They resting up so they can hopefully come home in a week or so.

Exciting times!

We're working in the "office". The old floor was very irregular (worn board, cupping etc.) so we used a drum sander to flatten things out.

This is what it looked like when we were done. The floor was all an off white color before we started.

Here's the new floor all laid. It's tongue and groove oak, random width. We had to get a little creative to make it all work out due to the room not being perfectly square but a friend helped us lay it out and it worked out to less then 3/4" off when we got to the walls.

Here it is finished. We chose Minwax "Natural", it's not to dark and makes the grain pop out.

Baseboard! These pictures are from today. Dad and I put some down yesterday and did a bit more today. We need to install a rail by the stairwell but besides that this room is very close to being done.

This is the bath room with it's new tile floor and doors. It's a hard room to get a decent picture in. A small closet still needs the shelves installed and a door built. I'm building a vanity (slowly but surely), it's getting close as well.

BJ's been busy too although she won't tell me what she's been up to...

These two are a few years old. Both started from Nucs that took forever to build up. I requeened one and the other requeened its self, that finally kicked them into gear. They went into the winter pretty strong and from the looks of it are doing OK. The colony on the right was my best honey producer last year and also produced one of the swarms below.

These are two swarms I caught last year. Believe it or not the one on the left was the later swarm (from the colony above). I pulled a small honey crop of them this fall while the one on the right just built up to a single deep before winter. I suspect there's a new queen in the singles future, I should have done it last fall but just didn't get around to it. They are flying in this picture, they're in the shade so they're weren't quite as many out and it's harder to see them.

The two older colonies in flight.

This colony is the oldest of my bunch. It started out as a package, quickly built up to two deeps and produced over 5 gallons of honey over two harvests in it's first year! Last year wasn't as good but the weather was just terrible in the late spring/early summer.

Our friends, Tim and Ali Winslow invited us to journey into the Northern Maine Woods for the annual ice cutting. Ali's family runs a sporting camp in T8 R9, Maine, called Libby Camps. Every year on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, family and friends gather to cut ice from Millinocket Lake for the camp to use all summer long (since there is no electricity).

Cutting the blocks

Removing blocks from the lake

Trimming the blocks

Posing for a picture on a trimmed block of ice

Ali and I transported the blocks from the lake to the ice house

Tim and Matt helped in the ice house

The blocks are packed with snow to prevent melting in the summer months

Each block weighs about 60 pounds and measures approximately 13" by 13" by 15"

With sub-zero temperatures, using the outhouse was a FRIGID experience

The camp we stayed in with Tim, Ali, and their two dogs Brookie and Tober

Walking to the kitchen with Ali for breakfast

Ali, Tim, and Matt

Since there is such a large tick population in our area we decided to buy some guinea hens to help reduce the amount around our home. Guinea hens are noisy, somewhat annoying, and quite possibly the ugliest member of the bird species. However, they begin life as adorable little "keet" and once they are grown they are pretty low maintenance birds. They will just wander around the property and EAT BUGS (and make a lot of noise)!

Of course I have named each one, not that we can distinguish between them, but just the same all pets need a name. We have "New" Guinea, "Papua New" Guinea, Guinea "Pig", Mario and Luigi (our Italian Guinea), and Fifi (our French Guinea).

I think this is Fifi

Guinea "Pig" doing what he does best

The Watering Hole

Ye Olde Farm House

Down the lane.

The Apple Tree.

The Girls.

Lets hope it stays.

Happy Holidays from our house to yours.

Come one come all and see Cinderella @ LCCT!

Click here for more info.

Tim, BJ, and Matt
Where did that Red Sox hat come from?