Nurse Logs

The only potential "The View" from the cozy cabin was on fire late this evening. The setting sun strikes the mountain just right. The high number of late leaf holding oaks was lit up as if by magic. It would be nice to have a clear view of the near far mountain top.

All those naked trees in front of the only potential "The View" from the cozy cabin must go.



I am hoping they will all fall down on their own, preferably away from the cabin. It would be expensive to have them chopped down and a lot of dangerous work to do it myself. Tree killer you must be thinking.

Not. They are already as dead as dead can be be. Ninety five percent of them are Hemlocks. The tiny Wooly Adelgid killed these mighty Hemlock trees. I just want them to fall down.



I am only thinking of the baby trees all these logs could feed. When they all fall down, I can plant new shorter view having trees.

Water

In the desert, gardens people wanted always needed water. Now I garden with rain. I plant something and water it by bucket maybe three times. From then on, it gets only rain. A human however is like a garden in the desert. It always needs water. I need water.



It will come up from the ground, just to the left of the now yellow trees.



And end up in here, filtered, pressurized, heated if needed, and sent off to the faucets. This tangle of pipes is almost put together. All that tangle is what the utility closet will hide.



I looked for the right stud. Every so often there is need for mirror time. With warm water I can scrape my face clean.



In the lower down spot high on a mountain water tubes are getting connected.

Getting Naked

A few trees remain in their full Autumn splendor.



Many more are bare.



I couldn't decide which version I liked better. The difference is quite subtle.



The growing nakedness is not so subtle. It won't be long until I can once again see the cozy cabin through the trees from the resident gardeners house.



The look of winter is near.

Places I Go

To work



In Haywood County, North Carolina.



It will be time to organize fallen leaves soon.

I'd say it is an even trade for Maui.

Good To The Last Leaf

One day the power will be mine.

Out And About And Back

My Hughes satellite ISP has been in an ornery mood, not wanting to load photos to Blogger for a week now. That throws things off. The coming fury of wind and rain is not likely to help matters. I go about my regular incremental construction progress, work and random chores and it is a relieving distraction from ongoing computer aggravation.

Seeing beautiful scenery is most helpful for orienting the mind to the proper perspective. When I go to town, this is where I go, the little town of Waynesville.



This is the gubmint building in Waynesville. I've been in there to get my passport card for a drive through Canada to Buffalo, NY.



A little further from town, in Crabtree valley, there are other sights of interest.



Back home from running errands, the brand new Yellie Mum from Fairegarden, Tennessee was extracted from its well done temporary pot and planted on the grounds of Ku'ulei 'Aina.



I planted three groups of the Yellie Mums in the newly available flower beds on both sides of the service entrance to the cozy cabin. In the Fall when I pull in to park I will be greeted with a cheerful welcome home. I could probably add some of the Sheffie Mum to the mix for even more cheerfulness. Best check the color combo first.



This is Fall from the back stoop of the cozy cabin.



Inside, a bathroom is actually beginning to take shape. The side panel for the utility closet is in and the vanity cabinet was moved close to its final position.



There is still a long list of processes for the bathroom before completion of course, but you can already tell it has that desired flow in the design elements.



Today the vanity cabinet had a few extra holes drilled for water lines and drainage and was placed into its final position. Then I just had to put the glass sink on top to have a look. All I can say is this picture does it no justice. It just looks white, which it is, but it is glass and you really have to see it to get the proper effect.



Outside more wine bottles, generously donated by Frances and the Financier were added to the edging for the new bed. It is so nice of all of you to drink up for me. I'm thinking I will just add the wine bottles as the arrive. When they completely edge the bed, I can step back for a look and see if rearranging them by size, color or what have you will make it even better. Or if I need to make an extra trip to the recycle center.



It has been blustery all day ahead of the big wind a comin'. Fall is getting literally blown away as I type.



No worries. It is already quite cozy inside the cabin and there is plenty yet to keep me busy inside for most of the winter as I plug away at one more process headed towards completion.

The End Of Sublime

There are some good things about warm dry weather when it shouldn't be so warm and dry. The days have been just gorgeous for the fall showing.



And on the last day of gorgeous weather, we had a Faire visitor from Tennessee. Normally this visitor is accompanied by grey skies, mists, rain, snow and cold temperatures. This time she got lucky.



Because the very next day the grey skies, mists, rain and cooler temperatures arrived. I don't have any photographic evidence as proof of the visit. We will have to wait and see if near identical pictures appear at the Fairegarden. Will this be the one?



I traded a big rock for the new Yellie Mum, an offspring of the Sheffie Mum. Not these mums. These are other mums that have returned two years running, a good sign.



Will this be the near identical picture of a sublime afternoon in Autumn when visitors came to the mountaintop's wild cultivated garden?



The week of rain ahead is sure to bring the peak of the fall showing to an end. It was wonderful while it lasted and good to be able to share it while it was still sublime.

A Saturday Morning

Autumn



The sun is in the wrong place.



Late Saturday afternoon



Autumn



The sun is gone too soon.



At least it is still Autumn.

The First Hole In The Wall

You spend years, over many seasons crafting a well built and tightly sealed home only to reach a point where you must drill a huge hole through the entire wall. It's scary and a little freaky thinking your are about to rip through multiple layers of painstaking construction. But it has to be done.



It turned out to be less painful, much easier and neater looking than anticipated. I made a big effort to be sure this first, 5 and 3/4 inch diameter hole in the wall was neat and perfectly round. I also said no holes will be put through the wall until all vent components are in place and ready for immediate assembly.



The tankless gas hot water heater is what the new vent is attached to. This is mounted on the wall in the bathroom and will have a closet built around it. This new 30 inch wide and 25 inch deep closet, already under construction, will house the water heater, pressure tank, water filter, pressure switch, plumbing configuration for water throughout the cabin and if I am lucky a spare shelf or two.



There are three more holes through the wall to come. One gas dryer, one gas wall furnace and one gas stove top vent. With every hole through the wall you have to kind of keep your fingers crossed and hope you don't run into any electrical wires. Hole number one was wireless. I hope my luck holds.



The remaining vents should not take years over many seasons to accomplish. When the Witch Hazels bloom again next October I will be sitting warm and cozy inside the cabin.



The circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems of the cozy cabin will all be alive and functioning. The major organs are being installed now and with a little spark, the nervous system will bring it all to life.



Then time will have its way.



The first wine bottle edging was placed today. I will have a regular supply. A little foraging could speed this project up, but perhaps a slow and steady approach is more fitting to the nature of this place.



Does this vent look like a bolt in the neck?



It is the season when the Witch Hazel blooms.

Rough Gardening

Uncle Ernie says if there are still leaves on the trees and the grounds not froze then there is still time to garden. I will have to keep that in mind.



The gravel road bed was spread and compacted yesterday and a new planting area has taken shape.



I have waited so long for this, I may not be able to resist this blank garden slate calling out for some visual interest. You must know there was never any thought given to parking cars smack up against the cozy cabin.



I couldn't resist. The new bed is now fully mulched with wood chips and a seedling Acer griseum that fell out of the ground at Client #1's last spring and that I have been growing out since was planted. It's a start. While doing this my mind turned to edging. I do need to discourage cars from driving through. I'm tired of rocks. I'm thinking wine bottles turned upside down and partially buried in the ground.



I even revisited Turdhenge and rearranged the rocks for the new Lake Turdishsan.



The plan is to cover the turdbox with landscape fabric and probably the small roundish multi-colored pea gravel. It can be a raked gravel Japanese garden thingy. The far shore was rearranged from a straight line to give it more movement and interest.

I will contemplate what will be planted in the bed behind Lake Turdishsan over the winter.



There is still some Fall left. We have not even had our first frost, much less our first killing frost.



There have been a few meager attempts at freezing temperatures, but any really cold air has sunk to the valley floors. We have been spared up here on the mountain top.



It is the wind behind these fronts that is the driving force behind the end of Fall.



The trees are getting naked, but the grounds not froze, so there may still be more time to garden.