the pavilion

hello friends and family, im sorry for the delay with my posts, but i have been trying to get as much done as possible outside while the weather is good. before long the weather will be cold and i will have more time to do indoor activities, but lately the weather can be explained best as "almost heaven".

the pavilion has been a hefty project, but im proud to say it is 98 percent finished. it has been a great learning experience. we thank all the people who helped make this project possible. our family and friends have been a huge help and we couldn't have done it without them. of course it helps to have an excellent carpenter to lead the project as i had with mike. lets just say when it comes to carpentry, mike has some skills.

here are some pictures from along the way.

as of yesterday the electricity has been ran, the gravel has been spread and we plan on moving the rv under this coming week. we are really looking forward to it.

marcus

Creepy Crawlies

Our friends Melinda and Michael's little boy Mikey turned 8 this past week. They had a party for him down at our neighbors place with games, food and hayrides! The best part? I got to make the cake and cupcakes!


I went with a Creepy Crawlie theme because 1. what little boy doesn't like monsters and worms? and 2. they were going with halloween decorations and games, including slime! Plus I got to be super creative and have fun with it! ;)

Along with the kids, we also had a really good time. We got to meet some other neighbors and made new friends. =) You can view a close-up and details on the cupcakes at my personal blog HERE!

xo Stephanie

Raptors!

Today we had an awesome experience! One of my new coworkers from the hotel volunteers at the WV Raptor Rehabilition Center and he offered to take us to see the birds they are currently caring for. We jumped at the chance, of course! Right now they have several including red-tailed hawks, a turkey vulture and a few different species of owls; including horned and screech.

This is Annie, the red-tailed hawk. She helps them with educational programs and events. She was truly breathtaking.

She opens her wings on command!

Much has been done since my last blog. We have almost completed the pavilion, I got a job at a hotel in Morgantown working banquets, had a 2nd interview at the hospital for a full-time position, and we have been scouting out plants in the area to photograph (those to come). Marcus has photos and blogging to share about the pavilion, once he actually takes a break! He's outside from dawn til dusk always working on something. You'll hear from him soon.

Hope everyone is enjoying this crisp fall weather!

xo Stephanie

p.s. At the camp or on the way a racoon, groundhog and red-tailed hawk have all been seen. Those are so common that it almost seems silly to share but oh well.

4 years ago today...

we was marrieds. Yah! To celebrate we went out to the little ice cream place up the road. We had sandwiches and split a funnel cake. Mmmm fried dough. We'll be wrapping the night up with Season 1 Disc 2 of the Sopranos.

Progress on the pavilion has been slow...well really not at all. It's been wet and rainy off and on all week. The weather will be back to dry this weekend so work will start again.

I'm heading back to Winchester for the weekend for my last naturalist workshop, then I'll be graduating Sunday. I'll be an official West Virginia Master Naturalist!

Oh and we observed a possum just outside the camper the other night...rooting around under the bird feeders. We have lots of little gold finch and cardinals feeding right now too!

until next time. xo Stephanie


p.s Hi grandma Bonnie! =)

Thursday at the Bunner Hole

Thursday we got up and took a short walk through the woods...very short. It was so hot and muggy out that we decided the day would be better off spent at the Bunner Hole. For those of you not in "the know" the Bunner Hole is just around the corner from us, a hole deep enough for jumping in, spotting a few fish and the perfect place to cool off on a hot day.

I of course laid in a chair and relaxed...the view, the soft sounds of nature, zzzzzzz...

Marcus was more productive and tried to catch a few fish.

Today the weather has cooled down about 15 degrees. It's supposed to be really cool this weekend. Hopefully this will be the final leap into fall. Since we last blogged 2 looong black snacks, 3 doe, a fox and 2 more wild turkeys have been spotted!

We have a little (slow) internets now so we'll be able to blog more regularly. They started on the pavilion today so we should have some photos of the progress soon.

laters! xo Stephanie

We have arrived...

and just in time! We couldn't have asked for better weather. We had beautiful days both Tuesday and Wednesday and then got some much needed rain on Thursday. The creek was just about dried-up with a few puddles here and there. But it has been revived after a full day down-pour.

On Tuesday Marcus and the RV arrived in the early a.m. He told everyone how unnerving it was to follow our home and all of our belongings up the interstate going 70 miles per hour. =) The kitties took to their new views from the window quite quickly and are already back to their happy selves. They all seem to have new favorite spots now...watching butterflies and falling leaves.

We spent the first day celebrating our arrival with dad and a few of our new neighbors. Then Wednesday we got everything put back in its place and got settled in. Yesterday evening when the rain let off a little we walked up and down the road cleaning up cans and bottles that were tossed out by non-nature-friendly drivers. (boo!) Then we did a little exploring and scouting. During that day we spotted 6 wild turkeys, a doe and a raccoon!

It gets darker earlier there in the evenings and it's a little cooler at night. But we got to watch the fog roll into the hollow just before dusk and when the sun shines everything looks magical. It is quite beautiful there and we both seem to keep looking at each other with dumb-founded smiles on our face. We are home!

Over the next few weeks our pavilion will be built and the RV will be moved into its permanent spot underneath. Then we'll prepare it for winter. We have no internet...except for when I sit in the McDonald's parking lot and use their WiFi. We'll be back online soon.

xo Stephanie

5 days before the move

Hi! This is our blog about our adventures living in a new town, having new lives, living on old land, preserving it, cherishing it and working hard. We wanted a way for our family and friends to keep up with our progress and see what we are up to. Thanks for reading!

Today I just wanted to stop in and share that the move is scheduled for 7am Tuesday 14th. Steph will be heading up with the kitties the day before to get them temporarily settled at Grandma's in Fairmont. Once the RV arrives and gets hooked up to the electricity our little family will officially be living in at our new home.

Marcus took a trip up this morning to meet with our friend who is going to build a big pavilion over the RV to provide it protection from the elements. They had to get the supplies delivered and it will be built in the upcoming weeks.

This past week has been our first week to prepare the RV, pack up what's inside and run errands for new things like generators, water containers and WV gear from Gabriel Brothers...completely unplanned. ;) We even got to go kayaking one last time on the lake before we leave. The weather here has been amazing, crisp, breezy and a has perfect fall chill in the air. I wonder what it will be like at the "camp"...

until next time. xo Stephanie


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