Iced in, 2010

A few days ago we awoke to a snow-covered island and an ice-covered lake. It's official: we can't get off the island now, even if we want to. We still don't want to (although yesterday I dropped a piece of firewood on my foot and briefly wondered what would happen if I had broken something. I didn't, so it doesn't matter, thankfully.)

We've been spending our time finishing the new room Gary added to the south side of the house this summer, so I haven't had time to write in this blog. But today is Thanksgiving and we're taking the day off, so I will finally get some photos of the new room in here. We love this room! It's sun-drenched in the mornings, bright in the afternoons. It gets cozy quickly from the woodstove in one corner. The oak bookcase Gary built makes the room even more welcoming. It's a feel-good room. We ate our first meal -- our Thanksgiving dinner -- in it this afternoon, just the two of us. 

We haven't furnished the room yet, and it's only 95% done, but I can't wait any longer: here are a couple shots:

The walls are made from 140-year-old logs from a farmhouse we dismantled in Otter Tail County a few years ago. It was built by a Norwegian couple who eventually moved to Los Angeles before Hollywood began (a story I find infinitely compelling). They left behind these beautiful logs, much to our benefit. The ceiling is "aspen" -- the fancy lumberyard name for popple -- painted white. The flooring is hand-scraped golden oak. The overall effect is "old farmhouse."

The new screen porch is accessible through the French doors, which we plan to leave open in summertime.

In this photo you can see the sauna (Gary's 2010 project) outside the window.

We assume we'll be able to walk off the island within the next 10 days or so, if not sooner. We're enjoying this time of isolation but we also miss family and friends on days like today (i.e., Thanksgiving). So as soon as the ice is thick enough we hope to start having some company and get some noise into this room!