Peak Fall Color

It's a beautiful time to be at the cabin! The fall color is now at its peak. The second image is the view looking straight up from the new outdoor shower. Click on any image to enjoy a larger view.

Oasis

The outdoor shower adds a new, sensual experience to the cabin. During our summer of extreme drought in West Virginia, this was the only water flowing. Showering at night by candlelight was one of the highlights of my summer!

Special thanks to Bill Sawicki for designing the drainage system, Rodney Wilson of 1st Rate Plumbing (304-822-5782) for an innovative plumbing solution, and Del Construction (304-822-4222) for bringing my idea to life.

Click to enjoy a larger image . . .

Summer in a Bowl

In these last few days of summer, I'd like to share my gazpacho recipe using the abundance of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. This easy soup captures the feeling of summer, and the memories of eating it while watching the sun set from the deck of the cabin.

Gazpacho

1/8 red onion

1 clove garlic

3 medium, ripe tomatoes

1 red pepper, seeded

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For garnish: thinly sliced avocado or julienned basil

In food processor, mince onion and garlic. Then add all other ingredients (except avocado or basil), and puree until smooth. For added texture, reserve a small amount of tomatoes, pepper, and cucumber, dice by hand, then stir into the pureed soup. Chill mixture a couple hours. Garish with avocado or basil.

Serves two

Drought of Summer 2010

The water is flowing nicely at the new outdoor shower, but this summer has been bone dry. The nearby Little Cacapon River is completely dried up, and several trees and plants at the cabin have died. Below is a shot of me doing a rain dance in the dried riverbed. Please, please rain!

Click on any image for a better view . . .

Plan for a Pan

Now that the wood structure of the shower is built, the plumber will be connecting the water lines to the shower. Simple enough. But he'll also be installing a complicated drainage system.

When the contractor tried to obtain a permit to build the shower, they discovered that Hampshire County regulations prohibit the waste water from draining into the woods. The water must be collected and diverted into the cabin's septic tank. I was frustrated because none of my research into designing an outdoor shower mentioned this problem, let alone offered a solution. For weeks, it seemed like this project would not move forward.

Bill Sawicki offered a solution. His plan called for fabricating a metal pan which would sit underneath the shower's wood floor to collect the water. Then, a drain at the bottom of the pan would connect to a line into the septic tank. The shower's wood floor would need to be removable to access the drain and clean leaves from the pan. Thanks Bill!

Here's Bill's plan, plus an image of the removable floor to access the pan underneath.

Click on each image for a larger view.

Shower Structure Complete

The wood structure of the shower is now complete! I'm really happy with it, and it perfectly matches the design I created a couple months ago. Now, the interesting part begins: the plumbing still needs to be completed, including the fabrication of a metal pan which will collect the water and drain it into the septic tank.

Weekend with Friends

Designing an Outdoor Shower

Isn't it time the cabin had a water feature? I think one of the joys of life is showering outside, so let’s build an outdoor shower! Checkout these photos of my design showing a small, paper mock-up and where the shower will appear at the back corner of the cabin. The plan will provide screening from the front, but the back side will be open to the woods behind the cabin to provide a connection with nature. This month, I’ll have a local contractor build the shower. Stay tuned for more updates on this project!

Spring Arrives (finally!)

After a long, snowy winter, flowers are blooming again at the cabin.

Aliens Visit Cabin; UFO Lands on Front Lawn!