THE ELSEWHERE CAPER

KITH AND BILL ("I") ESCAPE TO THE WOODS OF OAKDENE

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After living in Woodman Valley for some fifteen years and seeing all of the children except Toby through 

high school, we decided in 1976 to sell the house, move to Oakdene and build a home in the woods. Kith's 

mother, Doris Ogden, who was living in an annex (which we had built and which also contained the boy's 

bedrooms and a large play area), moved to Black Forest and stayed with her daughter Helen.  

(In 1982 Doris deeded to Kith the 15 acre Oakdene site we had chosen and built upon).  

Note: The venture to New York was named the "Draco Caper".

Bill's journal contains numerous pages about the trials and tribulations of clearing up, finally selling the property and

then actually making the move.  Except for the latter, these are all peripheral to Elsewhere itself and so will be omitted

here.

(Note: Much of this information comes from Bill's journal which he kept off-and-on from 1952 to 2003.)

3/26/67:  On selling out (of Woodman Valley home): 

Whole shebang might bring 24G;  Debt (excluding DAO - Kith's mother) = $16,000±

So: 8G ± left.

This would leave maybe 7G to get started elsewhere - very adequate!

6/26/76:  A trip to the Lake: we went through Kansas and swung south to visit Uncle Fred and Aunt Gene Gateley in Gatewood, Missouri. We got 15.4 mpg on the trip.

6/30/76 Wed. Day 1:  Arrived yesterday about 1500.  Got settled in the Gateley cabin.

Rained in the evening (it has apparently been doing so for some time - i.e., raining in the evening).  The road is pretty bad.

The night was OK.  One or two mosquitoes.  Brian is in an upper bunk so Melisand couldn't get up with him - consequently 

she suffered considerably.  Brian is building a set of stairs for her to get up, so maybe that will solve the problem.

Kith, Toby & I went out today.  Bought a used mattress (for us) and a used gas stove.  Got both from Bormans, a grandiose second-hand place south of Williamson.

Stopped at RG&E [Rochester Gas and Electric] office in Sodus to see about electricity.  Talked briefly to Merrill Parker (the guy I heard from via the mail has retired.)  He wasn't too helpful, but we are to call Elwin Youngman (Enterprise 9429) on M, W, or F and set up an appointment to meet him out here and see what's what; he should be able to talk $ & ¢ also.

 Because of the rain, which left things pretty wet this morning and out late return from town, we have done nothing at the old 

 homestead today.  The sun is out now, so maybe tomorrow will come through.

We need to reconsider the possibility of a "substation" located at the SE corner of the property.  A building at this site would serve  two purposes:

                        1. a terminal for the power line

                        2. a garage

 Presumably we could get power to there at no cost-which is certainly a virtue.  This means that at least initially all powered

 equipment would be located there - e.g., washer & dryer, freezer, refrigerator, shop tools.

As a garage, it would let us leave a car at a point where the Town would keep the road plowed.

Putting a building there would be expensive.  Besides the building, we would need water (for washing) and the place would need to be heated. In fact, I rather suspect that it would be cheaper just to get the line over & forget the substation.

 N.B.: There is nothing to keep us from clearing an area and leaving a car there anyway.  Maybe put up a carport of some kind.

7/1/76 Thur. Day 2:   To work!  Spent about 6 hrs clearing trails (Kith, Toby, Brian & me) in north line from road, W from foundation to road.  A lot of water & mud.  It's slow going!

                                                 This is about 1/2 mile of trails!

I would guess that we could clear an acre in maybe 10 days of hard work.  As long as there's no hurry, this isn't a bad situation.  

One of the biggest problems is how to dispose of the slash.  Again, slow and easy would take care of this.

We pulled the car over to the side and got stuck when we were trying to get out.  We gave the winch (2T) its baptism and it

worked great.  It's slow going but it pulled the car out of the holes.

Took a quick dip in the Lake to get cleaned up - the water was cold as hell! (South wind, no sun)

We're behind our schedule, but I guess that's to be expected.

7/2/76, Fri. Day 3:     K & I went to town this morning to do laundry & buy some bits and pieces (boots for K, a second machete, pillow, etc.)

Worked 2-1/2 hours on more trails. Our status is now:  (We obviously had been playing Monopoly sometime...)

    This is about 1/2 mile of trails

Practically no rain today - things are drying up a bit but still quite damp.  

Polly is pushing getting some drainage and/or rocks & gravel in the road.  More power to her -

The Marvin Gardens path suggests a possible house site down the hill a bit.  It seems to be well-protected from the elements

and might be pretty good.

For tomorrow:

          AM:   Dig hole (probably along Park Place) and Tree I.D.

          PM: Survey existing trails

7/3/76-Sat., Day 4: 

Dug hole: 5' long, 2' wide, 4' deep.  About 2 hours.  Only one rock (8" diameter).  Some 1/2"-1" gravel at about 4'.

Considerable seepage from surrounding soil (6" of water in hole after 6 hours).

Surveyed some:  From the road going north to the cottage: east to Boardwalk via Parkplace, south to FreeParking, 

west to road via Pacific, north to start (haven't checked closure yet...)  About 4 hours.

7/4/76-Sun., Day 5: 

Foggy this A.M.  Spent morning trying to reduce the survey data.  Very large closure data - and I don't know how to adjust.

K, T, B, & I spent about 3 hours surveying Marvin Gardens, St. Charles and the road from St. Charles to the SE corner

of the property (white rock).  Reduced data and mapped.

The map probably has some sizeable errors, but it will have to do for now.

We need to check out the regulations pertaining to sewage disposal systems regulations - presumably there is a state health dept. office around somewhere.

Tomorrow: cut trail from EW road north (start at old road entrance).

7/5/76-Mon., Day 6: 

Nifty day - sunshine, warm (but not too hot)

K & I cut a trail from the bottom of the hill on the EW road north & northwest, intersecting Marvin Gardens at point H.  

Ran across the dump from the old farm. This looks like a good bet for an alternate road - the slope is relatively gentle

and there could be good drainage.

Took a few pictures of the place.

Walked around looking for a good house site.  Several possibilities were found, but we seem to have tentatively settled

on the corner of Park Place and Boardwalk.  This is a high point, sloping off on both sides (a little to the west, down to

the swale on the east.  (Dave Richards agrees with this location.)

We are reconsidering the electricity situation.  We need to make a careful analysis of our needs and see what could be 

done with a wind generator.  The possibility of avoiding the installation of power poles with their unsightliness. the

required right of ways, etc., seems to be highly desirable!  Maybe we can write off the higher cost by an esthetic

argument!

Assuming we get a tentative layout, where do we go from here?  Probably continue clearing for the house and garden.  

We need to pile the slash so it can be burned, so we need spaces between trees.

(American Agriculturist, Box 516, Ithaca, NY 14850;  1 yr., $4;  2 yr, $6;  4 yr., $10)

7/6/76-Tues., Day 7: 

Cleared a spot on the EW road for Fran to dump lumber on-in.  We still need to pull a couple of roots and smooth out

a lump or two.  It should make a good parking spot and turnout.

Cleaned a short path to the old house cellar [barn foundation?].

A very pooping day even though we didn't work very many hours - quite hot and little wind.

In P.M. K & I (and T for awhile) worked on a potential garden spot.  Piled slash in the middle.  There are several nice

ash trees in the middle which will have to come down - it's a bit heartrending, but there seems to be little choice.

We went for a swim after work & took some baths.  The water wasn't too bad, and it was nice to get clean!

7/7/76-Wed., Day 8: 

K & I went out today to Coop. Ext. Service: talked to Eugene Datthyn - he's the fruit man.  He is going to come out

next Tuesday (between 1 & 2) or Wed. if he doesn't make it Tuesday to look at the apple trees and give us sage advice.

He says Charlie Smith is their field crop expert - we presumably can get hold of him later is we wish.

He checked our soil sample pH & got a 6 to 6.4 or thereabout which is probably OK as it is.  (Note: I got 6 on the stuff

I took him last summer.)

We had intended to visit the Health Dept. in regard to sewage disposal (Dave Richards suggested doing this cautiously).

However, Datthyn suggested we ignore them and just go ahead & do what we want.  This may be a bit risky but is quite 

appealing.  As long as Wolcott remains free of building codes & zoning, there is no need to bring ourselves to the

attention of the bureaucratic community, so with luck we could just muddle along in peace and quiet.

Called Elwin Youngman of RG&E.  He is willing to come out but doesn't feel there is any problem,  He says the cost is 

50¢/foot for line on our land (free for 500 ft. on public road).  We can have it run wherever we wish.  We need to recogitate.

Called Minnie Wadsworth re History of Wolcott, etc.  She wants $32.10!!  We can stop by & look if we wish.  N on 

Wadsworth, 4^th house on left after the railroad tracks.

Got a preliminary soil survey from the USDA soil conservation service in Alton.  They have changed names on us - we

are now Sodus & Ira gravely fine sandy loam.  For farming, the soil looks OK, but they are not very good for septic 

tank systems because of low permeability and high water table.  This suggests that a composting toilet system is the way 

to go.  This has some problems in itself-basements(?) & grey water disposal in particular.

K is still in a swivit about whether or not to go back to CS with me.

7/8/76-Thur., Day 9: 

K & I went to the Aurora Farm Field Day.  The farm is an experimental farm of Cornell.  There was a tour with about a

dozen stops, a short lecture being given at each stop.  The tour took about 3 hours.  It was reasonably interesting even 

though it was geared to the large commercial farmers.

The !*#?!! pump (at the Cottage) gave all sorts of problems today. (Fran has been taking care of it.)  A nut came off a 

crank pin on the pump, the pin worked out and jammed the whole deal.  The pin bent a bit and the threads are pretty

bunged up.  Rick is going to try to get it fixed tomorrow.  Also the started on the engine is thoroughly loused up and is

in dire need of replacement.

I'm not sure whether Fran is a great mechanic because he has kept the pump going, or a lousy one because it is in such

terrible shape.

I'm really pooped tonight - very strange.

Tomorrow:

    1) Finish up the lumber dumping place.  We can try out the winch on some root pulling.

     2) Recogitate on possible locations.  We might also walk the trail from M.G. to the EW road with an eye to power

         lines and a road path.

                        3) We probably need to regroup and make a final week plan.

7/9/76-Friday, Day 10: 

Things to be done during coming week:

                        1. Mr. Datthyn

                        2. Prune some trees

                        3. Visit Bacons

                        4. Go to Oswego

                        5. Tree survey

                        6. Finish road survey

                Schedule:

                    Day                                    AM                                                            PM                            

                    Sat                             clear house                                                  clear garden

                    Sun                       survey road, pictures                                  redo levels around house

                    Mon                     clean barn foundation                                            cut road?

                    Tues                            Wolcott                                                         Datthyn

                    Wed                    Oswego & Bacon  (reservations)

                    Thu                              Prune

                    Fri

                    Sat

                    Sun

                    Mon        arrive in CS, one way or another!

K, T, & I finished clearing the lumber dumping - car park place in the EW road.  Tried it out & didn't get stuck!  We    

tried the winch on some roots - it's a bit slow but seems to get the job done.  We had to use the full 2-ton power however.

Put in another trail, EW from Marvin Gardens to Boardwalk.  Found some nifty trees and are considering putting the

house there.  The location is 200 feet or so further south which would mean that much less snow clearing in the winter.

K & I walked east along Park Place down into the swale. There are some nifty big maples as well as lots of other large

trees.  We crossed over to the east property line.  There was no water in the bottom - just a narrow (2 ft.) ditch which 

presumably handles the flow.  We got into some terrible jungle but finally made it out to the road.

7/10/76-Sat., Day 11: 

K & I spent the day clearing out the new house and garden places and part of a potential road up the center of the 

property.  Things are really opening up nicely and we're very pleased with ourselves.

There are some potential interfamilial problems cropping up, and I wonder at times if the deal will really come off.  

Barring this, we seem to be on the verge of commitment.  It may turn out to be a terrible disaster, but we seem to be in

pretty good accord that it would work out somehow.

I think we'll go ahead and buy an auger and try boring for water.  It looks like it ought to work - it would be  nice to be

reasonably well assured of some water next year.  I'm not sure how deep we can go - we should try for maybe 10-15

feet now.  If we can make that, we should be able to go deeper.

N.B.  The Laphams - across the creek - reportedly have a 28' well (they tried 100' and backed off).  They only get a 

minimal flow which is consistent with the apparent low permeability of the ground below the topsoil level.  If the boring

isn't too difficult, multiple, interconnected wells are certainly possible.

The weather forecast suggests rain, which will louse up our schedule.  If the rain doesn't come, I guess we can do some

surveying and leveling tomorrow.

7/11/76-Sun., Day 12: 

A terrible day!  We had a rather severe thunderstorm last night which wet down the roads and trails.  Today was warmish,

no wind, and excessively humid.  Polly left at noon so we didn't work in the AM, and then we didn't work in the PM

because of the weather and the general blahs.

Our feeling about the place has been altered by the apparent reluctance of DAO to give up control over the land and Polly's

reluctance to see legal subdivision of the land made.

7/12/76-Mon., Day 13: 

More rain in the night.  Very windy this morning.  We are thinking of going to Oswego today - whether or not we'll make

it remains to be seen.

The question of possible alternatives for this place remains - at least in my mind.  It seems as if a postulated time-frame

may hold the key - i.e., are we planning for 1 year, 10 years, 100 years, etc.  Maybe we could consider several

alternative times.  One year is too short, so let's start with 10, which represents DAO's expected life span approximately.

(actually, she lived another 21 years!).  We might then move to, say, 30 years which is about the expectation for the

five daughters.  And finally, 60 years, which will see most of the grandchildren through their lives (Toby would be 74).

We could go on, but the uncertainties almost certainly dominate beyond 60 years (if not before).

What values are to be considered?

        1. Happiness and peace of mind of DAO, the 5 d's and finally the gc's.

        2. Reasonable use of the land - this might vary it's present use to a fairly intensive and maybe even low-energy

              industry (e.g., crafts, arts, etc),

        3. Potential use for low-level survival - this implies agriculture for the most part.

                   ------------

K, T, & I drove to Oswego & Fulton this P.M.  No major objective.  The college at Oswego is quite a place - lots of

newish big buildings, a very nice campus.  It's a fair-sized drive and my enthusiasm for teaching an odd course is not too

high - it would be better than starving though!  There is a Montgomery Ward store in Fulton.

7/13/76-Tues., Day 14: 

Still raining, windy and generally miserable.  It's not too cold fortunately.  There's no way to go work in the fields, and I

think we'll cancel out Mr. Datthyn's visit which was scheduled for this afternoon.  We may go into Wolcott and visit the 

library just for the heck of it.

Coop. Ext. Service in Alton (Sodus).  483-6918

K, B, T, & I went to Wolcott and eventually to the Bacon's to see their farm  To get there:

Walked around (in the rain mostly) - tried to get to the woodlot, but the creek was too high.  Howard gave us a pink locust which we plan to plant at the North Threshold.  N.B.: Howard is a rock & mineral buff - it would be nice to send him something from Colorado.

Cancelled Mr. Datthyn - try again next year. 

The wind has died down a bit but is still 10-12 mph.  It's supposed to continue rainy tomorrow, but maybe we'll luck out.  

I guess K is going back with me, so we'll leave Saturday, leaving only 3 more days.

 Jobs to do (if possible) include:

                        1)  plant locust

                        2) survey road

                        3) prune & clear 3 or 4 apple trees

                        4) dig/pull out some roots in the house area - garden

                        5) clear some more potential road

re: The Super Caper:

                        1. By extensive clearing we could probably get 10-15 acres for pasture, hay, gardens, etc.

                        2. Probably some 50 acres of woodlot could be obtained.

                        3. How many acres/person for food?

                        4. Using intensive techniques - which are intrinsically labor intensive - the acres/person could   

                            be cut significantly.

                        5. Off-hand, I would guess we could support 20-30 people.  If so, a family cooperative venture is feasible.

                        6. Some idle comments:

                                a.  labor intensive

                                b.  commons -- most of the land

                                c.  low energy -- solar, wind, biogas

                                d.  a single high energy common building:  shop, freezer, etc. -- utility power

                                e.  bicycle power! ?is there such a thing as a bicycle-like snowmobile?

                      f.  Small electric-powered vehicles might be a good way to go

                        7. Could some "family foundation" be set up?

                                a.  statement of philosophy

                                        1) a place for the future -- say 60 years

                                        2) preservation of the land

                                        3) good use of the land

                                        4) low-energy, labor intensive

                                        5) 1/2 time survival labor time

7/14/76-Wed., Day 15:  

A nice day!  The skies cleared, the wind dropped a bit (10 mph), and things are starting to dry up again. 

(note: our hole has about 2-1/2 ft. of water in it.)

We planted the pink locust.  It looks a bit sad, but we'll hope.

K & I cleared out the barn foundation -- at least all of the brush.  There is still a layer of soil -- 2-3 inches thick, but

it looks pretty neat.  Also cleared quite a bit of roadway, cleared out around one apple tree at Park Place & Boardwalk.

N.B.:  One tree on Park Place appears to be a pear tree.  If we can just get some fruit trees to bear, we'll be in great shape.

The road can be finished up with relatively little labor.  A chain saw will make short work in getting rid of the poplars, a few roots need to be pulled and a few small trees cut.

We are finding a few hunks of metal around the barn: a harrow blade (?), some old fencing, and what may have been some sliding door rails.

Betty says to plunge onward--everyone (including DAO) will adjust, and all we be well!

Two days left.  Tomorrow we'll spend mostly on pulling roots.  Friday AM to Wolcott (laundry), and maybe to the stove

store in Williamson (K isn't too eager, but it might be worthwhile to look at some & get some prices),  Friday PM we'll take

some pictures & cogitate (we might finish the road survey if the road dries out enough).

7/15/76-Thur., Day 16: 

Winkie, Betty & Glenn are off to NY today.  It's almost 1000 & K & I are waiting for them to get off before going to work.

re pumping water:

  If my calculations are correct, it will take about .01 hp to pump 1 gpm to 20#/in² (ignoring losses). Let's assume .02 hp to 

account for losses.  Now, with a bicycle arrangement, one should be able to put out, say, 25 watts for quite a few minutes.

Our .02 hp is approximately equal to 15 watts.  So we could get 2 gpm to 20#/in²  This would be feasible for small uses 

-- e.g., drinking, dishwashing, showers.  Flush toilets and automatic washers would be a little too much.

Actually, 10 psi would be adequate for most purposes (about 25 ft. head).  This  »  4 gpm, so 3-5 min/day/person should

do nicely.

Would a water tower be feasible out here?  One should be able to calculate heat losses to come up with a reasonable answer.

A tower together with a small windmill might serve very nicely.

    Say we had a 300 gal. tank.  »  40 cu. ft.

    Start over: tank 2' radius, 4' high  » 50 ft.³  » 3100^# of water (375 gal.)

[a bunch of possibly correct calculations showed that such a tank with about 2" of fiberglass insulation would be adequate.]

The AM was shot waiting for the departees to depart -- they made it about 11:30.

K, B, T, & I spent almost 4 hours this PM mostly working on the road -- clearing stumps.  The winch works quite well and

handles some good-sized stuff.  We pulled over an 8-inch hophornbean by putting the chain about 6 ft. up the trunk.

n.b.  We could use another length of chain to increase our scope.

Tomorrow is the last day!

        AM:  laundry, groceries(?), visit the stove store in Williamson.

        PM:  survey road

                clear one or two fruit trees

                measure some tree heights

                tree plan in house and garden vicinity

                take pictures

                cogitate:  What could Kyle & Peggy do?

                               Where does what go?

                                etc.

        Evening:  park car -- it would be nice to get away by 0800 Saturday. 

7/16/76-Fri., Day 17: 

The last day was a bummer.  It was cloudy--almost misty--when we got up.  K, B, T, DAO, & I went into Wolcott  where it promptly started to rain.  We drove to Williamson Hardware store to look at their wood/coal stoves.  They have a pretty good assortment -- several wood-gas combinations, quite modern looking, $700 & up.  One small kitchen range goes for $350. It finally stopped raining, but when we got back to the Lake, the roads were chaos -- the worst we've seen them this summer. Consequently our PM work schedule was wiped out.  I would particularly liked to get some pictures, but I guess we'll survive.

The above paragraph inspired me to brave the mud and take some pictures.  I took quite a few down in the woods and also some of the cottage, the sunset, etc.  I hope some of them come out...

At some point we need to decide whether or not to hire Peggy & Kyle to do some work for us.  It would definitely be nice to get some more things done, and it might be worth a few bucks to go that route.  Some possibilities include:

        1. clean out the foundations

        2. clear a garden space NE of the barn.

        3. and always nannyberries!

        4. clear more road

        5. burn some trash (?)

        6. bore a well

        7. pull/dig roots

Looks hopeful for a nice day tomorrow.

7/17/76: 

Sat.  20760    0745    Leave

        20910    1115    gas full, w. of Buffalo a titch

        21180    1630    tried to get gas, attendant banged hand, hose too short; words of wrath; try again later!

        21212    1700    13.7 gal    302 mi

        21327    2100    10.4 gal    115 mi    + 1 qt oil

               (after stopping for night: Elkhart, Ind.)

                        567 mi for the day,   17.3 mpg.

 

Sun.  0530 (C.D.T.) departed Elkhart   (21330)

        21500    0830    Peru, Ill            8.7 gal    173 mi  

        21743    1245    Des Moines    15.3 gal    243 mi        lunch - very slow!

        22025    1900    Grand Island   14.5 gal    282 mi        Holiday Inn!  nice,  reasonable

        22214                Ogallala, Neb  13.1 gal    189 mi

        22480                Home! 1500 (incl. 1 hr. in Denver)

 

            1720 miles            17.2 mpg

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7/29/76: 

We should consider the possibility of building a "temporary" dwelling.  We could live in this for a year or two 

and then embark upon a "final solution".  

Some advantages:

        1)  a simpler structure could be used -- simplified planning and building

        2)  faster construction

        3)  opportunity to feel the place out

        4)           "           "      make better plans for the final house (materials, design, etc.)

        5)  initial cost less - have less loss if we bug out.

        6)  test bed for materials, etc.

Some disadvantages:

        1)  less satisfactory living conditions for awhile.

        2)  higher total cost (depends upon need/use of first structure).

What could the initial building be used for later on?

        1)  shop

        2)  guest house

        3)  storage

        4)  lounge - workroom - library

Possible structure:

        600-800 sq. ft. (20 x 30, 20 x 40, 25 x 30)

        post foundation

        minimal interior partitions

Maybe a better solution would be to build this, treating it as the core of an ultimately enlarged building.  This

approach has come of the advantages, but would require more thorough planning.  However, as long as it was

reasonably sound, it seems that one could always work it into a bigger & better place somehow.  (This is sort 

of the Ken Roberts approach).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6/21/77: 

Kith, Toby, Kyle, Peggy, 4 dogs, Waif & trailer have left for N.Y.! - they got off at about 0830 this morning.  Ky & P

are pulling a U-Haul trailer loaded with tools, hardware, etc., etc.  As far as I know, everything is reasonably under

control, and there are four of them to take care of various problems  So, with luck, they'll make it.  Everyone is a bit

antsy...  Chris is still sharing a house in Colorado Springs with Robin Briggs, Peggy's brother, and Kithie & Ned are

involved in a computer project in Denver.. 

Kith & Kyle ready to leave 550 W. Woodmen Road for the wilds of upstate New York

Note: I had been working as a programmer and analyst at Kaman Sciences Corporation for many years, and they had agreed to let me continue on a part-time basis working from New York with an occasional trip back to Colorado. At a probable salary of $30/hour, this could bring some much needed money into the Caper.

6/22/77: 

                    K called last night from Hayes, Kansas.  The day went fairly well for them and all was relatively rosy.

6/30/77: 

We are about to get another house offer.  Helen is on her way to pick it up now.  It is a counter offer to our 74K and presumably will be in the upper 60's.

 

There's no way around it -- we are not going to get what we had hoped for.  After taxes, I'll be surprised if we net anything over 60, and that sure doesn't leave much for the old retirement

7/2/77: 

The deed is done!  At least we've signed the contract, and if we get over the inspection & appraisal, we're in business.

7/8/77: 

                    Things are progressing slowly.  It looks like maybe $1200 to get the house fixed up for the sale -- pain, oh pain!

7/11/77: 

                    Talked to K Saturday.  She's pretty uptight about the possibility of getting a house up by winter -- as am I. ...

                    ... Let's see how a 24 x 24 shed roof building would go -- maybe 20 x 24.

The Elsewhere gang has constructed the Nannyberry *  House -- a basic framework of nannyberry poles covered with some plastic sheeting -- not very elegant, but it will serve for temporary quarters until the barn and main building gets built.

1977     Kith &       Bills' home	2003  A new Occupant:   the Tosta Lod 36', Beam 11', Draft ~4'

*

8/1/77: 

0800: A lot has happened -- or at least things are about to happen.  All systems are "go", and we are supposed to be done this Friday.  I have a truck rented.  Things are pretty well packed up, and it is possible that we can take off Sunday (as far as I know, Ned will be going with me).

8/2/77: 

1300: Hallelujah! The closing is now set --for good, hopefully -- at 1000 Friday. ... So, we're pretty much back on the original schedule.  I'll get the truck Friday and pack on Sat.  Ned is definitely going with me and this will give him an extra couple of days at the Lake. ...

8/3/77: 

0730:  Wednesday!  Ignoring Friday, only 2 days to go.  It seems impossible...and maybe it should be!

8/6/77: 

0400:  Greg Rose died after he was severely injured in a car accident in Black Forest and taken to 

Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs.

 

           What happens now?  The primary concern is, of course, Helen.

 

                    Polly will get here today -- as fast as possible

                    I've called Howard Bacon who will go get Kith and have her call me.

8/7/77: 

The U-Haul truck had been packed up and Ned and I were ready to go.  Helen urged us to go on, so we found ourselves in Limon, Colorado, at 0630, 86 miles closer to NY. 

8/9/77: 

Having passed through Oakley, Salinas, Kansas City, Columbia, St. Louis, Dayton, Ashland and Ashtabula, we finally go on to the NY Thruway and eventually arrived at Wolcott at 2:30 in the afternoon, where Ned called Barb. 

11/30/77: 

Apparently, between the last and next entries, we managed to get the house built, but I had stopped making journal entries. Here are some pictures of the finished products!

Bill putting up another layer of plastic on the front windows	Bill reading in bed	Tidiness was not a high priority!	Kith's granddad's rocker	The Christmas Village & our bookcase	Christmas tree & saddles

Kith stoking the stove	Bill, Kith & Toby contemplating life	The barn still needs a few boards here and there	The barn in winter	Toby & Pumpernickel take a break	The table saw & Bill's desk

B'rr - Toby's cat in the driveway	Wayfarer & the incomplete barn	Troika & Wayfarer	Pumpernickel, Bill & a Diablo	The Necessary whoops! Someone is in there..	The house in winter looking East               West

Ready for Winter! Toby & Bill	The Road to the Gateleys'	Bill cuts up a log	Bill & Kith conquer a tree	Kyle & Peggy sweep a roof	Wayfarer

Sunset from the bluff	Bill hauling a log with the Mini-dozer	Kyle creates a stove	Kyle

Bill, the Beekeeper	Kith, Toby & Bill at Doris Ogden's cabin at the Lake	Toby manning the pump	.The real well drillers some to the rescue!	Wolcott's Main Street -- waiting for the parade -- and her comes Kith & her 4H  Drill Team!!!

Kyle watches Kith & Bill try to drill a well In the process, Harry York's pliers fell into the hole but were recovered.	Peggy on the roof!   Toby's and Kith &  Bills' houses in the background	Kyle & Peggy's' house going up	Kyle & Peggy on the roof	Kyle & Peggy's' House Now Chris & Sue's	Toby brings the Diablo home

See Some Snowmobile History

Toby's House & Pax	Toby The Graduate!	Peggy & Kyle	Tree Huggers! Toby, Bill & Kith	Toby's Bedroom on the East side of the house	Bill, Pumpernickel & Kith on the beach	Kyle sitting on a boat

 

Kith leading a horse and child	Kyle and his "pig"	Toby crossing the creek	Horse and barn	Robin Jefferies, Troika & Kith	Toby in his canoe	Balloon launching

 

Cricket in the old cottage	Kith leading Troika	Springtime at last!		On the beach	Our home Later called Elsewhere

1/11/78: 

Ky, Peggy & Brian were here overnight last night.  Their house in Oswego was freezing them out.  Ky starts work (cleaning the nightclub where Peggy works) tomorrow.  Brian has quit his baby-sitting job and is going to visit the Coast Guard recruiter next Friday.  Wonders will never cease.

 

K & I haven't been getting much done except reading a lot of books.  The house still needs a lot of work, but we're pretty comfortable, and I guess some kind of reaction is setting in.  Hopefully we'll get with it shortly.

                    Spring really isn't very far off.

3/4/78: 

Brian moved back to Windfall last Monday.  He will presumably stay until the Coast Guard calls (by the end of May at most). He gets sworn in next Saturday.

5/1/78: 

Brian went off to the Coast Guard last Monday.  He called us Wed. or Thurs. night, and apparently all is well.

 

I started some KSC work a couple of weeks ago.  I'm trying to get in 3 hours in the mornings.  I'll probably go to CS for a couple of weeks somewhere along the line as soon as I get to the point where the computer becomes necessary.  The EPRI contract extension came through, and it looks like I might pick up several K-bucks out of it.  This is a big relief as it should get us through at least one more year (or maybe two) before the wolf comes calling.

 

I need to get some plans for Toby's house.  He's getting pretty antsy about it.  I keep dithering & changing the ideas.

7/20/78: 

Brian has finished boot camp, been on leave for 10 days, and is now in Homer, Alaska, on the buoy tender Sedge.  So far he's still gung-ho.

 

Peggy quit her job last week, and they are trying to chimney-sweep full-time.  They've had 4 jobs this week, so maybe there's hope.  We (Ned & Barb, K & I, Polly,  Toby) are going to visit them tomorrow and are going to get a telephone answerer for them; this might help avoid missing some calls.

 

Ned & Barb are here for 2-1/2 week;  Kithie & Chris will be arriving next week for a like period.  It's all pretty neat, but we're not getting much done!  I cam back with N & B after a week at KSC, and our daily schedule here is completely shot.

 

We are in the midst of a relatively severe drought.  Our well is practically dry, and we're hauling water from the cottage.  Fortunately Fran got a new pump installed, and there is a good water supply there.  We're also hauling water for the horses.  We have a collection system from the barn roof, but it work too well when there isn't any rain...

 

The garden is doing quite well in spite of the drought, but I don't know how much longer it will hold out.

 

We bought a brand-new freezer from Sears -- 15.9 cu. ft., for $219 (I think).  We should be able to freeze some of the garden produce, and it should help us cut down the trips to town next winter.

8/3/78: 

Last Sunday we purchased four (4!!!) snowmobiles from Jess and Marion Kent (594-9397).  With luck we can get two good ones out of the bunch.  We paid $400 which included a few spare parts.  This may have been sheer folly, but with luck we'll be mobile in winter for a few years at least.  N.B.: Jess1s neighbor (Dave ??) is interested in buying one.

9/13/78: 

The summer was hectic!  Besides our kids, Polly, Glenn, Wendy & Debbie & Linda Briggs showed up and life got complicated.

12/4/78: 

Warm - 50's, cloudy, sprinkle.  To get colder - the past week has been less than nice.

12/5/78: 

Diddled around in the AM.  Dug some ditch for Kyle & Peggy's' water line.  There's quite a lot to go but if the weather holds - and it's supposed to for a few days - we might get it in.  Theoretically they're supposed to move in for keeps this weekend.  They've been sleeping there for a month or so but are eating here.  Their place is getting into pretty good shape.  The main left are the water, a drain, a necessary (and dumping pit) and more wood for heating.  It's about three months since they got started on the place.  It's cost us about $2000 for materials which (along with the unexpected $2000 for our well & pump) has been instrumental in putting our finances in the severe condition which they currently exhibit.

1/21/79: 

I find myself sitting in Barb & Ned's living room in Denver waiting for the Super Bowl to start!  Barb is playing the piano, and Ned is sitting back staring into space.

 

Numerous things have happened since 12/5.

    1. The ditch got dug;  it snowed quite heavily;  we finally got the pipe in and more-or-less            covered.

    2. Kyle put in a temporary drain (in the ground).  It froze up once, but he re-laid it, and it seems OK.

    3. K & P have their own necessary.

    4. KSC has come to life, so we're back in business for the year! ...  

2/11/79: 

It's cold!  A big cold air mass has come along and the4 temperature is about 0ºF - actually it is warmer than that by our thermometer, but I don't trust it (at least in its location) and Rochester has +1 & Syracuse -5 (this is at 1400 no less).  However spring can't be too far away - I hope.

 

Tentatively, Toby is going to work for us this summer. This will cut into the money supply but will allow us to get more done and will eliminate the transportation problem for him.  It appears that I'll be quite occupied with KSC through the summer anyway which is good from the money viewpoint but bad from the getting-things-done one.  

 

1979 Projects:

     1. collect firewood

     2. clear garden space

     3. woodshed

     4. clear pasture

     5. west porch

     6. east porch

     7. barn: siding

     8.          rearrange

     9. House: electric wiring

   10.             plumbing

   11.             front window - vents

   12.             cabinets

   13.             walls

   14.             crawl space

   15. Lumber shed

   16. Misc. shed

   17. Garage shed (by road)

   18. Culvert

   19. Toilet

Summary of Windfall (Elsewhere) Costs to January, 1978:

     Structure:       $  3,231 

    Utilities:          $  2,632  (water well, electricity, phone)

    Hardware:      $     232

       subtotal      $  6,095

+  Barn:              $  1,443

+  Labor:            $  2,500   (Kyle & Peggy for 12 weeks @ $125 + 4 weeks @ $250)

    Grand Total: $10,038

  For example: the Barn:

4/6/79: 

1605: Late storm;  Peggy is at work at JJ's;  Kyle has just left for work (at the Anchorage)

 

We have purchased a minidozer from Struck.  All in all, it appears to be a nice little machine.

(total cost: about $2,400)

 

Toby, Kith and I are flying to NY next week to spend the Easter weekend with Winkie on Long Island.

4/17/79: 

                    Kyle & Peggy announced last night that they are going to get married!  Details to be announced later.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time passes.  I worry a lot about the money problem which gets worse and worse.  A number of

ways to get some income are explored, but it appears that probably a move and a real job is the

only solution!

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3/2/82: 

I talked to Larry Williams with whom I'd worked at Kaman and asked him about the possibility of a full-time job.  He sounded very positive about the idea and indicated that a salary in the $40K's was quite possible.  I did some estimates of income after taxes and came up with a net of about $29K which would be hard to pass up.

3/19/82: 

John Hoffman from KSC called, made offer of $41,500, and I accepted on the spot.  So here we go!

3/21/82: 

We have called almost everyone to let them know we are going back to C.S.

 

We are aiming for a departure date of of May 1, but that is quite flexible.  The "reporting date" at KSC is June 1, but there is no hassle about that.

 

Toby is planning to stay here for at least one year.

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1982:  

We were running out of money, and I accepted a full-time job with Kaman Sciences Corporation (I had worked with them with a number of years before we left Colorado Springs and occasionally while we were at Elsewhere*).  So we, together with Kyle, rented a U-Haul van,  pulled Kyle's pickup and returned to Colorado Springs. Kith and I first stayed with her mother at 416-A Valley Hi Circle until we bought a new Mazda station wagon and found a place to rent. (While shopping for the car, we took a test drive up Cheyenne Boulevard and down Cheyenne Road. During the trip, we encountered a really severe hailstorm, took cover under a tree and consequently ended up back at the dealer with the car covered by branches...)

 

* One of my jobs was to take a trip to Salt Lake City to help install a copy of GO & FF, computer programs I had written while working for them in earlier years (the programs were a method of computing failure probabilities of a complex system and then finding the components which produced those failures). 

 

As I recall, for some reason or other the Salt Lake Electric Power Company wanted it .  I spent several days in Salt Lake and in my spare time paid some visits to the Latter Days Saints Genealogical Library where I ran across the book Peabody Family which, to my amazement, contained some information about my own Peabody ancestors!  This kindled my interest in genealogy which eventually lead to the creation of the OGW which has kept me occupied ever since...

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4/9/03:

Well, we did it!  we stayed awhile with Kith's mother, moved to a couple of other places -- the first one, at 3703 Manchester, threw us out because Pax (Kyle's dog, who we had taken over) messed up the carpet a bit, but the second one, at 1289-2 Willowbend Circle, was quite satisfactory (Kith took up woodworking and we bought a large band saw which we still own) -- and finally teamed up with Kith's mother in 1983 to buy 3201 W. Platte Avenue, where we are today.  After Kith's mother died in 1997, her place was taken by her daughter Helen.

 

I continued to work at Kaman until I retired on July 1, 1989.  Kith and I considered moving somewhere else (we found a great spot - 6.7 acres -  near Buena Vista, but the asking price of $30,000 was just a bit too steep).  We also considered moving back to Elsewhere one or two times but decided to leave well-enough alone.  Chris did move back in the spring of 1990.

Chris and Toby remained in New York.  In 1997 Chris married Susan Peterson and they now own Elsewhere and live in the Kyle-&-Peggy house to which Toby's house has been moved and affixed to provide a more spacious dwelling.

 

Toby lived for awhile in our house and then bought and moved to some property in Cayuga County. In the pictures below, the buildings do not belong to Toby  "Tfarm-1" shows his land.