A tale of two weeks...

It was the best of times...it was the worst of times. It was two weeks of productivity for Log Cabin Village. Some of the time was hot, other days were, well, less hot. But this one truth remains: we look GREAT and ready to greet our visitors when we re-open on Tuesday, September 8th (9:00 a.m. sharp, y'all. 8:59 a.m. if y'all line up at the gate, hint hint).

Here are some "before" and "after" shots of various projects we completed during the closure (with a little help from our friends). This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it's impressive nevertheless.

The Foster House "lean-to" before being re-sided (with Village Director, Kelli as a bonus)

The lean-to AFTER. New shutters, new lease on life. Those windows are where all the behind-the-scenes magic happens, folks. I'm typing from there as we speak.

The dirt blacksmith shop floor before...

The dirt floor now partially on the OUTSIDE of the structure...

The beauteous brick floor AFTER! Note the awesome herringbone pattern...

Our employee break room before being painted...

Again...

I don't really have a good AFTER shot here. Just imagine this room much whiter and scuff-free.

Broken pump parts before...can you guess which one is the faulty plunger assembly?

Our glorious pump AFTER! Kelli's there again--she's like the "Where's Waldo?" of Log Cabin Village. :) Please also note the new brick pad under the pump...

And I don't have a before photo of this little gem, simply referred to as "The Cat's House." Imagine a wee little cabin in disrepair with random rotting boards and nails sticking out... It was originally located behind the Foster House, and it has always been a visitor favorite (even though our snooty cats refuse to use it). Now it has a new lease on life and has been relocated behind the Seela hands-on cabin. Fabulous!

We have, of course had various other projects taking place during the closure: new clothes, laundry, organization of craft and education supplies, cleaning of cabins, , signs, trash-cans, and benches, collections inventory and care, tree-trimming, tour prep, mail-outs, supply orders, reservations...the list goes on and on.

And next week, when the gates swing open and once again little (and BIG) footsteps of our delightful visitors anxiously pitter pat past our door to go see the cabins and our historical interpreters, we'll be reminded of why this was all done.

And why it was all worth it.