December 20, 2011 Jungle Gym

Looks more complicated than it is - the stairway to the loft.

Keeping warm by the stove

October 23, 2011 All in a dog's day

Rut Roh! Bella dived into one of the ponds and emerged with a black belly and legs. But boy, did she have fun swimming, running the hills and riding in the back of Dan's pick-up. 

Peaceful spot 

October 1, 2011 Pumpkin Harvest

September 7- 8, 2011 Woodland ladies go country

Me and Cash in the pumpkins. Looking pretty good for September. Jeff's mom Millie and Aunt Nonnie came to visit all the way from California and look right at home on the farm. Lucky Jeff didn't put them to work!

  

August 26 - 27, 2011 Covered Bridge Drives Up

                                                                               Jeff has a vision: a covered bridge over the creek fashioned out of reclaimed wood from the old milking barn. The bridge would preserve a  historical piece of the property and create a dramatic new Covo Hills entrance.

The first step was purchasing a flat bed truck to be used as the base. We spied some old trucks on the way home one day. The owner was willing to deliver it creekside and take off the wheels and hardware. Jeff's brothers Dennis and Kirk were there to witness the arrival, but weren't quite strong enough to position it across the creek.

Covered Bridge

Jeff had a project for the boys before they could have fun. They cut and installed barn wood to cover and customize the lumber beam that spans the building.

A.J.'s Boys

Mississippi

August 7, 2011 Wood Floor Installation

Dan, friend Mark and Jeff installed the wood floor in the lodge on a hot and humid day. The difference between plywood and the polished wood is dramatic. Thanks guys!

July 24 - 25, 2011 Summer in Bloom

Acres of corn fields provide a beautiful and everchanging backdrop at Covo, from the early spring planting to the mid-fall harvest when the land goes back to nature.  If only this was farm fresh sweet corn! 

Pumpkins are ahead of schedule this year with healthy flowering plants and fruit already on the vine.  

Scenes of Summer

June 14, 2011 Barb lends a hand

No trip is complete without a day at Covo Hills. Happy to escape the Phoenix heat, Barb was eager to work outdoors. We shoveled and spread wood chips around the pumpkin plants to keep the weeds down.





Uncle Palmer brought lots of cut wood from his house to ours.

 Garlic and pumpkin growing side by side: garlic almost ready to harvest, pumpkins just beginning to spread.

 

Recreating American Gothic by Grant Wood

How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Tempe (college joke)

Mississippi fun on the way to Poopy's