Whenever Possible, GRILL IT!

During our 20 years together, one of our favorite summer pastimes is grilling!  Over the years, we've owned a number of grills from self-built stone campfires with nothing but a metal grate precariously balanced over burning wood to a classic charcoal hibachi grill to a few commonplace propane grills, the last of which barely made it through last summer.




In our current situation, grilling is no longer a fun luxury, but rather a necessity!  After the last three weeks of Don hunched over our rudimentary fire pit and me turning our camper into a sauna, we decided it was time...

Don did some research on-line, then we went shopping...on Memorial Day to capitalize on the great sales at most stores, including Lowe's.


We ended up with this Char-grill because not only is it propane with a burner on the side, but it also has the charcoal grilling addition, which gives food such great flavor and of course, roasting marshmallows for dessert!

Hope you all had as lovely a holiday weekend as we did!  The weather cooperated from Friday through late-afternoon on Sunday.  Because William works for a county club in New York, he won't have much opportunity to visit this summer, so we were thrilled that he could spend 3 whole days with us this weekend!  Nate spent Saturday night and most of Sunday with us, too, so we celebrated their birthday altogether.



Don and Will went to town on the house demo, making great progress!

Mr. M stopped by, again, this time bearing a tasty gift - he brought along the most incredible "hoagies" (that's Delaware County for subs!) and had lunch with us, sharing more of the property's history and his gratitude for our ability to bring the place back to life.  He was amazed at our progress to date, but we have serious motivation - living in campers in crappy weather really stinks!


This whole "two days dry and sunny followed by "two days chilly and rainy" is for the birds!  I'm praying for a nice long string of dry days soon - and that needs to include a couple of weekends for Don's sanity!

On Friday evening, Don reviewed his proposed floor plan with me, Grace and Rosie, then he took some time Saturday morning to draw it to scale.


It's definitely a custom design!  We decided to stick with the one-floor plan, staying within the existing outer walls of the house, however, when we are finished, that will be the only remnants of the house we originally purchased.


Don's many years in the window-washing business, our many dwellings in 20+years, and even my 15 months assisting a fire investigator allowed us to see and experience lots of home lay-outs, so we have a pretty good idea of what we like and what we don't...what flows and allows for the most efficient use of space, but also feels warm and hospitable for all who enter, and promotes hearty conversation, of course!

And, to end with a bit of comic relief....

I came home from grocery shopping on Friday evening to see a glow coming from our camper...as I approached, this giant florescent-blue bug zapper is hanging under our camper awning and my husband smiling proudly standing in the doorway.

"Uh....where did that come from?"  I stuttered, staring in wide-eyed horror...ZZap!  The sound of death sent my dogs running towards the barn...


"Found it in the shed!  Works great!" He announces with that grin of his...ZZap! Bizt! I jump.

"It's not staying there," I reply flatly.  "No way".

"Sure it is." He laughs.

He's taking this redneck camper-living experience too far!

Well, we came to a compromise - he moved it to a much less conspicuous location, so I don't have to look at it...or jump every time an insect flies into the heavenly blue light!  And, he promised to only plug it in for an hour or two if/when the mosquitoes become a problem in the evening.



Visit right here for a new post this weekend.  A certain young equine has a birthday coming up and I will update you on his growth and progress - with lots of pictures!