9/11/14

Update: 9/11/14

After six months of hired help and our own efforts, the land is looking REALLY nice! I'm very pleased with the results. All of the dozens of dead oak trees have been removed, allowing us to look forward to what will be rather than mourning what once was. We spent the summer weekends trimming up the cedars around the house site and the driveway leading to it. Looking back, we've accomplished SO much in the two years since we first saw this acreage in September 2012.

Along one side of "driveway"

Along other side of "driveway"

"Backyard"

In the forest

In the forest

View from home site

5/15/14

Update: 5/15/14

We had work done on the land for about two months and have wrapped up the first phase. The house site is cleared and the trees surrounding it are trimmed up, some preliminary roads are in, the perimeter of the acreage is cleared, and some of the dead trees are removed. There are many more dead trees, but in general the place is looking much more civilized! We can actually drive around on it, as well as walk freely in all but the most heavily wooded areas. Here are few new pictures (as with all the pics on the blog, you can click on them for full size).

First, to back track a little bit, here is a springtime view as you turn onto the the county road that our land is off of.

View from county road

Views from the land.

View from home site

View from behind home site

Wooded area

Lower area with windmill

View from high point

Meanwhile back at the land...

Once we had the house parts secured, we continued to work on cleaning up the land and to save towards having some heavy work done. The heavy work has finally started, and the homesite is almost cleared!

Before 1

Before 2

Before 3

After 1



After 2

After 3



After 4

View from homesite

10/28/13

Update: Oct. 28

We drove by the site where the house stood, for the first time since it was moved. The church has done nothing, although they had rushed us because they "needed to move forward."

8/5/13

Update: August 5

All the material is now in the barn, so this stage of the project is finished. I have mixed feelings about it...I'm sad that the house is no longer standing, and a bit frustrated that I didn't get to participate in taking it apart, and frustrated that some of the material didn't survive the process. However, I realize that this was the only way we were going to get a historic house (or facsimile thereof) on our property. I have no idea when the "next stage" will begin...there are these things called time and money that we don't have enough of...



7/31/13

Update: July 28

Almost done! Everything is in the barn except the exterior doors...sure doesn't look like a whole house!

7/25/13

Progress: July 25

I was off work so we swung by the Bastrop site again today...



It's just a hole in the ground! Notice the base of the chimney.

They were working hard, loading it on the trailer.