We spent the winter months finishing the great room in the barn. A pellet stove kept us warm and cozy. This room will be used for parties and projects. It's a great place to hang out, especially in good weather,

We are always happy to see spring arrive! 

Spring brought not only blooms and good weather but also a puppy! Gary and I decided it was time to add some youth to our family and I fell in love with a beautiful Bassett puppy I saw on Facebook. We took the plunge and adopted our new fur baby on April 20. My sister, June, suggested the name "Woody" and we thought that was perfect!

Spring and summer were so much fun with puppy Woody. ​He was constant entertainment and brought us so much joy. Bob and Ernie were not to thrilled with Woody's arrival but after a week they accepted him and eventually became great pals. I put a blanket in a pail and hooked to my mower so I could easily transport Woody around the property. He loved his rides. He was so little when he arrived that he had to hop in the grass. We went on walks to the pond and I carried him a good part of the way. Socializing him was a big priority and he went to friends house with us and even got used to loud noises and banging in the wood shop. 

Petey Possum was still coming to the feeder daily throughout the spring, frequently bringing is girlfriend, Pauline. They moved on during the summer when food was plentiful elsewhere. We assume have a bunch of kids by now. 

Gary and I decided we needed a small camper that we could pull with our Suburban for trips to Rochester and Florida. I started looking for used campers we could renovate and found one that was perfect for us at Camping World in Chattanooga, TN. Our main criteria were room for a queen size bed for me and the dogs and a single bed long enough for Gary and a bathroom that had a shower separate from the commode. It also needed a small kitchen but we did not want to give up space to a dining table. We plan to eat outside whenever possible and if forced to eat inside, we would hold plates in our laps. Basically, we wanted a traveling bedroom and bathroom. 

The first thing to do was to remove what we didn't want, which included the bunk beds and dinette area. We wanted a single bed where the bunk beds were that had some storage cabinets above. In the dinette area we would put a queen size bed. Below are before images.

The Wolf Pup's maiden voyage was to our hometown of Rochester, NY. We left our Bakersville home on June 19th and spent the night in a campground near Erie, PA. Early the following day we arrived in Rochester and set up camp in the Camardello driveway. Of course, Bob, Ernie and Woody accompanied us. We quickly learned that Woody could easily climb on the kitchen counter from the bed, so we had to be very careful about not leaving anything out. We were visited the next day by dear friends June DePoint and Suez Rasumussen who took some great photos of the camper. 

After returning from our trip to Rochester Gary got busy digging out the bank in front of barn to make room for addition. We will be adding a tool room on the lower level off the woodshed and a dining room on the second level. The Ernie and Woody were very interested in this dirt removal. The last picture shows an amazing dandelion root I pulled from this area. 

In early August I agreed to foster a Basset Hound who was found wandering the roads at Penland School. The staff at MCAR named her Constance. She fit in so well with our dogs that it took only 2 days before we decided to adopt her. Gary renamed her, Olive. She is now a beloved and important member of our family. She and Woody are especially great pals. 

Scenes of late summer and fall.

​We had an early ice storm in late November and many white pines lost limbs due to the weight of the ice. We lost about half of the big pine in front of the cabin. Clean up was a lot of work but we were lucky that it didn't damage the cabin.

A big snow followed the ice storm on December 5. It was beautiful!

And the Christmas season was upon us. I decided to make some log reindeer as gifts. Gary was working on a shed to keep pellets for our stove in barn. 

Continue on to 2019