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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 13 Mar 2012 07:37am
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I plan to attend said Wild Turkey Festival!
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2012 09:47pm
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Spent a wonderful weekend upgrading the cabin. The old cart and storage cabinet had to go and make room for permanent cabinets and a countertop. Went with a white counter 'cause it is so dark inside after the leaves come out. I cut out a hole for the sink and presto! Instant transformation.
The best part is I didn't have to make any extra trips to the hardware store! Careful planning and luck.
The cabinets are good quality with plywood construction. Got 'em at Grossman's Outlet in Columbus for a lot less than the particle board cabinets offered at the big box stores.
I still have to order my rubber sink trap and plumb from it to the outdoors. Will do some more work next weekend.
New cabinets and counter in place
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Sink installed
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Temporary catch basin
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VC_fan
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2012 09:37am
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Looks great, but stop with the progress would you? You're giving me a major inferiority crisis. I've been using a 5 gallon bucket under the sink for about 10 years.....
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stoverr2
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2012 08:21pm
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Im not quite in your neck of the woods, I'm building in Perry county, about 10 miles east of New Lexington. Have the majority of the 12x20 exterior done, just need to finish off the inside. I think I'll install my HF 45w panels this weekend and maybe frame out the bathroom.
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 7 May 2012 07:59pm
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Got the sink drain connected. No more emptying buckets! I used a rubber sink trap from Fernco (thanks to a tip here) so the cabin can freeze solid without the trap splitting.
The hand pump loses its prime quickly, so no freeze damage there. The water container should flex enough not to split. My cabin shutdown procedure is now "turn off lights and close door". I'll forget and leave the lights on one of these days...
Rubber sink trap with J
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Trap installed
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Tubing to hand pump
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 7 May 2012 08:03pm - Edited by: SE Ohio
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Hand pump installed for running water... Empty Bud box was merely for haulin' stuff (especially in the pre-water days at the cabin) 
Lowe's hand pump with counter clutter
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 5 Aug 2012 08:37am
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Somee progress at the cabin this weekend.
Washed then painted a white rain barrel. One can primer, three cans black spray paint. Next time I think I'll brush paint over the primer.
Split and stacked wood from recent storm cleanup. Still plenty of firewood laying around from June storm.
Got neighbor's A-frame supported swing all rebuilt post-storm. A tree broke three legs but the swing was okay. My kids use the swing more than he does so I supplied materials and labor. He supervised...
Rain barrel is now opaque
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Wood pile replenished
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exsailor
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# Posted: 7 Aug 2012 02:15pm
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SE Ohio
Nice sink and I relly like how your hand pump is set up. Do you have a grey water trap you drain your sink into. I looked back through your post and didn't see the drain set up anywhere.
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Spencie
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# Posted: 7 Aug 2012 07:27pm
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Great looking retreat. Our cabin-in-progress is in Athens County...near Amesville.
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 7 Aug 2012 08:56pm
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Exsailor,
Thanks! Right now I'm letting the water run out on the ground, using biodegradable dish soap (Walmart grocery section of all places has it). I will be burying a 55 gallon plastic drum eventually for a mini-septic (my sink supply is only 5 gallons).
Spencie,
I'm by McArthur, not too far from you.
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 28 Oct 2012 04:03pm - Edited by: SE Ohio
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Slow progress on my firewood storage. I was entertaining two of my boys at the Lake Hope State Park ROAR (Rural Ohio Appalacia Revisited) fest this (damp) weekend.
End state, firewood will be off ground and covered. Tin roof with pressure treated framing should last a while... Hope to finish up next visit and eventually fill up.
Vinton County and nearby OH folks - Roar-fest is great time. The kids got to throw spears, shoot paintballs with slingshots, use a 2 man saw, had hay-ride through "haunted" forest, etc. All free (but we gave a good donation). Last Saturday in October. See you in 2013!
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:20pm
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A few days at Thanksgiving let me catch up on the wood storage project. Still needs some dividers, but will keep the wood dry. Two of my boys helped move the split wood and loaded 'er up.
Now the chainsaw needs some attention...
Teamwork
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Wood rack completed
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 31 Dec 2012 03:26pm - Edited by: SE Ohio
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T'was a good few days at the cabin with my helper.
The saga of the tree: Now that my firewood shack was finished, decided it was time to get some wood for next year. I had a tall dead tree that had potential to fall and hit our parking area. Closer examination showed it not only leaning that way, but it was also cracked and ready to go any time.
I kept the mini-van parked up on the ridgetop well away from potential falling tree. Cussed at chainsaw for at least 10 minutes (must prime it more than manufacturer recommends, so it seems). Notched tree well below crack on side towards driveway and lean. Started cut on opposite side. All is going well. When saw gets two inches from notch, tree pinches bar! This is the opposite way from the lean! Arrrggh. No spare chainsaw.
Off to the shed for my long rope and come-along. Come-along is not there, presumed stolen. Sigh.
Rope is long enough to reach minivan. Tie off, get helper in van, and reverse. Timber! Tree falls correctly.
Cut log to splittable lengths. Too late I realize it is a dead elm tree. Not my favorite wood for heat. Sigh. I split it anyway.
Previous owner left me a wood sled, and we put it to good use. Fire rack is now 3/4 full, will save last 1/4 for another wood.
Drove back from cabin this morning. More snow coming down now!
All-in-all it was good to get away.
Wood sled
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Firewood
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Snowbound
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 31 Dec 2012 03:31pm - Edited by: SE Ohio
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Dead elm tree
Dead elm tree
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Labor Law Violation
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trollbridge
Member
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# Posted: 31 Dec 2012 04:18pm
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Got a little nervous when I read "rope is long enough to reach minivan"...figured you may have ended up with a real fiasco on your hands!!! Lol! Glad it all ended well 
Cute little helper you have there...bet he enjoyed his time with Dad!
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2013 10:43am
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SE Ohio
I'll tell you.......that tree cutting work is a precarious affair. Old Buddy and I have taken down a number of trees in the past few years but fortunatety, most were 12" or less and it didn't really matter which way they fell. Our two-man system works like this. Old Buddy does the cutting (it's his saw) and when he's getting close to getting to the end, I'll lay my hand on his shoulder and when I see the tree start to moving, I'll give him a real hard "love tap" and he looks at me to see which way to move away from the tree. Thank God it's worked pretty well so far. It seems like sometimes it's difficult to cut and actually see the tree starting to move. Sometimes that few seconds can mean serious injury or worse for some people.
Anyway....we have at least a half-dozen cherry trees that need to come down that are bent and crooked. None of them are over 8".
Boy but they sure burn good! It's good wholesome work. Even Tristin (Little Buddy) likes to help Daffy and Pap carry the smaller logs (2-3").
I wish you and yours a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year.
Old Old Buddy
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oldbuddy
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2013 10:46am
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SE Ohio
In the above paragraph Daffy is supposed to be Daddy. You don't suppose it that was a Freudian Slip? OOB
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R9R Photography
Member
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# Posted: 12 Mar 2013 12:54pm
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I too enjoyed the tree felling post. I needed a chuckle 
Love all the build info on here but sometimes those are the most fun stories
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2013 09:25am
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Spring break at the cabin was initially un-springlike. While warming up the cabin we took a good hike and found the remains of some old houses nearby. Some of the old foundations had spring bulbs peeking through the snow (will have to transplant some in the fall).
The leaves being down made for great views and we found a number of waterfalls and caves. Some even had coal seams (I save a few chunks to thow in the stove at times). One cave had ice stalagmites that looked a bit like teeth.
The old cemetery probably had the remains of the occupants of the old houses. There was quite a snowstorm brewing as we made our way through the cemetery.
Later we watched the snow slowly slide off the roof, keeping the corrugated roof pattern as it went. At night we heard many "WHUMPS" of large bits of snow hitting the ground.
The weather warmed up by the end of the week, and allowed for some outdoor work... Will post more pictures when time allows...
Old foundation stones
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Cave teeth
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Grave marker
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Corrugated snow
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buckybuck
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2013 10:27am
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I'll be darned. I was in Vinton County opening up last week also. I wonder if vc_fan was there also.
We had a lot of snow where I live on Monday. I wasn't sure whether or not I'd be able to get into my place. What I do now is check on some webcams in the area. Here's the closest ones I know of:
This one's at the Jackson elementary school http://weather.weatherbug.com/weather-safety/online-weather-center/Camera/Camera.aspx ?stat=JCKSO&camera=JCKSO
And this one is at a school in Chillicothe
http://weather.weatherbug.com/weather-safety/online-weather-center/Camera/Camera.aspx ?stat=CHBFS&camera=CHBFS
Don't forget the Wild Turkey Festival the first weekend in May!
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2013 12:28pm
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Did have some road trouble on that snowy Sunday, took three tries to get up hill. Snow plow came along later and it was all better. Of course I may have beaten the snow if I hadn't driven off from home without my son's clothes bag, which cost me an hour + ...
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VC_fan
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2013 05:01pm
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Unfortunately Feb 10 was my last day trip down that way. I'm definitely having Vinton County withdrawals. I'm hoping next weekend to take my nearly-antique DR mower down and work on sanity preservation. Kids home from college, Easter gatherings, etc, etc seem to be a weekly happening lately. All very nice things but I keep thinking they'll slow down...
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 28 Apr 2013 02:47pm - Edited by: SE Ohio
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Next week is the Wild Turkey Festival. Spent this weekend working on cabin in anticipation of having the family down next weekend.
Installed new charge controller for my "Horrible Fright" 45 watt system. The Morningstar controller will allow "hands-off" charging, as the HF controller has to be turned on/off manually and I'm not there everyday... Put the charge controller in outdoor-rated electrical enclosure (~$20 at Menards, purchased circuit breaker box and removed "innards") and attached to cabin.
Of course a critical switch fell apart and I was short a few critical parts, and was about 45 minutes from a hardware store. Sigh. I finished hooking into house wiring just before dark. Still need to hook up panels, but I'm close?
The other week I found a rusty cast iron Wapak 7 skillet by the creek. It was heavily rusted. After sanding and seasoning, I brought it to the cabin for the official "break-in". Nice light weight skillet, may go in with my canoe camping gear! It'll get good and black with age (black is beautiful)
Met a neighbor woman from down the road. She's in her 70's and was there to turkey hunt! What a gem, a real outdoors person.
Had some minor vandalism. An animal (raccoon, possibly) liked the smell of the Folgers container where we stash our toilet paper. It opened up the container and chewed a bit. It also knocked down my fish cleaning board, and got into some empty corn bags. Not too bad compared to what humans could do...
Might see a few of you at the Vinton Co Wild Turkey fest next weekend?
Solar charge controller box
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Skillet before
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Breaking in skillet with bacon
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Mountain Grown TP Container
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VC_fan
Member
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# Posted: 29 Apr 2013 07:42am
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I made it to the WTF last year (just the part along Rte 50; I was there during the queen pageant which I would expect to be one of the highlights) and thoroughly enjoyed the ~20 minutes it took to take it all in. I'm not sure I'll be able to make it over this year unless something unexpected happens. Enjoy it!
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buckybuck
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# Posted: 29 Apr 2013 06:49pm - Edited by: buckybuck
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I'll be at my place this weekend, but time might be short. I know I'll need to mow. I also want to plant a wildflower garden for my wife and a small vegetable garden for me (or more likely, my resident deer); unfortunately, the closest place to Vinton County you can rent a rototiller is Jackson, which for me is the opposite direction from MacArthur, so I dunno if I'll make it to the Wild Turkey Festival.
Last time I was in McArthur I saw that there was a McDonald's getting ready to open on Route 50 right across the street from the high school (of course). I kinda hate to see it--part of the appeal of having a place in Vinton County was it had been the only county in Ohio with no fast food restaurants.
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 30 Apr 2013 07:47am
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So far we've avoided the McD's. my kids don't know it's there!
Might plant impatiens this weekend, as we have so much shade. Hope to hike some, too before it gets humid and buggy.
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VC_fan
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# Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:54pm
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About the McDonalds.... I'd say the amount of trash along the roads has gone up at least 50% with their bags. I guess it's progress. I guess.
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 6 May 2013 11:27am - Edited by: SE Ohio
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T'was a productive visit to the cabin. I've upgraded the solar charge controller and possibly my quality of life...
The old Harbor Freight solar charge controller was manual at best. It wasn't designed to be left on all the time and you are expected to turn it on when the sun comes up, off when sun sets. Since I'm a weekender, I can only charge when I'm there, and due to use I could never really get to a high charge without taking the battery home.
New charge controller is a Morningstar, and it is a "hands off" controller, no toggling required. This controller will allow me to charge the battery when I'm not there, and will not overcharge. It also will disconnect the house from the circuit if the battery gets too low, e.g. if my kids leave the lights on when we're not there.
Harbor freight solar panel wires were quite anemic, so spliced 12 gauge wires from panel to controller. Less voltage drop, so more efficient battery charging.
Upon installation, battery showed it was a little low on charge. No surprise there! It hadn't been home for a while.
Looking forward to next trip down, and no battery charge worries!
Charge controller close up showing low charge
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Wet location box and conduit
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jun 2013 03:16pm
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Next trip down was a little bit of a letdown.
Battery was fully charged, that was the good news.
This controller has a feature to disconnect load if battery level drops too low (great if you leave on the lights). This kicked in each time I turned on the lights. I removed power from controller and retried. Same thing again.  Battery voltage was fine and load was same before; controller was goofy. I removed it and exchanged it for another (Morningstar paid postage both ways). Looking forward to installing replacement and trying again...
Wife wants me to expand deck. Will take good measurements and see if I can work a combination deer blind/compost potty house into the design (honey, can you come out of the bathroom already? I want to hunt...)
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2013 11:50am - Edited by: SE Ohio
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Haven't posted in a while. Have been going to cabin regularly, though.
Sometime in July someone stole my mountain bike. It was locked up with tires deflated, but that didn't deter the theft. I've filed a report with the sheriff, have serial number, etc. If anyone runs the thief off the road please do so without damaging the bike...
Another sad note: The McArthur Ohio Supervalue grocery will close by the end of August. This is an old-fashioned smaller store like I remember when I was a kid- Gum and junk machines in the entryway, and $.25 race car for the kids to ride out front. I've gotten in the habit going to the cabin with minimal groceries and then plan my next cabin meals while browsing the grocery. I'll really miss the convenience of that place.
On a lighter note we tried out our newest technology on our recent trip, a hand crank ice cream maker. Recipe called for light whipping cream, vanilla and condensed milk. Found out we did not pack latter two ingredients (and was too lazy to drive 15 minutes each way to the grocery). We substituted in maple syrup and regular milk and a tablespoon of sugar and it turned out ok- No leftovers! Gave some to young couple that had just finished mowing at neighbors cabin, they were delighted.
Installed some more "new technology" to aid in eliminating mosquitoes. Found a cedar bathouse at a garage sale, and let my boys create a "batman" stencil to decorate it. A sharpy transferred the shape to the bathouse. Bathouse probably isn't big enough but will do until I can find/build a larger one. Nice to have a bat- guest house...
My boys did very well this trip with minimal electronics. They played some board games and then made Lego creations and worked nicely together. Late in the afternoon, our youngest rewarded us by taking a nap! Sure is peaceful when he sleeps.
Kids school starts this week. Will be limited to short weekend cabin visits for a while, 'cept Labor Day.
Stolen bike
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Ice cream maker with ice cream maker
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Mosquito Mitigation
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Tuckered out
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