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Spring Work Weekend: A Warm Welcome to the New Stove!
Another successful Shang Work Weekend is in the books! This year's crew included Peter W., Peter C., Mary, Vince, Rosemary, Bernd, Scarlett and friend, Beck and friend, Katie, Tessa, Dan B., and Cole. A terrific turnout, with plenty of helping hands!
Special extra credit goes to the Madsens, who arrived several days early to oversee the installation of our beautiful new fireplace insert. Thank you for getting this major project across the finish line!
The Big Project: A New Fireplace Insert
The star of this Work Weekend was undoubtedly the new wood-burning stove, which solves several long-standing problems with our old fireplace.
The new insert is remarkably efficient, extracting far more heat from the wood we burn. It also features a catalytic combustor, which helps produce a cleaner burn with significantly less smoke and soot.
And here's the really impressive part: One fire on Friday night kept the house comfortably warm throughout the weekend! We were all pleasantly surprised by just how effective it was. Shang has never felt cozier!
Of course, there's a bit of a learning curve to operating the stove properly. The instruction manual is on the sideboard for anyone using the house. I'll include a photo of the quick-reference guide here, and we'll soon add a video tutorial and operating instructions to the website so everyone can become a confident Shang fire tender.
A Few Important Technical Notes
The new flue extends approximately 26 feet, projecting about three feet above the masonry chimney.
One issue we'll need to address is the tree growing close to the chimney. Fire-safety guidelines call for adequate clearance—generally 10 feet around the chimney—and some of the nearby growth will need to be trimmed back. This will be an important follow-up project to help keep Shang as fire-safe as possible.
Many Hands Make Light Work!
The fireplace wasn't the only accomplishment of the weekend. Our industrious crew also tackled a number of other projects, including sorting and clearing debris from the corral, splitting firewood, and gathering and stacking wood in the shed.
All that hard work means we're better prepared for the colder months ahead—and there's something particularly satisfying about seeing a well-stocked woodshed!
The Best Part of All
As always, the real highlight of Work Weekend was being together. It was especially wonderful to see so many of the younger generation rolling up their sleeves, pitching in, and carrying on the Shang tradition of taking care of this special place.
A huge thank-you to everyone who contributed their time, energy, muscle, and good spirits. Shang is warmer, tidier, and better cared for because of you.
Here's to many more cozy fires, productive weekends, and happy gatherings at Shang!
First step in fireplace insert project. They also extended the chimney.
This is the second step crew performed, removing brick for the S curve of flue pipe. I missed the photo of damper removal, which involved a cutting torch . You can see hose lines in foreground, but work was complete.
The finished product.
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Here are the highlights of our visits to the ranch so far this year:
Sat-Sun Jan 31- Feb 1.
- Pulled out and pruned back grapevine climbing high into trees on lower wall. Also removed some black oak (used Randy’s chainsaw) and toyon growing on that wall. Left vine trimmings rolled into a pile for later removal, (hadn’t decided where to put it), moved other trimmings to pile near drag for chipping program.
- Sedum full of mildew, woody and lanky, spreading. Daffodils blooming early, very few narcissus blooming, pulled lots of euphorbia.
- Removed one manzanita on uphill side of redwoods and cut back a toyon to make passage wide enough for lawnmower to drive through.
- Rodents snapped: one in shed, two in garage (one was a small rat by workbench), one in WC. Cleaned and reset traps.
- Evidence of mice in kitchen: dish drain, stove top, oven drawer. Thorough cleaning of all.
- Cleaned oven using steam method. Pretty nifty!
Sun, Mar 29
- Moved grapevine cuttings to debris pile below lake.
- Always pruning and weeding. Can’t remember what else.
Sat-Sun, April 18-19
- Bobcat siting at turn-around below cliffs!
- Sedum: Main focus was removal of sedum under the alder tree. Worked on it both days. Each little broken bit lying on the dirt can sprout new roots. There are, of course, still roots we didn’t get dug out as well. It will come back fresh and nice. Then it will be up to us to control how much and where we want it. It will never be eradicated.
- Three trailer loads of sedum hauled to dumpsite below lake. Allan will move it off the dirt to the top of the pile with his tractor loader when he comes down to do other tractor work for us. Elevated atop the big logs and debris, the sedum should dry sufficiently over the hot summer.
- Did a B level cleaning of back porch.
- We tried lawn mower, couldn’t get it to start. Used weed whacker.
- One mouse caught in WC.
Sat-Sun, May 2-3
Did more raking and picking up bits of sedum (after last photo).
I don’t think the arum belongs and I’d be in favor of trying to eliminate it.
I ended up just cleaning it up a bit (see last picture).
Cheers,
Ingrid-euphoria attacker and Victor-star thistle attacker
- Continue sedum “removal”, focus under Hachiya persimmon. This area has become a jungle of Sedum, honeysuckle, california bedstraw, blackberry (needs digging up), poison oak (sprayed and left in place), bay, toyon, usual weeds. Will continue cutting and pulling honeysuckle and remove dig out blackberry and poison oak next time.
- Also cut back and pulled sedum on former arbor side of house.
- Lawn mower saga continued, consulted with both Peters and Allan. bottom line, needs new battery.
- Green jeep also needs new battery.
- Kitchen Notes: balsamic vinegar has heavy sediment for some reason but tastes fine.
- Al will move remaining sedum pile to lake when he is there to shove material deeper into hole by woodshed
- no new mouse activity in kitchen
- saw a lone turkey stroll down the road in front of the house!
Did more raking and picking up bits of sedum (after last photo).
I don’t think the arum belongs and I’d be in favor of trying to eliminate it.
I ended up just cleaning it up a bit (see last picture).
Cheers,
Ingrid-euphoria attacker and Victor-star thistle attacker
Sedum Removal by Alder
After Sedum Removal
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Elsa, Milt, Tessa, Dan, and Cole came up to Shang for a festive overnight the day after Thanksgiving. That didn't stop them from bringing a turkey and having a traditional feast to celebrate being up at Shang again. It looks like they had a beautiful and fun-filled visit.
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Fall Work Weekend was a great success with lots of hands on deck. People lending a hand were: Peter CB, Peter W, Vince, Rosemary, Bernd, Beck and his friend, Dan U, Dan B, Ingrid, and Victor. There was a long list of projects to do, much of it typical seasonal tasks such as clearing the area around the spring.
In addition, Peter W has done a lot of research on an insert for the fireplace. This seems to be a great solution for it. We are continuing to look into options and if we decide to move ahead with it, it will be much more efficient and stop the smoke problem in the house. Stay tuned on this topic!
Check out the photos below! Weebly is limiting our ability to post videos, so check out some short videos HERE.
Also, you may have noticed that there is no longer a password to access the website. This is another change to Weebly. They want us to upgrade for that feature. As long as we are not specific about location, I think we are okay with not having password protection.
Projects from Fall Work Weekend--most, if not all of this, was done!
In addition, Peter W has done a lot of research on an insert for the fireplace. This seems to be a great solution for it. We are continuing to look into options and if we decide to move ahead with it, it will be much more efficient and stop the smoke problem in the house. Stay tuned on this topic!
Check out the photos below! Weebly is limiting our ability to post videos, so check out some short videos HERE.
Also, you may have noticed that there is no longer a password to access the website. This is another change to Weebly. They want us to upgrade for that feature. As long as we are not specific about location, I think we are okay with not having password protection.
Projects from Fall Work Weekend--most, if not all of this, was done!
- Reline shelves in pantry and shelves under sink
- Deep cleaning all parts of house (floor mopping, clearing cobwebs, “hard” clean of shower, sweeping, vacuuming corners and crevices, bathrooms, mirrors, furniture polishing, etc.)
- New cabinet by fridge-plan and discuss
- Clear grass/weeds around sprinklers
- Clear leaves away from house, propane tank and generator house
- Collect, split, and stack firewood
- Clear sprouting / newer brush (manzanita, brush oak, etc.) inside compound.
- Clear ferns from spring area.
- Chipping program-plan and discuss improved road access for fire safety
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It was hot but we had a fabulous time at the ranch. Tessa, Dan B, Cole, Lucy, Peter W, Katie and Randy came together and celebrated a peaceful Labor Day.
When Randy and I arrived, the gang was down at the lake. The patio was quiet except for the loud tapping of a woodpecker. It was a pileated woodpecker, a large and colorful species that was just incredible to see. Apparently, it is a big fan of loquats!
It's truly magical being in nature and being with the whole family at Shang. In our crazy times, make sure you spend some time at Shang. It's good for the soul.
When Randy and I arrived, the gang was down at the lake. The patio was quiet except for the loud tapping of a woodpecker. It was a pileated woodpecker, a large and colorful species that was just incredible to see. Apparently, it is a big fan of loquats!
It's truly magical being in nature and being with the whole family at Shang. In our crazy times, make sure you spend some time at Shang. It's good for the soul.
Photo Gallery-click to see better
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We had a great time up at Shang and got some work done, too. Peter CB, Peter W, Vince, Tessa, Dan B, Cole, Katie, and Owen were there. And, Lucy, too! She never missed a chance to jump in the lake. As always, it's wonderful to spend time together at Shang.
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Here's a quick update on work done just this past week.
First photos are burn pile removed with dead stump and fallen pine. I didn’t get photos of Spring work, but work weekend is coming up for view.
The second group is stone wall work that will be completed next week along with additional dead trees along lake road. Tree grinding folk missed about three piles on lower lake road.
Frontier will also complete the felling of dead trees along Spring to Pump House canyon section next week. The additional Spring work was successful and captures all the water. A little over 2 gal per minute is flow and our solar pump delivered 17,820 gal. in 14 days per my pump house records, so all is good.
Lots more done including a new floor platform for new metal cabinet in garage.
-Peter C.B.
First photos are burn pile removed with dead stump and fallen pine. I didn’t get photos of Spring work, but work weekend is coming up for view.
The second group is stone wall work that will be completed next week along with additional dead trees along lake road. Tree grinding folk missed about three piles on lower lake road.
Frontier will also complete the felling of dead trees along Spring to Pump House canyon section next week. The additional Spring work was successful and captures all the water. A little over 2 gal per minute is flow and our solar pump delivered 17,820 gal. in 14 days per my pump house records, so all is good.
Lots more done including a new floor platform for new metal cabinet in garage.
-Peter C.B.
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The Board met up at the ranch on Saturday, May 2nd to have our annual meeting. Daniel came up for a big day trip on Saturday, and the other attendees were Katie, Peter W. and Vince, and Peter C.B. A lot has been happening up at the ranch, and it's all thanks to Peter C.B. finding some reliable contractors and making the time to go up on many visits to oversee the various projects.
The big projects have been:
- Clearing the Spring: Due to the heavy rains after fires, silt and soil run off caused heavy growth to choke off the spring. This resulted in the spring not being able to fill up. After much trouble-shooting, Peter C.B. figured this out, got a quote from Frontier Landscaping (the same folks who irrigated around the house), got Board approval, and got the spring cleared. As of the Board Meeting, much of this had already been done. The water was flowing back to normal. Frontier will be returning to clear more brush around the pump house and to haul the large burn pile at the lake.
- Reinforcing the Back Porch Beams: This was a big project that had needed to be done for a couple of years, but finding the right workers was a major hindrance. Peter C.B. found two contractor brothers who do exceptional work. They are a great resource for the ranch! Peter C.B. cut steel at home for the siding of the beams, and also got the paint matched to both the green beams and the off-white under-side of roof. The contractors used scaffolding and reinforced all sides of the beams and painted. They look great and are secure and fireproof for the long-term.
- Stone Wall Repair: Peter C.B. was also able to get a quote for the back gate stone wall repair and this was also approved by the Board at the Annual Board Meeting. This work will be done imminently.
So, a great deal is getting done. We are so grateful for all Peter C.B.'s persistence and guidance. And not just with the projects---we got to see an array of restored tools and beautified corners of the ranch--such as the front porch. A lot of loved has been poured into this place. Thank you, Peter!
We had a very nice dinner with Al and had a lot of laughs around the table, as is tradition.
-Katie
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After a long hiatus, Cole, Tessa, and Dan Barrows joined Randy and Katie up at the ranch! We're really excited to welcome them all back. Cole had only a dim memory of the ranch, and even though he is only nine, he really wanted to be a part of it. Of course, we all want him (and all the Barrows!) to be part of Shang. This visit was a beautiful reconnection.
Greeting us upon our arrival was a little Great Horned Owl, perched peacefully on the beam at the top of the stairs and entering the back porch. He seemed to have gotten quite comfortable there over the winter months, as he was in no hurry to fly away. We decided that the owl was a symbol of a great new beginning.
Greeting us upon our arrival was a little Great Horned Owl, perched peacefully on the beam at the top of the stairs and entering the back porch. He seemed to have gotten quite comfortable there over the winter months, as he was in no hurry to fly away. We decided that the owl was a symbol of a great new beginning.
The Great Horned Owl is a powerful symbol of wisdom, intuition, and transformation, often representing a connection to the spirit world. Its tufted head, while not actual horns, is linked to spiritual power, and its keen hearing is seen as a reflection of our ability to listen to inner guidance. The owl's sharp talons and fierce nature can also represent a warrior spirit within, ready to protect and defend.
We all hiked up to Allan's house and enjoyed the blooming wildflowers everywhere. Lucy, the Barrows' pup, loved running around and jumping in the lake. Even Tessa and Dan jumped in--even though the water was freezing still!
I'd love to add more pictures and probably will--so check this space!
Can't beat Shang in the spring!
-Katie
I'd love to add more pictures and probably will--so check this space!
Can't beat Shang in the spring!
-Katie
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From Peter CB:
Hi all,
I went to Shang on Tuesday to prepare and meet the contractor for the Spring/Water restoration.
Summary of Spring Restoration Project
I worked on the Pump House plumbing replacing the failed check valve and the fittings both sides of the solar pump. By the 2:00 pm all was done, and valves were opened to flush our piping of silt at sediment tank and line to storage. I also insulated the 1 ½” schedule 80 riser with peal and stick aluminum tape for fire protection. Before I left on Thursday, I closed the valves and started the solar pump, all working fine.
I also got the name of a contractor for the beam repair, so that information will follow when the next phase of this contract is started.
Note: A family member should always be present when a contractor is working. It facilitates questions and gives efficiency to our needs.
It was a productive visit, and I did many other things including my usual meals with Allan and clean up around house and woodshed. New figs are budding along with patio rose. I had two visits from Jake who showed me his video from five wildlife cameras set up on his property.
FYI there is more going on at night than in the day. I saw foxes, bobcats, bucks and several mountain lions.
Jake also cleared our upper roads of seven large trees and gave me some pruning loppers and new mouse traps as I had given him one of ours the prior visit. We have a very good neighbor.
See photos and videos below.
Peter C.B.
P. S. Adding more photos and video for complete overview of project. Clearing around the spring should be added to our annual maintenance to prevent future interference.
Hi all,
I went to Shang on Tuesday to prepare and meet the contractor for the Spring/Water restoration.
Summary of Spring Restoration Project
- I asked the two men to verify that surface run off above the Spring bypassed the Spring effluence and did not contaminate our water source. They crawled through very thick brush and burn rubble to verify that the original waterway is open.
- Following the pipe, the Spring was uncovered to expose the previous system. I took lots of photos and made notes for them. The project was very successful in cleaning, washing and replacing in kind the previous system.
- We did add a small cement berm to dam water to fill above the drainpipe and capture Spring water.
- Additional gravel was added above to “dome” the area.
- A long fibrous root was pulled from the slotted 1 ¼” PVC pipe that was the problem. The ferns must be kept off the top of the Spring to prevent a reoccurrence.
I worked on the Pump House plumbing replacing the failed check valve and the fittings both sides of the solar pump. By the 2:00 pm all was done, and valves were opened to flush our piping of silt at sediment tank and line to storage. I also insulated the 1 ½” schedule 80 riser with peal and stick aluminum tape for fire protection. Before I left on Thursday, I closed the valves and started the solar pump, all working fine.
I also got the name of a contractor for the beam repair, so that information will follow when the next phase of this contract is started.
Note: A family member should always be present when a contractor is working. It facilitates questions and gives efficiency to our needs.
It was a productive visit, and I did many other things including my usual meals with Allan and clean up around house and woodshed. New figs are budding along with patio rose. I had two visits from Jake who showed me his video from five wildlife cameras set up on his property.
FYI there is more going on at night than in the day. I saw foxes, bobcats, bucks and several mountain lions.
Jake also cleared our upper roads of seven large trees and gave me some pruning loppers and new mouse traps as I had given him one of ours the prior visit. We have a very good neighbor.
See photos and videos below.
Peter C.B.
P. S. Adding more photos and video for complete overview of project. Clearing around the spring should be added to our annual maintenance to prevent future interference.
Photos & Video
Click on photo for caption description.
Additional Photos & Video-update
