where others come for vacation ...
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We have been busy the entire summer working at "Our House on the Rocks" and meanwhile our beloved Dolfin has been all alone in the Slip. Now slowly winter is approaching and we feel it'll be better to get Dolphin out of the waters of Lake Lucerne and bring it to Stefan for winter hibernation. Today will be Dolfin's swan song on the lake for the season! I can't wait to be onboard Dolfin again.. as we approach the Slip, she seems to be content swaying gently to the tune of the light waves in an otherwise calm lake.
As we set sail, Lukas hoists the Indian Flag.. calm waters, gentle breeze, sound of Dolphin sailing on the waters, the green meadows, the cow bells from a distance... ummmm.. time passes quickly and soon we arrive in Buochs. It's time to prepare the boat for storage -- take out sails, fold; lower Mast & tie down; pull out the motor et. al..
I pull myself up onto the side of the dock. Lukas and the crane operator arrange the slings and slowly Dolfin comes out of the water, shining in its full glory.
I will miss you Dolfin.. Sleep well through the Winter!
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One month, quite a few tonnes of tiles, a dozen odd workers, some of them careless resulting in stress, some rains and storms in the beginning but good weather in the end = One fine Heritage Roof.
The roof is the main protective shell of a house and decisively affects its appearance. Since we will heat the entire house with the "Kachelofen" (wood burning stove) as the primary heating source, a roof renovation with appropriate insulation is essential.
As the existing roof has zero insulation and broken tiles, the entire roof needs to be stripped and re-covered.
400 years ago.. in 1615 when this house was built, there was no electricity and therefore none of our modern machines. Trees from the surrounding land were cut down with axes to make the beams and boards. We have enormous respect for the workers and their work.. which we feel is art worth preserving and displaying with pride.. so we opt for adding the insulation layer on the outside to keep the grand, hand-made 400 year old beams visible from the inside.
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This beautiful clay tiled Kitchen floor
Was quite a different story before
Underneath the worn old laminate
stones, rubble and earth await
Hammer, Jackhammer and Spade
become our Tools of Trade
As we start to Cleanup
In order to move on to the Buildup
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Overnight Unterrüti has taken on an incredible golden hue. All around, leaves have turned into variations of amber beauty, giving a magical quality to our little outdoor picnic place. This picnic place with its natural pagoda of old trees, and the path leading up-to it had cast a spell upon us, when we first came to visit this house. Peace enveloped us as we stood under the shade of these wise old trees and i could imagine Pixies, Gnomes and Elves peeping from behind every moss covered stone or bush along the path. Now suddenly, nature is showing off its palette of colours in this magical place...