Today I stayed close to camp, focused on getting things done around here. I ordered lumber from Hammond Lumber, which should be delivered tomorrow. That’ll let me get started on rebuilding the area that will become the bathroom in the cabin—finally putting some pieces in motion. I also ordered the roofing materials, which I think will be ready by Friday, though I’m not counting on it. I won’t be getting to the roof work that soon anyway, so no big deal.
I got a call from Selectman Chaffee—one of the local government officials. I’d spoken with him before, back when there were questions about how much tax had been paid at closing. This time he was responding to the inquiry I made last Wednesday about a collapsed house sitting at the start of our property line. It’s clearly abandoned, but nobody seems to know who owns it. Still, I appreciate that they’re not brushing it off—they’re really trying to get to the bottom of it. I had already gotten a call from another official who was looking into it, and now Chaffee’s involved too. I told him not to worry about it if it turns out to be too much trouble.
It did feel like there might have been a second purpose to his call—he asked a few pointed questions about our property, the new road that went in, and where exactly it leads. Felt a bit like a soft probe into what’s going on out here. We’ll see if that leads to any more calls or visits.
The heat stuck around again today—really warm for this area—but we finally got a bit of relief. A cold front moved through this afternoon, brought some showers, and cooled things off nicely. I’m looking forward to a little break from the heat.
Despite the muggy morning, I made more progress on the marsh path. I managed to cut a swath all the way across! It’s still not easy to cross—very uneven terrain with foot-tall dips and rises. I’ve fallen down more times than I care to count. It’s not funny… well, maybe a little funny. Luckily, the ground is mostly soft and cushy, so the landings haven’t been too painful. It’s been a challenge, but I’m hoping that as I keep walking it, the path will pack down and become more usable. The end goal is to be able to access the cabin via our own road instead of relying on Joe Williams’ driveway and taking the rowboat across the pond. Fingers crossed.
Tomorrow I’ll meet the lumber truck out by the intersection of Old Mill Road and Democrat Ridge Road. There’s no way the truck’s getting down our road, especially with the logging operations in full swing. Speaking of which—do most towns have ordinances about how early contractors can start? Because here, it seems the start time is 5:45 a.m. That’s when the loggers fire up their saws and heavy equipment, and I hear it loud and clear each morning. They must be at least half a mile—maybe even three-quarters—away, but it sounds like they’re right next door. I guess they try to beat the heat by starting early. Maybe that’ll shift now that things are cooling down.
Hope everyone else is enjoying their day. Talk to you later.