Revised Patio

Revised Patio, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

OK, it's a little high contrast. No worries. This is the revised patio plan view -- the diagonally shaded area is going to be ten tons of crushed 3/8-inch gravel, four inches deep. You can also see some terracing that I'm going to have done with landscaping timbers on the hills to the top and right of the sketch. The thick walled rectangle by those little stone stairs top center is a simple fire pit. That black rectangle top left with two patio stones in front of it is the grill. And the whole shooting match tops out at 627 square feet.

The master plan.

The master plan., originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Imagine a nice gravel patio back there behind the house, off the kitchen. Edged by stones. Walkway to the driveway. Surrounded by plants, shaded by trees. Off the kitchen, with a grill shown top left. A gray wood picnic table, and a pair of Adirondacks. Pitcher of iced tea and a summer Friday.

Sinking Around, Awaiting Assistance

Sinking Around, Awaiting Assistance, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Sometimes, instead of hauling very large downed tree branches out of the forest by hand, I use my handy Honda to do the legwork. To me, it is amazing how quickly things can go wrong. One minute, it's a handy, jaunty success branch after branch, then the next minute you are knee deep in muck and so is your trusty companion. Thanks to two neighbors -- first Louie, then Gary -- who both had to bring their huge American trucks, and about an hour later I was hosing the thing off.

Know what's so scary, at least to me? I had the wheels dug in so far that the entire muffler, gas tank and undercarriage was stuck right into the ground too. I had literally run my Honda CRV aground, as if I was a ill-skilled skiff captain in some random backwater.

West Lawn

West Lawn, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

A thaw, leading to a boggy fog.

Pot-Roasted Chix

Pot-Roasted Chix, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Snowy, icy and windy outside today. So, me & Piz just working on a lil pot-roasted chicken up here today.

Big thaw?

Big thaw?, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

So, this may be it -- it's supposed to be in the '40s all week, and then in the '50s on Friday. Maybe this will all melt away and we'll be looking at grass? Water in the basement, more likely.

At any rate, it'll make this easier ...

And be sure to see all the winter merriment here in the Winter 2010/2011 photo set.

Punto Final Malbec

Punto Final Malbec, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

You know, after a long week.

Jan. 31, 2011: More on the Way

Jan. 31, 2011: More on the Way, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Hey hey hey, more snow on the way.

This chart -- swiped from Accuweather minutes ago -- shows Tall Pines right on the line between 6-12 and 12-18 inches. So, between 6-18 inches on the way for tomorrow? And then we get an ice storm on Thursday. Fantastic -- a bunch of wet snow and then some major ice buildup. Know how great that is for the trees and the power lines?

I mean, you remember last year, right??

Update: It seems like Tall Pines is right on the line, and things don't look so bad (fingers crossed!). Looking locally (Accuweather.com), Tall Pines is to get 3.7 inches of snow. Manageable!

Poughkeepsie, NY, 15 miles north, gets 3.6 inches -- OK! About 40 miles north of Tall Pines is Red Hook, NY, on tap for 7.1 inches. Albany, NY, 100 miles north of TP, is getting 12.3 inches. So yes -- with any luck, Tall Pines get out of this with only moderately more snow.

And Ripper, dig this: Gorham, NH (moto4our), 300 miles north of TP, is getting 16 inches. Eastport, ME (moto2our)? 14 inches.

Morse Code Shiraz

Morse Code Shiraz, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Captures the Essence

Captures the Essence, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

Captures the essence, doesn't it? My buddy Dylan made this for the place. Quite nice, right?

This morning.

This morning., originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

And now four to eight more inches on tap for this afternoon.

Endless snow

Endless snow, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

In addition to the foot and a half of snow we got last week, there's four more inches this week -- so far.

Winter Weather

Winter Weather, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

It seems that we're adding a few inches of snow every week to the existing snow. FIrst, eight inches melts to four, then six more which will melt to four more, and now we have snow forecast for next Tues-Wed-Thurs.

And every time it snows, my guy comes and plows the driveway for $50. I should have him plow the yard so I can get to the grill.

Terres de Galets Cotes du Rhone 09

Terres de Galets Cotes du Rhone 09, originally uploaded by Tall Pines Lodge.

More of the good stuff in 2011.