I think my family felt a bit threatened by the strong showing of Anne’s family in the past month, so they decided to do something about it. Of course, in the true Popovic manner, instead of keeping things simple and coming one at a time, they all decided to show up at once. Luckily, the fabulous Keene Pumpkin Festival was taking place, so there was plenty for all parties to do.
Mom, Dad, Brother Mike, Sister Maureen, Sis-in-Law Paula, and nieces Erin, Zoe and Megan filled the hillside with…cars. And energy. And happiness. And, most importantly, food. Mom cooked enough to feed the entire town of Nelson. She even brought up a genuine New York pizza. Nice touch. The young ones were excited to see each other and inspect the well and the huge piles of dirt. Everyone else got a tour from the official long-winded tour guides, and then was put to work. Paula helped move some lumber around until she had to hit the festival, and then it was down to the Popovic men and Anne (it is a testament to her iron will that she didn’t hit one of us with a claw hammer).
Our main goal was to erect a few of the ‘goalposts,’ as they are affectionately termed by First Day Cottage. The goalposts are basically two 24-foot floor joists with a post on each end and one in the middle (check out the picture if this is unclear). Raising these goalposts was a new experience for everyone involved, and required some experimentation. We assembled the first one on the deck, positioned ourselves in the middle and on the ends, and HEAVED! CRRACK! Yeah, not a sound you are looking to hear when you are assembling the frame of your house. Luckily, the damage wasn’t permanent (all hail duct tape—just kidding). We learned a few things, and the second goalpost we raised didn’t groan quite as much. The important thing was that they went in and stayed in, and actually looked correct. A great victory, to be certain. Unfortunately, it was getting dark, and we were only able to get three up in the air. Mike’s height was a great asset, and would soon be sorely missed (How's that for a bit of foreshadowing?).
Comments