A Strange-Looking Life-Saver

Can you guess what this is? It is a drywall lifter. We drove to camp yesterday to start the next stage in the construction project - installing drywall. W and Eric put 2 pieces on the ceiling when they were here skiing last week. But there were several more sheets to go and after a couple of attempts today we gave up trying to install a heavy 4x8 sheet on the ceiling without help. We rented this lifter, and what a difference. We will easily finish the ceiling tomorrow - hurray.

Snow

Check out the size of these snow"flakes" - more like snowballs.We're getting another major snowstorm in New Jersey. This has been quite a winter. We have had more snow than in the Adirondacks, though they are getting lots today as well.

Orchids

Today we went to the Deep Cut Orchid Society show at Dearborn Market. What a fabulous array. I was just going to enjoy them and not take pictures, but not taking photos of orchids is like not picking up shells on Sanibel Island - impossible. Here is a sample.

Finished

With the next step in the basement remodeling, that is. The wiring is done. And we've decided to drive back to NJ tomorrow. Starting the drywall on this trip would be a little much. We figure slaving away in the basement for 5 days in a row is quite enough. And going home tomorrow means we don't miss a chorus rehearsal.

We finished soon enough today to take a drive to Saranac Lake to witness the construction of the ice palace. The carnival doesn't start until the weekend so they are still building. Here is W showing off the size of the ice blocks used in the construction, with the lake the blocks are carved out of in the background.And more blocks waiting to be used. The theme this year is "Adirondack Cowboys" so that is probably what this sign will eventually read.

Too Cold to Work in the Unheated Garage

It was minus 10 degrees when we got up this morning. So we decided to wait a bit before heading to the garage to cut more insulation. Once it neared the high for the day -- all of 5 degrees -- we went out and finished cutting. So the insulation step is now complete. Wiring comes next. We still haven't decided how long we are staying. We'll see how it goes the next couple of days.

At Camp

We drove to camp yesterday to do some more work on the basement. I put the bird feeder out and attracted lots of birds right away. It is cold with snow squalls, so I'm sure they appreciated the food.
We got about half of the insulation cut and installed. Stay tuned.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

It was taken in New Jersey, not the Adirondacks. BRRR...

And AA&J are in Miami where there are freeze warnings. Sigh.

Gobble, Gobble

Now that is a bird you don't often get at your feeder.

Basement

We finished the walls of the basement room today!!! Well, just the studs, but that is still quite an accomplishment.

More Snow

We're getting a lot more snow. It is light and fluffy and there has been no wind, so it is like a fairyland with it stuck all over the trees.We eventually got about 12 more inches, which is a lot better than Burlington, VT which got 36 inches!