With cold snowy winters here in Eastern Washington, outdoor construction projects and building are typically active between March and October. Currently, we are seeing a lot of action in our subdivision lately, as well as in our neighborhood.

This home has been under construction since early 2021. The owners are building it all themselves. No wood, it is constructed out of metal with a metal roof and siding.

Nice addition to the neighborhood

Tractors, trucks, and backhoes are rumbling around the street and properties as the company works to clear the weeds and level the dirt in preparation for more construction and septic system installation.

Personally, I kind of like all the hubbub.

If You Build It…

We’ve been alone on the block since we moved here in March 2021. One family moved in last September but abruptly moved 8 months later. Another family moved in February 2022 and is still here. The manufactured home company that owns and manages the subdivision installed three renovated homes that are still empty.

Finally, this spring, three new pole buildings/shops were installed (pole buildings, aka pole barns, are rural-speak for detached garages), next to the existing renovated homes. This one made for an intriguing photo last May.

Construction on neighbors polebarn
New construction shrouded in fog

Just days before, a rainbow appeared over the same structure.

Rainbow over construction
Rainbow over a construction project

“Beauty is where you find it.” ~ Madonna

When the crew leaves for the day, they leave the backhoe ready for tomorrow’s jobs. Behind it is the almost completed pole building, waiting for doors, of course.

backhoe ready for work
Backhoe ready for work

The supply chain is still compromised, and it can take months for shop doors to be available. We cheer often as we travel down the roads and watch as, one by one, the doors “magically” appear on patiently-waiting pole buildings!

Not to be outdone, hubby has many (countless) projects. Fencing three-quarters of an acre to keep the dogs in and the wildlife out is time-consuming. But years of construction have taught him excellent skills and he enjoys doing the work.

rural fence constructionFinished rural fence
Started in May, and finished in August.

He put in a 10-foot gate in case we want to drive into the south side of the property. We love how the redwood color posts pop against the blue of the house.

Our home has come a long way in almost two years! Still so much to do! The featured image at the beginning of the post shows our pole building/shop under construction in June 2021.

manufactured home
House and Shop
teal and dark blue home

Random Construction from the Road

Years ago in Baja, Mexico, I laid eyes on this crazy vehicle dubbed “crazy carcancha.” The owner continually adds to it and changes out some features seasonally. Here it was decked out for Christmas and New Year’s.

Highly decorated chaotic car drives through Baja streets

Our same winter weather pattern occurs in North Idaho. Our May trip to the historical town of Wallace showed the enormity of the renovation of the Wallace Corner Hotel.

Construction on Wallace Corner Hotel
The second story of the hotel will host a deck for guests

My foot “under construction” after foot surgery in 2019.

using the knee scooter
Scooting around my Sacramento neighborhood

Word of the Year (WOTY): WALK

Construction seemed like an apt theme this month as I thought about my WOTY, walk. I like to play with acrostics and redefine the letters in the word.

  • W = wanting
  • A = attainable
  • L = latent
  • K = knotty

In summary, these days, I find myself “wanting”– lacking that which is probably “attainable.” Whatever is “latent” within me still needs developing or more construction, and the “knottiness” sanded down.

How’s that for deep? Still a work-in-progress… but, aren’t we all?

“Failure does not exist. One you hit the construction zone roadblocks, follow the detour signs to get back to your original path.” ~ Behdad Sami

So I continue to walk and hike almost every day. It’s good for me and good for the dogs.

“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the heck she is.”
― Ellen DeGeneres

Building Relationships

As I continue to work on myself, I find that the motivation to build relationships is essential as we age. This month, I did make a “new” (in real life) friend! Cheryl, blogger from Working on Exploring, and her husband, Steve, stopped over for two days as their travels took them into the Spokane and Coeur D’Alene area. Of course, we had to visit nearby Riverside Park’s Bowl and Pitcher nature area and hike the trails.

We had a blast with these two talented folks. We took a tour of their custom camper that Steve engineered and built. Please check out their blog!

“I saw two construction workers laughing together today. I know what they were really building … friendship.” ~unknown

Other Photo Challenges I Enjoy

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

Sunday Stills weekly challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

This Week’s Featured Bloggers

Sunday Stills is a dynamic community of creative bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared photos of things under construction. I add these all week as new links are posted. Huge thanks to all 26 of you who linked to last week’s post!

Themes for September are ready to view on my Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Page. This page is updated monthly and I am open to YOUR theme ideas, too! I can’t wait to see what you find for the theme “under construction.” Then join me on the first Sunday of September(!) for the theme “Vacation or Staycation.”

graphic

© 2022-2031 Copyright — secondwindleisure.com — All Rights Reserved

Published by Terri Webster Schrandt

Now retired, I am former university adjunct faculty, self-published author, and retired recreation and parks practitioner living in Eastern Washington State near the Idaho border. Second Wind Leisure Perspectives is my blog about living a leisure lifestyle that includes fitness, photography, and fun.

87 thoughts on “Sunday Stills: Under #Construction”

  1. Nice job on that fence, even if supply chain issues held up its completion. We are having our driveways repaired in our two condo buildings. They were both supposed to be done in August. They got one building done but having trouble getting concrete. Now, they are saying October to finish the project.

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  3. I love that photo with the fog, Terri. (I love fog, in general, so that one caught my eye). Supply chain issues continue, but it will get there. That’s a nice and sturdy fence around part of your property. The elk keep knocking down our old wooden rails. We could use your hubby’s skills. Lol. Enjoy the end of summer, my friend. The leaves are falling. 🙂

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    1. Noooo, the leaves are falling? Still too hot for that here. 100 again by midweek! Erg. Thank you, Diana! If Hans wasn’t handy, we would have never been able to do this. Next project is redigging and graveling our driveway before October. I’m sure deer and elk would hop over our fences like gazelle 🥴

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      1. It only got up into the mid 60s here yesterday, Terri, and yup, the leaves are starting to turn colors and fall. I feel like I didn’t get much of summer this year (while the rest of the world was sweltering). I would love a handy husband, though I’ll keep the one I have. Lol. 😀

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  5. Your home looks lovely, Terri. Sorry but I didn’t know what WOTY was, and I couldn’t think what to display for the ‘under construction’ theme. We’re not about for the following 2 Sundays, and so I’ll have another go towards the middle of September.

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  6. I can’t wait to see it all IRL, Terri! Hans not only has the know-how, but he also has the energy, the organizational ability, creativity, and the focus to finish the project before getting on with another. There is more involved in being handy than people realize. I love my handy husband and have enjoyed 27 years of benefits. I thought when we moved to Prescott, those days would be behind him, but it’s in his blood, I think. I love your foggy picture best. Fog is one of my favorite subjects. I wish I’d taken more pictures of it when it was a regular thing. But there is also opportunity. That is a great structure for composition, and it won’t be like that forever, which is one of the components of amazing photography.

    On a different subject, have you ever had difficulty with the black “Log in to use details from one of these accounts” box? It appears on top of the WordPress icon so I can’t use it on some people’s accounts. It has never bothered your account, but today, it is sitting there annoyingly so I will have to post via Twitter, an icon I can click. I contacted WP about it, but never got an answer back, but the account it bothered, worked after that.

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    1. Thank you for those kind words about my talented hubby, Marsha! Construction and projects are always in their blood and I’m glad Vince has things he can do. It gives men a good sense of satisfaction to go through the process and enjoy the results. We also have many indoor projects too, so if too hot or too cold, Hans always has something to do. I had fun taking these construction pictures–they are literally everywhere right now.

      I haven’t seen the box you’re describing. There seems to be a myriad of challenging issues on WP right now–perhaps growing pains on their end. I still have to access posts from outlook email on my computer, otherwise, I have to log in to each post on my phone and it never works. Easier to type on my computers anyway!

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    1. Thank you, Jacqui! That alone was one of the big selling points and why we went more rural than suburban. Even these 1/2 to 3/4 acre lots are big enough for privacy, since everyone builds a pole building on one side to help block each house’s view a little. Our backyard looks out to our neighbor’s 5 acres, which is very well kept up, and with their see through fence it feels like its all part of our property. I always loved that!

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  11. Pingback: Sunday Stills Under Construction – Light Words

  12. Terri,
    You’re tugging at my heartstrings with this topic. I built homes for 20 years and loved everything about it (except unreasonable buyers – very few). I would love a pole barn and a shop, but it’s not in the cards now. You have a lovely setting for a home. Have a great week! Joe

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    1. OH, I didn’t know that, Joe! Home construction is a labor of love to some degree, right? Are you able to [ark your trailer on your property? That was one of our conditions in having the lot size to do so. We were just commenting this morni9ng that for the first time in 13 years, we haven’t had to have some kind of storage space. Thank you and have a great week, yourself!

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  15. I enjoyed reading this post. Construction is a mind blowing thing. It’s disruptive to the body, mind and soul. But when it’s over everything is beautiful. I love your photos, especially the rainbow.

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    1. Thank you, Anne! Living in dust is not fun. When we added on the our former home in Rancho Cordova, we lived in 3 months of dust. But the addition was amazing, we gained a bathroom and walk-in closet. We had intended to stay there forever, but we didn’t. The upgrades and 2nd bathroom helped us sell that house in November 2020 over asking in in 5 days! All worth the dust.

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  18. Wonderful Terri. Love seeing what you have done. I have some photos of my builds but on film and too hard to scan and add. I used to do lots of pole constructions as I have lots of trees to use for building.
    Glad all is going OK. Have a fabulous week 🙂

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  25. Yes, we’re all a work in progress, Terri. Loved the quote about the missing grandma. I wouldn’t mind if that were me. And the new build in fog photo, and you scooting about in such a determined way. Many thanks for the shout out. Have a great week!

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  26. You’ve come a really long way with your new home terri, it’s looking great! It would be nice to get some new neighbors, hope it happens soon. Loved the sun shining thru the fog! PS. yours was one of the sites I couldn’t comment on but I found you in the reader. Sigh

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  28. Hi Terri
    Glad you were able to meet up with new friends – i will check out theor blog later
    –
    And enjoyed your construction theme!
    I wonder why that family moved out after less than a year? Too quiet ?

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  30. I’m impressed with all the work you guys have done since you moved in, Terri. It was great seeing photos of all that fencing Hans has put up. It must have been challenging work. But what about all the construction you have done inside the house? I was hoping we’d see some of that in this week’s theme too. Unless you have a theme coming up, that’ll cover that.

    Fantastic photos, especially the one of the fog. It seems to be a big hit with readers. I was going to add a picture of the construction of a Christmas cake I baked a few years ago but decided it wasn’t good enough. It was the only ‘construction’ themed photo I could find.

    Enjoy the rest of the week.

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    1. Hahaha, thanks, Hugh…I’m sure your cake would have been fine! I’m married to a do-er, he is so self-motivated. So nice to have the fence completely up–I worry about the dogs a lot less with that in place. I’ve definitely made more improvements inside, too. More pictures hung, better use of vertical space with shelves and cabinets. I’ll be sure to share something about that soon!

      The foggy polebarn construction just asked to be photographed. Thank you… I have to let the dogs out EARLY and I’m amazed at what I can capture with my lens in that early dawn light.

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  31. Your post reminds me of how much I miss participating in the Sunday Stills. I enjoyed seeing all your photos and reading all your thoughts. My boss and his family traveled to those areas and even lived in Idaho for a couple of years. I’m sure a part of them will always remember the good times they had. Your home is looking so great, all the hard work is paying off. Congrats on new blogging/hiking friends. It was fun to stop by here and see what you’ve been up to! I hope to join in on the Sunday fun again soon.

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    1. We’ve been apart too long, Shelley. Thank you. WordPress has been glitching and unfollowed quite a few regulars :/ We really love Eastern Washington and take frequent trips to Idaho. I look forward to seeing a Sunday Stills post from you when you can!

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      1. Yes, it has been way too long! I’ve had that same issue with WP and started an excel spreadsheet with the links to my favorites just in case my following link was destroyed.

        I’ve only been to Washington when I was a babe in the womb. I think my mom had a good trip. My dad was stationed there before I was born.

        I look forward to joining in on the Sunday Stills fun soon! Thank you for the warm invite and welcome back 🙂

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  34. So many fun photos, Terri! Nice to see that new construction shrouded in fog, and later engulfed in a rainbow! I’m also happy you made it to Wallace. That’s always a fun stop on any road trip. I’m not sure yet whether I’ll manage to come up with a construction post, but if I do, you’ll be the first to know! 😉 🙂

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  39. Well Terri, “WALK” is a good WOTY for you – me too. I began my walking regimen on the Friday before Labor Day 11 years ago. Coincidentally, that day, September 2nd, falls on the same day this year. Today I popped down to the Boardwalk on the Detroit River to take some pictures. I was looking for Joanne, a woman who soon will be 93 years old. She walks every day from her senior apartment, up and down the Boardwalk. She is now using a rolling walker after taking a nasty fall last year. There she was and we chatted and I took her photo. I told her I wrote about her in a post last year and made her a rock star as I said “I want to be that girl when I’m in my 90s and many people agreed with me.”

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  41. Fabulous collection of quotes and images. I particularly liked the New construction in Fog image. It’s quite inspiring, it feels like it’s almost a gothic story, builders developing on sacred land and every time they start to build fog descends and something goes wrong/someone goes missing (or something like that), or I’m just getting too excited by Halloween – haha. Great post. KL ❤

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  42. I agree that we all are work-in-progress, and that’s perfectly fine. I feel lacking too, but it’s good to try and develop a growth mindset, that there’s always a room to grow. Not always an easy task, but having this awareness and motivation can help, as we keep walking!

    You also managed to capture some really cool under construction things. The foggy image looks supernatural. And crazy carcancha is a great idea.

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