A quiet day

It's odd working alone now, after spending so many weeks working with a crew. I like the quiet, and the slower pace of the job. Working by myself really lets me get into detail, and shuffle from project to project with no predictable path. I do miss the speed with which things get done. Time is short now, so I wonder if the trade for quality over quantity is poorly timed. But, what can you do? The world doesn't spin around the cabin, as much as I'd like it to sometimes.

I finished one project today, and started another. The loft floor is finally completely installed, and I am very happy with the result:

The wood was reclaimed, and when I got it, it had variations in thickness and old varnish on the top. With a couple of passes through the planer, it looked beautiful again, and it installed fairly quickly. There are bows and cracks, of course, but I like them. Floors that look perfect are boring. I like quirky things. They have more character. I did end up buying a few new boards (as we didn't have enough to finish completely), but they match fairly well. After a pass with the belt sander, I think it will be hard to recognize them.

I started working on the siding, which I am very excited about. I don't know about you, but a blue Tyvek house is an ugly house. I'm eager to cover it up for good:

The siding is spruce, and we'll be staining it red so we can still see the grain in the wood. The trim is going to be a cream, or ivory -- some sort of muted white. I love the accent of paint when it's not the main feature.

I heard from Allison that red paint used to be made from sour milk and rusty tools. You take a big barrel of old milk, put all of the rusty tools you can find in it, and let it brew for a while. Then, you paint your barn red with it. I'm tempted to try it with the woodshed -- it would be fun!

Just for kicks and giggles, here's a photo of my rudbeckia/coneflower/daisy garden. I'm hoping it spreads next year!