The Blue Room

It's been almost 3 months since I bought the land up north. I didn't think I'd actually go up there over the winter. I thought I'd buy it, stop to say hello and then let it sit for the cold season. But that's not what's  happened at all...

First Joel said it would be possible to build a shed over a long weekend. I didn't know any better so I said - OK, let's do it! Turns out building a shed is actually quite a big job for a long weekend. Now I know.

Of course, once I had a shed I wanted to put things in it. And I wanted to finish staining it while the temps were still above zero. My Greenwave neighbor Barb was game to help so she and I went up in November to do that.

Barb brought some very useful things with her, like this giant canvas tent. Big enough for two people to walk around in. Big enough that she was able to set up her cot and I was able to set up my backpacking tent inside the tent. That's right, a tent-in-a-tent.







Not even a tent-in-a-tent is comfortably up to the challenge of 16 degrees, though, and we both learned what it feels like to develop icicles on your nose in the middle of the night. The second night, we opted to stay at the Cockrell Ranch's High Desert Lodging two miles down the road. Three if you include the driveways. Barb was refreshed after a warm night's sleep and a morning dip in the Cockrell hot tub. She was a happy stainer and also installed a bag of hurricane clips to keep the roof secure.





I got some other very helpful donations as well - tools, bedding, leaf blowers, a personal locator beacon in case I drive my car off the road in the mountains, dishes, cookware, and various household items... including a few sets of curtains. Thank you to Barb, Robert, my mom, Alyce, Mike and the Hassans for all the useful things!

With all those things piling up in my small home in East Palo Alto, I was glad I had a shed to put them in. And what better way to ring in the new year than by heading up north to connect with the land solo and bring another carload of stuff? So off I went two days after Christmas. Forget about the tent-in-a-tent idea, I got myself a generator and a portable radiator and built a tent-in-a-shed instead. It got a little messy midway through that task.


I also tidied up a bit and mulched the apple trees so they won't be so cold over the rest of the winter. I do realize they've been there more than 100 years and have done just fine without human help, and maybe there will be unforeseen consequences and I'll regret warming up their roots a bit, but... it seemed like the right thing to do. Hats off to anyone who can guess what lives in that nest at the top of the apple tree...

My other big job this trip was screening gravel for an upcoming project. Did I mention I have a full on gravel pit on my property? It's now 23 buckets smaller... which didn't make the slightest dent. One day while screening gravel, I watched a pair of bald eagles hunting overhead. There was also one deer that wandered by in the mornings, several magpies, and of course the cute creatures that live in that nest in the apple tree. At night, I'd sit by the fire pit and just watch the Milky Way roll slowly up from the mountains on the Nevada side of the valley. I can't wait to build the stargazing deck and have friends up to watch the night sky together.

New Year's Eve brought clear skies and the forecast said temperatures would dip down to 8 degrees. That sounded really cold. My ears perked up when I heard neighbor Ed's little four-wheeler rumbling down my driveway. S'posed to get down to 8 degrees tonight, he says after some neighborly chit chat. Yeah, I read that. Probably gets pretty cold in that thing. Yeah - I have that little heater but... yeah, it does get cold. Sharon and I thought you might want to join us for some New Year's Eve bubbly. Oh, that sounds nice. We've got four empty bedrooms and a shower, too... with heat.

Well, you can guess where I ended up sleeping on New Year's Eve.

Nice neighbors, non-threatening wildlife, dark night skies and glowing sunrises. What more could I want to start 2019 with a deep sense of contentedness?

Ah - and the Blue Room from the title of this post? That's what I started calling the shed. Because when I said the Hassans gave me "a few sets" of curtains... well, let's just say they must have changed out every curtain in their house - twice! So in addition to building a platform for my tent-in-a-shed, I figured I'd line the inside with a 10-piece set of blackout curtains. Maybe they would help hold the heat in??? Worth a try. Here's my humble one-step-up-from-camping winter shelter by the day I left.



Our next projects are shaping up: Septic and cistern install in March + laying out a garden. Building the Bath House in April/May. I'll update the calendar with these and other activities. If any of this sounds appealing and you'd like to come up for a visit (optionally help out with a project for a couple of hours then take off to explore Surprise Valley or just hang out and enjoy the natural silence), please let me know!

PS: This handsome girl would like you to know that well-behaved dogs (i.e. dogs who won't run off and get lost in the mountains) are especially invited to come with you during the March and April/May project periods, when she will be with us to host dog friends.

This Shed Brought To You By...

How to Build a Shed in 3 Days

First, you've got to have a place to put it... this 200 acre parcel in Modoc County ought to do.

I'll buy it!






Next, pick a useful spot, like this little clearing near the apple and poplar trees. A neighbor who stopped by said these apple trees were old when he moved to the area in 1945. But they're still making apples, so look for a cider-press party next fall.

Restlessly hang out until the guy from the local sawmill delivers your lumber.

But you still can't get started til this second delivery pulls up with a few key items.

Make sure he puts them in the right spot!

Get a guard dog to protect the pile of materials...

And finally, it's time to get started. Since you don't know whether or not your new land floods in this particular spot, let's start with some elevation. Side benefit: shed will be draggable if we decide this wasn't the right place to put it.

Put in the floor joist...

...and the floor.

One wall...

                    ... a second wall...

                                    ... a third...

                                                            ... and the fourth...

Time for a break? Not yet! Let's get some particle board and a roof on that thing before nightfall.

Time for a beer and a solar shower at the creek.

Day Two: Wrap the whole thing in felt paper,

and start adding that beautiful siding cut from Modoc County trees.

We're having a little Saturday night gathering to celebrate the new purchase, so maybe time to start tidying up the cooking area.

Siding boards complete and now on to the batten. And maybe clean up that junk pile out front.

I'm loving this wood - in some of the siding you can see the shape of the tree's inner core.

Must admire the clear blue sky and fall leaves during a short break.

Ready for guests just in time for sunset.

Gotta post one more picture of the pretty board and batten siding first, though!

We forgot to take pictures at the party but our guests took this one of me and Joel - and Allie. Sore but showered. Now time for some of the good wine and get to know a few of the neighbors.

Day Three: Install the door -

- stain every inch of the exterior... until you run out of stain. Joel had to leave at noon so this part was all mine. Hopefully, it dries nice and clear so you can still see the wood grains below. My back isn't used to all this activity and at some point, I realized I wasn't going to be able to sit in the car for the 6-hour drive home that day. I decided to stay an extra night.

Moonrise - one day shy of full. The mountains on that side of Surprise Valley are the Hays Range in Nevada.

And sunrise the following morning with sun lighting up the Warners to the West.

One of my wonderful new neighbors came by with his chainsaw and a helper and between us we cleared the dry brush around the pretty new shed.

All in all - 3 days to build, 1 day to stain and clean up, $2,400 in materials. Pride of ownership for the first structure I've ever owned on the first land I've ever owned - Priceless.