October Moon

October Moon, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Last week the full moon was spectacular (as is the case in October)! I had to grab a big glass of the good stuff and head out into the woods with a tripod and the Nikon for some long-exposure photography. 30-seconds, f/5.6 and dang! Look at that! Here's the lodge, bathed in the pale moonlight around 1AM. Sure, I'll lose a little sleep over something like this. Why sleep away the best photo op of the day?

Little Dude

Little Dude, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Not a great photo, admittedly. But, here's a little dude hanging out on the woodpile last Thursday morning.

Turkeys do Fly!

Turkeys do Fly!, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Sounds like fiction, but in fact, turkeys do fly! They do a little run, and then they take off and head for the high branches. Here's one going hell for leather, last Thursday.

LP & the Worm

LP & the Worm, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Planting bulbs this weekend, LP fell in love with 12 inches of worm.

Upstairs, outside

Upstairs, outside, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Just being outside in the fall chill, with a glass of the good stuff. Love those lights LP hung on the place.

Turkeys, right?

Turkeys, right?, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Isn't that what these dudes are, all of them, walking though my yard, waddling away?

P.S. Love the wrecked wheelbarrow in the BG.

Wood you, Cood you ...

Wood you, Cood you ..., originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Today I had Bob McKenzie bring me a big ol' red dumptruck of firewood. Now we're ready to ward off the fall chill. This is a mix of oak, ash and cedar, two-year seasoned and ready to enjoy alongside the fall's red wines. This type of living, my friends, is the country. Romance abounds.

Video Con

Video Con, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Yes -- so from the city, this is how I keep an eye on the house. Like, its good for me know that the place hasn't burned down or fallen prey to a wayward pine tree. In either case, State Farm is there, so no biggie. But sometimes, its just nice to know.

As you can see, we're still in the process of making this room nice!

First Fire, Fall 2009

DSC_6258 - Version 2, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Tonight was the first night I've come home from work and thought: Damn! It's cold!

Not a problem. Crumpled newspaper + kindling + fire wood + lighter = the first fire of Fall 2009. Outside it's 50º, but in here it's toasty. More so when you pop open a bottle of the good stuff. Oh yeah, and let's stream some jazz in from the internet.

A Quick Coat of Paint

A Quick Coat of Paint, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Finally, we tossed some paint on the walls. Its the same color as a Frosty from Wendy's. A coincidence, but a happy one. Also, that's a 9x12 sisal carpet on the floor.

Color Sampling

Color Sampling, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

We're doing some color work up here at Tall Pines. Making good with a bunch of color samples on the walls, a swatch of this here, a swatch of that there. I can't show you the colors -- yet. The photography just isn't doing it justice. But soon, we'll be out of the land of "Color by Kilz." And then I'll have plenty of photos.

The 'mater

The Mater, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

LP took up gardening and this is one of the many fruits, so to speak, of her labor. This small little guy got picked tonight and he's ripening a little bit on my window sill. Soon, we'll celebrate the little by by slicing him up, dipping him in olive oil, pairing with some bocconcini and basil leaves, some salt, some pepper. Then, down the hatch!

Fireplace: After

Fireplace: After, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Instead of just picking new fireplace doors from a supplier and writing a check, I decided to add one less thing to the landfills and refinish the doors I had.

They were a god awful glossy gold (a "before" photo is right here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tallpines/3810612988/) before. With awful hardware. And of the awful hardware, some of it was missing.

So this was one of the weekend projects. Bit by bit, I am really getting ready for some good autumn fires.

The Tall Pines Crest

The Tall Pines Crest, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

TP designer DA has been working on this for a while. Looks pretty good, huh? Well, it's a work in progress. Initially, I loved it too, but now I'm kind of sour on the whole thing because I don't think this will translate well to wood etchings and cattle brands. Nevertheless, its wonderful as is, and just needs a line-art version, really.