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Katie, Randy, and Jason made a quick trip up to the ranch on September 9th. The weather was warm and comfortable, just hot enough to jump in the lake. The irrigation system around the green zone is working well, and we did water all around the outer areas of the fenced area. The apples on the hill are almost ready for harvest--this is the same tree Ingrid and Sophia pruned in May.
The carpenter bees were under control (we did not see or hear them), and the bats seemed quiet, too. We did see a large jackrabbit by the WC, and he quickly ran away to the woodshed area. I got a picture, but not a close one.
Early Sunday morning, an olive flycatcher landed right on the window by the main bedroom. He was happy to hang out for a few minutes, and it seems he is quite at home at Shang. We also spotted quite a few Acorn Woodpeckers and a healthy covey of quail on the road up. If you are a birdwatcher, I attached a checklist for Lake County just below the slideshow.
We are planning to return in the next few weeks to do a deep cleaning before winter. It's a lovely time to visit!
The carpenter bees were under control (we did not see or hear them), and the bats seemed quiet, too. We did see a large jackrabbit by the WC, and he quickly ran away to the woodshed area. I got a picture, but not a close one.
Early Sunday morning, an olive flycatcher landed right on the window by the main bedroom. He was happy to hang out for a few minutes, and it seems he is quite at home at Shang. We also spotted quite a few Acorn Woodpeckers and a healthy covey of quail on the road up. If you are a birdwatcher, I attached a checklist for Lake County just below the slideshow.
We are planning to return in the next few weeks to do a deep cleaning before winter. It's a lovely time to visit!
Lake County Bird Checklist
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This trip was Janitorial and Gardening. Gross bat guano all over back porch, so vacuumed just about all the floor and walls. Carpenter bees and spider webs everywhere and of course batt poop everywhere, not just the back porch. It was like thick, black mud in front of bathroom door and ledge around corner. Those areas I Swiffered also, and need more Swiffer wet mop pads. Cleaned bathroom, blew patio and around house including the garage which created a Grapes of Wrath dust storm. Worked on pump house door and is better but I haven’t completely "de-Peppered" it, so lift door handle, then turn the dead bolt with key to open. I weed wacked perimeter of area around pump house and pumped both gas and solar to fill upper tanks. New sprinkler system is working very well. Trimmed wisteria, grapes, oleanders, roses, rosemary. I put up eight carpenter bee traps. Four on porch a four on ramp. We need 4 more plastic water bottles for the traps. They just screw into wood traps I made. We will see if they work.
Al successfully repaired the Stihl weed eater and the Echo blower works great. I replaced the carburetor in the Echo chainsaw and it is back to normal in the shed.
Jeep part is suppose to be ready in two weeks or September 20th. We still need the emergency break labor to be done with Allan’s help and the jeep now needs painting to restore bat poop damage and two years parked outside. Really hoping the part comes in so we can get the green jeep back.
Jake asked for help to fell tree leaning towards his cabin so Al and I did that with him. He was on the garbage dump road the next day cutting and scraping the road, then turned left and continued scraping and clearing fire and snow damage so the upper road is now open. He quit at 5:00 PM. He keeps the main road in good condition and sprays for poison oak. Lucky to have someone with equipment that shares his resources.
That’s All Folks,
Peter
Al successfully repaired the Stihl weed eater and the Echo blower works great. I replaced the carburetor in the Echo chainsaw and it is back to normal in the shed.
Jeep part is suppose to be ready in two weeks or September 20th. We still need the emergency break labor to be done with Allan’s help and the jeep now needs painting to restore bat poop damage and two years parked outside. Really hoping the part comes in so we can get the green jeep back.
Jake asked for help to fell tree leaning towards his cabin so Al and I did that with him. He was on the garbage dump road the next day cutting and scraping the road, then turned left and continued scraping and clearing fire and snow damage so the upper road is now open. He quit at 5:00 PM. He keeps the main road in good condition and sprays for poison oak. Lucky to have someone with equipment that shares his resources.
That’s All Folks,
Peter
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Scarlett is the center of attention!
The Madsens, Reynoldses, and Franks joined forces to take care of seasonal tasks and enjoy the onset of summer at Shang.
At the Spring meeting, the Board had voted to install an irrigation system around the house to create a green zone. This irrigation system is powered by the new solar energy system, and will keep the vegetation around the patio and house watered. This is a major accomplishment for fire prevention.
At the bottom of this post is a video of a morning at the lake. Enjoy!
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Our Spring Shang Board Meeting was successful in continuing to tackle a number of projects and keeping the momentum going. In addition, we had a nice turn out of extra hands to pitch in and gather around as in true Shang tradition.
Ingrid, Sophia & Victor came up and it was great to spend time with them all. Ingrid and Sophia did a great deal of trimming old wood from trees along the top of the hill. Then the wood was cut down and brought to the road for the chipper truck to pick up in early June.
Victor and Randy worked on trimming the larger trunks. Katie moved wood to the roads, and Peter W. pitched in with everything!
Katie and Randy's friend, Ted, joined everyone and took on the project of sorting debris from the collapsed lean-to in the corral. The lean-to collapsed due to the unexpected heavy load of snow on it in late February. This has also caused damage to the upper limbs of many of the trees.
There was a light rain on Saturday, and all the extra rainfall had produced exceptional wildflowers.
Ingrid, Sophia & Victor came up and it was great to spend time with them all. Ingrid and Sophia did a great deal of trimming old wood from trees along the top of the hill. Then the wood was cut down and brought to the road for the chipper truck to pick up in early June.
Victor and Randy worked on trimming the larger trunks. Katie moved wood to the roads, and Peter W. pitched in with everything!
Katie and Randy's friend, Ted, joined everyone and took on the project of sorting debris from the collapsed lean-to in the corral. The lean-to collapsed due to the unexpected heavy load of snow on it in late February. This has also caused damage to the upper limbs of many of the trees.
There was a light rain on Saturday, and all the extra rainfall had produced exceptional wildflowers.
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Strange weather patterns continued at Shang in late Winter.
First, after years of drought, rainfall exceeded expectations and broke records. This caused many trees, weakened from past fires, to fall and lose limbs. As a result, a lot of clearing of the forest and trimming of trees and dead limbs has been needed. A huge pile of forest debris and tree trunks was piled up at the lake and needed to be burned. Of course, finding a safe time to do this was essential.
Another result of the heavy rainfall was that a great deal of soil and run off flowed into the lake. There is a large amount of soil around the pier of the lake. It has changed the landscape around the lake, but does not seem to have done any other damage.
Finally, and perhaps most strangely, Shang had heavy snowfall! Peter C. was fortunate enough to be up at the ranch during this very rare event. Photos and videos posted below.
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Several members of the extended family attended the Fall Work Weekend and Shareholder Meeting for 2022.
In attendance were: Peter C, Rosemary, Peter W, Vince, Sophia, Victor, Daniel, Randy, and Katie.
Projects included:
- Completing screening of back porch
- Pruning wisteria
- Removing piles of wood from roadside for splitting
- Moving ceramic tiles by horse barn site to pump house
- Training on use & proper storage of new lawn mower
- Cleaning
- Some harvesting of persimmons
Katie
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My mom and I did a quick trip up to Shang on Thursday- here’s a few things we tackled.
We need to buy more vacuum liners, I've attached a pic.
Happy Holiday Weekend!
-Sophia
- We removed the wisteria and grape vine from the apricot tree and pruned around the edges of the trellis.
- Cleaned the back porch.
- Weeded in the river rock by the fire hose.
- Third floor window closure: My mom did an inspection of the hardware on the window- it works fine. If it feels stuck you can see the moving parts if you stick your head out the window a little.
- Hopefully my parents will make it up again this weekend.
- We also cleaned a green quilt from the back porch after the meeting... and brought it back.
We need to buy more vacuum liners, I've attached a pic.
Happy Holiday Weekend!
-Sophia
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Vince and Peter arrived early for the weekend, on Friday night. Vince got a head-start on projects by cleaning the back porch from the remains of what looked like quite the raccoon party. Thank you, Vince! That was a huge job!
Katie and Jason arrived on Saturday, and enjoyed seeing all of the many improvements made in just the past year. A huge thank you to Peter W. for tirelessly working with the many insurance adjusters and curve balls from the insurance company--if it weren't for his persistence, we would never have the amazing improvements made. Also, an enormous thank you to Peter C. for spending many, many days and weeks working at Shang, meeting with contractors, coordinating more proof of policy details, and more. Again, none of this would have happened without both Peters dedicating hundreds of hours to rebuilding Shang after the fire. You sure know how! (Had to be said!)
Speaking of Morfar/Farfar, it seems that Jason is the newest family member to enjoy Aquavit!
On Sunday morning, Ingrid, Sophia, Peter C. and Dan arrived, and the annual meeting began. While the board was meeting, Jason and Vince gathered wood and brought it to the wood shed. That was efficient!
There were many new updates to report at the Spring Annual Board Meeting--in fact, maybe more changes than ever before. The solar system and new, underground piping and tanks have brought the ranch to a whole new level of functionality. So much so, in fact, that it can take some time to wrap your head around what a game-changer the upgrades mean to the whole Shangri-La experience.
Some of the improvements include:
Keeping the best of the old, and adapting to the best of the new, Shang is more sustainable than ever.
Katie and Jason arrived on Saturday, and enjoyed seeing all of the many improvements made in just the past year. A huge thank you to Peter W. for tirelessly working with the many insurance adjusters and curve balls from the insurance company--if it weren't for his persistence, we would never have the amazing improvements made. Also, an enormous thank you to Peter C. for spending many, many days and weeks working at Shang, meeting with contractors, coordinating more proof of policy details, and more. Again, none of this would have happened without both Peters dedicating hundreds of hours to rebuilding Shang after the fire. You sure know how! (Had to be said!)
Speaking of Morfar/Farfar, it seems that Jason is the newest family member to enjoy Aquavit!
On Sunday morning, Ingrid, Sophia, Peter C. and Dan arrived, and the annual meeting began. While the board was meeting, Jason and Vince gathered wood and brought it to the wood shed. That was efficient!
There were many new updates to report at the Spring Annual Board Meeting--in fact, maybe more changes than ever before. The solar system and new, underground piping and tanks have brought the ranch to a whole new level of functionality. So much so, in fact, that it can take some time to wrap your head around what a game-changer the upgrades mean to the whole Shangri-La experience.
Some of the improvements include:
- A quiet, fully-functional solar system that runs everything with a flip of a switch. It's quiet and does the job!
- Automated pump system that is powered by solar. Will shut off when upper tank full.
- New refrigerator with freezer and ice-maker
- New stove and oven.
- New coffee maker
- New toaster oven
Keeping the best of the old, and adapting to the best of the new, Shang is more sustainable than ever.
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New range, solar system, pruning & much more.
Hello All -
Lots to update about.
L.D. Giacomini is doing an excellent, first-class job. Allan and my dad both report being very impressed with the quality and efficiency of the crew and management. They really know what they are doing and are very responsive to questions, requests, etc. Below are some photos from the first week. You should be able to zoom in on any of the photos, as needed.
That's all for now. Hope to have more photos in another week.
Peter
Lots to update about.
- Vince and I were up twice in the past 2 weeks to help my dad install the new electrical and water supply for the new range and refrigerator. These two jobs have been A LOT of work. Just think about stringing things through the "wall" behind the cabinets (yes, there is one), connecting to water supply and electrical panel, etc. Very detailed work. Anyway, it is done and my dad and Allan are working on some final touches.
- The new gas range is in place (old range hauled away). My dad met the delivery people and the propane conversion guy (which was a separate service). All gas appliances are made for natural gas and must be converted for propane so they work properly. This is not just a connection device. Every jet in the appliance had to be changed for propane. It is done and it works great.
- The refrigerator saga continues (I'll spare you the details). Old order was cancelled, new order placed - per Sears - and the delivery date is now March 10th. However, it could arrive before the scheduled delivery date (as the range did). Ordering things these days is pretty odd but I am staying on top of it.
- We purchased the needed 2x2 and 2x4 lumber for the back porch fire screening project. The lumber is to frame in the screening. Allan was tasked with priming and painting them all so we can pivot back to that project once the waterline project is complete.
- The solar system continues to work very well. The final piece of the solar system will be the solar pump. John Takes will schedule his final trip to install this once the waterline project is complete.
- Brought up some septic treatment. Should be done on a regular basis. Active bacteria in septic treatments breaks down all paper products, solids, etc.
- My dad did some pruning of trees and grape vines around the house.
- Believe it or not, the firewood supply in the woodshed is getting low. Bringing various piles of wood to the woodshed, splitting, stacking will be needed this Spring.
- Green Jeep: Allan is in regular communication with the jeep parts people and the wait continues. More supply chain issues. The green jeep is at his place, covered with tarp and waiting on two parts. He has heard that some parts are starting to arrive so hopefully they will arrive in the Spring.
- I finally located the correct size bulbs that are LED for the 3rd floor fixtures. Small round type like the ones that were originally in them. They look much better, and the light is softer too.
- My dad will be replacing the old electrical outlet in the "front room", similar to the replacements he did in Grandma's room. Another irritating job but necessary for safety. Those old plugs in the bedroom were pretty bad.
L.D. Giacomini is doing an excellent, first-class job. Allan and my dad both report being very impressed with the quality and efficiency of the crew and management. They really know what they are doing and are very responsive to questions, requests, etc. Below are some photos from the first week. You should be able to zoom in on any of the photos, as needed.
That's all for now. Hope to have more photos in another week.
Peter
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Writing a quick note to give everyone an update on Ranch things.
- The house solar system is installed and working quite well. Lighting, vacuum, appliances all work, and the system is generating plenty of power. We have not had any instructions (or even a manual) on the several pieces of equipment and plan on requesting this from John Takes.
- The water pump is sitting in the garage. John, Allan, and my dad felt it would be best to wait until the new water system is installed for various reasons.
- The start date for the new water line, tanks, etc. is January 17th, weather permitting. My dad is planning to go up and oversee the project, but it is not clear how long it will take. We anticipate knowing more about timing and process after the first few days. Of course, it depends on what they run into when digging.
- The new refrigerator and range have been delayed many times. Supply chain issues. The current delivery date is mid-January but I fully expect that to change. Who knows. In the meantime, my dad and I are working on installing a new power line and water line for the new appliances. Lots of details for this "little" project but it is an indoor project so can be done during winter months. Plan is to work on in January and ready before appliances arrive.
- Allan has winterized the current water system. Upper tank full, pool valve closed, etc.
- All but a couple bat entry/exit points have been closed at garage. Next steps cannot happen until Spring as bats are hibernating. The "exit only" device will be installed at that time near the new deluxe bat house. Anyway, all this requires nice weather to do it properly and humanely.
- Plenty of road improvement road work has been happening thanks to our neighbors (not Gaithers). Speaking of the Gaithers, they have installed two huge tent structures that look like something from a military operation. They are blue. No idea what those are for. Your guess is as good as mine.
- Vince and I put together the new vinyl shed - major pain in the ass. I'll never do that again. Anyway, it is up and ready to put things in.