What a day yesterday was in this area.  We are tucked just under the top of Baker Mountain to yesterday was like most of the days when the very bad storms come through.  In the morning we had just enough rain so that we could not work outside.  So I finished the red sweaters for Colby and James and I worked on getting all the pictures together for my blog.  Norman cleaned up the cellar and worked around down stairs and outside just a bit.  Everyone was being blown apart on both sides of us but as the storms approached us the plateau split them and some went west of us while others went east of us and we hardly got any rain and no wind.  We kept the weather channel on all day just in case because the storms were comeing from the south and that is our open side.  If they come from the west they ride up over Baker Mountain and only the tops of the trees move but the south has a clear shot at us.  Then about 7 pm the weather gal said, ” The storm is right over Baker Mountain Road and everyone in Spencer should now be going to their safe room.”  That surprised us and then the phone ran with the local warning that there was a threat of tornadoes so take cover now.  We grabbed our shoes and sweaters and headed for the cellar.  We stayed there until the warning was lifted and just played cards.  When it was all over we found we had missed the whole thing again.  We had very hard rain but no hail, no wind and no damage, even the garden by the house had no wash out at all.  How we ever picked this spot for the house I don’t know, God was really our partner here.  This morning I started the day by cutting the potatoes.  I got 192 good seed potatoes to plant, now we will let them dry and finish tilling the potato bed and plant them tomorrow. 

On with the story.  We decided the land was what it was and we could use it for a vacation home but I did not want to tent for weeks at a time so we discussed the possiblities.  We could build a cabin and just go up when we had time but we decided that was penny wise and pound poor because we had very little time in the summer to go anywhere with the gardens to tend in Blairsville.  After some thought we decided to sell our home in Blairsville and build a home in Spencer.  We went back to Spencer and stayed at the McMinnville Motel.  We asked there where to go for advice about a builder and they suggested Lowes.  At Lowes they said if they were building the only one they would want was Brian Styles as he was the best contractor they had every known.  We contacted him and found he now was the contractor for Waymon Hale Company and we met with him that next day.  We gave him the plans we had gotten for the house we wanted and the next day he had a price for us.  It was a little higher than we had hoped for but within our budget if there were not too many extras.  We had to get the perk test, the building permit, the land servied, and all the little details ready and sign a contract with Waymon Hale.  Everything went well and we had the house in Blairsville on the market to sell.  We had some money in the bank to start the building but needed the sale to pay for the new house so we tried to get a bridge loan but that ran into problems.  We did get approved for a loan and just before we needed to pull money from that, the house in Blairsville sold and we were all set.  In Oct. the building began.   The first thing we had to do was pick a site.  If we built in the clearing which was rather flat it would cost extra because it was so far away from the power pole and the water line.  So we went down the road as far as we could and still have the power and water brought in free.  There we stopped and marked the spot.  It looked hopeless, there were so many trees but Brian said not to worry as they could take care of that and be covered by the contract.

It was very steep but we had picked plans that were for a hill side house.  We also wanted a full cellar and that would be covered in the bid if they did not run into ledge or too many big rock.  This is on a mountain made of lime stone and there were big rocks everywhere but as they dug the cellar hole they found only one small stone, this had been a farm, the Martin Farm and this was at one time a field and stone free. The cellar hole went in with no problem.  This is where we went last night and any time really bad weather is called for.   You can see how steep the slope is here.  It was so steep and slippery when it rained that one day the bull dozer slide right down the hill side ways.  I was there and saw it and was scared to death it would tip over and hurt the driver but he kept it under controll and was glad to be alive at the bottom of the lot.  Because it was such a steep mountain and all the run off when it rained could wash out the foundation they had to put good grainage around the whole thing and they they a wonderful job as we have had no problem with water and none in the cellar either, you can see the water proofing they painted on it, inside and out.  It really paid to hire the best!  Time to get to work now.  Will finish the story later.  Have a good day.