Thanksgiving

Our first Thanksgiving at the Homestead.  Came to stay after 6 months with Katie, Ryan and Porter.  They have a great start!  And we are starting our journey forward with a Homestead, trying to figure things out and learn all kinds of new stuff.

Sunrise in Late November.

Demolition

So what Hammell purchase could possibly be complete without some demolition project.  We drove west and arrived at the newly painted home 21 JUL 11.  Stayed for a week and then took the trip up to Seattle to be with Porter.  I came back down 6 Aug to start the "Floor Project"

We had two different tiles in the kitchen, another one down the hall and a section of "Engineered Floor".  Ripped it all up and replaced it with Hickory floor planking, beautiful stuff.  Troy of course helped out.

We took down an additional style of wall tile from the wood stove corner.  New look is Hickory floor throughout with a Slate Tile foyer and wood stove surround.  Troy and Sammi got us gift certificate for a wood stove.

Our new floor.

Paint the House

So the first 2 weeks after we got the house, I was the "Painter".  Painted the Kitchen, Living Room, Bedrooms (2), and the ceilings which was the toughest job.  Painted the garage walls and floor, then I went back to Jersey to drive west with Celeste.  Spent the fourth of July with Katie, Ryan and Porter at the Smith Beach House.

Started 21 JUN 2011

Well, we "bought the farm". Not in the usual slang, we literally "Bought" a farm. Well maybe not even in the literal sense, we bought 10 acres with a fine home which in time will become our "Homestead" which we call Thankful Too. Thankful ( the original ) was a log cabin on the Delaware river owned by my Aunt Lillian and Uncle Boot. Actual purchase was 22 APR 11 but the closing was 21 JUN 2011.  We were in Seattle with Katie, Ryan and Porter after moving west on Celeste's retirement from Morristown High School, May 2011.  We are staying with Katie and Ryan to assist them in adjusting to life with a little one. 

Welcome to Thankful Too

Five decades ago, my Aunt Lil and Uncle Boot had a cabin on the Delaware river near Hainesville NJ, they called their camp; Thankful. Many a happy childhood memory was had at Thankful, there were 110 log and stone steps from the cabin down to the river. Stories of lost wallets in the outhouse, vague memories of an old water mill house, young love... The cabin and property was lost in the Tocks Island Dam Project, scooped up by eminent domain....project was abandoned and now is all part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Celeste and I share many fond memories of Thankful and when we finally wer eable to begin this latest chapter in our lives, building a Homestead, we easily agreed on the name Thankful Too.