Well, life just wouldn't be happening if we didn't have a project in the works... and the latest and greatest is "The Observatory" which is located on my parent's hunting property in Grayling, MI. 

 

I guess the idea sparked in Tony's mind one crisp fall day when we were out for a drive and passed one of those gigantic satellite dishes... you know the ones that look like they could zap you right out to the moon.  

 

I could see excitement in his eyes, the look he gets when he has thought of something too good to be true, when he spoke... "deer blind". 

 

Now I've gotten quite good at interpreting what Tony is really meaning to say, by his goobly gook talk... but "what deer blind honey"?

 

So I got the explaination. He was talking as quickly as his brain was processing the plan, the grand scheme, which has since been changed and improved, and improved again...

(and explained to me, again, and again). 

He wanted to build a deer blind using a satellite dish for the roof! Not just any deer blind will do either, it has to be elevated... about 20 feet in the air, and what the heck lets just put it on that there hill.  Lets insulate it, and put doorwalls and lots of windows.  We will decorate it with old artifical christmas trees (so da deers don't see ya) and even top it off with an Americal Flag! 

 

Tony designed and drew plans of the blind. My dad has a sawmill at camp and they milled all the lumber for the project. The poplar they used made beautiful lumber, nice and straight and light, and it all came from the property. Then Tony gathered scrap material and discarded windows and haulded everything down to the building site.

 

Heres a picture of the beginnings of The Observatory.  The floor system on top of 6x6s ... does it wobble, well maybe just a bit, but we will fix that soon enough!

  

Last weekend Tony went out to camp while Hank and I stayed home to clean, garage sale, and have a pizza party. 

 

I think Tony got quite a bit accomplished: he got the floor down and waterproofed, and the walls built and raised in place.

 

What scares me though is the thought that has just crossed his mind: "how am I going to get that sattelite dish up there"...

I guess that wasn't in the plans!

 

Here's a picture of the view from up top! He will be shooting to the far wood line, about 300 yards, give or take!