The Skylight is falling...

Into place that is! Yeah! Seriously though, I'm here all the time, you folks have been simply wonderful.

The roof at Hacienda Ogden is being made into swiss cheese! More pics after the word jump.

Jump. Kriss Kross'll make you. Jump.




Pete and Jess survey the damage done by the last hurricane.


At this point Pete was demonstrating his hip-hop skillz for us.


Jess pretended he was concentrating on reading the Onion in the bathroom.




And voila! Instant skylight in the art room. Rad, huh?

Oops! We did it. (again)

Things are happening again; work is being done. Project Ewok codename Chirpa is officially under way.

Below are top-secret recently leaked high resolution images of E.W.O.K. 1, a facility which local authorities believe will rock serious pony. Nothing more is known at this time, except that the acronym is simply Every Wando Ocelot Kaleidescopicliferayheckyes.



Secret Agent Pete tries to defuse the bomb set by Basho (seen here attempting to push the tree over).



Miles nests in a clean spot, ready to bathe any stray kitties with drooling goodness should they happen by.



Stop! Hammertime. Notice Miles' body has returned from Portugal two days late.



Basho practices tai chi with Jess, who attempts a rare autograph-on-side-of-board variation while in mid-stance. Slow motion kung fu is a very important aspect of life here at the Ogden dojo.



This is the face of a man possessed by fatherhood!



Pete continued drilling his finger into the railing.



A halo of rainbowness rung the sun like misty rivers on a still sweet whatever.



When finished, EWOK1 will play gracious host to international pizza parties every day forever.



Style shot. Check out the yeah sweet.



The tree deck looks like radical incarnate. It's the end of an arduous and yet fulfilling day.



Jess feels Baby One and babies two through ten million at the same time, demonstrating a very poignant a+b=c life lesson. Meanwhile, Dev sips on a sparkling citrus beverage and contemplates lunar cycles.

Matters of these things

The front hillside has been beaten into a sound submission with the brute force of love. After long hours of loving and living Wando, things look a lot like this, you'll find:



Miles flatches on ever-vigilantly.



What a difference this new diet has made! Just look at those abs! Crap, wrong blog...



In this photo both Miles and Basho pose briefly to imagine themselves floating upon a sea of sea horses.

Whilst all this was happening yon, something was afoot on this leg of the blog entry! Puns languished for minutes in mass famine.



Nay, this was the Magical Gathering of pressure treated 2x8s! Fighter-mage {Lvl 19 AC 17, HP 327.25) Jess had been busy around the corner!



With one final spell and roll of the 10d20 dice, this newest raised bed was whammed into existence, raised out of the ground from nothing with a mere "two thumbs up." Oh, I just loved that movie.


Next episode, we'll look to the skies, where brave sir Pete tackles an ancient conundrum with only his wits to save him! It's Tree Decktime...

Hillside Amelioration

We put in the second raised bed in the front today, as well as started solidifying the terracing above with rock retaining walls this afternoon.



Reverend Jess can be seen baptizing the young pressure-treated board before installation.



A solemn event indeed. Few words were said, but everyone felt the significance. Miles can glimpsed above in utter flatulation.



Jess then drew blood from the wood for youth elixir, knighting it in the process.



The sweet sound of progress...



Bare beds as one enters the thing of the stuff.


Next it was time for the rock jutting to take effect. As this was an instantaneous process, no pictures could be taken until after the juttici reigned supreme.



As they say in Salamanca when the mudskippers are chirping away, "Wham."



Miles, a juttici master, astrally projected his head to be in this shot while in Portugal.

Goings on [St.] elsewhere . . .

Okay, that's a cheesy title, I know, but things need to be reported on elsewhere in the hacienda too!

We've been working on a revamp of the front hill area as one first walks down the steps from the driveway. Lots of shade and particularly acidic soil from massive amounts of pine needles have dictated a horde of Hostas! Here they are ready to go into the raised beds. Miles looks on with pride.



The hill all torn up and ready for some sweet terrace action.



The first bed takes shape.



Meanwhile across the yard, mama Dev is fervently working on the future corn field and propagating our existing line of plants on that side.



They look good!



We were adamant about pounding the stakes in far enough. The retaining walls must be able to hold an immense amount of awesome Hosta-ness.



Almost done...


Jess expertly installs the top railings and copper cornering. He's getting really good at doing this raised bed thing. Dev says he may have missed his true calling here.


And the first one's complete!


Sweet angular shot for added effect:

Island is done and filled with top soil!

Getting dirt into this dome is kinda a pain.

But at the same time sweet and antiquated-feeling.


Next week we'll plant all the seedlings inside and finish the raised beds for the outside of the dome so the herb garden can get started. We're so excited for springtime!!

Finishing the island.

Kentucky looks on.

Jess plays chicken with the drill.




Miles wonders where the squirrels are.

Reservoir pics

The fan and panel are for this reservoir, which [in theory] will provide the soil with a more constant temperature from its waters.

This little fan now...


Powered by this solar panel!

New update! Six months later!



Beds installed in the dome and ready for the spring seedlings!

New island is now done too.