I Should Be Grading Essays, but...

I've fallen behind on my blogging duties.

We were able to spend our first Easter in the "new" cottage, and Tallulah had a great time!

The cottage held five people and two dogs very comfortably. Hooray! And, for a few minutes, the weather actually got warm enough so we were all able to enjoy the screened porch, both inside:

And outside:

All outdoor photos courtesy of Mark Winter :)

While the interior work is just about done, a lot of outdoor "construction" remains.  We lucked out in the fall, when the project started, because the weather was dry and sunny.  The same cannot be said for this spring, as we are nearing completion! Still, in between storms, here's what Rick Huber, our hardscape/grading contractor, has been able to accomplish, starting from here:
 

What a mess!

And ending up here:

Getting better!

 We are happy to have a sidewalk, a retaining wall, and even a paved area for barbequeing!

Now, if we can only get a bit more dry weather, we could get the grass seeded, the outside painted, the landscape planted, and most importantly, wave goodbye to this "addition":

We'll keep you posted!