Rustic

I've been meaning to post about the roof, but I've been slacking. The color is rustic. I love metal roofs and here's a pic.

The white in the shop are skylight panels and I must admit I like their look much better from the inside than the outside.

Peel Ferry

I don't believe I've posted about the ferry that runs between Missouri and Arkansas across Bull Shoals Lake. You get to it by going to Protem, MO or Peel, AR. They're both little out of the way places on the western side of the lake, not too far from Branson or Harrison. I like it because it's different. How often do you get to cross water on a ferry? Not often. And it's free.

I'd taken pictures of the Peel Ferry before, but I never got around to posting them. I know I don't see it show up in my list of Tags or in the Search Box. It's nice when another time comes around to do things you wanted to do before.

This is what the lake looked like when we pulled up on the Protem side. The ferry was on the Peel side when we arrived. The white speck off in the distance is the ferry dock on the other side, the Peel side.

Here's us waiting in our Avalanche. The sign looks a little bent up. It's windy here at Bull Shoals. Word has it that it's always like that. The ferry is ran by The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD).

The ferry approaches our side.

Taking off.

Out in the water.

We had a good conversation with the first mate on deck. Boy, did he have a traditional Arkansas accent. His dad worked on the ferry and now he does. He grew up down the road in the Peel area. I should've asked him for his pic. I almost did.

We got into a great exchange over the various crossings over the tri-lakes and he had a good one to share. Way back when him and his buddy were dating girls on the Missouri side. The boys had missed the ferry to get the girls home and had to drive the 100 miles around to cross at Bull Shoals dam. That's a good story, especially when you're sitting on the ferry looking over at Missouri on the north side and Arkansas to the south and they're not too terribly far apart from each other. But when there's water between, not much you can do.

Here's Missouri.

Here's Arkansas.

We're approaching our destination.

The captain or pilot.

You reach the Peel Ferry from Highway 125.

Posted with Blogsy

Cat's In The Bag

There's no great secret or surprise being kept. It's just Hawthorne in a Cracker Barrel bag. She loves bags and boxes.

Cathedral Ceiling Rafters

I'm very excited about this post. When John was doing the rafters over the house, I was thrilled. I just loved the way they looked when I'd drive to and from work.

There's going to be cathedral ceilings over the house.

 Sunlight shining in.

There's a loft too.

See the pretty trees that surround.

This will go out to a balcony.

The walk up the drive.

Notice Hawthorne in the bottom of the picture. I didn't realize until later that John is at the top of the picture. You have to zoom in to see him.

And not to be outdone by the cat, there's Ponca peeking through the doorway.

You may have lost faith, but it's coming along quite nicely. We're not under the time crunch we once were and there's no pressure. Better to enjoy the building journey along the way than rush.

Trusses and Mailbox

The trusses are up over the shop. Where the tractor is sitting is nice and level. There were huge piles of dirt there. Now it's ready for a patio.

The mailbox is down the lane.

I love the cedar log. It's so pretty and reflects my style. We chose a huge mailbox because I love to shop online. As I put it, "I like happy mail."

House/Shop Update

Things are coming along. We have walls all around and a roof over the downstairs living area. The biggest news is that we have the walls up on the second story. That was a job that required some manpower. This morning John went down the mountain looking for some help. Folks on the road below us are building a workshop/garage and the three builders came up and gave John a hand lifting the second story walls. It's wonderful to see them up.

Just a little explanation of the design. The living end is two stories. There's 18 x 30 down and 18 x 30 up for 1080 sf of living space. The large open one-story end is John's woodshop. It's 30 x 34 for 1020 sf. There'll be a total of 2100 sf when we're done.

That's roughly half the size of the lake house right across the road where we still live. It's for sale, a beautiful 4300 sf bargain at $216,500, if you know someone who wants to be an Ozark Mountains Table Rock Lake dweller. And we're your neighbors.

Another important development is utilities. We have electric, which is great for giving the neighbors a break from listening to the generator. We have water too. Internet and phone is in place, just a phone call to hook it up when needed. Septic will be coming soon.

The rains gave way and it's been HOT. I encourage John to take it easy and wait for Autumn temperatures. Again, it's amazing what a person can accomplish. I'm very impressed.

The Next Stage

The next stage after concrete is framing and it's coming along just fine. I'm amazed at how one man can do all of this. The rains that fell over a few weeks have subsided. It sure makes it a lot easier to get things done. I loved that rain though. It was beautiful and cooled things down.

Here's Ponca on the job site. He's still wet after swimming in his pool.

So excited about everything!

The Right Place

This blog has been about my search for home and the dream of a log cabin. I found home in the Ozark Mountains. That was my first post. I've had a ton of posts devoted to real estate, that passion of mine. Always looking for that special place, just the perfect abode meant only for me. But knowing that what I really wanted I'd have to create for myself. There's no substitutes, but I sure wouldn't give up trying to find one.

I bought the two acres across the road. We got to building fast because after four years the lake house, as I call it, has sold. I'm very happy for the new buyers.

This is the work in progress. This will be a woodworking shop for John and a little two-story residence at the far end. Then in a bit we'll build a B&B-style log cabin.

I love it here and I don't want to leave. It's beautiful. I'm amazed every time I drive down the mountain. I like being in close proximity to Branson and Northwest Arkansas. I've never felt more comfortable and more at home in one place in my life. It's always been me looking out and wondering if the next place is it.

After toying with south of Little Rock and 10 acres in Omaha, AR (never posted about it) and coming back to the mountain in Cape Fair, I knew the right thing to do. I knew the right thing to do all along. Ever notice you know the right thing to do and then go about the craziest ways of getting there?

I love this mountain. I love Cape Fair. I love Table Rock Lake. I want to live here and I know it's the right thing to do.

Work Life in Branson

Every time I open my blog I want to make a new post. Considering what I've been doing most, I thought I'd share about my job.

I've been working Front Desk and Night Audit in a Branson hotel since November. It is the Grand View Inn & Suites just above Tanger Outlet. As I say to guests when providing directions, "Tanger is between Krispy Kreme and the Giant Chicken on the strip (76 Country Boulevard)."

The giant chicken belongs to Great American Steak & Chicken House. It's in good company with all of the other giants in town. I do believe King Kong of the Hollywood Wax Museum would be the most famous. New this year is the giant Transformer outside of Ripley's Believe It or Not.

Tanger Outlet is a world unto its own. If you love shopping like I do, it's a wonderful outlet mall. It's filled with well-known brand stores offering low outlet prices. That's one thing I love about Branson. It's a small town, but with big city shopping.

I've chosen some of my favorite photos of where I work. The drive from Cape Fair is not bad. It's 22 miles door to door. Highway 76 winds and curves just to my liking and it sure beats a city commute which in some cases would involve about the same amount of miles.

I have a wonderful manager. She reminds me of my boss in Boston. More than 20 years have gone by and we are still in touch. I love my job and I hope to be here until I retire.