It has been a long time since our last blog since we have been primarily stationary on Lion’s Paw at her permanent home in Eagle Harbor Marina. All of our efforts since the completion of our summer cruising season is now focused on the construction of our new home here on Bainbridge Island. The construction drawings were finally submitted to the City for approval, and we were given final approval for our building permit. Our contractor, Bill Corbin, has been working with the excavating company that he has hired for our project, and it has been moving forward at a good pace. The work began with the construction of a “curtain drain” which consists of a 6 foot deep trench with a perforated pipe covered in one inch gravel to channel the off property water around the edge of our property. The soils here are very thin and do not absorb much of the moisture which begins to fall in mid-autumn and continues through mid-spring. In fact, last year set a record for rainfall here in the Seattle area with only 7 days where there was sunshine between November 1st and May 1st. If there is one thing to which we will need to become accustomed, they are the wet and overcast months which make this part of the country so green and beautiful.

Once the drain was finished, the excavators then worked on clearing the lot of trees that would otherwise block our view of Rich Passage which is what makes this lot so desirable. They also had to cut down a tall (well over 50 foot) fir tree which had died in the right of way at the front of our property. We have retained portions of it to ultimately provide firewood for the fire pit that we will have on our terrace that sits along the south of our house with the great views. One of my first projects once we move I will be to cut up and split the wood which is now in ten foot sections.

The next project was the installation of the utilities via a trench from the right of way to where they will ultimately enter the home. Once that was accomplished, the excavators put in a temporary road and driveway to our home which will accommodate the heavy trucks which will be needed to deliver materials and construction which will shortly begin with the construction of the foundation.

The last piece of site work has been the construction and installation of the septic system, as much of Bainbridge Island has no sewer system. It will not be long before we actually start the construction of the home itself.

For Labor Day weekend, we enjoyed the continued good weather which has blessed us this cruising season. We were visited by some fellow Coloradans who have decided to become Outbound owners. Their boat is under construction, and they are coming to get some advice on what they want to do with respect to that construction, as well as what to expect when they are actually cruising on her. We spent the day together going through the boat as well as a list of things that they might experience or wish to pursue, so it was a very fruitful for them.

We have spent the last week or so getting Lion’s Paw ready for the fall/winter season. Tomorrow we leave for Colorado for a couple of weeks before returning to Bainbridge Island on October 1st when we can move into the fully furnished home which we have rented through next April. We will not only get to oversee the construction, but we will get our first taste of that weather which drives some out of the area. Coming from a place where there are 300+ days of sunshine will be quite a test, but we both look forward to the challenge. At least we are in a position, should it become warranted, to take an extended vacation to a warm and sunny spot to re-charge our batteries.