A little spooky...

...but there's some progress. We were thinking of going up next week, but we're waiting to hear about the gas shortages in Georgia and the Carolinas.

From the holler...

Our clever and talented neighbor, Caroline, combined two local cabins she salvaged - one from 1850, the other 1815 - and built this one which we see from our back deck.
This is what our house looked like when we left Monday. You can see the cut outs for the gable roof for the deck. The small critter in the bedroom is Deco!
Estimated moving date: October 31st.

There's an inside now...

And a beautiful deck! It's been fun to see all the work that's getting done day to day. Wish we could stay longer...

Raising the Roof

It's been exciting to see this part of the project! We're in the process of deciding details now - where to put all the switches, what faucets to use, where will the hammock go (some details less important, obviously) - so it feels like we're really getting closer to maybe trick or treating here. Or at least having Thanksgiving dinner with Jackie's mom.

Intermission/Fay

We know it's been a month, but there were some delays (nothing bad)! We're on our way to visit next week, so we'll see the crane install the roof panels.

We survived Fay intact and dry, and our new door and windows didn't leak, so we were patting ourselves on the back until we got into the car and discovered a large swamp on the floor in the back seat. Oops!

One of the photos is from the kitchen of our friend and soon to be neighbor Beatriz.

Meanwhile, Back at the Beach

While Jackie and I have been waiting for our house in North Carolina to be built, we've been busy with improvements on our cottage in Saint Augustine, Florida. It's a charming little rental by the beach.

We rebuilt decks, installed new windows, put up new fences, and generally tore stuff up and put it back together - better! Quotes from our working together - Jackie: It'll be easy. I saw it on This Old House. Deirdre: #!@& I'm never doing this again!!

Seems like projects never end, but the results are great.

Deco Digs the Decks/Cutest Baby Ever

We stopped back in Weaverville after our visit up north. It was great to see everyone, especially new family member Ted, also known as Cutest Baby Ever. He's only a few months old, but he's promised to come and spend time with us in North Carolina, helping us with the gardens when we're too old and creaky to weed (maybe next year!).

In the photo above where Deco is inspecting her future home the house in the background belongs to our friend and neighbor Beatriz. She and her sister are fantastic glass artists. Check out their work!

p.s. If anyone can help me place the photos on the page where I want them, I'd be grateful!

Also, I forgot to give photo credits - Jackie, of course (except for the one of Ted)!