Da Beer and Da Bon Fire was Da Bomb….

All da guys had a nice evening on da mountain last night (sans da Grizz who was under da weather). Da Weave (aka Man Hut Brewmaster) brought up a partial keg of his magnificent Oktoberfest that we quickly polished off. I previewed his latest brew; an imperial IPA, it is fantastic (click the Brewmation link to the right and learn how he creates these magic brews). Big Lou and Bobo cut some “good wood” to make a bon fire in da big pit.... Da good wood makes da good fire. The G-Man brought up a few liquid provisions from his liquor room (imagine that a liquor room). A good time was had by all.

Oh yeah…. We had a surprise visitor; “The Mrs. Weave” came up to da hut for a drink…. She also supplied da boyz with da pasta and da sauce so she is welcome back anytime.

Dat’s da story.

Happy Holidays

On this Holiday eve 2008 I would like to take a moment to give thanks to our neighbors and friends for the fun, the warmth, the excitement, the wonder, the silliness, the booze, the camaraderie, the adventure, the partnership, the laughs, the sharing, the knowledge and the everyday love and good cheer we share.

From my family to yours, Happy Holidays and a really great New Year!

A Snow Day, Yay!…

The meteorologists finally got one right. Yesterday the northeast got hit with the first major snow of the season. Fortunately for me I had already pre-planned to take yesterday off so I didn’t mind the threat of snow at all… In fact I was excited about it. The anticipation of up to 12 inches of fresh snow when you have no place to go is a pretty good feeling. The wife and I spent the morning in our slippers and sweats, made a fire in the fireplace and put up a big pot of chicken soup. The first flakes fell around 11:30 as best I can tell.

Around 1:00 Big Lou and me got up to the Manhut. By then the first few inches of snow had fallen. Grizz joined us and we just hung out for while. It was pretty nice up there; very quiet and quite beautiful.

But the big news of the day was the call for the impromptu soirée we have come to call Winterfest. This is when a bunch of the neighbors; guys, wives and kids congregate to the cul-de-sac during the first big snow of the season for a few drinks and stuff. For the second year in a row we even had an official tree lighting thanks to the Grizz strapping his electrified tree to his pickup truck.

Highlights: Doughnuts, Doughnuts, Doughnuts! Emily’s, Linda’s and Maria’s first quad rides and the plow guy.

A Cool Experience…

Sunday morning the “Quad Squad” took a ride up to the top of the mountain.
It was beautiful up there. The air was colder and crisper than down below. Getting to the top made us feel as though we were in a completely different climate. The ice from the prior day that had coated the tree branches was still fully intact up there. Down the mountain it had completely melted the prior day. The sun was bright and reflected off the icy trees like Christmas tinsel. The weight was heavy on the branches as limbs were continually falling down around us. We paused for a smoke and a talk. Nice.

PS: Just as were about to leave, we noticed we had been standing directly under a heavily ice laden tree. A limb was dangling above us, broken off and barley holding on. Lucky us.

PSS: Since Lou’s Bro picked up his Can Am Outlander 400MAX Lou he has been “Quadless”. But Saturday he picked up his new toy; a 1988 Honda Foreman 350. Nice ride! That’s Lou catching some air. So now we all pretty much have the same machines as you can see in the pix….

Last Night…

Last night was CRAZY!.... Torrential rains, ice everywhere and wind. The sound of rain, rushing water and falling trees made for a long night of uneasy sleep. In the middle of the night we were blasted from our bed when the sound of a pretty good size tree limb fell on our roof… Not sure if there’s any damage. Going to wait until all the ice is thawed before I climb out there. Also, there was no glimpse of the Manhut from down the mountain this morning… Was it still there?.... Did it survive the night? OH NO! Bob and I took a quick ride up to check out the “situation”. Rode the old logger road up the mountain, which was surprisingly solid considering the rain. Half way up and we still didn’t see the hut. OH NO!...
Alas the hut remains; the heavy ice on the trees had blocked the view until we got almost all the way to the top. Everything is fine. Good thing we build it on a boulder…. Hut is high and dry.

Fire On The Mountain…

Bobo came up with the idea of inaugurating the fire pit last night… Pretty good idea since it was a brisk 28 degrees, and not much else was going on in the hood. Most everyone had commitments, especially since it’s getting so close to the holidays and there are so many chores and “stuff” to do (note to self: leaves still need to be raked). The Weaves were getting a little trim done (tree trimming that is), Big Lou & Co. were busy little elves, and the Grizz and G-Man were MIA. So all in all it was going to be a pretty mellow evening; a fire, a stogie, a couple of brews and that’s it. The fire pit worked out great. The location is good, It’s close enough to the Manhut to keep an eye on, far enough away not to burn it down plus the water barrel off the back roof is just close enough in case things get out of hand. We probably just want to beef up the walls a bit. As the early evening progressed the hut started to buzz; two of Bobo’s young sons came up for a bit, Grizz came up with beer in tow. Later Big Lou and one of his buddies wandered by including a very special guest….. Mr.’s Big Lou!

The Inaugural Poker Night & Drinkfest…

It’s official!.... Last night the founding Hut Men had the first official night of poker and libations at the Manhut. The gaming was brisk and the beverages flowed as we chowed down on some fine fine chili (thanks Linda), some excellent Bambi burgers (thanks Penny) and a wide assortment of top shelf spirits and beer (thanks to all the guys). Of course the night would not be complete without a fine selection of cigars for those of us who partake; choices included Acid, Monticristo, Alec Bradley, Padrons and more.
Everything in the hut worked great from the heat to the lights to the stove as the fun went on into the wee hours of the morning.
A Good time was had by all!.....

A Busy Day At The Manhut….

Yesterday we made some serious progress winterizing the hut :

• Fitting and installing rigid foam in the soffits…. Isn’t that something! (Thanks Bobo).
• Installation of the propane stove Lou got from his dads old Chris-Craft (Thanks Lou’s Dad & Grizz Man).
*** Huge shout out to Grizz for the new built-in bar counter he constructed and installed during the week.
• Our new 12-volt electric system and Ox-Yolk lighting fixture (Courtesy The Weave).
• Installation of the foam insulation and gutter guards (Big Lou done did it).
• General crack filling and caulking (by the one and only B-Man).

After all the work was done we felt pretty good about the progress we made to help keep most of the heat inside the Manhut. But, there are so many gaps in the heavy oak floorboards that the cold wind just whips in from underneath (Who’s idea it was to build on a slanted rock ledge anyway?). The heat is toasty warm about three feet from the floor up but below that it’s like an icebox. We really hate to cover up the great looking wood floors, but we might have to. And besides Bobo “knows a guy” who he might be able to swing a deal with for some cheap carpet. Maybe we can just leave it up there for the cold winter months and roll it up during the rest of the year. Stay tuned.

(Photo above) The Grizz admiring the labors of his work after a long day.
Note: this shot is really two photos I cleverly pasted together which you would not have known unless I told you...

(Photos below) Shots from all the work going on at the Manhut yesterday (click on image for a closer look).

A Test Drive…

Last night a few of us decided to take the Manhut out for a test-drive with a few of our international friends (friends including Mr. Saranc, Senior Corona And Sir Johnny Walker). Our enthusiasm was “fueled” by the installation of our propane heater earlier in the week… Ironically last night was the coldest night of the season reaching a bone chilling 17 degrees Fahrenheit.
Here’s what our test drive taught us; When you build a wooden box perch perilously off the ground with gapping floor boards, open soffits, no insulation with an overall R value of zero… There’s no amount of clothing or international spirits that can keep you warm.

Conclusion: We have got some serious weatherizing to do before next Saturday’s first official Poker Night & Drinkfest

*** Saturday, November 29th, 2008 is the first official Poker Night & Drinkfest ***
(Invitation only – casual dress)

The Buck Stops Here…

Hunting season began this past weekend. Lou and his Bro Brian spent both days up on the moutain and didn’t see much more than a couple of psychotic squirrels.

The good looking 8-point Buck to the left was shot (I mean photographed) by our fellow Hutman “The G-Man” in his back yard this morning…. A couple hundred feet from Lou’s front door.

Kind of ironic don’t you think?...

Sorry Big Lou

A Few Creature Comforts…

It’s official, the Manhut has heat! The Manhut has HEAT!... Old Grizz hooked us up good by installing the propane tank and heating unit yesterday. Lou’s bringing up the stove he got from his dad. The Weave is hooking us up with a 12-volt battery operated lighting system complete with a 100-year-old ox yolk chandelier he’s wiring up. Bob created an awesome fire pit already filled with wood scraps and ready to burn. And I install the most crucial comfort…. The bottle opener.
YEAH BABY!!!

*** Saturday, November 29th, 2008 is the first official Poker Night & Drinkfest ***
(Invitation only – casual dress)

Making A Little Progress...

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours tinkering up at the Manhut. First I reversed the two 48” x 54” windows (the ones we swiped from the trash) that the Shed Guys installed backwards. I took one of them (the one on the right) and hinged it on top so that if desired the window could swing up and out of the way. I put a handle at the bottom for easy maneuvering. Lou came up and we figured out where to place the propane heater; under the front window… a nice fit and out of the way. Lou and his quad were on their way further up the mountain to scout around for an ideal hunting spot since the season opener is next Saturday.

This morning Bob picked up a gutter for the rear roof. The Weave came up and we installed it pretty quickly. Still need a rain barrel to catch the water - want the water just in case of an emergency, like a campfire getting a little too big.