toy shed

A New Camp On it's Way

~ randyaa ~ 6 Comments

IMG_0311Some people thought we were crazy to do it but we just got back from a week at my parent’s Adirondack escape (ending last Sunday 7/11/2010).� This was Delilah’s first trip to the Adirondacks and it was a hot one.� She did great, slept a lot (it was in the 90’s with no A/C, ugh!) and smiled at her daddy a ton.

Last year we built a shed (Mostly my father, I helped a little).� This year we’re putting on an addition to the camp.� More like a new camp really… We’re taking the camp from the tiny studio-sized 336 square feet up to 960 by adding 2 bedrooms and a bigger living space.� The current camp is going to become a ‘dining’ area, kitchen and bathroom.� We’re well on our way.

IMG_0044Last week when we got to camp Dad was already all the way up to laying the floor.� It might not sound like much, but there’s a ton involved to get to that point.� Squaring everything up, leveling (& digging) the ground, insulation, wire netting, studding, joists & beams… Not simple work.� He’d been working for over a month just about steady to get to that point.� These things take time, especially when you’re by yourself in the mountains and you’re fighting the rain nonstop.

By the time we left Sunday afternoon (7 days later) we had raised all 3 of the walls (complete with OSB Board covering), All rafters were in place (save the ones that need to be placed over the existing roof) and all Zip System Roof Panels were in place and taped (as far as could be done until the remaining rafters are positioned).

IMG_0113Not bad for 5 days worth of work for 2 guys in 90+�F heat and 2 days with a bunch of help from other family.� Thanks Jerry, Scott, Donald, Wes, Pauline, Virginia, Gage & Mindy Lee!� Still lots to do, but we’re getting pretty darn close to weather-sealed.� We’re only a few steps away:

  • complete & install 1 remaining rafter
  • install Zip System Roof Panels over remaining area
  • shingles
  • small 4ft section of Wall & OSB board panels to go up adjoining existing deck
  • install a few missing OSB Board panels on the walls (mainly the gable end)
  • Tyvek Weather wrap

Of course there’s lots of little things to do as part of those steps, but those are the big ones.

If it was easy, Everybody would do it
~Harry

While it wasn’t much of a vacation for a week off… it was still enjoyable to be around some family and it made me overjoyed Rachel and Delilah were able to come up with us and be around during those ‘off’ times while we were taking a bit of a break from the beating (building) so I could hold the little one.� Oh, and a huge thanks goes out to Rachel for all the delicious meals during the week.

The place is gonna be totally unrecognizable when we get done, but it’s sure gonna be nice.� A great place for Debug to grow up.� I’m looking forward to watching her play in the stream from the new living area.

Some other photos from the process:

Mile 0 2010

~ randyaa ~ Leave a comment

Snowmobiling season has begun, and with a frenzy. The Adirondacks have been good to us this year. The snow came a bit later than usual but there hasn’t been a major thaw yet which makes for some ideal conditions, with a good solid frozen base and constant snow.

Mile zero started right where it should, the Toy Shed. Didn’t put on a whole lot of miles today, just 25 around the diamond property, but the riding was phenomenal and it felt good to be out again.

Having the shed will make things a lot nicer. Now that we can properly store at least 4 sleds we can leave them up here all season. Needless to say, I’m prepared for a lot of riding this year.

Plans are in the works to make a (snowmobile) trip to Whiteface Mountain from camp. It’ll be a long ride, but very beautiful I’m sure.

Cant wait for tomorrow’s ride, wherever it takes us.

Miles on the sled this season: 25

Diamond Sportsmen's Club Camp

~ randyaa ~ Leave a comment

campI’m not sure how this happened but I don’t believe I’ve mentioned my parents new haven here yet. A few years back we lost our second camp (also not mentioned her as of yet) to a leasing issue and my parents decided they’d had enough. Next time, they’d buy one.  For about two years, my family had been on the market. They hadn’t been actively looking, but things had cropped up here and there without anything very enticing.

Last summer things changed. My father heard about this little camp on a somewhat large privately owned club that was up for sale. I’m not sure what it was exactly but something caught his eye so he high-tailed it up there to check it out and liked it so much that he brought my mother up a few days later.

IMG_2004They had actually seen the ad for the same camp the previous fall but thought it was overpriced.  After a winter of not selling the price fell and after seeing the ad for the second time they are now the proud new owners of their own little slice of the Adirondack Pie.

A little over a year later and the camp has given us many new friends, one nice Buck, a new four-wheeler, a few thousand miles on the snowmobiles, 2 tired puppies, and too many feasts to count.

As the second year of ownership begins, we’re (almost) done with first major camp project.  A nice big Toy Shed to keep everything dry.  Now it’s time to relax, shoot some bucks, enjoy the camp over the winter and prep for next year.

The camp is perfect size for two people, but when you add another two (or three) and some huskies, it gets a little cramped. Next year we plan to more than double the size, two new bed rooms and a larger living space later and we should be all set.

Can’t wait. I love spending time up there almost as much as my father does.

The Toy Shed

~ randyaa ~ 4 Comments

shed-6Rachel and I were gone on an awesome vacation for 3 weeks this summer.  By the time we got back, my father was full-swing into building his new shed for camp.  The rest of my summer was spent at camp (oh no), helping him put it up.  It felt like every weekend but was probably only every other.  Some days we made progress, other days we just relaxed in the mountains.  Either way you look at it though, we were within the blue line so did it really matter?

We call it the shed, but It should probably be called a barn.  It’s not built like the typical plywood thrown-together mess you can buy almost anywhere.  It’s built to last, Adirondack style.  Amish raw cut real 2×4’s and all.  In a lot of ways, it might be over-engineered and over-thought, but it’s good to do things that way sometimes.  My dad did most of the work himself. I helped a bit with the roof, siding and hanging the doors.  My Uncle and my cousin helped a bit with the roof and the siding, and a friend at camp dug out the hillside and leveled out some of our lot with his equipment.  All that’s left is some tin in a few places and some paint!

My dad likes to call it the “Toy Shed” or the “Toy Barn” or the “Toy House,” whichever name fits his fancy at the moment.  We even had a sign made for it.  That’s because it’s intended to house our snowmobiles, 4-wheelers and whatever else we come up with.  Oh, it’s also intended to house the tools and equipment we’ll need for next years project, the camp addition.

We’re gonna need help though.  So if you’re up for some hard work next spring/summer at a beautiful location, let me know.  Remember, the more you help out the more likely we’ll be to invite you up to relax!

A bit of the construction process: