The First Steps

Moments after deciding to renovate and move into the rickety green shack I was already convinced that it would come to fruition. Convincing others wasn't as easy, but since this had little effect on the project, others were allowed to scoff- most just wondered. This wonderment was the first clue that we were moving in the right direction.

Emily in the house on Day 1.

On (blank day), we began moving flotsam and jetsam out of the house. It was nearly full of rotting wood and other organic treasures. Within minutes, masses of magic slime were discovered on many of the broad, nearly black wooden boards, a good omen. That first day Emily and her brother Will helped a great deal, and we created a large pile of junk against the brick wall and a smaller, but much longer, pile on the chain link fence opposite. Metal items, tools, and mystical objects were piled on the dead lawn next to the fire pit.

Nighttime interior views after Day 1 or 2. The brick wall above is our next door neighbor's exterior wall. Look at the lower image. There was a LOT of stuff in here. It would be a dream to meet the man who worked here. He had created a very large vise and an equally large jig of some sort, probably for making windows. There was a lot of glass, locks, hinges, window weights, various metal sheeting and rod, strips of wood, door knobs, tools, nails, etc. I could go on and on. Later posts will likely include images of these priceless and rust-covered objects.

The beginning of the large pile of whatever.

We had dented it, but it would require a few more mild sessions before all the debris had been removed. This included at least two days in which the remains of the roof were demolished. We had filled a half-dozen contractor bags with smaller junk (mostly tar from the roof) and ended with a pile of mostly useless wood as high as I am tall. If memory serves, most of this was performed after my day job, hence the short days. My soft-focused memory also recalls the first burning of the "burnable" wood, and the first few Sport Hammock-ing trials.

Interior view of the house after the majority of the debris had been removed. Note the gaping hole in the ceiling. This was a bummer, because the wood could have been well preserved had it remained dry. Had there not been a hole, I may have been tempted to renovate the roof, but it probably never would have been as warm or structurally sound as what I have planned. This way we can also add skylights.

Who can say how many days had passed? This is why there is now a blog.