Property Update

It's been awhile since I updated about the property. And honestly, the last few months have been slow progress. But I think we've done a lot since the last time I posted about it. 

We spent last summer and early fall clearing out all of these buildings so we could tear them down.

There were so many sheds and barns just full of junk, and occasionally things that might be valuable (to someone--mostly not us.)

So we pulled everything out, with the help of several friends who put in a lot of hours over there. 

We have one kid from our church who loves recycling metal, so he came with his dad most weekends we were over there, and they hauled off several thousand dollars' worth of scraps. 

Peanut and another friend got in on the work after a couple of weeks, so they started splitting the proceeds.

And then, we had another guy come in with his backhoe and tear down the buildings. Above is a look at the same area--before and then with the red barn gone. 

The blue lab on the right also was destroyed (after I made a serious effort to give it away on Facebook. It ended up getting flagged after so many comments about meth labs and Breaking Bad, and we didn't have any takers. Pretty sure it was never used as a meth lab, just a storage place for a hoarder to keep more stuff.)

This small building was actually picked up by someone and taken away--it was in pretty good condition and small enough to move easily.

This was what it looked like with all the buildings still there.

We had two large barns (front)

and now have an open shot to the back field.

(Barns from the back)

No more barns in the back.

Two large-ish portable buildings,

and a couple smaller sheds which had to all be removed before we could apply for the permits for our new septic system and ADU. 

We got that all done before we took off for our fall trip and then they supposedly started working on permits. 

And we generated five 40-foot dumpsters full of garbage.

And a huge pile of e-waste that we are still working our way through.

It's a slow process and things didn't really get done until after we got back, and of course new requirements popped up that we didn't know anything about. But now, as we have passed the year mark of owning this property, we think we are finally permitted to begin the building. Hoping they can schedule the septic work to begin here very soon.

This spot on the right side of our back area is where the new pre-fabricated house will go. We picked everything out for it a few months ago and it's actually already built, sitting in a warehouse, ready to be installed on the property as soon as we have the foundation poured and everything hooked up for sewer, electrical, and water. Crossing our fingers that we'll be able to move in there by the end of the summer and get the barn built around the same time.

It's going to go on the other side of the yard, a little farther back from the house.

And in the meantime, we can finish clearing out everything that is left in the second house and the piles around what we've already destroyed. Eventually, all of these houses will also come down and we'll get the main house built, pretty much right where the original two buildings are now. I have no real estimate of how long that will take, but considering how long this has all been, I feel like we're looking at 3 or 4 years before we may be "done." And are you ever done with these things? But it will be done enough when I can sit on the porch with the ceiling fan going and watch the sunset. Or host dinner out on our back patio and not see any garbage in the backyard, haha.

Belated Birthday Celebration

It only took us 6 weeks to reschedule Peanut's birthday party this year. He was sick the week of his actual birthday, so we postponed his party. And with the end of the school year and all the prep for church camps, this weekend was the first chance that we had to celebrate.

He had a few friends come to the pool to swim, play some games, and have dinner.

The kids had fun, and it ended up being the best night for it--really warm, but there's so much shade around the pool, it was pleasant in and out of the pool. And there were a couple other families there, too, so it felt like a real community pool. We barely saw anyone all last season, so it was fun to be there when it was being used.

It's a good group of boys. I'm glad he has kind friends.

Peanut's been 14 for awhile now, and it's almost starting to seem normal. In a lot of ways, he really is growing up and it's fun to see the changes over time.

Surf Trip

Bug got to take a surf trip with our family friend, Pete, and Noah, another of his protegees. "Uncle Pete" has been so good at introducing kids to surfing and encouraging them as they learn.

They spent two days and nights in Santa Cruz, trying out a popular spot, The Hook, and then ending up back at their favorite spot, Manresa.

The two boys spent 10+ hours in the ocean between the two days. They loved the experience of multiple days, surfing on and off all day.

Even if they weren't the best waves they've ever surfed, it was such a great time.

And the LOVED having the van.

 It was a little snug with all the stuff inside. They had to shuffle boards back and forth when they wanted to sleep or drive,

 but I think they thought it was worth it to have somewhere to hang out when they were tired and to sleep in comfortable beds after a long day.

So glad that Bug got to do this before he takes off for 2 years and has to give up surfing and swimming and everything else. He's trying to really fill this summer with experiences and time with the people he loves.

 

Boys Camp, 2025: Lassen Edition

The young men from church did something a little different for camp this year. They've had a challenge getting a traditional campground the past few years and decided to book a few group sites this year near Lassen National Park.

They planned hikes, mountain biking, kayaking and swimming for each of the groups.

And from all reports, the boys had a fantastic time.

Peanut's group didn't end up getting to hike in Lassen, but they did hikes each day at various places in the area.

Burney Falls was a popular destination.

It's a fun hike.

They also hiked a cinder cone volcano one day, and visited the lava tubes in the area.

They spent time at the waterfront as well, kayaking and playing. Peanut caught a lizard.

Back in camp, they also had a card games, lock picking, guns, and crafts. Peanut was really good at picking the most difficult lock--not sure what that means for his future, but hope he uses his superpower for good!

And then, there was Daddy-o. He spent the entire week in camp, barely moving from the make-shift kitchen that they set up.

But from all accounts, he was the most popular man in camp. The kids all raved about the food and were apparently cheering for him each night.

The food was fairly simple--it's hard to cook for 100 people without an actual kitchen, but they brought up griddles and large burners and were able to warm things up and do some simple, good cooking: biscuits and gravy with eggs and sausage, Frito chili boats, pasta with meat sauce. The highlight was the night Daddy-o smoked tri-tip and they made mashed potatoes and green beans. Seriously, the kids couldn't stop talking about it when they came home.

I'm so glad that there are so many great leaders who are willing to sacrifice so much time to make these camps happen for the church youth and their friends. It's such a positive experience for most of them.

And while Daddy-o and Peanut were away, and Bug was working 35 hours, I had a lot of quiet down time. Time to blog, and clean, and rest after the busy week I'd had before.

It was a great week for all of us.