The Devil went down to Georgia.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I got to the farm around six this morning. I spent a bit of time cleaning up after the roofers and framers. I have a lot of lumber that I need to pull nails from. Unfortunately my hammer seems to have walked off, so I had to pick up another one at Lowe’s. The building inspector came late morning and pointed out a few things that need to be changed in order for us to pass the framing inspection. I’ll reach out to the framers in order to fix those issues. I went to Lowe’s in order to get the aforementioned hammer, some trim boards for the siding, and a few other odds and ends. Around one my dad came and then we hit the road. Our destination was Trenton, Georgia. That is where I had purchased the siding last Saturday. The whole load was too much for my trailer, but I got 60% of it. We drove up Monteagle Mountain to the cottage. My mother was staying here for a couple of nights, so we went out to dinner at the Mountain Goat Market with her. It was great to relax out on the terrace. The sun was pretty bright but it eventually set. I hope to get to sleep relatively early tonight. In the morning we’ll drive to the farm and get to work.

All good things come to an end.

Posted on by David Maxwell

We left the mountain about ten this morning and came back to reality. Fortunately it was a nice morning on the mountain before we left. The weather was glorious and we weren’t in a huge rush to get going. We had time for a two mile walk before leaving. The highlight of that was seeing a small fox on the greenway. We drove the interstate the whole way home, stopping only for gas in Manchester. I got out at the condo and Liz and Luke headed to East Nashville to hang out with some of her friends. I spent the afternoon catching up on paperwork related to the house. 

Another active day.

Posted on by David Maxwell

The mountain continues to be magical. And I continue to be lazy. I didn’t get up for sunrise again this morning. I did at least manage to take Luke for a 3.22 mile walk on the greenway so that Liz could have a chance to shower and relax a little. There were a number of people out. It was fairly humid but not too hot, and Luke slept for most of the time. I really enjoyed breathing the fresh air and seeing the beautiful scenery along the path.

We all took a little mid-morning nap and then drove down the mountain to Kimball. Our destination was Jesse’s Grill, because Liz wanted a hamburger. We both got burgers and sweet potato fries; mine was pretty good. This was our first time going out with Luke and he only fussed a little, then stopped once Liz held him. Fortunately there was only one other couple in the restaurant. After we ate Luke was hungry again, so Liz breastfed him in the car for about forty minutes before we took a new route back to the cottage. It sure was a lot cooler up on the mountain than down in the valley.

We went on another nice late-afternoon greenway walk. Two miles. Luke was pretty relaxed. Afterwards we drove around campus. The goats had gotten out of their pasture and were all over the road. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture. Their keeper said the electric fence wasn’t working and they took advantage. It was quite the sight to see.

Dinner was sandwiches. I had hoped to take another walk after dark, but Liz was tired, Luke was fussy, and I was a bit sleepy too. It’s a shame since it felt wonderful outside and walking on the greenway after dark could be a fun adventure. Maybe next trip.

Two months!

Posted on by David Maxwell

The little man hit another milestone today. I am incredibly grateful that he is still alive and healthy. He continues to grow and develop. And fuss. He has transitioned from newborn diapers to size one. He is also wearing some 0-3 sized clothes now. At Piggly Wiggly they have some baby clothes with their logo, but just size 12.

I woke up early this morning but didn’t have the energy to go out for sunrise. I went back to sleep and everybody stayed in bed until about 7:30. It was a pretty lazy morning just spent hanging around the cottage. At about eleven we went for a 2.25 mile walk on the goat trail. It was fairly warm and sunny although the shady canopy covering the trail helped keep things fairly comfortable. After we returned to the cottage and Liz and Luke got situated I drove down to Trenton, Georgia. I just took the interstate to be quick. There is a building supply place there with good deals on siding. I had been before and their inventory is a bit hit or miss, so I wanted to check on things before making the drive with my trailer. Fortunately they had the product I wanted and a sufficient amount. They were selling the pieces for $6.99 each, but I asked how much of a discount they would give for buying 200, and they said $5.99 each. So that was a nice treat. Less of a treat will be driving them back over Monteagle mountain to the farm. It might take two trips. I think I’ll drive down on Tuesday. I took the scenic route back to Monteagle and stopped for a late lunch in South Pittsburgh at a little burger joint I had been to before. I had a cheeseburger, fries, and a soft-serve ice cream cone.

We continued relaxing the rest of the afternoon. Unfortunately Luke didn’t want to nap. Around seven we returned to the Mountain Goat Trail and hiked another 3.25 miles. It was really pretty and tranquil out. The walk was a little much for Liz though. She got really worn out. We agreed that tomorrow we will try to take more, shorter walks. After a quick shower I again picked us up dinner at the Mountain Goat Market.

Everything is better on the mountain.

Posted on by David Maxwell

Hard to believe it’s June already. I left the condo around five this morning. First I dropped off a check for the framers and then went to buy another seven bundles of shingles so that the roofers can finish. It was raining quite a bit, but I did manage to take a few interior pictures.

Liz was supposed to come down and check out the house, but it was a hectic morning for her, so I headed back to the condo. I helped her load up the car and we headed straight to Monteagle. Fortunately Luke slept the whole way. As usual it was nice and pretty when we arrived up on the mountain. I went for supplies at Piggly Wiggly while Liz nursed. After everybody had lunch we went for a very nice walk on the Mountain Goat Trail. We actually drove down to Pearl’s and then walked towards campus,taking advantage of the shadiest portion of the trail. We only saw one other walker, which was rather surprising.

The afternoon involved just kind of hanging out. We drove to campus and checked on the goats, although I didn’t take any pictures. The babies sure have gotten big quickly. We walked around the center of campus for a little while. It wasn’t too hot, but was a bit humid. The light was lovely though.

I dropped Liz and Luke off at the cottage and then headed to the Mountain Goat Market to pick up dinner. Liz got a sandwich and I had a small cheese pizza. Luke got a bath since he peed all over himself while getting his temperature taken. He has been running a little warm these past few days, but not in the danger zone.