So, shortly after the house was craned onto the foundations, the weather turned bad...really bad, we have had sleet, ice and snow...along with high winds...there was no way the guys could get up on the roof and get the shingling done...they protected it with this amazing ice and snow wrap until it was safer for them...

With winds gusting to 40 miles per hour, it felt a little like Dad might have been building a spinnaker! But, as you can see here, the front door is open, so work continued inside his home, every day, despite the bleak conditions...and, Dad (and our Golden Retriever, Misty) found other ways to pass their time...she adores him...

Finally, just yesterday, the weather forecast shifted and there was a break in what had been over a week of dark cloud and heavy precipitation...I took Misty out at 6:45 and there was a truck in front of Dad's house. As soon as there was enough daylight, the roofers got to work...and they did not stop until dusk...

Dad is looking happy as we inspect the work they have done on the back of the house...

And, here is another view of his house, looking down Applewood Lane from our driveway...

As the sun began to set, they were putting the finishing touches on the second dormer's shingles...you can see there are a few places without shingles (they didn't order enough...sigh...) but, he will need them for his garage as well, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem...just a little bit frustrating...

This morning the sun was shining brightly and his house looked that much closer to being finished...so exciting! We hope this week the foundation team will be back with much soil and fill, allowing work on the garage to begin...the garage will be stick-built, on-site, as will his front porch...stay tuned...

So, a lot has been happening on Applewood Lane this week...

Here are photographs, and a few films, to help you see the wonderful unfolding of it all, and hopefully share in our excitement...

The foundation guys, with Tim as their foreman, worked until 9:00 to get Dad's basement floor poured before the house arrived...This is Tim, walking the perimeter of what will be Dad's workshop...

A huge crane arrived before hand, here, the crew from American Homes worked to get the side stabilizers positioned for a safe "craning on" of his house, as they call it. 

We had a lot of rain overnight on Tuesday, so it made conditions a little frenzied to begin with...the large 18 wheeler that brought Dad's house from the factory in Pennsylvania actually got stuck at the American Homes location down the road from us...but, they hauled it out in about an hour...and, in it came...

You can see it comes all wrapped to protect the windows and the siding during transport...

At first it looked like Dad had a 60' house, but in order to cut down on the transportation costs, the house is actually transported as one long unit, and cut in half on-site! You can see that, without the paper, Dad has chosen a sage green siding, the shutters are actually a lovely brown color...it looks fabulous with his maple trees...

Dad had a fabulous day watching it all unfold. He is sitting on his soon-to-be next door neighbor's sidewalk, on a chair they provided for his added comfort, it was a little cool, but the clouds gave way to a gorgeous autumn day...

It is all blue sky and puffy clouds as the front of the house is craned into place...

Once in position, the crew unhook the cables from the home...

It looks like a flat box, but the magic continued...the roof is actually pre-constructed and lifted, and the crew does on-site carpentry on the floor of his second floor to stabilize the roof joists...

 Here was the view down Applewood Lane when everyone took a break for lunch...

And here is what the roof looked like at 3:30 in the afternoon, you can see that the back of the roof is secured and the front is being prepared. There is a curve in this portion of the front of the roof to allow rainwater to be routed around his dormer windows...

 And here comes dormer number one...as a cloud returned with shade..

But the sun came out for dormer one to find it's position...hurray!

The second dormer was lowered on at dusk...

More images and news to come, but...for now...all is well on Applewood Lane...

At the end of the workday on Friday, Dad was having a wonderful conversation with one of the crew members. They really love his questions and are incredibly respectful, courteous and knowledgeable. Dad is really impressed with them.

It was a bright frosty Saturday morning...but the workers were there before 7am. Here was our view as we walked down Applewood Lane from our house to Dad's...

 Standing on the hill behind Daddy's house, we were able to see the crew guiding the cement into the frames. The cement is poured into place and then the guys tamp it down...

We watched most of the southern and eastern walls get poured and then watched them reposition one of the three trucks into place to begin to pour the northern and eastern walls...it was amazing!

I couldn't resist a photograph of Dad, happily standing by one of the trucks. 

It is so wonderful to see him excited about all that is happening. He reminds me, daily, of the importance of remaining in motion...physically, mentally and spiritually.

We have become members of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and today, heard a marvelous concert of Brahms, Sowerby and Loeillet. We all knew the Brahms Piano Trio in C Minor, but were happily introduced to the other pieces, also trios.

He is reading, prolifically, As always. Studying, growing, learning.

We were discussing just yesterday, that he only put his Rochester home on the market on June 30th. He accepted an offer on July 17th and now, his brand new home will be craned onto these foundations this coming Wednesday. June 30th-October 19th, that is just a little over three months! We are filled with gratitude, and think he may just have an extra special reason to celebrate Thanksgiving (but he won't be celebrating in his house...he doesn't like to cook)!

A LOT has been going on with Dad's house since the last post. Here is Dad, in front of the site, on Wednesday morning...these are the forms for the concrete to be poured for his full basement (aka workshop)...

And this is Dad at the end of the afternoon on Wednesday, the foundation crew have been just incredible!

As you can see, a portion of the front and side walls were begun and Dad is dreaming of woodworking and model building in what will be his new workshop. The home for all his power tools is soon-to-be!


Despite a lot of rainfall on Thursday, the crew worked until past 6pm and have completed putting the forms up for the concrete pour, which should happen before the end of the week. This is the view from the rear of the property, across to the field beyond. The decision was made to lay the foundations for Daddy's house so that it would be at a similar elevation to the next door neighbor's home. Which means the top of the framework is his ground floor. His views will be even more wonderful with added height...

Here you can see that a little more clearly...

A nice bonus for Dad is this lovely picket fence at the rear of his property line...

And here are the guys just finishing placing his window frame at the back, as the day was ending yesterday, they were placing the larger window spacings for the front of the workshop. This will be the first home Dad has had with a possibility for cross-ventilation...which we all think is a really good idea, given all the paint and dope smells, and sanding and...and...and...

We will be walking down to the site in just a few minutes, so there will an update tomorrow morning for certain! It is all happening here on Applewood Lane.

Daddy has been in Virginia with Sue and her family for a well-deserved time away from all the decisions and intensity and we also took the opportunity to go away to Montauk for a few days of restoration and beauty. 

While we were away, much happened just down Applewood Lane from our house. This is actually the view we have from our mailbox looking towards Dad's land. His home will be just beyond the gray garage, at the end of the sidewalk...

The framing for the footers was built and the drainage pipes were put into place...

And when the rebar was securely in place...

 The concrete truck arrived...

 The footers were poured, and they have been curing over the past week...

The forms for the poured basement will soon be put into place and poured in anticipation of the arrival of the house. Daddy decided to build a modular home, which means the bulk of the work on his new house is being done off-site, in Pennsylvania. When the basement walls are poured and cured, the house will be transported by truck, to be craned onto the foundation. We think that may happen before the end of the month! 

There will be a further four to five weeks of internal work done, on-site, once it arrives, but barring any unforeseen issues, he should be able to move into his new home before Christmas. It is a joy to have such an exciting new beginning after our year of loss and sadness.

We will keep you up-to-date on all the new developments as they unfold.