A Fourth of July Float

Looking back toward the bridge.
Photo: Donna Palmer

This week we celebrated Independence Day with a short float down our little river in Pat and Donna's raft.  It was a short thirty minute float from the bridge to the little river house.  We've talked about doing this since we first saw the property and found out that it's a local favorite pastime on a hot day.  We've been floating rivers in Idaho for about thirty years off and on.  We've had some pretty exciting (in other words terrifying) whitewater trips and some very fun times.  We've done Hells Canyon and several stretches of the Payette (many, many times).  This is a lazy little stretch below the Black Canyon Dam.  It will be perfect for the grandkids to float and maybe even for Grandma Vella, too!

Captain Pat and first mate, Mike
Photo: Donna Palmer

Land Ahoy...you can see Pat and Donna's barn in the distance.
Photo: Donna Palmer

Getting out was a little tough only due to the fact that we haven't even begun to clear the river bank of the high grass, fallen trees and other vegetation.  It's going to be a big job one of these days.  We envision a nice little sandy area or deck with fire pit and chairs to relax in and watch the river go by.
  Today it was a jungle to be conquered!  

Pat backed the trailer down through what will someday be the backyard and then we all lifted, carried and tugged the huge thing on the trailer.  

Mike realized a few days ago that we needed a mantel immediately.  That's how it goes sometimes. Plan, plan, plan and then all of sudden DECIDE!!


We took a trip out to River Valley Woodworks near Homedale.  We looked there a few weeks ago for posts to hold up the porch roofs.   This is family owned and operated business and they have some amazing stuff!  This time Anthony was there to help us and after hearing us describe what we were looking for, he walked us down to a pile of very old logs that were from an old log house in Jordan Valley, OR.  

It had been built lincoln log style and some of the logs still had the notches in them.  He picked out one that was about six feet long for us that he said came from a section which was over the door.  He emailed us some pics of the log house before he took it down.
He said he could plane each side down and make a nice looking mantel and it would only take a half hour or so.  He even said if we didn't like the looks of it once it was cut away, we didn't have to take it.  

What a unique experience to be able to watch as he and his son created us a mantel from a log that was over a hundred years old!  

First they took out all of the old nails they could see and then used a metal detector to find any hiders. 

The next step was to set it on then sawmill and line it all up to make sure he got the right dimensions.  


Then they turned it on and whirrrrrrrrrr.....the first cut was made and we could see it was going to be beautiful!


They shaved all four sides, and left a little bit of the original rough edge and the two ends rough.  We wanted to have some of the aged part showing.


We love it!  We love the memories we will have of watching it be made and the history of it too.  Win, win, win!


When we got home, Mike sanded it all smooth and the next day he and Pat installed the mantels at both houses. It will need to be stained at some point, probably before the rock goes on.

 
A few other things got finished up this week as well..

The insulation is all done and the electrician came out and switched out the panel box for a larger one, and wired a few extra sockets like the one above the newly installed mantel. 

Mike and Pat also installed most of the windows in the barn and Mike built all the attic access boxes.
 
This is a little teaser...I worked on these and they are finally just how I want them.  Any guesses what they are or where they're going??