Rick and Ellen's Homestead

[rick91351]

As the temp fall it is a good time to remember those who came before.  Not so much the trappers and the mountain men but those that came to homestead. It is hard to fathom those old cabins and dug outs and lean-tos people used as dwellings.  Many or most smaller than John's Country Plans  20 x 30 maybe a few a little larger.  With no insulation other than very primitive means.  No double and triple pane windows.  Very few were the Cartwright's Ponderosa of Bonanza.  Yet they some how stuck it out with little to eat, rationing wood and what they had to live with.  Chopping ice and toting water through the snow and ice.  They stuck it out not the day or the weekend nor the week but for years before they scrimped and saved enough to build something bigger.  They raise children and lost a few, both them and the kids grew old before their time.  Living in the then suburbia was not much better.  There no running off to cruise for a week and leaving it all behind.  There was no well I will get warmed up when I get in the vehicle and go to work.  It was what it was - was.



My grand great grand family cropped from above.



Knelling is William Anthony Russell my great grandfather who migrated to this country as a child from Knoxville, Ill.  He became a state senator and died from an unknown illness though he had been treated by a doctor in Portland.  He collapsed and died in the blacksmith shop over on his homestead about a mile away from our place.   

The little one standing there propped up against his leg is my grand aunt Bess.
 
The lady standing is Josephine (McNew) Russell.  She was from Ormsley, Kentucky.  She is my great grandmother.  She had the the first school house built up here.  It is still in use today but moved to another location.  It is over in the village.

The tall guy there is my uncle Ira Lindsey - little is known about him.  We think he did the California gold field with the men folk then returned to Ill with them.  Then came out here to Oregon territory with the Russell's.  He is off any census Ellen can find from 1850s to 1900.  Speculation he went to Austria with his brother William that remained there an led a very prosperous life.  Ira must have come back to the States.  He sort of was a family fixture and lots of speculation.

The young man stand man standing there is my grandfather George William Russell my grandfather.  Nicknamed Rawhide - He homesteaded up here and I own his homestead.  He lived from 1887 to 1965.  He  came up here with his buddy Jess Basal a little older. (Few weeks)  They came up on a cradle boards on a pack saddle.       

 

             
         

[rick91351]

Today it snowed and snowed and snowed



and we accumulated perhaps another inch.     After all day.....



Painting is finished and we laid out the walls of the master shower today.  We are letting the tile warm up and stabilize.  Wow it had trapped a lot of moisture sitting in the trailer.     







I bought a new tile saw nothing real fancy and I would guess this is the last tile job we will ever do.  We did a mountain of tile in the house we sold with just an el-cheep-o $90 saw.  It ran and ran and run but we decided to up grade a better saw because of all the porcelain tile.



We also unloaded the trailer that we had the cabinets stored in.  I don't know how they got all of them in that trailer.  We put them all in a bedroom and broke the seal tape and opened them sort of up to slowly let them adjust.  We are having very high humidity the last week with this storm coming in and as cold as it was the last couple nights we thought we better get them in to the warm.

   

[OlJarhead]

Great pics!

I watched a video of a guy and his wife that live in trappers cabins in Canada and trap all winter.  They are just logs (no insulation) but they manage to keep the heat in pretty well I guess.  I often wonder what the R value of a log is?  That guy and his wife claimed their woodstove kept the place very warm in the winter but it also had a low ceiling...who knows?

I can tell you this:  without insulation I'd be lucky to be above freezing right now!  And that's with the stove going full tilt!

[Redoverfarm]

Great pics!

I watched a video of a guy and his wife that live in trappers cabins in Canada and trap all winter.  They are just logs (no insulation) but they manage to keep the heat in pretty well I guess.  I often wonder what the R value of a log is?  That guy and his wife claimed their woodstove kept the place very warm in the winter but it also had a low ceiling...who knows?

I can tell you this:  without insulation I'd be lucky to be above freezing right now!  And that's with the stove going full tilt!

Eric I have been told that logs render 1R value per inch.  So a 6" log is going to have R6 .   I tried to beat those odds by adding 1" insulation board mid center of the log.  Then left an air space on either side to increase it's value.  Did it help  .  But hey it is a log cabin and probably a far stretch better than it was original with horsehair, rocks, clay and sticks.

[MountainDon]

depending on species it varies 1 to 1.5 per inch.  When the walls are thick enough thermal mass comes into play as well.

Some links here about wood R-value.
http://www.awc.org/helpoutreach/faq/faqFiles/Resistivity.php

Both the USA Rescheck program and the Canadian equivalent rules contain formulae that take mass into account along with R-value (RSI in Canada) to determine energy efficiency of a complete structure.

[glenn kangiser]

Don't mean to get off track here Rick, but my son just moved to Knoxville, Il a few months ago... he is nearly freezing to death....

[rick91351]

Don't mean to get off track here Rick, but my son just moved to Knoxville, Il a few months ago... he is nearly freezing to death....

It is on my /our bucket list to go there someday and look around. But not right now.     Might do that in the fall.  That part of the country is said to be cold enough to freeze a dog and hot enough to scald a frog.   

[glenn kangiser]

I went there about 10 years ago when my daughter got married..... Winter time and I don.t think I ever saw the ground under the ice and snow... Galesburg was next door and I loved the crepes at the Landmark cafe there. 

[rick91351]

Don't mean to get off track here Rick, but my son just moved to Knoxville, Il a few months ago... he is nearly freezing to death....

Don't worry about off track or threat stealin'.

Yesterday a 'substantial' snow happened and it is still coming down.  There is about a foot of snow on a table that was cleared off.  It is still snowing pretty good and settling in the on foot range on the table so it looks.  I up at 2:00 AM shoveling snow away from the fifthwheel door so we can get out.  (Swings to the outside of course)  And we have the deck next to the fifthwheel. 

Yesterday I plowed snow the first part of the day.  That is the handiest little plow, I was concerned it would be sort of useless up here in the snow but I have kept our part of a forest service road open.  Yesterday plowed out our neighbors drive plus everything around here.  Last few days have actually put down some fairly good snows!       



Ellen and I got started on the tile in the master shower yesterday as well.  We are so glad this has evolved back in to a stage that we can work on pretty competently now.  Some is coming back pretty quickly from our other tile and grouting marathons.  Some with the large heavy tile is a new experience.  We were hoping the 6 inch would blend better it is a sort of pain.  Just hoping the grout lines will not look to funky.

   

 

[rick91351]

Great pics!

I watched a video of a guy and his wife that live in trappers cabins in Canada and trap all winter.  They are just logs (no insulation) but they manage to keep the heat in pretty well I guess.  I often wonder what the R value of a log is?  That guy and his wife claimed their woodstove kept the place very warm in the winter but it also had a low ceiling...who knows?

I can tell you this:  without insulation I'd be lucky to be above freezing right now!  And that's with the stove going full tilt!

According to my dad and some of those old guys around here when I was growing up - there were a lot of those small cabins, dugouts and lean to dwellings up here.  Seems they all had very low ceilings.  Two in particular he said you could not stand completely up.   I know that when I am up in the ladder with those ten foot ceiling in the house - it is noticeably warmer up there than down.  Should be cooler in the summer however.      

[Redoverfarm]

Tile looks good from here.       Yes those 4-wheel/plows are handy if you can keep ahead of it and not let too much accumulate.  This should help some with your dry spell. 

[Don_P]

I restored one old cabin thet had low ceilings and a low doorway out to the back. We attached a shed to the back and used that door into the shed roofed part where we put a kitchen and bathroom in. The owner wouldn't let us raise the door and it just about knocked me out at one point. I swore never to ask again, just apologize later for raising it if I'm ever in that situation again  . when you go down the mountain into the heat the ceilings in older homes are usually tall with a central upstairs hallway that allowed a good crossflow breeze that all the rooms attached to, getting rid of the heat was the bigger concern.

We built in IL a number of times, Michelle got to calling it ill and annoyed, we were usually trying to shade the camper under a cornstalk or freezing in the wind sweeping across a square mile of open field. But what soil, 3' of beautiful dark topsoil on several jobs.

[rick91351]

Well we finely got hit with a fair amount of snow.  So the fourwheeler got a huge work out.  Plus we tiled in the house.

First day we got about 12 inches of powder - following day we got about 12 inches of wet snow.  The powder settled with the weight of the wet snow. 





I even plowed the forest service road  as the county was running late.



The Forest Service road past here no winter maintenance



I even plowed out the neighbor as she was due up here that day

[OlJarhead]

We are supposed to get snow tonight and I'll be out plowing in the morning if we do!

Glad you got so much! and good to see you plowing the neighbors   I do the same and I know they'd do it for me (and have)

[MikeOnBike]

Rick,

I haven't peeked in for quite awhile.  Your place looks great!  I really like your siding.

Finally, we get some snow.  I think you're a bit ahead of us though.  The Owyhees were looking pretty grim until this last couple of weeks.  We are still looking at drought conditions but not quite so severe.  Hoping for more tomorrow and through the weekend.

I have a paint sprayer but it looks like you are already finished with that chore.  I wouldn't mind it if Pamm didn't like me painting either.

[rick91351]

Rick,

I haven't peeked in for quite awhile.  Your place looks great!  I really like your siding.

Finally, we get some snow.  I think you're a bit ahead of us though.  The Owyhees were looking pretty grim until this last couple of weeks.  We are still looking at drought conditions but not quite so severe.  Hoping for more tomorrow and through the weekend.

I have a paint sprayer but it looks like you are already finished with that chore.  I wouldn't mind it if Pamm didn't like me painting either.

Thanks!  It has been a journey.....

I have been thinkin' of ya' guys.  We have friends that had been driving in and out of Silver City.

Problem is here as I would imagine there is.  The ground is so frozen little of this snow and storm will affect the ground all that much.  Little to none will be absorbed  for the recharging the aquifers and springs.

 

[rick91351]

We never fine graded around the house last fall wanting the soil to settle with the winter moisture.     Waited and waited for moisture - got it.  We are having to pump every couple hours. 



Rick manning the hose



Ellen took a turn at the hose.    



Creek that comes out of the neighbors on to our property to much for the culvert



Today after the bulk of the rain storm...



Lava Creek it drains a lot of ground - it got worse after this photo.  It crosses the road here then on to a neighbors place then back to us. 







The snotel site says on Feb 8 at 00:00 we were at 6.5 inches of moisture for the year it stated clear back in November.  We now have 10.1 at 23:00 02/14.  Remember this is high desert and just on the edge of the pine forest.  We do not get huge amounts of rain.  We do usually get a few feet of snow.  Twelve inches of mountain powder some times is only an inch of moisture in reality.

We have received snow then it turned into rain.  The ground is so frozen it is not taking any moisture at all.  Making for huge run off.

They put a sand levee around the school.  Because of the fires last summer that has sure not helped matters as well.

We  just about have the master shower finished.....





Ellen the title setter - she does a pretty fair job. 



   



   

[rick91351]

Amendment to the above post - the walls are done - not the floor nor the passage way.

Amendment number two it is 01:00 I went down and pumped again.  Rain - snow mix.  Starting to freeze and the melt is slowing greatly.  Most likely will catch a few ZZZs should hold until morning.     

Amendment number three: Received word that the road to Boise is now closed do to high water and slides and rocks and trees and ..............

[rick91351]

Not all things have been going well with the house besides the porches.  Which have turned into a sump to pump during this rain and Chinook.  The upper kitchen cabinets are the wrong size.  Too short by a foot.  This might not been so bad had I not built soffits. No where in the ladies not did she write - note - nor define the ten foot ceilings.  Even though I called and talked to her about the ten foot ceilings and the soffits.  Ellen came back from a sales meeting and they discussed that with the ten ceiling the the longer cabinets.  The lady explained the upper portion of shelves are sort of just for storage because you can not reach them.

So Ellen in tears  (the house is really starting to wear on her I am afraid) went to the phone and made the phone call.   Her and the lady came up with a agreement on new uppers.  These are custom factory built.  So there is no restocking or anything like that.  The lumber yard takes them and will try and sell them to recover part of their 'hit' on this.  The lady will take a hit as we will.  But the other cabinets would have cost more as well so we should have to pay more.  So that is sort of done.  The short cabinets are loaded on the trailer to go back but until it freezes or drys out.......  It has dried up here the last couple days.  We still have some snow left to melt but nothing falling from the skies until tomorrow.  Looks like we will receive more snow and freezing weather nothing like what is going on back east.  That is great news as we still need more snow and the ground to thaw out a bunch so some of this water can soak in.

We decided that we would make a run Sunday to town to get some underlayment for floor tile and some other tile we are short.  Got back up here dark thirty and there was frost on the planks over mud under the porch.  We were about finished carrying in what had to go into the house.  I had two boxes of bull nose tile and lost footing and slipped.  By the grace of God and not my grace landed uninjured and never even broke a single tile.        
   

[Redoverfarm]

Good that you got a solution.   Just a minor set back in the world of construction as they say.  Looks as if you may get a break in the weather the next couple days.  As for us more of the same.  I am starting to feel like a gerbil.  Paths here to this and there to that.   

[Windpower]

Rick

hang in there, we had a few cabinet issues too

the drawer edges were made just square like a board cut-off -- so they will have to take them all off and router the edges and refinish them and of course we can't put any pulls on yet because of that -- we are grabbing the edges 

a drawer in the bathroom vanity won't open because it hits the trim

as we said last week "we are getting tired of being patient"

this weather has been kicking all our butts it seems -- glad you and the tile are OK

today the wind is 30 mph with gusts and 8 inches of snow coming

[rick91351]

I wrote earlier that the road to Boise was closed:  I have not had time to go and see but one of the neighbors posted on FB some photos.  A trip to Boise from here now must go through Mountain Home.  It tacks on another 100 miles round trip you sort of figure depending where in the 'valley' you need to go.   Well one way to look at it is it is a lot more freeway way that way.   

Photos by Bill and Linda Zimstien

First set of photos Willow Creek is exactly 30 minutes from here if the road is good.  Willow Creek seems to be a bad spot the last couple years.  Couple years ago it shot the culvert on down the creek a hundred feet or so. 





Second set of photos is the river grade to the South Fork of the Boise.  15 minutes from here if the road is good. 



Bridge across the South Fork of the Boise



It is still unseasonably warm here.  The frost in the frozen ground is leaving at a good rate right now.  Some places up here the 'bottom' is going out of some of the roads.     I went to the dumpsters last evening and wondered if me and pick up were going to make it home together.   



   

[Redoverfarm]

Looks as if the engineer underestimated the flow in that stream by setting that small of a culvert.  Maybe it should have been a bridge or at least wingwalls of rip-rap to keep that initial errosion from starting.  Looks to be a summer thought project rather than a spring high flow assessment. 

[rick91351]

Looks as if the engineer underestimated the flow in that stream by setting that small of a culvert.  Maybe it should have been a bridge or at least wingwalls of rip-rap to keep that initial errosion from starting.  Looks to be a summer thought project rather than a spring high flow assessment. 

There is a lot reasons for what goes on at Willow Creek.  Money being paramount.  If the county had very deep pockets and if.  Our county is one of those Idaho Counties like the one Mike on Bike is from.  Very large country with a very small population.  However some of our counties are big enough to be a New England State.  Yet to have a crowd we have to go hire one.  Income was once centered around Ag, livestock, the Mountain Home Air Force Base, mining, and timber.  Both mining and timber were hot bed environmental issues both lost.  Both were high tax revenue items.  The Air Force Base hangs on by a thread.    With the largest land owner Uncle Sam the Feds help out a little.  So that said, that route is not even in the plan to be open in the winter.  The transportation plan for this area in the winter has always been they way we are going out currently.  Our highway district partners with another to keep that road open in the winter.  It is the mail route and they need to keep the road to Anderson Dam open.  The road also crosses the dam and on to US Highway 20.  There the State of Idaho takes over the plowing and sanding.  It has one major grade down and one up.  Very logical to do it this way.  However people and their needs and comforts change. 

Back when this was all set up sixty to eighty years ago most everyone did their business in Mt Home.  Back then the road to Boise got a few hand fulls of cars and pickups on the weekend and a hand full during the week.  First major snow and they closed the road from Boise.    Then things sort of shifted.  Now there is a lot more need to go to Boise for business, doctors and hospitals plus just a pretty nice place to go to civilization from traveling Broadway Shows to concerts,  great restaurants and stores.  In short the majority of those that live up here now are not of the mind set of just live by going to Mt. Home and return.  So they agreed to keep it open if safe because of a minor revolt.  However there is only one ranch that has full time owners on that road and little other reason in reality to year around it past their ranch .   

So this has left two guys to patrol and care for 30 miles out to Ada County.  25 miles over to the dam and all the roads up here.  They have fought a valiant effort to keep it open for the logging trucks this winter.  They had been running 40 truck loads of logs out of here per day due to the fires.  Then it went to 60 trucks and just before the wash out 80.  Half of them pulling double duty.  They were decking down in the valley and then returning for another load of logs and going to the mills with that load.

So major safety changes on the road to Boise are needed but $$$ and more people as well.   There needs to be a several places where bridges need to be built with deep drops to allow ice to pile up underneath them.  These are in places that never gets any sun in the winter time and it never thaws till spring.  The culverts freeze solid and the springs just keep on pumping.  Then comes the run off it has little other than the road to hand it.  That is what occurs there at the South Fork Bridge the water has no place to go. 

1993 through 1995 it looked like the sports fishermen and the tree huggers had that road closed for good.  A huge slide of materials came off one of those points and blocked the road and went to the river.  We are talking hundreds of thousands of yards of materials.  They were going rebuild the road and the plans were shove materials over the edge to the water below.  The tree huggers went in to a feeding frenzy.  They were demanding that the materials be hauled away and piled as to where there could be no erosion into any watershed.  Demands and you will do it this way or elses piled up.  Our country said fine we cant afford it anyway and they let it sit for a couple years.  Then funny the same organizations that were making all the demands soon were demanding they open the road to give them access.   Then the US Government got involved.  They had engineering data to follow and it was done as the US government dictated.  By the way it was shoved over the side.  Not the slide but where they cut the new road   The highway district came in to a windfall if a piece or two new equipment off the deal.  And some dollars.   

So the long and the short of it - It is very doubtful anything or many improvements will be done  to that road other than maintain it for spring, summer and fall use as it has been for years and years. 

[rick91351]

It has been fun working with Ellen on the wall tile.  We have  been yelling a little at each other over a few issues but all in all  .  We got the master shower tiled.  I am hiring the pan poured and he wanted the tile on the walls set.  I / we have always poured the pan and then done the walls  so it is sort of not what I am use to.  The reason I am hiring it done is the size.  The last one I did was about a quarter or third its size and I was not warm and fuzzy the way it turned out.  So I decided to call the A Team......   

So Ellen and I moved to the small bath.

Ever have one of those days where you should just stayed in bed.  That was yesterday This wall kicked my tail so bad but persistence paid off.  However it only took twice as long and and about twice as many tiles as it should have.  My tile setter was even loosing patience.   



We finished trimming out the tub shower today





Ellen says it helps when your working with a quilter.  She laid out this corner!