Johnny Goes Marching On.

Note - these pics are only a week or two older than the last progress photos - It's not that hard to fire on all cylinders occassionally, but day after day, week after week, month after month - in the middle of nowhere - is a real accomplishment. I'm not braggin - this is a true team effort to kick it like we do - a team of engineers, architects, road builders, excavators, framers, roofers, siding guys, porch guys, well drillers, septic guys, trim guys, landscaper guys, flooring guys, painting guys, sheetrock guys, suppliers of lumber, tile, kitchens, etc... It's a hell of the team, and I'm proud to be drill sargeant - it's boot camp, everyday, all day, never ending. Most people just get tired of me and move onto less profitable but more casual environments. Here's the McInnes Cottage, really taking shape with 1x 10 beveled pine siding stained Cordovan Brown. One coat in the factory, one coat in the field. I'm not sure if blogged this before, but we found some cool ass old school big iron strapped hinged doors. Today I was talking to the owner, Gavin, and I said you need a big ass fan for that big ass room and then just for the fun of it I googled 'big ass fans' and there is a company, believe it, named the Big Ass Fan Company. Frontal shot.

Rear shot. Then super beautiful Cottage #9, sitting in the woods, sitting on the dock of the bay, nestled (boy I hate that word) amidst the trees, old stone walls, big trees, and a lake down below. This house had a deal going, then the deal fell apart due to 'acts of god' but then we put humpty dumpty back together again in a few hours. A new deal in a few hours - I mean, this house is nice. 1300 square feet of perfection - maybe i've used that line before, but damn we have good taste, mixed with a lot of house placement experience, mixed with a lot of construction experience.

Here's little Cottage 15 - a sweet house selling to Gayle who said it was a 'no brainer' when she pluncked down a $10k non-refundable deposit and said 'put me on the waiting list' while standing in the middle of a forest with her friend Jamie. This house only started 8 weeks ago and now she's already struggling with the lighting and painting choices.

And Dean, who somehow through charm and savviness unloaded his florida house so he could push up the move in date for Cottage 13. This house is nicccce. Hello living large.

AAAAnd Cottage 14, Jeanne and Deb, with 2 big bedrooms, 2 full baths, a glorious kitchen with cathedral ceiling. A very unique house. but hey, that our thing - keep it real, keep it unique, keep it special. All very counterintuitive in construction where repitition makes perfect (perfectly boring if you ask me).

And Albert's house, that we are crackin on while he is in budapest following the progress of his farm on the hill. Hopefully his mag wheeled black range rover with the circular beatles tunes can make it up the driveway - if not, he can call the local snow plow truck taxi, meaning me, who lives just across the street and down the hill.

I mean, frickin right, this has been a beautiful 8 weeks of weather. Perfect Catskill weather, with night temps at 35 and daytimes at 72, with big blue skies with rebellious cumulus clouds playing raucously in the big forever skies. Pic snapped at around 6pm.

Albert's farm from afar, with big trees shading the courtship spots, the makeout maples, the horny hemlocks and pornographic pines.

And his barn - the green barn with radiant, solar, and thermal- that will be a music studio where pickin will be playin on Saturday nights, with the big woodstove cooking, and the musicians brewing a magical brew of music.

That's all for now. It's just about time for dinner. 2 martinis. 12 hours workday. 2 mile run. Now that's the way I like it.