Cabin Update, Hunting Report and Misc Stuff

On the cabin expansion project, Van got the siding up and the ceramic tile down.  Joan and I bought a new table and chairs which we had delivered on Saturday.  Van hopes to finish the project on Monday - seal tile/grout, install the closet doors, and finish out the trim.  Joan and I are ordering miniblinds and then it should be done.

 Here's the new table on the newly installed ceramic tile.  The siding is the same as the rest of the cabin - v-groove pine barn siding.

Chloe seems to like basking in the sun in the new room.

 We originally thought that we would have the tile laid on the diagonal.  Joan selected a 20" tile which requires a very long cut on the diagonal.  Van couldn't locate a big enough saw so we abandoned the plan and had it laid in this pattern.

Van had some long days on this project. Here he is pulling out at 10:40 pm on the day he laid the tile.

The lady bugs are swarming right now and these pictures don't adequately capture the magnitude.  I can literally sweep up a 5 gallon bucket of ladybugs just in the vicinity of the roll up door on the barn.

I'm told that they're not really lady bugs but some form of Asian Beetle that was intoduced to control some other insect infestation.  They're not too bad except for a couple of weeks in the Spring and Fall when they just swarm to the barn siding.

 Here I am walking past one of the trail cameras.  This one is looking out on a soybean field and I planted the edges with brassica and turnips.

 Some of the plantings didn't do too well since there's been virtually no rain.  For some reason, this field has done ok.

This plant is supposed to last late into the Fall and when a hard freeze occurs, the leaves get sweeter making it attractive to the deer.

We haven't had a good soaker rain in two months.  The pond is low - this rock pile is normally submerged.

The entire edge of the pond is covered with animal tracks - the pond is about the only water around.  Most of the tracks are deer tracks.

 I think these claw like scratches are from racoons.

I'm pretty sure all of these dog-like tracks are coyote.

 This is typical coyote scat - they have a pretty varied diet and it makes for interesting scat.

Joan wanted a few apples so Dave and I were glad to assist.

 The woods are really colorful right now.  I don't think that it's optimal since it's been so dry.  Some trees just went straight to brown and dropped their leaves.  The maple and sumac are still pretty though.

More evidence of the bucks rubbing on trees.  This is on the edge of the new clearing below the pond stand.  We've seen lots of deer enter the field on this trail.

The pines are a favorite for the bucks.  This one will probably die since it has been completely skinned all the way around.

Traffic this week included a propane delivery.

And the water company was out to repair the mess that they made when fixing a water leak a couple of months ago.












Hunting report:

Saturday evening - I hunted the driveway stand and saw nothing.  It was quite warm (80) and there didn't seem to be a thing moving.  Dave hunted the hanging stand.  He pushed a deer out of the foodplot on the walk out and he pushed two does out of the main field after dark on the walk back in.  No other activity.

Sunday morning - I sat in the turkey blind by the orchard.  Saw nothing.  Dave hunted the box stand over the clover patch off the barn.  He saw turkeys fly down and then troop into the clover.  I think he said three Toms and seven hens.  The Toms were sparring with each other and at one point they got startled and left the field by walking directly under the stand.  Dave didn't know that Fall turkey season was open so he never took a shot.  He knows better for next time - Thanksgiving is coming.