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We learned of an active beaver colony on Fish Creek road a few years ago but did not go out to the site until recently to check it out. Now I try to go at least once per week. Some muskrat and ducks mixed in…

Free mattress and entertainment center. Pickup only. Please call us to arrange pickup 610-413-2240. We also have some scrap metal for free.
 

After what feels like decades, we have our floor installed and finished.  We sanded, distressed, stained, and coated it with polyurethane.  A lot of the boards were imperfect, plus we anticipated the wear and tear from the renters, so we distressed the floor prior to staining with Zar Spanish Oak.  Click here for beetle kill pine floor installation photos.

Unfortunately, our kitchen plumbing is leaking so the project is still not over and we still don’t have renters in.   Money pit.

If anyone wants to check back in and find out what the floor looks like after a few weeks or months of wear and tear, feel free to shoot us an email and we’ll let you know how it wears.  We’ll try to post photos at the end of summer, but no guarantees.

We started to install our beetle kill pine floor.  Despite the persistent snow and rain, the moisture content dropped to 6% (as low as it will go) without any kilning.  We got it at the local Drake, CO sawmill.  The boards don’t go together entirely flush, but we’re going to stain it dark and distress it so I think it will be okay anyway.   These pictures are all unstained, unfinished in any way. We’ll post more when it’s complete.

After we install it, it needs to be sanded, stained, and coated with polyurethane. We were hoping to do something more environmentally conscious than stain and poly, but with this place being a rental property and wanting the floor to last as long as possible (also an environmental factor), we think poly is probably going to be a good choice. 

I love my new job.  I measure vegetation as part of the ongoing process with the Elk and Vegetation Management Plan (EVMP).  Throughout the Park, there are randomly placed vegetation cages.  The cages are cylindrical, made of chicken wire, and have a top to them so that it prevents browsing by critters.  I measure vegetation outside the cage, where the elk and other animals have a chance to eat the grass, etc, then I measure inside the cage and compare. 

I am also involved with monitoring raptors, checking on unique wildlife observations from visitors, and other things that crop up that are involved with wildlife. 

Thanks to everyone (especially Phil!) for your patience as I’ve been trying to wrap up projects with my web design business, work my new job, finish my EMT class (ends May 8!), clean and package about a dozen eggs per day, and help prepare our house for installing a new beetle-kill pine floor.

Happy birthday, Phil!