Dame's Rocket Paradise

One thing that makes me cringe is the memory of a line I once wrote:  "How enchanted was I by the sight I beheld."  I was going through a Jane Austen phase, but is that any excuse?  Well, the line applies here.

Directly in back of our house and through the tree line, I can hop onto the Loop Trail that Joe (and the deer) made.  It was  here I stumbled into clusters of dame's rocket in every direction.  The photos don't do it justice.  Suddenly it's everywhere!

 
There were so many that Sue and I could gather bouquets for everyone without spoiling the effect.

Monday at White Hawk

Sue and I checked out Greg and Marty's black locust posts.  

Marty is pulling the bark off, and then they'll use the posts for their grape arbor.  In the process, we discovered that black locust fiber looks like great basket-weaving material.  Someday when kids are big and hands are free, I'd love to try my hand at weaving baskets from local materials.  Greg says these posts will last fifty years, so they're a great local alternative to pressure treated wood.

Then we documented some more construction progress.  Rob and Rod up on the second floor

I think what Kerrie is doing here is making sure the house is nice and tight by adding insulation between SIPs, but set me straight if I got that wrong.

As a bonus, Rob donated scrap wood that we can use for White Hawk campfires.

I thought we were going on the Loop Trail, but Sue turned right back around toward home, proclaiming, "Outside!"  

Um, I thought the Loop Trail was outside.  She wants to be where all the people are.  She often takes me next door to the construction site, shouting, "See!"

I think this is my first-ever photo of all four White Hawk homes together.

On the way home, Marty tells me that we can glean greens from their hoop house before they clean it out for another crop.  Greg finishes up the debarking with a draw saw, explaining how it works.  

He has a great collection of old and very useful tools.