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Finishing the Framing
Grant
enjoys building - and playing around when he can get someone to watch (and
make Debi'e heart race).
 
The outside
framing is finished, held up by bracing. It's difficult to tell what you're
looking at - but Grant has 'a plan' and knows what he is doing. And still
the flags fly high above the work site.
The walls are
all framed, now it is time for Grant and Debie (Grant's assistant/go for)
to paint and hang the 60+ 2x10 (Kiwi speak for 10x2s) rafter beams that
will be the exposed beams for the inside of the house.
BUT ... as you
can see from this picture, much of the ground surrounding the work site
has been left bare. So in the next section Debie (with Grant as assistant)
will begin to replant the area.
Healing the Land
 
As
Debie assembles the manure, soil, hay and some new plants for the land,
Jack does a quality assurance inspection of the products. Next Debie piling
the uprooted cactus and Grant has set the pines in line to be planted.
 
Both Sandy and
Wobbles also feel they should give input into the mixing of manure and
planting process. But planting is hard work, so Sandy takes a much-needed
rest.
 
Most
men give their women diamonds and jewels, but Grant gives Debie a 'self-dumping'
trailer and excitedly shows her how great it is that she doesn't have to
dump from the old-fashion wheelbarrow in the back ground. However, one
might notice the pile of rubbish Grant could have cleaned up during this
loving presentation.
In
the mean time, Patches decides to climb the framing and expects Debie to
get him down. Debie is no fool and is not going to get scratched for her
efforts.
Debie
is beginning to suspect she might be abused ...
The Ceiling Rafters begin to go up
The ceiling
beams begin to go up. With 60 to do and only four done, it is going to
be a looooong process.
  The
first beam was put into place without painting it, then we discovered how
difficult it was to paint them once they were 20 feet up. So, the rest
of the beams were painted before they were lifted into place - a process
that took both Grant and Debie to lift the beam. While Grant secured the
beam on one end, Debie held it into place on the other. Then a brace was
put between each beam at both ends to hold it into place.
 
The form of
the house is beginning to take place. Grant's craftsmanship shows in his
hip joints.
In
the next phase- of development,
Debie
has to leave her beloved Grant and Silver Fern Ranch for 3 weeks and the
neighbors pitch in to take care of Grant and to help with the building
...
Dr Debie LeBeau/Grant Spence
Silver Fern Ranch
55013-B (62/180 hwy)
El Paso, TX 79938
PHONE: +1-915-988-2550
CELL: +1-413-841-7106
EMAIL: grantsnz@hotmail.com
or
EMAIL: dr_lebeau@yahoo.com (dr_lebeau) |
ranch
animals (the two-footed dog and an eclectic collection of cats) help where
ever possible.
