Long time, no blog. Sorry about that.
At last update, we were back at Square One with funding. In the meantime, 2011 was a very good year for us and that meant we were able to put some funds into the project and keep moving. With these funds, we decided to concentrate on one of the six cabins and try to get it done. Soup to nuts--all of it.
The “double cabin” was our victim last summer. We gutted it all the way down to the studs and found quite a few wasp nests tucked away. Active ones. Nice.
Here's a list of what we accomplished last summer:
-:- Rewired the entire cabin.
-:- Insulated the walls and ceiling (underneath the cabin will be done in Summer 2012)
-:- Installed new windows and doors.
-:- Kayaked
-:- Rebuilt the front porch
-:- Started a small deck/sitting area on the back.
-:- Kayaked
It's a good list for only being up there six weeks, and for half of that time, Chip was working on his own. Renae and I could only join him for two weeks.
We also made sure to clear out an area by the river where we could relax and get down to the water easily. One day, after a particularly grueling and filthy day of work, we grabbed some drinks from the fridge and headed down to the water in our clothes. Yup, we went into the water fully dressed. It was glorious, refreshing, restorative. Ahhhh!
This year, we want to finish that cabin totally. It's very important to us to continue to see progress. Although it isn't happening as quickly as we'd hoped, there is movement and we love it.
Stay tuned, more updates to come as we progress this summer.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Monday, October 4, 2010
Chapter 10 - What's A Girl Gotta Do To Get A Dollar?
Early last week Chip, Dennis and I flew up to the property to button up for the winter. We were told that the NCA meeting was going to be on Thursday afternoon. Just in case we didn't get the last bit of funding we needed, we wanted to make sure the property could handle the cold without sacrificing another well pump to the winter gods. The weather was not so great, but it was nice to get out of the Florida heat for a few days.
Monday was a throw-away travel day. Got into Plattsburgh at around 7pm (our flight was late due to the weather). Thankfully, Dolores from Priceless Rent-A-Car was there to meet us. They're our new favorite rental car company. On Tuesday, we drove into Ticonderoga, then through Crown Point, Port Henry and Moriah. We had to stop to get apple cider and apple cider donuts, of course. I think it's mandatory. Dinner Tuesday was a birthday celebration with the family. Great food, great company AND birthday cake. Can't go wrong!
Wednesday, we took a Sunday drive. All around Keene, Keene Valley, Jay, Wilmington, Lake Placid and up Veterans Memorial Highway. Although it was overcast, rainy and cold, we spent the $22 to drive to the top of Whiteface in zero visibility. What a great experience that was! We stopped at a couple of lookouts along the way and the mist had a great effect on the view. Gave it a completely different look and feel than full on sun, very pleasant change. The stone stairs were closed to take you to the top of the mountain, too slippery in that weather. I've been down those stairs in good weather and had a little trouble. But that's just me (graceful ballerina, I am not). I can imagine that they're slick as ____ (fill in your own colorful adjective here) in the rain.
Up the elevator we went, into the castle and out onto the rocks. Little nippy up there. I didn't venture out as far as Chip and Dennis until Chip told me to go out onto the deck. Standing back in the middle of the rocks the wind was blowing, but not unbearably hard. Once I got out near the edge of the deck, the wind was swirling, whirling and rushing up so hard that I bet it could have held me up if I leaned over the edge. Note: This is not an experiment I would actually try. I had had enough and headed back to the elevator after that.
Dinner was in Schroon Lake, then Thursday we took care of the water lines and well pump, prepped for our next visit. Nice trip--short and sweet. No campfires and marshmallows this time. Too wet. No sunshine and lollipops either. NCA turned our funding application down.
Sheesh! What's a girl gotta do to get a dollar?
Don't answer that.
Monday was a throw-away travel day. Got into Plattsburgh at around 7pm (our flight was late due to the weather). Thankfully, Dolores from Priceless Rent-A-Car was there to meet us. They're our new favorite rental car company. On Tuesday, we drove into Ticonderoga, then through Crown Point, Port Henry and Moriah. We had to stop to get apple cider and apple cider donuts, of course. I think it's mandatory. Dinner Tuesday was a birthday celebration with the family. Great food, great company AND birthday cake. Can't go wrong!
Wednesday, we took a Sunday drive. All around Keene, Keene Valley, Jay, Wilmington, Lake Placid and up Veterans Memorial Highway. Although it was overcast, rainy and cold, we spent the $22 to drive to the top of Whiteface in zero visibility. What a great experience that was! We stopped at a couple of lookouts along the way and the mist had a great effect on the view. Gave it a completely different look and feel than full on sun, very pleasant change. The stone stairs were closed to take you to the top of the mountain, too slippery in that weather. I've been down those stairs in good weather and had a little trouble. But that's just me (graceful ballerina, I am not). I can imagine that they're slick as ____ (fill in your own colorful adjective here) in the rain.
Up the elevator we went, into the castle and out onto the rocks. Little nippy up there. I didn't venture out as far as Chip and Dennis until Chip told me to go out onto the deck. Standing back in the middle of the rocks the wind was blowing, but not unbearably hard. Once I got out near the edge of the deck, the wind was swirling, whirling and rushing up so hard that I bet it could have held me up if I leaned over the edge. Note: This is not an experiment I would actually try. I had had enough and headed back to the elevator after that.
Dinner was in Schroon Lake, then Thursday we took care of the water lines and well pump, prepped for our next visit. Nice trip--short and sweet. No campfires and marshmallows this time. Too wet. No sunshine and lollipops either. NCA turned our funding application down.
Sheesh! What's a girl gotta do to get a dollar?
Don't answer that.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Chapter 9 - *&^%$#@!
The Telephone Call
(ring, ring)
Me: "Hello, is this Square One?"
Square One: "Yes, this is Square One."
Me: "I just wanted to let you know we'd be dropping back by for a visit."
Square One: "Oh--Should we make up the bed in the guest room?"
Me: "No, there's no need for that. We won't be staying long."
Square One: "Do you need directions on how to get here?"
Me: "No, we were just there a few months ago. We remember how to get there."
In case you haven't guessed, the AEDC funding didn't exactly go as planned. I think they love us, they really do. But the well is dry. They don't have the amount of funds in the pot that we need. So, we're back to Square One. We haven't lost hope. Don't think that.
I'm just really tired of Square One. The decor there is dreadful, mid-80's mauve and it's just so, well, square. That's what I get for asking for a verdict on Friday the 13th. Monday, we're going to work on another option. Plugging away.
(ring, ring)
Me: "Hello, is this Square One?"
Square One: "Yes, this is Square One."
Me: "I just wanted to let you know we'd be dropping back by for a visit."
Square One: "Oh--Should we make up the bed in the guest room?"
Me: "No, there's no need for that. We won't be staying long."
Square One: "Do you need directions on how to get here?"
Me: "No, we were just there a few months ago. We remember how to get there."
In case you haven't guessed, the AEDC funding didn't exactly go as planned. I think they love us, they really do. But the well is dry. They don't have the amount of funds in the pot that we need. So, we're back to Square One. We haven't lost hope. Don't think that.
I'm just really tired of Square One. The decor there is dreadful, mid-80's mauve and it's just so, well, square. That's what I get for asking for a verdict on Friday the 13th. Monday, we're going to work on another option. Plugging away.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Chapter 8 - Stressful Trip, was the outcome worth it?
Hell YES!
Driving 24 Hours Straight Never Gets Old (I’m lying).
The July Board Meeting of the Essex County Industrial Development Agency was on Tuesday, July 20th. Standard practice is for the applicants to make a brief presentation at the meeting. We left for New York after work on Friday, July 16th and drove straight through, rotating drivers every couple hours. Those that weren’t driving were sawing some serious logs in the back seat. Very sorry we don’t have video.
We arrived at the property on Saturday night around 11:30 and thought we would try to get the well started after being gone all winter. As Dennis was pouring the water into the pump to prime it, it began gushing out from a big crack in the case. All the safeguards we took before we left were for nothing, it froze anyway. So, that meant we were buying a new pump in the morning. Can we say “unexpected cost”, boys and girls?
We got up in the morning, piled in the car and headed to Lowe’s in Ticonderoga. We said hello to our favorite Lowe’s employee, Erin Burke (the best commercial sales rep EVER) and picked out a good pump from the plumbing department.
After getting the pump installed, Dennis spent the day getting the well working. Chip, Renae and I spent the day moving tires out off the front of the property. The day was long and we were sweaty, but at least we could take a hot shower.
Monday morning, Carol Calabrese stopped by the property for a site inspection. We passed with flying colors. That afternoon we had pictures printed for handouts at the meeting. While Chip was making dinner that night, Dennis, Renae and I pasted the pictures into a notebook to hand out for each Board member. Another project I wish we had video of.
Our time slot at the meeting was 9:20, one of the first of the day. We did our presentation, answered questions and waited anxiously for Carol’s phone call to give us the decision. Thankfully it was a yes!
We are very grateful to the Essex County IDA Board, Carol Calabrese and Karen Stehlin for helping to make our dream a reality. The next step is approval for the construction portion of the loan from the Adirondack Economic Development Corporation. August 10th is their meeting.
Wish us luck!
After getting the good news, we were able to relax a little bit. We spent the rest of our time gorging ourselves on ice cream, swimming in the river (brrr!), chilling by the camp fire, and roasting marshmallows which reminded us why we love this place so much.
Driving 24 Hours Straight Never Gets Old (I’m lying).
The July Board Meeting of the Essex County Industrial Development Agency was on Tuesday, July 20th. Standard practice is for the applicants to make a brief presentation at the meeting. We left for New York after work on Friday, July 16th and drove straight through, rotating drivers every couple hours. Those that weren’t driving were sawing some serious logs in the back seat. Very sorry we don’t have video.
We arrived at the property on Saturday night around 11:30 and thought we would try to get the well started after being gone all winter. As Dennis was pouring the water into the pump to prime it, it began gushing out from a big crack in the case. All the safeguards we took before we left were for nothing, it froze anyway. So, that meant we were buying a new pump in the morning. Can we say “unexpected cost”, boys and girls?
We got up in the morning, piled in the car and headed to Lowe’s in Ticonderoga. We said hello to our favorite Lowe’s employee, Erin Burke (the best commercial sales rep EVER) and picked out a good pump from the plumbing department.
After getting the pump installed, Dennis spent the day getting the well working. Chip, Renae and I spent the day moving tires out off the front of the property. The day was long and we were sweaty, but at least we could take a hot shower.
Monday morning, Carol Calabrese stopped by the property for a site inspection. We passed with flying colors. That afternoon we had pictures printed for handouts at the meeting. While Chip was making dinner that night, Dennis, Renae and I pasted the pictures into a notebook to hand out for each Board member. Another project I wish we had video of.
Our time slot at the meeting was 9:20, one of the first of the day. We did our presentation, answered questions and waited anxiously for Carol’s phone call to give us the decision. Thankfully it was a yes!
We are very grateful to the Essex County IDA Board, Carol Calabrese and Karen Stehlin for helping to make our dream a reality. The next step is approval for the construction portion of the loan from the Adirondack Economic Development Corporation. August 10th is their meeting.
Wish us luck!
After getting the good news, we were able to relax a little bit. We spent the rest of our time gorging ourselves on ice cream, swimming in the river (brrr!), chilling by the camp fire, and roasting marshmallows which reminded us why we love this place so much.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Chapter 7 - Tire Debacle and Funding Hide 'n Seek
Whoever Said This Would Be Easy?
After the gents came home, we worked steadily on getting funding. As a last resort, we decided that we would try applying through the Essex County Industrial Development Agency. They specialize in offering funding to businesses when they cannot get funding through traditional sources.
The application itself is only six pages, but the supporting documentation killed several trees. The business plan alone was about 20 pages. We drafted and researched and drafted some more through the holidays. The process was coming along quite nicely.
And then…disaster struck on December 27. Chip got three phone calls within minutes of each other telling us that the dumpster company had finally come to pick up the last of the scrap metal and in the process, dumped two loads of tires at the front of our property. Holy cow, they’re back. The tires were back. After days of getting those suckers in dumpsters, they brought them back. We didn’t understand why 1) they took so long to collect the last dumpster for credit and 2) why they didn’t credit the metal to our balance before deciding we owed them money and returning the tires.
We tried on our own and through our lawyer to resolve the issue with absolutely no response. At this point, we’ve decided to just let it go. It’s frustrating that they undid days of work and took our scrap metal, but we’re experts at taking lemons and making lemonade. This project has taught us valuable lessons and we’re chalking it all up to experience.
On April 29th, we submitted our application package to Carol Calabrese at IDA. She asked that Karen Stehlin with the North Country Small Business Development Center review it and offer her input. We revised it based on Karen’s observations and submitted the final in late May, too late to make the June board meeting cut off. But we made the July meeting…
Details to follow in the next post.
After the gents came home, we worked steadily on getting funding. As a last resort, we decided that we would try applying through the Essex County Industrial Development Agency. They specialize in offering funding to businesses when they cannot get funding through traditional sources.
The application itself is only six pages, but the supporting documentation killed several trees. The business plan alone was about 20 pages. We drafted and researched and drafted some more through the holidays. The process was coming along quite nicely.
And then…disaster struck on December 27. Chip got three phone calls within minutes of each other telling us that the dumpster company had finally come to pick up the last of the scrap metal and in the process, dumped two loads of tires at the front of our property. Holy cow, they’re back. The tires were back. After days of getting those suckers in dumpsters, they brought them back. We didn’t understand why 1) they took so long to collect the last dumpster for credit and 2) why they didn’t credit the metal to our balance before deciding we owed them money and returning the tires.
We tried on our own and through our lawyer to resolve the issue with absolutely no response. At this point, we’ve decided to just let it go. It’s frustrating that they undid days of work and took our scrap metal, but we’re experts at taking lemons and making lemonade. This project has taught us valuable lessons and we’re chalking it all up to experience.
On April 29th, we submitted our application package to Carol Calabrese at IDA. She asked that Karen Stehlin with the North Country Small Business Development Center review it and offer her input. We revised it based on Karen’s observations and submitted the final in late May, too late to make the June board meeting cut off. But we made the July meeting…
Details to follow in the next post.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Chapter 6 - Let's Get Down to Business
The Tires Won’t Jump Into the Dumpster on their Own.
When Chip came up the first time in June, he talked to a scrap metal company that also happened to take tires for free. That was an excellent deal because we had a lot of tires and propane tanks to get rid of.
When we came back in August, now they told us that it would cost $2.00 per tire. Still a deal at $2.00, we had them drop a few dumpsters off for us to start filling. It took them several days to finally get the dumpsters there, and it was a constant struggle always with some excuse: the driver lost our address, the driver dropped the dumpster somewhere else (??). This really should have been our first clue to run away from this company. Mistake #1.
They took two dumpsters of tires away and two dumpsters of scrap metal in early September. We still had two scrap metal dumpsters that were ready to be picked up. Scrap metal = a credit, tires = a debit. We got a bill before the last two scrap metal dumpsters were credited. This bill over-charged us for twice as many tires as they took away and charged us a higher price per tire than what they quoted. We knew we still had credit for two more scrap metal dumpsters coming, so we were waiting for a final tally. Mistake #2.
We chugged along, completing the other trash removal, painting, and roof installation, finishing up in late October. Chip, Dennis, and Kyle (Dennis’s son) came home to FL a few weeks after seeing the first snowfall of the season.
The tire saga continues in the next post.
When Chip came up the first time in June, he talked to a scrap metal company that also happened to take tires for free. That was an excellent deal because we had a lot of tires and propane tanks to get rid of.
When we came back in August, now they told us that it would cost $2.00 per tire. Still a deal at $2.00, we had them drop a few dumpsters off for us to start filling. It took them several days to finally get the dumpsters there, and it was a constant struggle always with some excuse: the driver lost our address, the driver dropped the dumpster somewhere else (??). This really should have been our first clue to run away from this company. Mistake #1.
They took two dumpsters of tires away and two dumpsters of scrap metal in early September. We still had two scrap metal dumpsters that were ready to be picked up. Scrap metal = a credit, tires = a debit. We got a bill before the last two scrap metal dumpsters were credited. This bill over-charged us for twice as many tires as they took away and charged us a higher price per tire than what they quoted. We knew we still had credit for two more scrap metal dumpsters coming, so we were waiting for a final tally. Mistake #2.
We chugged along, completing the other trash removal, painting, and roof installation, finishing up in late October. Chip, Dennis, and Kyle (Dennis’s son) came home to FL a few weeks after seeing the first snowfall of the season.
The tire saga continues in the next post.
Chapter 5 - When the Going Gets Tough and the Tough Can't Go
It All Comes Back to #2.
Power? Check.
Water? Check.
Operational Septic System? Not so much.
We’re a hardy group. We can tough out limited power and water supply, but when the septic system started to act up (which we knew it eventually would), that was the last straw. After working hard all day, you need some basic comforts. You know what I mean.
That’s when we decided that it would be better to just rent a house until the big cabin was ready to live in. We called the realtor we bought the property from and told him we needed a house to rent…now. No, really, now. Not next week, tomorrow at the very latest. I don’t think you understand. Can we drop by your office and use your bathroom? That was probably what did it...well, that and relentless phone calls.
We stayed the night at a motel down the road and moved into the rental the next day. It had two lovely, beautiful, perfectly functional bathrooms. I think we all cried a little bit. During this tense time, we discovered that when you can't go, all conversations eventually end up circling back to nature's call. As we are now fond of saying "It all comes back to poop." We can laugh about it now, but at that time, laughing was not recommended.
For the record, nothing has gone according to plan so far.
Power? Check.
Water? Check.
Operational Septic System? Not so much.
We’re a hardy group. We can tough out limited power and water supply, but when the septic system started to act up (which we knew it eventually would), that was the last straw. After working hard all day, you need some basic comforts. You know what I mean.
That’s when we decided that it would be better to just rent a house until the big cabin was ready to live in. We called the realtor we bought the property from and told him we needed a house to rent…now. No, really, now. Not next week, tomorrow at the very latest. I don’t think you understand. Can we drop by your office and use your bathroom? That was probably what did it...well, that and relentless phone calls.
We stayed the night at a motel down the road and moved into the rental the next day. It had two lovely, beautiful, perfectly functional bathrooms. I think we all cried a little bit. During this tense time, we discovered that when you can't go, all conversations eventually end up circling back to nature's call. As we are now fond of saying "It all comes back to poop." We can laugh about it now, but at that time, laughing was not recommended.
For the record, nothing has gone according to plan so far.
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