Week 2

Productive week. With the rented skidder Greg spread two loads of gravel and bore thirty-five twelve inch holes about five feet deep. Had nine yards of cement delivered and the four of us (Mick, our “lead” on the project, Alan, a neighbor who wants to make some extra money, Greg and I) poured, shoveled and leveled cement into the sona tubes for the foundation.

Well people came out and didn’t want to dig the lines until next week. Permafrost still too thick for their liking. Bah. That means another week without running water. Fortunately, most laundry mats here have showers, too. When a sponge bath just doesn’t cut it any more, we’ve splurged. First couple of times went to the closest that was $2.50 per. Um, it is also the closest to the oil refinery. Last couple of times we headed into town and sprang $5.00 per for clean, nice, hot showers (with towel provided). Course we are always welcome at Greg’s mom’s home in Ninilchik an hour away.

Purchased lights and sinks last year—all on sale. Picked out windows and doors this week. Am making some surprising choices for being such a purest. Was holding out for wood floors but the flooring person talked me out of them. Since we are not going to be here in the winter, the extreme temps may cause warping and buckling. Going with a nicer laminate. That will drop the price of that section of flooring in half. Probably going with vinyl clad windows rather than wood casing for the same reason. Can’t be talked out interior solid wood doors. Just like the way those feel/sound.

Made a quick trip to Anchorage/Palmer. Greg had a root canal and we ran errands.

You CAN put in your own septic system. Greg took an on-line course and passed a test. Applied for approval. Bought 1,000 gallon tank and all the pipes/fittings. Rented an excavator. Karma’s (Greg’s stepdaughter) partner is a (certified) heavy equipment operator. He and Greg dug, placed, covered (gravel and dirt), documented (including pictures). Put in about a $7K system for around half of that. Sweet.

Weather and bodies holding. Pictures start here...