Awesome Discovery!

I love this place!  It's like a treasure hunt everytime I want to explore.  Today, I was organizing and decided to try getting this old record player to work.  I was thrilled when it did, and now I can play the old collection of Beethoven, Bach, etc. albums left behind!  Maybe I will set it up in my shop for some ambiance.

Clearing and Organizing!

The carriage house was full of tools, old yard equipment, etc. that the previous owners left behind.  My son-in-law, Nate, and his dad, Tim, helped me organize and clear it all out.  They even ripped out the old tool benches, so now I finally have some space to plan out my gallery.  The gallery and workshop will be on the main floor, with storage in the back room where there is a horse stall.  I love to imagine the buggies stored in here, ready to be hooked up to the horses for a ride.  It's so cool to know that this building was here during the civil war!

Raccoon Disaster!

One of the main reasons the tree was removed was to stop the animals from accessing their second floor hide-a-way.  Blocking their access is a major priority, and you would understand why...the moment you took a whiff of the building.  Not sure exactly what kind of animals have been inhabiting and using this beautiful, old building as their latrine, but they have left quite a mess!  We are guessing that the culprits are raccoons.  My son-in-law, Nate, and I have spent a fair amount of time scooping.  We wore facemasks, and gloves because it was so disgusting to tackle.  We even swept up a skull and fur chunks from one that didn't quite make it back outside.

The carriage house renovation begins!

April 21, 2011

When I purchased this property, I had intended to start an art gallery by spring.  But, the interior renovation of my house took longer than anticipated....so, now the goal is to have the gallery going by late summer.  A couple of items have been completed already.  I had electrical service and water piped out to the carriage house.  And, the huge pine tree growing very close to the back of the building has been taken down.  I have hired a barn specialist to stabilize the old beams on the second floor.  Through the years, they have split apart and the sides of the building are bowing out.  The workers are making great progress by replacing temporary fixes from previous owners to restoring the building to it's former glory!