Cabin Dreams

On Saturday we went to a local bar for a pig roast dinner. We met friends there who had been up at their cabin for the past month. Unfortunately it was a different month than we are spending at our cabin. Talk revolved around which cell phone company provided the best cell phone and internet access in the area. Conversation also included what equipment was needed to connect to cell phone and internet. There is almost no coverage in this area without antennas and boosters.

This morning we went out to breakfast which was a real treat. I enjoy going out for breakfast. It is my favorite meal to eat out. There are not many places in the area of our cabin that serve breakfast and then it is typically only on the weekend.

Saturday night is usually sauna night for us. Since we were gone on Saturday night we took our sauna on Sunday night. The Finnish way to take a sauna is to go from hot to cold three times. This involves going from the hot sauna into the cold outdoors, snow or even a cold lake. We sometimes just go from the sauna to the cold outside and sit on a bench until we cool off.

LeaRae Keyes
www.cabinstuff.com

We went to visit our friends who had been up for a month. They generously shared food they had not eaten with us to take home. We now have enough food to eat for about a week. This will help us get by without having to shop for much food for at least a week.

LeaRae Keyes
www.cabinstuff.com

We left last night for a month at the cabin. We had hoped to leave by about non, but didn’t get packed up and ready to go until about 5:00 pm. At any rate we did manage to leave on Friday. We are planning to be at the cabin for the next 30 days and I will be blogging about our experiences.
By way of background, Chuck, my husband and I with help from his brother and his wife have built a cabin on a piece of property we own in a remote part of Northern MN. It is 40 acres of land on a small 42 acre lake. We are 3 miles down a logging road that is quite bumpy and requires a high clearance vehicle to drive down this road. We own an SVU so we are able to navigate the road. We are “off the grid” meaning we are not connected to utilities. We have solar panels, batteries and generators. We have a well with a hand pump, an outhouse, and a sauna.

LeaRae Keyes
www.cabinstuff.com

What does the end of summer mean to you? After Labor Day, it often seems as if winter is just around the corner. For me Labor Day marks the formal end of summer. As I’ve gotten older, it seems that summer goes by, more and more quickly. I am once again sad to see it go. Then the summer also means waking up to cool temperatures, morning fog, and mist rising off this surface of the lake.

For my husband, Chuck, this is just the beginning of his favorite season, fall. I think he would be happy to sit in the woods and just watch the trees turn color and the leaves fall off.

Does the end of summer mean it’s time for you to close up your cabin? Since we are off the grid, there isn’t a lot we need to do to get ready for winter. We tend to continue to use our cabin in northern Minnesota until we have too much snow fall and are no longer able to easily get into the cabin. There is 3 miles of rough walking road to get into our cabin. So, once any amount of snow accumulates we need to use snowmobiles to get in, which results in multiple trips to get our stuff food and pets into the cabin.

What does the end of summer mean to you? Does the end of summer affect how often you go to the cabin? What else changes about cabin life for you in the fall and winter?

LeaRae
www.cabinstuff.com

One of the joys of owning a cabin is when it has been built and you can begin to add things that reflect your personality. It is also exciting to add things that are functional and beautiful. That is why I was so pleased when I found this attractive storage box that seems fairly simple to build. Take a look at the directions for building this storage box on the Home Depot web site.

LeaRae Keyes
www.cabinstuff.com

We are into our fifth year working on our cabin in the woods. I am amazed how quickly the time has gone. It really doesn’t seem like we have been at this for five years already. Last year we built a sauna with a wash up room and a changing room. We are really enjoying having some place to clean up this year. We are off the grid (no connection to public utilities) and we do not have running water. We did have a well drilled last year so we can now get clean water without having to walk down to the lake and carry it up a bucket at a time. Besides which I struggle to carry a full bucket of water so I tend to only carry a half a bucket at a time.

This year we are working on finishing off the bunk room. When this is done, the entire first floor of the cabin (20 feet by 32 feet) will be finished. We built a closet with storage and book shelves. We also installed batten boards on the ceiling along with bead boards. We put a wave trim around the ceiling. Now we will put one or more additional coats of poly on the floor. The last thing to do is to plan and build the Queen size bunk beds.

How long have you been working on your cabin? What projects are you currently involved in doing? Do you have a way to keep track of what you have been doing and how long it has taken you? We keep track by writing on a calendar at the end of each day we are at the cabin what we accomplished that day.

LeaRae Keyes
www.cabinstuff.com

There are so many ways to build a cabin. It seems that log cabins get most of the attention, at least on the internet. However, there are other building materials that can be used. I love seeing what materials others are using to build their cabin. The materials seem to be related to the place and climate where the cabin is being built. Some materials are easier to come by then others and some are easier to get into remote spots.

I had not previously been aware of a technique called slipform. This appears to be a definite option to consider if you live in a damp climate. For more information on this technique go to http://www.hollowtop.com/cls_html/stone_cabin.htm

What interesting and unique materials have you seen used to build cabins?

Today while we were walking through a store we saw an outdoor heater. One of these seems as if it would be perfect for our cabin especially after we add a couple porches and a deck. This would give us a jump on spring and allow us to stay outside longer in the fall.

In Minnesota, and perhaps where you are, the summer is just never long enough for me. In addition, one of joys of spring and fall are that there are fewer flying insects so time outside is more enjoyable. When I am at the cabin I love to be outside and enjoying being surrounded by nature, and the peace and quiet of being in the north woods.

The newer outdoor heaters look more attractive and come with more bells and whistles. No, not literally. They do have options like remote controls and can run on propane and electricity.

I have to put one of these on my wish list.

  Have you seen the new humorous commercial for the Gorilla Gripper that’s being emailed around? It’s a good example of the attempts at viral marketing that are showing up in your and my email box with increasing frequency.

The Gorrilla Gripper < www.gorillagripper.com > is a new gripping hand tool designed for lifting, carrrying, and
moving building materials, especially 4×8 sheets of anything that needs moving.

You can buy the Gorrilla Gripper online for $49.95.

Watch their entertaining commercial at http://www.gorillagripper.com/videos/commercial.html.

I came across these calculators and wanted to share them with you. I wish I had found them sooner. They would have been helpful as we are calculator materials. I hope you are able to use them early in your cabin building process. http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/calculators.html

LeaRae Keyes
CabinStuff

I am sure that it is costing you more and more to travel to your cabin as gasoline prices continue to increase. You are probably shocked by the rising cost of gasoline and it may be impacting on the number of trips you are able to take to the cabin.

You can save money on gasoline by looking for the cheapest gas in your area. Go to www.gaspricewatch.com or www.gasbuddy.com to find information on the least expensive gasoline in your area. Prices on these sites are regularly updated by volunteers.
 
Another way to save on gasoline is to watch for the day of the week when gasoline is the cheapest. Traditionally this has been on Tuesdays.

Phenology is the study of the times of recurring natural phenomena. Phenology has been principally concerned with the dates of first occurrence of natural events in their annual cycle. Examples include the date of emergence of leaves and flowers, the first flight of butterflies and the first appearance of migratory birds, the date of leaf coloring and fall in deciduous trees, the dates of egg-laying of birds and amphibia, iced and ice-out dates of a lake.

Keeping a record of phenology at your cabin can be fun and educational. Have a notebook or calendar handy to record the seasonal happenings in the area of your cabin.

One thing we listen for during May is the date we start hearing the spring peepers (a type of frog) around our cabin in northern Minnesota. The frogs are so loud at night that if one is a light sleeper they may be kept awake by the cacophony of sounds.

Last week our hummingbird feeder was attracting a number of ruby-throated hummingbirds (the only hummingbirds found in Minnesota) as well as goldfinches. We were seeing common loons, geese and ducks on our lake and we observed a wood duck looking for a nesting tree (we don’t have a wood duck house - yet!). And, we saw our first wobbly-legged spotted white tail deer fawn of the season..

Tamarack trees in our area have fresh green tufts of leaves again. The birch, popple, and maple trees have leafed out and the ash are just leafing out..

Wild flowers blooming at this time of year include trillium, bunch berry, marsh marigolds, yellow and blue violets, and jack-in-the-pulpits. Wild prairie grasses are also coming up.

The phenology at your cabin will be different from what we observe at our cabin, earlier or later depending on your location. Begin now to track the seasonal happenings in the area of your cabin..

Other seasonal things to track at the cabin include bird varieties and bird counts at feeders, high and low temperature, precipitation, and lake temperature..

For more information about phenology, check out Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenology.

   I’ve been doing some research in early 1900s Minnesota newspapers and I saw several references to using split-log drags to keep roads in good shape in the spring. Since it’s spring and mud season in northern Minnesota, I thought they, or something like them, might be a low-cost way to improve our 3 mile access road/driveway.

Have you ever used a split-log drag or do you know of a low-cost modern alternative?

On this day after the shootings at Virginia Tech, I sit here still in shock over the massacre. 

The thought that keeps running through my mind is that we are never promised another day. We do not know what tomorrow may bring so we need to make the most of today. Therefore, it is so important that you not put your dreams on hold. 

If you want to build your dream cabin (or for that matter, any cabin), do it now! Identify the steps needed. Break those down into the smallest steps possible. Take a step every day, or at least every week, to make your dream a reality. If you don’t know where to start, go to www.CabinStuff.com for ideas and resources. 

LeaRae Keyes
CabinStuff 

  As I was flipping through the latest Cottage Living Magazine, I came across a picture of a set of tableware that I thought was just perfect for a cabin or cottage. Go to Faux Bois tableware if you would like to see this delightful tableware. Its twig and branch pattern would look great on any cabin or cottage table. 

Have you discovered something you think is perfect for a cabin? If you have, let us know about it.

LeaRae Keyes,
www.CabinStuff.com