Barn project update/Navy friend visit

Well, Mom and Dad made it back safely. Our time since the last post has pretty much been consumed by building the barn. We are now ready to put the roof trusses on. They are scheduled to arrive next Friday, and the folks who built them will bring a crane out to set them. They are 56 feet long and nearly 10 feet tall, so it is no small undertaking.

I'm thankful that we were able to build the larger section using materials from an old grain bin here and the pole barn we tore down. For the smaller section I did buy some new materials, but we should be able to put the roof girts and remaining wall girts (boards that get nailed on to the studs and trusses for use in fastening the tin on) without buying any more new boards.

This is how I felt when we got the larger section completed:

Here is what the completed wall structure looks like:

The whole thing measures 48 feet by 56 feet, because those were the dimensions of the existing foundation. Not having to put in a foundation and just doing a few repairs on the old one helped tremendously in keeping the cost down.

Last Sunday we had an unexpected pleasant surprise when Paul Ostrowski, a good friend from my Navy days (as though I'm so far removed from them:-), called to say he was stopping through Minot to drop off some Air Force folks and get some gas. They were only going to be on deck for 45 minutes, so Trev and I hopped in the car and drove in to see him. Ir was great to catch up and sit in old trusty C-9 again.

This coming week is full, with final prep for the trusses, a trip to Fargo, ND for medical appointments related to my VA disability claim, and then back home late Thursday night to be ready to set trusses Friday morning.

That's it for now!

Update

Well, it's been a busy time around here, and it's hard to believe we haven't blogged since July 27th. Here's a few of the things we've been doing:

We moved the tool shed. It's amazing what you can do with a tractor! I puzzled over how to move the shed, which is 12 X 16 and built very solid, so it's heavy. After much input from lots of folks, Dad and I jacked it up, put poles under it and pulled/turned it with the tractor. It went great, and now it's off the barn foundation so we can build there. This is my first shot at putting a video on the blog, so we'll see how it goes.

We butchered chickens! We had lots of help processing our 75 meat birds, and it went very well. Here Trevor and Carter Hughes are inspecting a chicken, ensuring it is feather-free.

We poured concrete on the barn foundation, filling in the old gutters and repairing floor and wall defects to prepare for building.

Poppy and the Sheryll's sister and family came for a visit! We had a great time with them, and were thankful they came our way on their way home from a trip to Canada. Tyler was able to come through while they were here, so that worked out great. Here are some pics of some of our male bonding time.

And we built our first section of barn wall!

We also baled hay and finished tearing down the pole barn, but I don't have any pics of that.

Mom and Dad are gone on a road trip for a couple of weeks to Rapid City, SD and Wyoming, but will return for a month or so before they head back to Texas.

That's it for now! Stay tuned, there's never a dull moment around here!