Heat!

The new slip connector didn't work so Russ ended up cutting a stovepipe piece he already had. Success! It was 27 degrees that night... but for us, 60 : )

Below, left: Wilbur (black, white, brown) and Orville, two extremely cute bassett hounds who came to visit with our friends, Ron and Linda Lee from Tallahassee. The Lees stayed in the Barn, a cabin at the Settlement at Monks Cove. Linda's sister, Arlene, came down from Nashville.

Right: We had a delicious Sunday dinner there: Russ BBQ pork, chicken and sweet potatoes; salads, cornbread, collard greens. It doesn't get much better than that!

The Woodburning Stove

The Pouncey gate and hill coming in

Autumn: our favorite time of year but it can get chilly at night! While a bonfire is nice, especially with a drink in hand, you can't light it in the living room.

Accordingly, we have been working on an old woodburning stove that was in Carolyn's Atlanta house but unused. We used mostly salvage materials to make a hearth. We decided to make it removable in case we ever want to change the position of the stove or remove it altogether. Russ drew up a plan to make a wooden frame. He cut, stained and put the frame together. The plan was to stick canvas to the bottom of it to protect the floor then layer cement board (non-flammable), brick and sand (heat storage), more cement board and looselay terra cotta tiles from our neighbor Ken. We had to clean up the tiles and bricks. They've been sitting outside for several years.

Here's Russ, adding the brick and sand layer then the looselay tile.

While all that was happening with the hearth, Carolyn was painting and scraping windows then washing them. She still plans to add the orangey red stripe to finish the olive effect (see previous post).

We blackened the stove last weekend. You have to burn it for the final cure. This is best done outside. Look at that crappy old stovepipe! It's about to be rejuvenated....

Bringing the stove in and setting it on the hearth. It's heavy!

Covering the old stove pipe with black after we couldn't get a new one. Left/right below: Before/after.

Here's what it looks like installed. We just had one little problem: below right. A new piece (slip connection) was ordered immediately.

Second Annual Pouncey Camping Trip: "That pack has saved lives"

Everyone took a four-day Columbus weekend. While Russ and Carolyn were loading up a queen-sized bed, dresser, rocking chair and old woodburning stove for the cabin, Heather, Amber, Hayden and Hollie were driving up from Gainesville. Jas'n was coming from Winder. We all got to Adairsville, an hour from the cabin, about the same time. When we arrived at Richmond Woods, we got the new furniture set up for Heather, Hollie and Amber to share the cabin. Right, below: Cabin set up.



We had beautiful weather. No trees turning yet except from stress from our hot, dry summer.



We teased Amber about bringing so much stuff. That's when she told us "that pack has saved lives." She works in the field as a biologist so she should know!

What we did for fun

The tire swing

Amber organized scavenger and treasure hunts that were so much fun!



Below Russ telling the story about how the treasure came to be buried there... til Hollie realized the treasure map paper was from a nearby pad and said, "... then how do you explain this?



Playing on the rocks, eating peanuts, hike in the woods with our resident wildlife biologist, Amber.




Making acorn flour (directions: collect numerous acorns, soak in water for 10 hours, peel off outside, bash with a rock to flourize then presumably make something delicious to eat with it)



Endless texting



Light Show: Running around at night with colored lights while Russ points his camera with a 15-second exposure.



Apple pancakes and bacon





Sunday lunch
Roast pork, heirloom tomatoes and cucumber salad, roast butternut squash and onion. Yum! We wore our beads to celebrate.



Installing the chimney Russ and Jas'n cut the hole in the roof (middle below: view of hole in roof and box you put in ceiling to keep hot stovepipe from touching the wood). Heather and Russ installed the chimney using a kit from Little River Hardware.




Right above: Can you see the new chimney? Look just to the left of the tree back of the house (right in the middle)...

Used for the first time by family guests.... but we will use it next weekend.

Renovating the woodburning stove After all Pounceys departed, we spent the day wirebrushing and coating the stove with 1200 degree flat black. As you saw above, the old stove looked horrible but look at it now! We could have fired it up a couple hours later (according to the directions) but there was lots of cleaning up to do. Next weekend we plan to light a fire in it while it is still outside to finish the curing and burn off noxious fumes.