Go West, Young Couple ...

After a beautiful wedding and a dreamy honeymoon vacation in Maine, we arrived back at the homestead and began packing for the long haul back to Texas.  We were surprised to see how much stuff we still had stowed away at Casey's parents' home, but Casey got the bulk of it packed into the truck.  We still had to leave a few boxes of knickknacks behind, but we were able to find room for a few bulky, but extremely useful items. 

Aside from clothes and personal effects, we squeezed in a wood chipper (for turning greasewood into gasifier feedstock), a gently used window (for our bathroom), a Honda 100 dirt bike (for fun), a spare 1-cyl engine (for who-knows-what), my parabolic skis (for someday), and a cooler my mother bought us that can fit not one, but two dead bodies (not actually for dead bodies, but tons of groceries)!

After an unusually long (for the Catskills) period without rain, the precipitation decided to make a comeback on the day we were finishing packing and heading out.  So some last minute weatherproofing was called for, which delayed our departure by a few hours.

It could have been worse, though.  At least we weren't trying to install Casey's parents' septic system in the downpour.

 

After a week in New Jersey with my family and friends, we hauled ass to Tennessee, and from there to Glen Rose, Texas.

On the third and final day of driving, we stopped in San Angelo TX to pick up a few more items. With our stuff from Ny and NJ, and the toilet, groceries, tools, underlayment, et cetera, the load probably weighed close to 1,200 pounds.  Thankfully, before we had loaded up in NY Casey installed some air shocks in the back end.  The maximum air pressure we can pump the shocks up to is 150 psi, and with that load we had them up to 130 psi.
 

We managed to make it back to the Ranch before sundown, and we unpacked that truck faster than I could have ever imagined. 

Since our septic system had been installed while we were out of town, there was nothing stopping us anymore from having a real indoor toilet.  So of course the installation of said toilet was the first item on my new hubby's Honey-Do list. 
 

When we got back, there still hadn't been any significant rain, but there was a sprinkle substantial enough to clean up the roads a bit.  The skies were full of clouds, but they could not be convinced to drop any water.
 

We want to get our bamboo floor underway as soon as possible, so we took a few planks out of the packaging for the first time since we purchased the flooring.  It is going to look amazing, but our air compressor is in need of some serious engine surgery, so the project will have to wait until Casey can perform a transplant and get it running again.

Working hard does not mean you can't have a little fun, though!  And Casey is so excited to finally have a dirt bike down here.  In just a few days, I think he will have motored up and down Lake Ament road and all the side roads.  Just be careful not to drive through anyone's yard, Casey!

Our next project after the toilet was finished (and the floor got put on hold) was to install the window we brought down.  It was a very satisfying project, and was done in time to enjoy a cross-breeze of the evening wind.