The Sticks

Well, it is always best to start at the beginning..

You may wonder how we ended up so far out here, but once you actually visit us...you will realize just how beautiful it is. I attached a photo of our property prior to construction. I thought it would be a great start to introducing you to our life out here in the sticks. Someone once asked me what I meant by "The Sticks". I thought it was a rather funny question, but it made me realize that our life is rather unique. So, I sat down and wrote down what it means to me...

‘The sticks’ is the term used for places off the beaten path. It is a destination only if you have somewhere to go there, otherwise, you are lost. You either live out there or are visiting someone out there or are buying or making drugs out there. It is the kind of place you might take a long leisurely Sunday drive to, and say, ‘Where are we? ” It is the kind of place that you find nasty rundown mobile homes with 5 dogs chained to a tree, where all the grass is gone beneath them, and they roll in the dirt. It is the kind of place that grandmas and grandpas built their own homes from the lumber they cut off their land nearly a century ago. It is the kind of place that trees out-number the people..thousands to one. The kind of place that has mom and pop grocery stores out in the middle of nowhere. The kind of place that has a nasty tavern that serves the best burgers and pizza (I hear). The kind of place that has history that includes a brothel on a lake. The lake that is uninhabited except for fishing season, which seems to be a year round sport. And, for about a hundred yards of wooden pillars that lead to the old brothel,that was burned by the wives of the men who frequented the joint. It is the place that people go to escape their past, and others go to create a future. It is the pit stop between North and South where the geese stop to lay their eggs, and teach their hatchlings to fly. The kind of place where herds of elk roam. Where deer birth their babies in your field. Where coyotes howl in the night and keep you awake. Where cougars and bobcats eat your neighbors chickens (or small dogs). And a 3 legged bear was caught a few months ago. It is the kind of place that everyone knows your business, whether you want them to or not. The kind of place where the city ended a few miles back. That is what ‘the sticks’ is.

Here is a bit of history about our home in Graham. It was quite a project for Lance and I. We found this great piece of property when Megan was only about a year old. I had gone out for a drive one day and stumbled upon it. It was in the middle of no where, and I didn't know how to get back home. It took me a while to remember how to get back out to it, to show Lance. It was almost 4 years later that we ventured back out to the property, and it still was for sale. We decide to make an offer on the 12 acres in the middle of nowhere. I have to say, that I had no idea what we were getting into. We had built our last home, in Enumclaw, and Lance was ready to move up and out...so we began our new journey in 'the sticks'.

Lance grew up learning the art of building things yourself and working hard. The construction of our new home would challenge him in many ways...and me too. We began construction August 2004 and moved in December 2006. Lance and I served as the general contractors on the construction, and, for the most part, I enjoyed working alongside Lance. The kids visited the site often, and would get dirty. During the process, Lance's dad, Larry, would come out and help. These days (and late nights) were very much appreciated. I would work at the house during the day as needed, and Lance would be out in the evenings to work. He had to be home by 11pm, or I would load up the kids and drive out to the house to make sure he was still alive. He accomplished many 2 or 3 man jobs by himself, and I always waited up to make sure he returned home safely.

I was in charge of sealing the exterior basement walls with this icky tar stuff...nasty job! It took me nearly a month to finish. Lance kept busy preparing the plumbing lines under the basement floors. It was nice to have someone else to frame the house, and it freed up some time for Lance to work on other areas of the house.

Once the framer's were done, it was up to us to continue with the work until it was time for insulation and sheetrock.

The part of the house I hated the most was putting on the roof. Lance would secure himself to the top of the roof, and I would be on the ground prepping each panel. I would cut each panel to the length needed, and bend the ends (up, on the top, and under on the bottom). I would then ever so carefully raise the panel to the edge of the roofline, climb up on the scaffolding and onto the banana plank, then shimmy the metal panel up toward Lance. He would grab the top. We would both then line up the pieces with the previous panel, measure and snap it into place. Then, I would screw the new clips from the bottom, and Lance would start at the top. Once we were close, I would go back down and prepare the next panel. It took us nearly 2 months to complete the roof, and it was during January, February and into March. Those were very cold months to be out working in the cold and dark. It was a great treat when Lance’s brothers and dad came with the snorkel lift to do the uppermost part of the house.

We moved into the house with only one working bathroom. We are continuing to finish it little by little, as we have the time or money. Too bad for us, we never have both at the same time.