy visiting with family.  She is now visiting Laura and family in NC.

Next trip?  In a few weeks to improve what we have done in house, to install a larger pump and two sediment filters. and to mow and spray herbicides.

After that, tear off the deck roofing, maybe the plywood, too, and replace with an paint on elastomeric system or marine vinyl flooring.

Once the porch is repaired, weather tight, and safe, I hope to clean up the kitchen junk tossed over the rail, transfer kitchen storage to the kitchen, improve temporary storage of building materials.

Thinking of using a 1,000W inverter to drive 120V 18+/-W lighting.  1,000/18 = 50 or more lamps. The temporary DC wiring is enough for now - but not to be expanded any more.  All the CFLs flicker and dim as the battery pack voltage drops.  The pump draws a lot of current.

Enough thinking.  Do you smell burning hair?

Dan

Nice farm trip.  Greg did not make it - sick.  Rick and Jasper and I went up to work.  Jennifer and Sophia and Emma, and Mary and Hunter came by for a few days.

Rick and Jennifer bought a nice RV - and the girls spent the nights in the RV.

I had a great time.  It was really sweet around the fire ring.  It is interesting to observe these grand-kids interact with each other and with adults.

Nora is feeling and functioning so much better - I may be able to go up much more often and work.

Rick and I spent several days trying to do more than we were able.  Here is an extract from our farm work journal:

Interesting week at The Farm.  Rick and I tried to limit the scope to projects we could complete while there – but left a few things un-done.  We had the typical off-road problems, each of us broke equipment we were working on. 

Still, using the ATV and the Swisher® 44 in. 12.5 HP Rough Cut Trailcutter®, Rick mowed a path up the mountain along the old lane, and the driveway, and paths to the creek.  He mowed and weed-wacked a fire area – and built a stone circle.  We enjoyed the new location.

We bought a Swisher weed cutter half price ($150) at Tractor Supply Center.  Neat tool. Like the DR Mower on TV ads.

We have the bathroom sink and toilet installed and hooked up.  (Shower has been there a few months.) The kitchen sink is in its cutout in the kitchen cabinet.  Have a few leaks, and bought the materials to fix them.

The Envirolet® Composting Toilet System is in the cellar and is not vented outside yet.  That may be the first thing to finish so the house does not get stinky…..

We ran a lot from the 3700W inverter powered from the Explorer.  We moved the inverter and the two 200Ah batteries into the basement and need to hook them to the solar trickle charger.  We ran the pump – but need to wire it better – with a switch in the bathroom and in the basement.

We shall also wire a master disconnect switch on the first floor.

Lights in the new kitchen/dining/family room are great – far better than a couple gas lanterns.  Even though we have a lot of 12v compact florescent lights, I am thinking of wiring for AC using the inverter.  Less power loss to wire length with AC vs. DC.

Nora will be away for a while starting Tuesday morning.  Greg and I will go back up to accomplish the following:

1. Finish plumbing

a. Vent stack

b. Supplies on bathroom sink

c. Supply for toilet

d. Install water heater

2. Electrical work

a. Wire solar trickle charger to battery bank

b. Wire 120Vac cable from battery pack to front and/or back door to charge from a generator or an inverter.

c. Create battery current kill switch @ 1^st floor

d. Install AC OCPD box at battery with 2 30A breakers.

e. Battery voltage monitor at 1^st floor

f. 40A+ cable to charge from outside back and/or front driveway

g. Use ground bus bars to make temporary 12Vdc distribution from (or bring fuse panel from radio station)

3. Horticulture

a. Spray with woody and leafy herbicide – let the grass grow.

(1) Meadow,

(2) Spot spray Multiflora  Rose

b. Spray with leafy and roundup spray – kills everything

(1) Driveways, trails, areas already mown to be left bare

More improvements  Rick, Greg, and I stayed 5 days, Mike came by 2 days.  We now have hot and cold running water - supplying a shower.  Took more time and money than we thought, but we have a bathroom underway.  .Rick will send some pictures.

Corner shower stall, RV toilet, and pedestal sink fit into the 44" x 60" cubby hole.
Shower.
Pedestal sink.

Used RV toilet like this

Great time with my sons.  Reminded me of when Dad took Stu, Keith, and I to the farm to play.  Dad defined play as work you don't have to do.  Play you have to do, though, can become work.

We played hard!

Greg and I plan to go up monthly to service the generator and mower and work off some item or another.  We have a couple leaks in the plumbing we can easily fix - my first time using crimped connections with PEX pipe. 

Next?  Probably the sink, then the commode, then the kitchen sink.  May have all working well in a few visits.

October 2010 Visit

Greg and I stayed at The Farm for almost a week. Beautiful mild weather. A few visitors - Ron Yoder and his son Tyler were hunting deer. Kevin Beachy also tried to find and murder Bambi. Kevin is about my age and grew up on an adjacent farm. Mike Morrison and his daughter Violet visited a while. You've all met Mike, I imagine..... ;-)

Well, I was there to think of my father and our times together. Greg was a great companion. We did some smaller projects - fixed the spring house door, some plumbing modification, glazed Greg's window and the attic windows, and patched the travel trailer (RV) roof.

We are planning a return while Rick is here - en-route to Hawaii. We will finish hanging sheetrock, frame the kitchen interior wall, and sheetrock it, set the kitchen cabinets. Perhaps we will cover exterior wall areas missing siding.