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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 26, 2021 19:34:06 GMT -6
Chapter 10
Gil stepped out of the tent. The moon had set and the faint hint of the coming morning was showing over the ridgeline. Gil twirled around at the sudden whisper of the tent flaps parting on the other tent. "What's wrong?" Grace whispered.
"Nothing. Sometimes I get up this early."
"I know, but I was afraid something might be wrong."
"Come here."
Grace moved closer and Gil wrapped his arms around her. Gil heard her sigh as she snuggled closer.
"There's nothing to be afraid of."
They stood there and watched the dawn grow brighter. Finally, Gil released her and went and opened the trailer ramp. Getting out the large frying pan, he set it on the ramp. Grace, who had gone back in and dressed in cargo shorts and a t-shirt, was busy building a fire. He watched as she made a teepee of small sticks over the tinder. Taking a wax impregnated cotton ball, she broke it and fuzzed out some off cotton fibers. She laid it under the little tee-pee of tinder and sticks and made one swipe of the steel on the Lightning-Strike rod and the cotton fuzz caught fire, igniting the pyramid of sticks. She stood by and slowly added bigger pieces of wood and finally added the split logs. Finally she looked up and saw Gil watching her.
"Did I do it right? I just dd what I've seen you do."
"You did it perfectly."
When a bed of coals formed, Gil set the large cast iron frying pan on the grill insert. Three minutes later he added the strips of bacon. The smell and the sound of sizzling bacon had Grace's stomach rumbling. She went into the trailer and returned with a bowl and the canister of pancake mix. Measuring the mix into the bowl, she added water and began beating the lumps out. As she finished, Gil was taking the bacon out of the pan and laying it on a paper towel draped paper plate. Pouring half the bacon grease out of the pan into a cup, Gil began to ladle the pancake mix into the frying pan. Grace immediately started dropping small dollops of apple butter onto the pancake. Gil flipped the pancake over once the edges began crusting. They repeated this until six pancakes were done. Grace lathered the pancakes in both plates with butter while Gil retrieved the maple syrup. Grace poured fresh cups of coffee and they set on the trailer ramp devouring the pancakes and each taking a strip of bacon off the plate at a time. Gil always cooked exactly 7 slices of bacon each time, so they had something to fight over.
Grace finished and added more wood to the fire pit. Placing the stock pot on the grill insert and filling it with water, she sat back down.
"It's Saturday. Who is showing up today?" Grace asked.
Gil laid back on the ramp and put his hands under his head.
"No one. I'm declaring this 'Somnolent Saturday."
"What's that?"
"A lazy day. Do what you want."
"I like that!"
"Then you will just love 'Topless Tuesday." Gil grinned.
"In your dreams!"
"Shucks! Well, anyway. No one is supposed to be showing up. Let's do the dishes and take a walk, or with that breakfast I'll sleep all day. Maybe later we'll go down to Dairy Queen and get some ice cream, if you want."
Grace got up and got the dishpans out and poured the hot water into them. Gil began tossing silverware and dishes into the soapy water and as Grace washed, he rinsed and dried. He poured some of the hot water from the stock pot into the frying pan and washed it out and dried it. Wiping it with flax oil, he returned it to the hook on the wall of the trailer. When the clean-up was done, Grace went to put on her hiking boots while Gil filled a Camelbak. They started off up the road to the building site. As they entered the forested hillside Gil grabbed Grace's arm and stopped her.
"Now, there are two species of poisonous snakes in eastern Tennessee; the Timber Rattlesnake and the Copperhead. They are sometimes difficult, but not impossible to spot. I want you to look around carefully and see if you can spot anything different."
It took her almost 45 seconds to spot the snake on the right side of the road.
"THERE! A SNAKE!" Grace rasped.
"That is a Copperhead. They will stay away from you if you stay away from them. Usually, if you're making enough noise, they will wriggle off. If the feel like they are cornered, they will strike."
"Aren't you going to kill it?" Grace asked.
"No reason to. They have a place in the food chain too. Probably, some hawk or eagle will spot him and have him for lunch."
"Him? How do you know it's a male?"
"Just a generic pronoun used for demonstration. However, in the animal world, the lack of breasts usually indicate the male."
"Think again, funny man. That's in mammals."
"Oh, right…" Gil grinned. "Anyway, we don't want to kill it. Now we know, and are now reminded there ARE snakes out here and we must remain vigilant."
"What about when the cabin is finished? Won't they come into the yard and close to the house?"
"My landscaping will include removal of the leaves and underbrush. Snakes like places they can hide. With those areas removed, they can be easily seen."
"Okay," Grace said, not quite sure.
They walked on up to the building site and looked at the basement.
"This is bigger than I thought." Grace said. "This isn't going to be just a small cabin, is it?"
"The floorplan is 2698 square feet with four bedrooms and 2.5 baths and a 2-car garage."
Grace's mouth hung open. "Why are you building such a large house?"
"Because I can." Gil said, turning away so she didn't see his grin.
The walked back to their campsite and as they got nearer, Gil remembered something buried in the trailer he had forgotten about. Grace peeled away to use the toilet enclosure that Gil had set up. Finally uncovering the long box, Gil took out the parts and began assembling the frame. When he finished the frame, he unrolled the hammock and attached it to the frame. He had forgot he had this thing. He could have been taking naps in this! He laid down and slowly rocked in it.
"Where did you get this?" Grace asked.
"Come here." Gil said, holding out his hand.
Grace stepped forward and took his hand. She squealed as Gil pulled her into the hammock and pulled her head onto his shoulder.
"Now go to sleep."
Grace closed her eyes and snuggled closer.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 26, 2021 21:32:15 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 27, 2021 9:56:52 GMT -6
Chapter 11
Grace awoke as a rivulet of sweat found its way into her right ear. She lifted her head slightly and saw the wet outline of her head imprinted on Gil's shirt. She looked and the sun was beating down directly on them. She managed to swing one leg out of the hammock and used Gil's body to push herself up to a standing position, which woke Gil. "Damn it's turned hot! Gil said.
He looked up at Grace and squinted.
"Why don't you go get on a bathing suit and let's go swimming in the river."
Grace smiled and went to her tent. Gil got up and went and changed into his UDT shorts and water shoes and grabbed a couple of towels. As he came out of his tent, Grace exited hers, wearing water shoes and a one piece suit.
"I thought I saw a smaller suit when you were packing at your house."
"Wishful thinking." Grace said, as she headed for the Gator.
Gil grinned and got in the Gator and drove to the riverbank. They walked across the sand until Gil dropped his towel and made a running dive into the river. Grace entered the river sedately and pushed off into the water.
"This feels good!" Grace said.
They drew up beside one another and slowly drifted down the channel on their backs. A quarter of a mile below from where they had entered the river, they flipped over and began swimming slowly back to their entry point. Getting out, Grace retrieved their towels and handed one to Gil.
"You mentioned something earlier about Dairy Queen?" Grace said, grinning.
Gil started walking toward the Gator. "Let's go."
Monday morning Gil was up early up at the site for the "solar farm", rolling out water hoses. He uncovered the well pump and made sure the generator tank was full. He had purchased extra hoses and filled a 5-gallon can with gas, making sure there would be no interruptions.
At 0915, Drake and his 6-man crew arrived and backed there trucks into position for easy off-loading. First to come off was a gasoline powered concrete mixer and wheel barrows. Two men began digging holes for the support posts with a two-man auger and making quick work of it. Drake was walking around double checking everything. Gil went up the ridge and cranked the generator to get the water flowing and went back to watch the fine-tuned crew. There didn't seem to be any wasted motion at all. When they broke for lunch, all the support posts were in the ground, concrete already hardened by the additive.
After lunch, they began to mount the Automatic Sun Tracking System, dual-axis tracking controller that would allow the tracking of the sun in real time. By 1600, they were cleaning and putting away their tools. The PV panels wouldn't be mounted until the next day.
"Well Gil, that's all we can do today. The wind Generator mast will go up in the morning. We give the concrete for the mast and the anchors a full 24 hours to cure. Everything is right on schedule."
"Drake, is the floor on that utility building going to support the battery weight?" Gil asked.
"Oh yeah, no problem. We put down a weight distribution plate plus all the racks are anchored in the wall. You'll have no problems."
"Okay, good."
As Jack was leaving, another vehicle drove in.
"Mr. Conner? Jack Dickson with StoneHill. I'll be the site foreman."
"Good to meet you Jack, and please call me Gil."
"Can I look at the foundation Gil?"
"Absolutely!. Hop in the Gator and I'll take you there."
"You know Gil, this area is perfect. We've got room to unload the logs off the truck and get them sorted out. We'll have three telehaulers here to carry the logs up to where the crane takes them and sets them in place. We should have this dried in in a week. Jack walked around, checking the foundation and was satisfied at what he was finding.
"What about power?" Jack asked.
"It will be in tomorrow."
"Good, we'll bring electricians with us. They will be threading wires through the walls as we go up. The can tap in to your circuits as needed. Where did you want the two garages?"
Gil walked him over and showed him.
"We'll have a crew in to set the forms and pour the floor on Tuesday. They'll be cured enough by the time we finish the house and then move right over to erect them."
"You move fast." Gil said.
"We've got some outstanding crews. They can just about do it in their sleep. Well, I've seen enough. Everything is looking good."
Gil drove him back down to his truck and Jack drove away. Gil parked the Gator under its tarp and walked over to the fire pit and sat down.
"Busy day?" Grace asked.
"Yeah, and it's going to get busier. I need to line up a decorator quick. They'll get through with the house before you know it. I don't have time to go pick our furniture and decorator schemes."
Grace walked behind Gil and started massaging his shoulders.
"Becky Tatum runs a pretty good home decorating business."
"Tatum?"
"Yes, she's Sheriff Tatum's daughter."
"Well, call her for me and set up a meeting as soon as possible."
"I'll need to use your phone."
"That's another thing, I'll run you in tomorrow and get you a phone."
"You don't need…"
"No, we need to be able to talk."
Neither felt like cooking that evening so Gil ordered a supreme pizza from Papa John's and they rode in and picked it up.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 27, 2021 9:58:06 GMT -6
Chapter 12
Gil and Grace were up early the next morning. While Gil was preparing breakfast, Grace took a shower, then they switched. Both worked together to clean up the breakfast dishes and headed to the 24-hour Walmart. He picked up a burner phone for her with the best minutes and features. “Gil I…”
“This is just a temporary plan. When things slow down a bit, I’ll get with Mr. Gates and work something out to get the Trust to pay for everything.”
The were back in time for the arrival of Drake and his men to finish the installation of the energy systems. They stayed out of the men’s way, because they would just be in their way. They spent most of the morning tidying up the camp, which didn’t need much, and Gil on the phone with Mr. Gates.
At 12:30, Drake called Gil and asked him to come up to the utility building. They took the Gator up and saw the crew was loading the trucks with their equipment. Drake and a technician were standing by the shed.
“I’m going to let Sam show you how to monitor this stuff, ‘Take it away Sam’!”
Sam grinned and shook his head. “That joke is getting kinda old, Drake. May I see your phone Gil?”
Gil unlocked his phone and handed it to Sam. Sam downloaded an app and installed it.
“Now, this app will allow you to monitor the system anywhere you have cellular service.”
Sam went on and showed him the system, how to correct problems, and the few maintenance procedures he had to perform. He handed him a binder with all the information he had just given him.
“We have the ability to have the system send us a warning if a problem should ever occur. This is done automatically via cellular link. All I need is your permission to turn it on.”
“By all means, please do!”
When Sam had completed his orientation, he and Drake left.
“Now you can dry your hair with an electric hair dryer!” Gil said.
“Like I’m going to come all the way up here to dry my hair! No thank you. I’ll let the sun do its job.”
Gil glanced at her blond hair. The sun was bleaching it out even more.
They went back to the camp and relaxed in the shade.
“Well, The logs won’t begin arriving for a couple of days, so we have time to kill. So far, we have a well, We have power, we’ve got a house getting ready to go up. Have you called that decorator?”
“Oh! I forgot!.”
“Well, get on it we’ve got a couple of days free, get an appointment.”
All Grace could think of as she tried to remember the number, was that he kept saying “We.” She finally called 411 and got the number.
“Gil, she says she has some free time this afternoon.”
“What about 2:00?”
Grace continued talking and finally ended the call.
“It’s on.” Grace said.
Gil looked at his watch. “We have time for lunch. Let’s go in and grab a bite.”
Grace guided him to a Mexican grill and they feasted on Tacos until it was time for their appointment. The office was well kept and all the latest home decorating magazines were neatly displayed around.
“Hi Grace!”
“Hi Beck! This is Gil Conner. He’s the one that needs your services.”
“Mr. Conner, I’m Becky Tatum.”
Gil shook her offered hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, and please call me Gil.”
“Grace, Gil, why don’t we sit over here at the table and you can tell me what your needs are.”
They sat down at a conference table and Becky prepared to take notes.
“Well, I’m having a 2700 square foot log home going up rather quickly. It has four bedrooms, which one will be converted into a office, I guess. I hate to call it a ‘Man Cave,’ but a place I can put a gun safe and accoutrements of my past. I don’t have any furniture, it needs to be fully furnished; appliances of the best quality available. I want oak furniture as much as possible. I only have a few pots and pans so all that kitchen stuff will have to be purchased.
“What style do you like?”
“I don’t know….country, but a little modern also, I guess.”
“Do you have a house plan I can use?”
“No, ah,,, but the floorplan is on StoneHill’s website.”
Becky got up and brought over a laptop computer and went to Stonehill’s website.
“Which plan did you pick?” Becky asked, turning the screen so Gil could see it.
Gil scrolled down until he found the floorplan.
“This one.”
“Oh, that is going to be nice! Will there be a basement also?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful! Well, let me put some Ideas together and I will get back with you in a couple of days.”
“I’m not going to have time for that. From now on, I want you to talk with Grace on these matters. Grace, give her your phone number. I’ll have little involvement.”
Grace stared at Gil, then gave Becky her phone number. Gil agreed to her rates and the meeting was concluded. As they left the office, Grace was quiet until they got in the truck.
“Gil, why did you do that?”
“One of the bedrooms will be yours. You might as well get involved with the planning.”
As they were leaving town, Gil pulled into a Marathon service station to fill his tanks. As he was pumping the diesel, he saw a Verizon store next to the Marathon. When his tanks were full he pulled out of the lot and right into the Verizon store lot.
“Come on.”
Grace got out and went in with him.
‘Yes sir, may I help you.”
“Yes, I’d like to get this lady a decent phone and get her on my plan.”
Grace was quiet and Gil gave the salesperson his account information. It had unlimited everything. He even purchased a couple of tablets. Grace was numb at the cost for all this as Gil pulled out a credit card to pay for it all.
Getting back in the truck, Grace didn’t say anything until they were crossing the bridge over the Holston River.
“Gil? Where is all this money coming from?”
Gil grinned. “I’ll explain after we get back to Bluff View.”
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 27, 2021 9:59:47 GMT -6
Chapter 13
They set up their tablets together and installed the few apps they wanted. Grace, there are 400 acres here at Bluff View. There once was a total of 2800 acres. For years, developers hounded my Grandfather to sell the land to them. Now, land around here averages around 5 - 6 thousand dollars an acre. A development company offered him over 16 thousand an acre. My Grandfather held out though, until a conservation group offered to match the offer. On his death, the land was turned over to the conservation group, except for these 400 acres. The money from the sale went into a Trust and I have funds in separate accounts I inherited, including some gold. That is where the money is coming from."
Grace sat there stunned, thinking. "He is a millionaire. He'll think I am after all his money!" Grace laid the tablet down and walked toward the river, her mind swirling with thoughts.
Sadly, Gil watched her walk off. He watched her until she disappeared past the trees around the old pond in the hay field. Gil waited about 30 minutes before he went after her. As he walked around the pond, he spotted her in the distance, looking out over the river bluff. When he got to her, he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"I know what you are thinking, and no, I don't think you are after the money. I wouldn't have told you if I didn't trust you. Grace, I've always been kind of a loner. There are a lot of stupid and mean people in this world. They will hurt you and use you every way they can. You aren't like that. You are the sweetest woman I have ever met. When Grandpa left me this land and the money, he gave me a chance to shield myself form most of what I detest. If the world went to hell in a handbasket, I wanted a refuge where I and any family I might have, would survive. When I met you, there was something about you that captured my attention. Here was another person seeking a refuge from the evils of the world. As I got to know you, my feelings grew stronger in many ways. I'm finding out I can't build this refuge on my on, I need help. Grace, will you stick with me and help build our refuge?"
Grace sniffled, then turned slowly. She looked up into his eyes and gave him a meek "Yes."
He took her hand and they slowly walked back to their camp.
Gil and Grace downloaded a planning app onto their tablets and between the two of them, figured out how to use it. They began making a list of projects that needed to be completed, then broke them down into stages. By the time it was dark, they had almost completely drained the batteries of their tablets. Gil plugged them into the charging station in the trailer and they settled for hotdogs that night. Gil pulled the hammock frame out into the open and they lay there for a couple of hours just looking at the stars. After almost falling asleep, they got up and went to their respective tents.
Gil got up and started a fire to heat water for a shower and to make coffee. Grace got up just as the coffee was ready and poured a cup.
"Don't worry about breakfast, we get it on the way there."
"Where are we going?"
"Knoxville."
They ate breakfast at Yoder's Country Market in Bull's Gap. After eating a hefty meal of eggs and sausage gravy and biscuits, the drove on to Knoxville.
"I'm scared to ask, but why are we going to Knoxville?"
"I need to buy something for the Bluff View Trust."
"Well, that answers everything." Grace said sarcastically.
She still didn't know anything when they pulled into the Dodge-Jeep dealership. When they entered the building a salesman greeted them and responded to Gil's name.
"Yes Sir, right this way. Grace glanced around as they walked through the showroom. The salesman came to a stop next to a red Willys Jeep. Firecracker red was what the sticker said. When she scrolled her eyes down to the dealer's price, her eyes bugged out. She looked at Gil and he and the salesman began laughing.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to pay that much for it."
"You're buying a Jeep? Why?"
"You need something to drive, running around to get the house fill with whatever."
"How are we going to get it back?"
"You can either drive it or I can tow it behind the Power Wagon."
"Do you have a tow bar for that?" Gil asked the salesman.
"Certainly."
"Why this particular Jeep?" Grace asked.
"It was the only diesel engine Jeep they had." Gil replied.
She quit asking questions. Every one she had were answered sensibly, so far. She'd have to keep an eye on him.
She stood by, or rather sat as they did the paperwork and Gil gave the man his credit card. She didn't know cards had high of a limit. She had opted for Gil to tow the Jeep back, being nervous about driving it until she'd had a little practice.
On the way back Grace was silent….for a while.
"You said you were going to buy something for the Trust."
"I did. The Trust paid for the Jeep. Believe me, it is cheaper that way, tax-wise. You use it like it is your personal property. Now, furniture. I like leather. Not that fake stuff, but REAL leather. You can keep things light downstairs, but the furniture in my office, which will be in the 4th bedroom, a little more manly."
"Are the inside walls all going to be log?"
"No, I think that is a little dreary. All the walls will be sheetrocked, except for my office and the stairways."
"Good. That's going to make things easier. What about the kitchen? What appliances do you want besides the major ones?"
"Surprise me. Make it like you would want it."
When they came down the ridge, they were surprised by the trucks unloading the logs and the foot of the ridge.
The builders were early.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 27, 2021 16:26:30 GMT -6
Thanks for a great update.
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Post by bluefox2 on Oct 27, 2021 20:49:34 GMT -6
This is a good start but I hope we don't run into a brick wall ending hidden in the fog.
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Post by udwe on Oct 27, 2021 23:06:37 GMT -6
Thanks! Keep it up. So far, it's great!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 27, 2021 23:23:25 GMT -6
Chapter 14
The logs arrived, but they still weren't going to start building until Monday. Gil took the towbar off the Jeep and Grace practiced driving from the camp to the main road and back. The next morning she went into town to work with Becky on their finding the right furniture. Gil had given her a credit card to use. What he didn't tell her was it had a very high limit and the bill was paid as soon as it was posted. Gil rolled out the Rokon and checked the fuel and oil. Cranking it up he headed to the lower ridgeline. He had spotted an old road and some deer trails and decided to check them out.
The ride was easy and Gil didn't push it. He stayed at about walking speed until he came to a somewhat level spot and stopped. When he spotted the wet spot, he shut off the bike and walked over. Taking a stick, he raked old leaves out of what looked like a spring. He raked leaves back until he had a small pool that was slowly filling up. Watching the tiny current, he cleared back farther and the water started flowing faster. He dug a glob of leaves out and the water became a fast trickle. He'd come back later with some tools and give it a better cleaning. Gil looked around and saw at least three game trails through the area and thought it would be a pretty good spot to place a mineral block for the deer. With the spring cleaned out and two or three mineral blocks in place, it would attract a lot of deer. He'd run down to Sevierville in the morning to the Bass Pro Shop and pick up some blocks. There was a Home Depot not far from there and he could pick up some American-made hand tools too.
Gil put his helmet back on and headed on up the ridgeline to where it turned toward a steeper slope. He stopped there and looked around. Beautiful view, but nowhere to build anything but a treehouse. Cranking the Rokon, he continued on up the game trail and came up over a bank to an unusually flat area. Stopping, he twisted around, looking, and finally got off the bike. He walked around and something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. There was an opening in the rock face. Walking over, it was apparent the eight foot wide opening wasn't natural, it was too symmetrical. He didn't have a light with him so exploration would have to wait. Getting back on the bike he continued following the trail. It looped back and came out on top of the highest point on the property. Enough for today. He headed back down. When he came out into the open, he saw Grace was back.
"Becky has some wonderful decorating Ideas!. I'll take my computer in tomorrow and transfer the files so I can show you."
Gil smiled. Grace was more excited than he'd ever seen her.
"….and I've ordered a couch and two chairs….leather, of course, and we are looking at an oak dining and kitchenette sets. Gil, there is a store in Sarasota Florida called 'Dutch Crafters.' I guess they are kind of a clearing house for Amish made furniture. We think they have the best selections."
"Are you ordering this online?"
"Well, that's the only way we can see it."
"Why don't you two fly down to Sarasota, see the furniture, and order it."
"You mean, you'd let me…"
"I'm not 'letting' you do anything. You have a project to complete and I expect you to do what you have to do to complete it. If it takes you and Becky flying down…you've got the credit card."
"Okay, I'll talk to Becky in the morning."
"Oh, by the way, I'm going down to Sevierville in the morning to pick up some mineral blocks for the deer, so I won't be here."
"Was that what you were doing on the bike, looking for deer?"
"Not specifically. Just looking around."
Gil started peeling potatoes and slicing them up and an onion. Adding more wood to the fire pit, he let it burn down for a bit before he set the frying pan on the fire. He got out the frozen spinach and put it in a small cast iron pot and added butter. Setting the big fry pan on the grill insert, he waited for the pan to heat up and added butter, then the potatoes and onions. A couple of dashes of salt and pepper and stirring and flipping the frying potatoes had Grace putting her tablet down and coming over to the fire.
"What else are you cooking?"
"Pork chops. Can you get them out of the cooler for me?
Grace took the pork chops out of the store package and placed them on a paper plate. She got out a box of cornbread mix and added water. Taking Gil's campfire cornbread pan, she greased it good and poured the batter in and sat it on the grill. Lifting the lid on the spinach, she gave it a stir. Gil moved the potatoes over to one side of the pan and placed the chops in. Grace got out two metal plates, knives and forks and set them on the tailgate. When the chops and potatoes were done, Gil scraped the potatoes and chops onto each plate, arranging for space to add the spinach. Grace checked the cornbread and flipped the pan."
"Gil, where did you get this cornbread pan?"
"I had a guy sand-cast it for me. He liked my design so much he tried to sell them. Not many people cook cornbread over a camp fire so I don't think he made much money."
When the cornbread was ready, Grace turned the cake onto a paper plate and cut each portion in half. Slicing each half she smeared butter on them and closed them back up.
Gil got them bottles of water and they set on the ramp and had their dinner.
"We need to make sure everything is under cover tonight. We're supposed to get a shower after midnight."
They finished supper and cleaned up the dishes. Putting everything away, Gil closed up the trailer and locked it. He got another large tarp to cover the hammock.
"Before you cover the hammock, can we lay and look at the stars?" Grace asked.
Gil looked up and grinned. "Don't know how many stars we'll see."
"Well, we'll look at clouds then. Lay down."
"Chuckling, Gil lay down in the hammock and Grace crawled in with him, propping her head on his shoulder."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 27, 2021 23:24:41 GMT -6
Chapter 15
Gil arrived at the Bass Pro Shops at 0930. He went in to where they had the hunting equipment and looked at the different mineral blocks. There were so many types. He asked a couple of the older guys walking through the aisle what they used and they pointed out the blocks they had success with and those the deer ignored. Gil narrowed it down to three different ones, including one that weighed 25 pounds. He bought two of each. He put the blocks on the floor in the back seat and went back in to check out some of the sales. Gil ended up buying some flannel shirts for Grace and himself and some other winter clothing that they were clearing out for the new seasonal things. He needed to bring Grace here to pick out some things for her. Leaving the BPS, he went to Home Depot and got a round point shovel, a clean-out shovel, a digging shovel, a trenching shovel, a bow rake and a landscaping rake. By 11:00, he was on the road back home.
When he arrived home at Bluff View, Grace was no where around. Gil pulled the single wheel trailer out for the Rokon and loaded a couple of shovels, the rakes and one each of the mineral blocks and headed up the ridge. When he got to the spring, he used the cleanout shovel to finish opening the spring up the picked up rocks and made a border around it. The six foot wide pool was slowly filling up. Gil walked around the edges of the pool but couldn't figure out where the water drained to. Shrugging, he got the digging shovel and buried the mineral blocks halfway into the ground around the little clearing.
Gil dropped the trailer and headed up the trail to the upper flat. Stopping in front of the opening, he pulled the headlamp out of his pocket and went in, cautiously, looking for, at first, snakes, but if this was an old mine, he want to make sure it wasn't going to cave in on him. Stopping about six feet in, he shined the light all around. He saw no support timbers like you would see in mines. He looked closer at the walls. There were no seams nor cracks. He wasn't sure what type of rock it was, but whoever dug this, must have had a difficult time. He walked a few feet farther in, inspecting every foot of the walls and the arched ceiling. He could see a good distance up the tunnel but after that there was nothing. Surprisingly, there was no dripping moisture. As his Grandpa used to say, "Dryer than a popcorn fart." He moved farther in and the tunnel sloped down gently for about 50 feet, then ended. Gil cautiously edged closer to the end and walked into a huge open area. He shined his light left and right and could barely illuminate the far walls. The floor was fairly level with no debris areas. His headlamp wasn't strong enough to illuminate the ceiling. Walking in farther he realized he could even begin to determine the actual size of the open area. It was dry in here too, just a little dust that he stirred up while shuffling around. All of a sudden he realized he didn't know where the tunnel opening was. Shining the light on the floor, he saw his footprints and slowly followed them back to the tunnel. He needed to be better prepared if he was going to explore this place any farther.
Becky and Grace were bent over the table placing little replicas of furniture around the enlarged view of the floorplan.
"I think that's it." Becky said.
"Let me see the furniture list." Grace said.
The laminated list was color coded with erasable colored marker. A green box was the item was ordered, red was they were still searching, yellow was it was yet to be ordered. The yellow was all the oak furniture.
"Are you sure about the things that Dutch Crafters didn't show in their catalog?"
"I talked to the owner. Anything they don't have they can have made and shipped directly here." Becky replied.
"I'm still not sure of the dimensions of the gun safes Gil want's in his office." Grace said.
"Call him and find out where he's going to buy them."
Grace dialed Gil's phone but it went to voicemail."
"He's not answering. I'll get the information from him this afternoon. I need to get our hotel reservations, rental car and plane tickets done before I leave today. What else?"
"Are you and Gil……" Becky wiggled her eyebrows.
"No! We are just friends."
"It doesn't seem like that from the look in your eyes when I mention his name." Becky said with a grin.
"Just your imagination." Grace said, picking up her phone.
Getting back to camp, Gil got his computer out and looked on line for some type of measuring device he could use. He finally found a Leica Disto that would measure out to 200 meters. He ordered it and a tripod to be send to a FEDEX center on Kingston Pike. He could have had it directly sent to his address but he had to pick up some more things. He wanted a high lumen hand-held spotlight, light sticks and sidewalk chalk. He could probably pick up sidewalk chalk at Walmart, maybe light sticks too.
He was sitting there in his chair writing in his field notebook when Grace drove up.
"Hi! How was your day? I tried to call you but my calls went to voice mail every time." Grace said.
"It's been sitting in the trailer charging. Sorry."
"That's all right. I just needed the footprint dimensions of the gun safes you're going to put in your office."
"I'll look them up and write them down for you."
"I brought Chinese from the Peking."
"Good. I'm hungry."
Grace left Sunday morning to pick up Becky to go to the airport in Knoxville. While she was showering, Gil slipped three one hundred dollar bills and ten 20 dollar bills in her purse. She had her travel backpack packed and in the Jeep.
"I'm going to miss your snoring at night." Gil said.
"I don't snore." She said, giving him a hug. "We should be back by Wednesday evening. I'll give you a call when we get there."
"Okay, Be safe."
Gil watched her as she drove out of sight. Taking his pocket notebook out, he checked the things he was going to pick up on Tuesday. He wanted to be around when they started construction on the house tomorrow.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 27, 2021 23:26:09 GMT -6
Chapter 16
Gil watched her as she drove out of sight. Taking his pocket notebook out, he checked the things he was going to pick up on Tuesday. He wanted to be around when they started construction on the house tomorrow.
Jack arrived early and sat with Gil drinking campfire coffee until the equipment showed up. Then he turned into a traffic cop.
All Gil could say was 'WOW' as Jack choreographed the positioning and movement of the equipment. No doubt, they had done this a few times. Within an hour logs were moving and the crew and crane were positioning. It almost made you dizzy watching them. Every person knew what they were doing. Several times any one person would call a halt if something was unsafe. The walls were rising rapidly. With nothing for him to do, Gil ran down to the Walmart and found sidewalk chalk in the toy section and light sticks in the camping section.
He headed back to Bluff View and went to up see the progress on the house. Walking clear of the crane, Jack stopped him and handed Gil a hard hat.
"Gil, do you have water up here yet?"
"Sure do Jack, I'll show you."
Gil led him to the well cover and lifted it up.
"It's all wired up. You can use the hose coiled the if you want."
"Good. We'll use our hose to save wear and tear on yours."
"Gil, if it looks like we are leaving a little early, it is because we've reached our goal for the day. Everything is time out so we can coordinate the contractors. Sometimes we might work shorter hours, sometimes longer."
"I understand Jack. I'll be gone for a while in the morning but I can be reached on the phone."
"No problem."
They walked back over to Jack's truck and watched the activity for a few minutes. Finally, Gil handed Jack the hardhat and went back down to the camp.
Grace called around 1800 with the news they were safe and sound at their hotel, which was near the furniture place. Gil told her about the progress on the house and they chit-chatted back and forth until Grace said they were going to get something to eat and turn in early. They ended their call and Gil too, turned in.
Gil was at the FEDEX office when they opened the next morning. Taking the boxes out to the truck, he opened the smaller box and examined the contents. The batteries they thoughtfully provided were Leica brand. He'd pick up some he could be sure of. Putting the box in the back seat, he headed to Kodak to the Bass Pro shops to get the spotlight.
Gil, not finding exactly what he wanted, ended up buying two spotlights. The Browning High Noon 1400 lumen spotlight which was rechargeable and could also use CR123 batteries, which he had plenty of….he used them in his NODs, and the Streamlight Waypoint 300, which had 1,000 lumens of brightness and had a beam distance of 678 meters. He should light the room with that.
Gil made it back to Bluff View by 1130 and laid his purchases out. He plugged the lights in to charge and got out the instruction manual for the Leica Disto and read it. After getting an understanding of how that sucker worked, he did a few practice measurements and was satisfied. Now he needed a target.
Gil took a run to Lakeway Building Supply and bought a 1x6x8 and had them cut off 2 feet from the board. Along with the board he bought a set of 8 inch strap hinges with screws. Taking his purchases back to the camp, he attached the two foot board using the hinges. He now had a target he could stand up in the tunnel and shoot with the Leica Disto to get the length of the tunnel. All he had to do is to wait for the crew to leave for the day.
Gil spent the next couple of hours reading PAW stories gathering ideas and taking notes on things he could do at his "retreat." When the last of the crew trucks left, Gil locked up everything and drove the Rokon and its packed trailer back to the tunnel. He decided to do a little exploring first before starting his measuring. Donning his headlamp and putting the straps of the two spotlights over his shoulders, he entered the tunnel. When he got to the room he first turned on the Streamlight and pointed it at the ceiling. It must have been at least fifty feet above him. He swept the spotlight around and the area was huge. The area was sort of oval shaped. He was going to have to take a lot of measurements to get the actual footage. Something caught his eye over to his left so he moved the light back to that area. He walked toward the irregular shadows and switched to the Browning spotlight. There were boxes along the wall. He swept the light along the boxes and walked to the first on the left. The wooden boxes seemed to have been here for quite some time.
The first box he opened contained six percussion rifles. Gil picked one up and looked in the muzzle and saw the rifling. Probably an Enfield from the Civil War. He took out his bandana and wiped the fine film of rust off. Wiping his index finger down the side of his nose, he rubbed the oil onto the barrel. It looked like it had just come from the factory and he could detect no burnt powder smell at all. Either it had never been shot or somebody was good at cleaning weapons.
The second box contained...well, he didn't know what rifle it was. the inside of the barrel looked funny with its six sides. A smaller box contained what looked to be prepared paper cartridges. He didn't bother looking at the other smaller boxes. The last box was medium size and contained revolvers and extra cylinders.
There were some minor battles around here during the War Between The States. Blue Springs, Bean Station and down in Bulls Gap. The battles in this area usually happened near the railroad lines. Back then the railroad ran through Rogersville. This must have been someone's stash. Monetarily, he could give a rat's ass about the value, but he would like to keep a couple of the guns to hang above the fireplace. The rest should go to museums. He would have to be careful moving the cartridge boxes though. He wasn't sure whether the black powder was stable or not. He would just leave everything as it was right now.
Gil walked around the wall and came to another opening, He shined the light in and it was another smaller room. Smaller, in that it wasn't as large as the first room, but it was plenty big enough. Hearing running water, he shined his light forward and walked to the sound. The light picket up running water in about an 18 inch channel running across one corner of the room. He didn't see any boxes stored in this room so he walked the perimeter and came back to the opening into the first room. Gil looked at his watched. He couldn't believe he'd already been in here two hours. It wasn't long until sunset. Not wanting anyone to see lights on the ridge, he hurried back and unloaded the Rokon trailer and stored everything in the tunnel, then went back to the camp.
He had just started a fire in the firepit when an excited Grace called. She had found everything they were looking for. Only two or three things would have to be shipped from Ohio so they would be back a day earlier. They talked for only a few minutes because the girls were worn out. Grace ended the call and Cal fried up some Liver Pudding and made a sandwich.
The outside wood furnace Gil had ordered should be in any day now. He had enough hardwood trees on the property to last forever so fuel wouldn't be a problem. A lot of the furnaces had been installed around the Sevierville area and Jack was well versed in their installation. Things were falling into place.
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Post by freebirde on Oct 28, 2021 8:04:32 GMT -6
Tools 101: Chapter 4, Shovels and Spades
Shovels are made for scooping such as a corn scoop or snow shovel. Spades are made for digging such as trenching tool or sharp shooter spade. Both can do the other's job, just not as comfortably. The easiest way to tell the difference is a shovel's handle is at an angle to the blade. A spade's handle is in line with the blade.
Yeah, I know nitpicking. I have found the "right tool for the right job" saves work and I am lazy.
Gil should get the water tested at the spring and cave. Might do some dye test to see if one leads to the other.
Gil would get better deals at the Rogersville Tractor Supply Store than at BPS for mineral blocks, game feed, and trail cams. It is not far from the Ace Hardware, a good place to get tools. Buying local is a good way to build local good will.
When I saw where this story was set, I thought the Cumberland Plateau doesn't have a lot of mineral deposits but it has a lot of caves.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 28, 2021 8:35:10 GMT -6
Another fine update.
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Post by cavsgt on Oct 28, 2021 9:56:01 GMT -6
Good read as usual, keep it up.
Thank You
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Post by ydderf on Oct 28, 2021 11:30:24 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 28, 2021 14:36:38 GMT -6
Tools 101: Chapter 4, Shovels and Spades Shovels are made for scooping such as a corn scoop or snow shovel. Spades are made for digging such as trenching tool or sharp shooter spade. Both can do the other's job, just not as comfortably. The easiest way to tell the difference is a shovel's handle is at an angle to the blade. A spade's handle is in line with the blade. Yeah, I know nitpicking. I have found the "right tool for the right job" saves work and I am lazy. Gil should get the water tested at the spring and cave. Might do some dye test to see if one leads to the other. Gil would get better deals at the Rogersville Tractor Supply Store than at BPS for mineral blocks, game feed, and trail cams. It is not far from the Ace Hardware, a good place to get tools. Buying local is a good way to build local good will. When I saw where this story was set, I thought the Cumberland Plateau doesn't have a lot of mineral deposits but it has a lot of caves. Potato, potahto. A digging shovel has a pointed head while a spade shovel has a straight-edge head, as do grain scoops and snow shovels. I wouldn't use a grain scoop to dig a hole, or a show shovel, just like I wouldn't use a digging shovel to scoop grain or move snow.
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Post by texican on Oct 28, 2021 16:49:01 GMT -6
This is a good start but I hope we don't run into a brick wall ending hidden in the fog. bf, ncsfsgm wouldn't do that again, now would he? Texican.
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Post by bluefox2 on Oct 28, 2021 16:55:17 GMT -6
This is a good start but I hope we don't run into a brick wall ending hidden in the fog. bf, ncsfsgm wouldn't do that again, now would he? Texican. Anything is possible with an author my friend.
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Post by 9idrr on Oct 28, 2021 18:35:02 GMT -6
I'm enjoyin' this story so far.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 28, 2021 23:12:07 GMT -6
Chapter 17
Three large dump trucks loaded with river rock arrived as Gil and Jack were starting their second cup of coffee. Jack trotted over and met the first truck and rode the running board up the ridge. The stone masons were arriving tomorrow. Gil tried to stay away from the construction site because it was nice to be surprised at the progress that was made during the day. He decided to try and find an alternate route to the tunnel. After gassing up the Rokon and changing the batteries in his headlamp, he drove the bike up the drive to the top of the ridge and turned into the forest, picking his way along the ridgeline. By 1100, he realized this was a "No Win" and headed back to the camp. He cheated and rode up to the building site and parked in the area where the two garage building pads were, to see how the crew was doing. They had two more courses of logs to go and then it would be working on the rafter beams. Gil walked around and checked the concrete pads. Nothing much to see, just the pad and the pipes with the rough wiring sticking out. He looked back at the house and tried to envision the 15x62 foot deck, arranged with covered outdoor kitchen chairs and tables. Maybe some potted plants here and there. He'd let Grace worry about that.
Bored, he went down the hill and parked the Rokon and got in his truck and went to Walmart. He went straight to the camping section and picked out a slant leg canopy, sun wall and bug screen kit, 5 foot folding table, 2 camp chairs, plus a big citronella candle. The bugs were beginning to come out. Gil then went to the Farmer's Cooperative, which was also the Ace Hardware and bought an American made extension cord and a fused 6-outlet adapter box. It might be a little overkill. The only thing they'd probably plug in were their computers. His last stop was to pick up dry ice and ice.
Returning to Bluff View, Gil put the ice and dry ice in the coolers then began setting up the canopy and hung the bug screen and sun curtains He rolled up the curtains until they were needed. Plugging in the extension cord to the trailer's outlet, he ran it to the canopy. Digging the tent light out of his camping box in the trailer, he hung that up in the peak of the canopy and plugged it in. The table and chairs were set up with the candle in the middle of the table. Lastly, he put a bottle of wine on ice to cool for Grace's arrival back home this evening.
Gil hadn't bothered to before, but he got out the back and side tarp canopies for the trailer and set them up. They would begin to get more evening showers for the next couple of months and he hated tending a fire in the rain. Moving the SOLO fire pit under the side canopy, it could be pouring rain and they could still cook and enjoy the fire. He moved the lawn chairs near the SOLO and laid a fire for the evening.
Gil heard the crane shut down and knew the crew was through for the day. The trucks began coming down and Jack, being the last, pull over and got out.
"Want a bottle of cold water Jack?"
"I'd appreciate it, although I've been drinking that well water today. That is some good water….and cold too!"
"We on track?" Gil asked.
"Right on schedule. The masons will be here tomorrow to begin the chimney, fireplace and the front porch base. Once they finish that, they'll do the deck base. That was smart doing that on the deck. A lot of people have found that under the deck is a snake heaven. There was one woman over in Clinch Valley came out one morning in the Spring and found nine rattlesnakes laying out in her back yard, sunning. Found out the snakes had denned during the winter in a hole under her deck.
"We'll start on the rafters first thing in the morning. When those are up we'll start on the ceiling tongue and groove."
"It's certainly coming right along."
"Where was Grace today? I didn't see her around." Jack asked
"She went out of town to look at and purchase furniture."
"Where are they holding the furniture until the house is ready?"
"I don't know."
"Hm-m-m. Well, If you need storage, I might have a deal for you. My father-in-law down in Marysville buys shipping contains and turns them into all kinds of things. He has even built lakeside cabins for people out of them. He just got in a bunch of high-cube 40 foot containers. The dimensions are 40x9'6x8. Some of them have doors at both ends, some have only one door at the end. He can haul them up here and set them in place. When you empty them out to furnish your house, you can use them for storage. He'd give you a good price."
"Yeah, you can't go wrong having more storage space." Gil said. "I'd have to figure out where to put them."
"Well, I got time, you want to go up to the site and look around?"
"Yeah, let's do that."
They hopped into the Gator and went to the garage building areas. They walked around and finally found a place big enough.
"Now, If a woman out on that deck would look out this way, she'd think those shipping containers were ugly as sin. But, if you were to erect a wooden fence to hide them, and plant some flowers and hang some doo-dads on the wall, she'd never pay any attention to those containers. Out of sight, out of mind."
"I like how you think, Jack." Metal containers ought to last me for a while."
"Longer than you would think. He sandblasts any rust spots, primes them, then pays high school kids to paint them with liquid rubber waterproofing. They'll probably last longer than either of us will."
"Well, tell you father-in-law I'll take three. Two with doors at both ends and one with the single door."
Jack grinned. "I'll call him tonight. I know for sure he has about six ready to go."
The rode back down to the camp and Jack left for home. Gil called Don Gray and asked if he had time for a quick project.
"Sure, what do you need?"
"I need a place leveled out to place some shipping containers." Gil said.
"Sure. I'll run out there and see what you need. I'll be there about 9:30."
"That's fine, Don. I'll see you in the morning."
Gil went over and looked in the big cooler. He really didn't feel like cooking tonight. He would take Grace for an early supper at OH Henry's.
He got his computer and brought it over to the screened canopy and set it up. He began searches on survival subjects and made a few bookmarks. Pulling up his word processor, he began making a list of things he should get.
Gardening
Small tractor Gardening tools Seeds
He stopped there, remembering something about not using hybrid seeds because you couldn't save the seed and use them again. He tried to remember what you called those seeds you could save from the vegetables you grew each year. He did some more searches and… heirloom…that's the name he was looking for. He bookmarked several seed sites and was making some more notes when Grace drove up.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 28, 2021 23:13:08 GMT -6
Chapter 18
Gil stood and watched her exiting the Jeep, her face a mask of uncertainty. "What's wrong Grace?"
"I…I…I spent almost $200,000 dollars."
"So?" Her expression made him start laughing.
He grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. "I expected you to spend much more than that."
"Well, the manager gave us some good deals because we were buying so much."
"When will the furniture be here?"
"In about a week."
"Do you have somewhere to store it until the house is finished?"
Grace jumped away with a look of horror. "I…I didn't think about that!"
"Don't worry, I've got it covered." Gil said, laughing.
"It's NOT funny!. I messed up!"
"Did you learn anything?"
"Yes."
"Then you've redeemed yourself. You need to unpack anything? If not, Let's go to OH Henry's for dinner."
Grace cracked a smile. "Okay. I'm driving."
As the turned left on the main road, Gil asked, "There are a lot of topless bars around Sarasota. Did you and Becky go to any?"
"I do not go to topless bars!"
"Just making conversation."
"Well then, did you miss me?"
"Yes."
"Good."
As they were traveling up main street, cars ahead of them we stopping. Gil looked ahead and saw a man running down the edge of the street with a police officer chasing him. Gil grabbed the door handle and as the running man came up to the Jeep, Gil quickly opened the door and the man slammed into it, knocking him to the ground. Gil got out and made sure he stayed down.
The police officer ran up and put cuffs on the man and repeated the mantra about his rights. "Did you do another one of those applied pressure point things again?"
Gil looked and him and recognized the officer from the other day at the laundromat.
"No, Officer Wells, I applied the Jeep door technique. What did he do?"
"Hit and run." Officer Wells replied as he led the man back up the street.
Gil got back into the Jeep as the traffic started moving again.
"You're a regular Dudley Doo-Right, aren't you?" Grace said, grinning.
"Watch your mouth."
Grace pulled into the diner and they went inside and grabbed a booth. After requesting iced tea and giving their order to the waitress, Grace gave a hour by hour description of their trip.
"Was the trip worth it?" Gil asked.
"Oh Yes! Seeing the furniture on the floor helped me visualize what it would look like in the house."
She pulled out her phone and showed him a picture.
"I got you this Berkley Executive Desk with a matching Wyndlot Desk Chair for your office. Also, you'll have a small, tufted leather couch, rustic coffee table and two leather chairs."
"Sounds good. What about the Master Bedroom?"
Grace pulled up a picture and showed him the king size Charleston Collection Bed. Scrolling, she showed him the picture of a matching 7-drawer dresser, night stands and a chair.
Their meals were brought in and they ate with little conversation.
On the way back to Bluff View Gil told Grace the latest on the house construction. It was still light enough, so they took the Gator up to the site and walked around.
"They'll have the metal roof on by this weekend." Gil said.
"They are making good progress.
"When they get the roof on, they'll apply a Chestnut stain to the logs, then a Clear Exterior Top Coat, and then start chinking."
"It is going to be beautiful!"
They went back down to the camp and Opened the wine, sitting under the screened canopy.
"You said you had the solution to the storage problem. What did you do?"
"I've got some large storage containers coming in. that we can store the furniture in."
"Then we can order the kitchen appliances?"
"Hold off on that and let them deliver straight to the house. Less lifting for us."
Why did you have the gun safes put in the houses now?"
"Seriously? Those things weigh a ton. While we had the crane here and no roof, they just lifted them in the area I wanted. They are on dollies so we can move them around the room when they put in the flooring. When the flooring is done, we remove the dollies. I don't plan to ever move them again."
"Can we lay in the hammock for a while?"
Gil looked up at the sky. "Might even see some stars."
Gil got up and uncovered the tarp and laid it to the side and laid down. Grace laid down and placed her head on Gil's shoulder. There was no way she could see the stars except through their reflecting off the sides of the trailer.
The lay there for a few minutes in silence.
"Gil, since that night on the river when we first me, my heart has been tied to you. You saved me. When we're apart I feel so alone. The whole time Becky and I were in Florida, every time I saw something I thought you would like, I would turn to tell you but…."
"Are you saying I can't run you off?"
"I'll go if you want me to."
"Not a chance."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 28, 2021 23:14:41 GMT -6
Chapter 19
Gil got up the next morning and loudly called to Grace outside her tent. "Grace, if you are going to get a shower this morning, you'd better do it soon. The men start getting her between 7:00 and 7:30."
Grace's head popped out of the tent. "Okay. Can you put some water on?"
"Right away Your Highness."
Gil lit the fire and filled the large stock pot, placing it on the grill insert and got the coffee pot on. She came out with a change of clothes and her toilet gear and set it down on a lawn chair, then headed to the latrine. When she came back, the water was hot enough so Gil filled the shower bag and hung it in the enclosure for her.
Pouring a cup of coffee, Gil caught the soft singing from the shower enclosure.
"…now I shout it from the highest hills Even told the golden daffodils At last my heart's an open door And my secret love's no secret anymore"
He'd never heard Grace sing. She had a very nice voice. That song. He had heard it before but couldn't remember where.
Jack drove up and stopped for his morning cup of coffee with Gil.
"Part of the crew will start staining today while the last of the tongue and groove is being laid. They'll put insulation, then sheathing over that, an ice and water shield, then the metal roof. The masons are finished with the chimney and fireplace. By the end of the day Friday, she'll have a roof. Sheetrock and flooring start going in Monday. Have you picked out your paint scheme?"
Gil pointed at Grace.
"Oh!. I can give you a list of what colors we want in each room."
"That will work." Jack said.
"I've got a guy coming up today to clear and level an area for those shipping containers." Gil said.
"Good. If he gets it done today, they can deliver the containers tomorrow."
"Outstanding. Jack, I'm thinking of getting a small tractor, for gardening and such. What do you recommend?"
"Hey, you can't go wrong with John Deere. Check Gibson's. They'll have, or can get quickly from the factory down in Georgia, anything you want."
"Well, I've got a Gator. I might as well stick with Deere."
Grace came out of the shower and took her things to her tent, the came out a few moments later and came over to the fire.
"Good morning Jack."
"Good morning Grace."
Gil poured Grace a cup of coffee.
"Jack was telling me if Don got the area for the containers cleared today, they could deliver the containers tomorrow."
"Oh! That's good!"
They heard a vehicle and saw Don's truck coming down the road. He pulled up beside Jack's truck and got out.
"Morning Gil."
Morning Don. Don, this is Jack Dickson and Grace Collins."
"Pleased to meet ya'll. Gil can you show me what you want cleared."
"Sure, let's take the Gator up."
Gil took Don up and showed him the area he needed cleared. Don looked around and made a phone call and gave the person on the other end some instructions.
"They'll be up here in about 40 minutes. Do you mind if I wait?"
"No, not at all. Come on down and have a cup of coffee."
When Gil and Don got back to the trailer, Grace poured them the last two cups out of the coffee pot and made a fresh pot, then went to her tent.
"Looks like the house is coming right along." Don commented.
"Yeah, we'll have the roof on by Friday, quittin' time." Jack said.
They heard trucks coming and saw Jack's crew driving in so Jack stood up.
"I'll make sure the guys leave space to get your equipment in Don."
"Thanks, we'll try to stay out of your way."
Grace came back and said she was going to meet with Becky. As she was getting ready go leave, trucks came in hauling a Cat D3 and a BobCat with a brush grappler and another BobCat with a landscape rake. Don went to where they had pulled over and unloading the vehicles to guide them to the work area. Gil emptied the coffee pot and locked the trailer up, then Drove down to Bill Hasty's. He found Bill changing the oil in his truck.
"Morning Bill."
"How are you doing this morning Gil. Got that house built yet?"
"About there Bill. Bill, that hay barn, have you been using that?"
"I haven't use it in three or four years. As soon as it's baled, It's shipped out to horse farms in the west part of the state. You got a use for it?"
"Yeah, I think so. I was thinking of getting a small tractor to do gardening and other chores and I'll need somewhere to park it and store the implements."
"Well, that barn will give you plenty of space, for sure."
"Okay, thanks. Well, I'm headed down to Gibson's to check out the tractors."
"Happy huntin'!" Bill grinned.
When Gil walked into Gibson's, a salesman immediately greeted him. Gil told him what he was looking for and the salesman had him sit down with their catalog. The salesman listened to Gil's needs and showed him example pictures of the different models and made recommendations. What Gil picked out wasn't available with all the options Gil wanted. But they did have that model tractor. They walked outside and took a look at it. They talked about attachments and went back inside. The salesman made a call and there was a "loaded" model like Gil wanted at their factory in Augusta Georgia. It would take four days to have it shipped to them. The salesman totaled bill and slightly hesitated when Gil handed him his credit card, but went to accounting and had them run it. He came back into the room smiling and put together a folder for Gil with all his copies of the paperwork in it. They would begin delivering the attachments on Monday. Gil left satisfied and headed back to Bluff View.
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Post by bluefox2 on Oct 29, 2021 5:56:19 GMT -6
Why do I sense a hint of something in the song reference?
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Post by gipsy on Oct 29, 2021 8:27:19 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. Don spelled Gil with 2 ls Gill
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remembergoliad
Member
if you send friend req on FB, message me too. I won't accept if I don't recognize you.
Posts: 158
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Post by remembergoliad on Oct 29, 2021 8:28:21 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. Don spelled Gil with 2 ls Gill Maybe he's been swimming in the river a little too much?
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