In which I come clean
I really expected you guys to figure it out right away, but unless you're being coy, it seems that you haven't.
That dream cabin I featured on last Wednesday's post is not a fantasy at all. It sits above the sparkling lake in my little bit of forest on the edge of the Missouri Ozarks. That's my new cabin! (Didn't those comfy chairs look familiar to you?)
Here's how it looks from across the sparkling lake:
I've been dropping clues all over the place. It started months ago when I began talking about all of the clearing we've been doing along the road. Nimble little Prolechariot had no trouble getting through the encroaching trees, but a big cement mixer could lose a stack or a mirror against some of the branches we took out. And when I wrote about clearing avenues through the trees to bring more breezes to the shady tarp, that wasn't really what it was all for.
And remember that mystery photo I posted way back here? Those impressions in the dirt were the series of round rocks that are featured in the top right of this blog. I had to remove them to safety because (eventually) the cabin was going to rise exactly where they were sitting.
That post about the long black tube? Yep, that was for the cabin. (It is buried around the uphill side of the slab to collect and divert any water that might otherwise get under the slab.)
The post about the "Economy" chapter in Walden? How did that one end? "Sitting in the comfy chairs on the shady porch overlooking the sparkling lake." (In fact, if you looked closely in that photo you could have seen a white speck that was part of the freshly poured slab, but I didn't expect anyone to spot that.)
The picture of that huge truck I caught on one of the game cameras? A cement mixer, of course. (Who goes deer hunting in a cement mixer?)
"Wipe Your Paws" in yesterday's post? Yep, that's right at the front door to the cabin.
Here's what it looks like from the west:
And here's a view from the back:
Notice the lake just outside our front (and only) door?
There's still plenty of work to do. I need to work on the slope behind the cabin to help it drain water away from the slab. And I need more gravel on the east side since it's hard to walk there. You can see some of the trees that had to be knocked down to clear the space for the slab; it's actually where the shady tarp used to be, but it's much larger. I need to cut up those trees, and probably take out several more, to reduce the fire hazard. I want to get some monster sandstone slabs that I know of in the forest and make some steps on the east side.
And that doesn't even begin to consider the furnishing and decorating of the cabin.
Missouri calendar:
I've been dropping clues all over the place. It started months ago when I began talking about all of the clearing we've been doing along the road. Nimble little Prolechariot had no trouble getting through the encroaching trees, but a big cement mixer could lose a stack or a mirror against some of the branches we took out. And when I wrote about clearing avenues through the trees to bring more breezes to the shady tarp, that wasn't really what it was all for.
And remember that mystery photo I posted way back here? Those impressions in the dirt were the series of round rocks that are featured in the top right of this blog. I had to remove them to safety because (eventually) the cabin was going to rise exactly where they were sitting.
That post about the long black tube? Yep, that was for the cabin. (It is buried around the uphill side of the slab to collect and divert any water that might otherwise get under the slab.)
The post about the "Economy" chapter in Walden? How did that one end? "Sitting in the comfy chairs on the shady porch overlooking the sparkling lake." (In fact, if you looked closely in that photo you could have seen a white speck that was part of the freshly poured slab, but I didn't expect anyone to spot that.)
The picture of that huge truck I caught on one of the game cameras? A cement mixer, of course. (Who goes deer hunting in a cement mixer?)
"Wipe Your Paws" in yesterday's post? Yep, that's right at the front door to the cabin.
Here's what it looks like from the west:
And here's a view from the back:
Notice the lake just outside our front (and only) door?
There's still plenty of work to do. I need to work on the slope behind the cabin to help it drain water away from the slab. And I need more gravel on the east side since it's hard to walk there. You can see some of the trees that had to be knocked down to clear the space for the slab; it's actually where the shady tarp used to be, but it's much larger. I need to cut up those trees, and probably take out several more, to reduce the fire hazard. I want to get some monster sandstone slabs that I know of in the forest and make some steps on the east side.
And that doesn't even begin to consider the furnishing and decorating of the cabin.
Missouri calendar:
- Milkweed pods open.
November 30th, 2009 at 4:33 am
I did wonder about the width of those roads, but none of the other clever tricks you played made me think any further. Unless you’re playing another trick, congratulations! That’s so cool.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Well I never. I thought the cement truck must have taken a wrong turn on the way to Brian. Congratulations on the first part of the dream come true! (Just in time for winter? Hope you have a good heat source…)
November 30th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Ah, Pablo, you sly devil. I’d expected you to shout out an announcement like that let us all jump up and down with excitement the instant you broke ground. I did catch a couple of references – the truck, I expected, was something to do with a neighbor’s project or — since we didn’t see much of the truck, a sneaky, unsanctified logging incursion.
Congratulations! Can’t wait for more details on the cabin!
November 30th, 2009 at 8:25 am
So I guessed correctly about the round rock imprints way back when!
Congratulations!
Now I have a place to stay when hunting from my cement truck!
November 30th, 2009 at 8:27 am
You had me fooled. Congratulations!
November 30th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Well, I knew that was a concrete truck in the photo and was wondering what in the world would one be doing out there? But I thought well, there might be more houses in the area than you’ve mentioned.
Congratulations!
November 30th, 2009 at 10:08 am
The cement truck was definitely the biggest clue, pablo, but even with that, I am totally surprised and delighted by this. What a great cabin. I am so happy for you and Libby (and the doggies). What a wonderful addition to Roundrock. Mazel tov!
November 30th, 2009 at 10:22 am
we are on our way. might take a while tho. nicely done.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Pablo,
Well, aren’t you the tricky one! and it’s a lovely little place you have too. That will be tons of fun as a get-away. And all that rain won’t matter when you’re cozy inside! congratulations!
Carolyn H.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Congratulations. What did you name it?
November 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Excellent!
So many weird things happen to me that a cement truck in your woods did not cause me to go …”hmmmm”.
It looks great and seems to be perfectly sited.
Way to go!!
November 30th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
holy crap, how cool are you? i am very excited for you! congratulations. composting toilet? now all you need are some solar panels a few deep cycle batteries and some twelve volt lights. i know someone who could do a simple installation like that for you. the cost would be nominal. say.. a set of lightly used bunk beds.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Yay! Hurray!!!
Congratulations Pablo- I’m really happy for you and your dream.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
so cute and no, I didn’t guess. hadn’t a clue. good job!
November 30th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
[...] and I are going to Kansas City for Christmas. I hope to get out to the middle of Missouri for this (and foil dinners) while we are [...]
December 1st, 2009 at 9:26 am
You sneaky one! What a great cabin, and a perfect site for it! Congrats… it must have been hard to keep it so quiet – and I didn’t pick up any of your clues beyond wistful thinking
December 13th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
[...] The answer appears in my post dated November 30, 2009. Ed had guessed it but couldn’t quite make the [...]