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Mostly I went up to the house today to rescue all of Charles’s horse tack.  I am hoping it will see more use. I will offer it to anyone who thinks they can use it.  Rachel from my boarding barn in Hatfield may come by.  Two trunks of leather goods and another pile that would fit in more trunks if I had them. Mostly it is harnesses for use with the sleigh or a cart. 14 days and counting for Day 1 of Demolition, so anything that can be saved is a plus.  The house is mostly empty now. I almost filled the truck just with the horse tack and had to place a door teetering a bit on top- it’s the beloved Secret Passageway door.  I left a couple more doors behind for now that I couldn’t fit in the truck. I also tried my hand at more salvaging.  It’s amazing the tasks that I have no problem with, but then one small screw that won’t turn, can throw me into a deep disgruntled state. I have so much respect for those who can handle tools and know how to tackle a job.  Tap, tap, in goes the pry bar neatly under a piece of door jamb that should be lifted.  Looks like butter.  Creak, creak, out pops the wood, exposing the item to be removed.  (That is me imagining how it’s done, not me in real life.) I am glad my niece’s husband Jim will save some windows tomorrow.  Anything from the old place that can live on, that’s a plus.

I have been reading about Maple sugaring on the Cooley Farm back in the 30s. Harry says this, "I have had to empty my filters several times from the sugar sand which seems to be more abundant than usual. I take this to be a sign that it will be a good sugar season. Inside each heavy felt filter bag I have put a handmade bag of heavy cotton flannel, which catches much of the sand and can be emptied and rinsed without disturbing the big filters." This should give you a hint on one of the mystery items displayed. I wonder if one of these actual items survived from the 30s?!

Thank you to Eric Henderson for his work. Didn't it rain today?! Before photos: After photos (thank you Peter Cooley):

Tomorrow the 'garage tree' will come down along with a rotting Maple near the north west side of the house and an Ash tree behind the kitchen. Soon the metal roof will come off. Also, boxes of junk are coming out of the house.

Randolph Center Ridge Road in 1992, taken by Charles H. Cooley The view in the background...did those horses know how lucky they were? Charles's Morgan venture with Suzanne Royalty, aka Suzie, and her 4 year old Fern Hill Alexandra aka Lexa (named after my son and Charles's grandson Alexander Shepard Cooley). Two important things Charles gave us: #1 this tractor now helps us on our mini Cooley Farm in Leverett, MA. In the photo below it was pretty new, ~1989 Randolph Center with Alex ~age 4 getting to try it out. #2 He gave me Lexa <3 Here he is lunging her for me in Amherst, MA ~ 2008, she was about 20 years old at this point. I had so much fun with her for the next 5 years. Truly an exceptional Lippitt Morgan; she taught me so much and Charles gave me a huge compliment when he said "you have done the most with her of anybody with your riding." I was crushed when she died in 2013. Still the best present anyone has ever given me.

This is an undated photo but may be around 1990 based on photos around it in the album (but may be earlier). You can see the house is in better shape ~34 years ago. The two houses appear to be still well attached. Tulips in the garden, a bird feeder, tools next to the front door. The photo below is from 1995. Charles is with his new baby- Haley a colt out of his beloved Morgan Suzie (also in the photo). My son Alex was 10 and is here with his new Lab puppy Meg.

I made this little model of The Ridge Road House almost 50 years ago for a Landscape Design class at UVM.  It is a bit crude but I love it anyway and my granddaughters have played with it a bit, so I am proud that it has ‘held up.’ What attracted me to this house in the first place?  I like the simplicity of a white Vermont farm house perched on a hill.  I like houses without all of the added stuff like ‘Foundation Plantings.’ Give me the one large white Hydrangea or the single purple Lilac on one corner.  It is almost regal to me in its simplicity. Most of all I liked the people who lived here, maybe that’s why I love this house so much.  I feel so lucky to now own this property.  I wish we had a million dollars to fuss with the house, having experts on antique houses come in as advisors, taking years to jack it up, put in a new foundation underneath, work with the old beams, keep what we can, restore it bit by bit in a by-the-book way. Instead we will do the practical thing (still expensive) and try to rebuild a house that matches this as closely as possible.  Prepare yourselves- things will start to come down in about a month, towards the end of February.  First the tree which has grown into the garage will come down, next the metal roof will come off.  I will document this. I have tried to preserve the house through photos and videos.  I would love to have more photos of the house in its prime from family members who can send them to me.  I would share them here. I have tried to keep family informed via this blog so they are prepared.  I know it is a loss.  Ultimately though, the site will be safer and ready for the matching house to go up.  This is my 3-5 year plan though so the reappearance of the house will take longer than the process of it coming down.  Please say your Goodbyes.

Eric Henderson was able to work on the driveway today, despite 12" of new snow 3 days ago. You can see Eric working with his equipment here. Photos thanks to Peter Cooley. Entrance/parking for Peter & Megan: The main section of the southern end of the driveway: And Mazey Cooley modeling to help show us the scale on the south entrance:

My husband knows what this is, I did not. I used them as soft packing to bring home a kerosene lantern from the Ridge Road House. What is it? This one will test your Vermont roots or knowledge.

Can you guess what this little beauty is? I thought I'd add a new fun category to my blog. MYSTERIES! Some will be items, some will be places, some will be historical mysteries. Some I will know the answer to and am testing you...some I need help, suggestions, ideas. Join in!

November 7, 2023 Eric Henderson out of Williamstown (Henderson Hauling & Excavation) does excellent work. He is reliable, careful, efficient and cost effective. Megan & Peter Cooley found him- he put in the new well house for them, helped them with an outside frost-free hydrant, and added gravel to the front driveway to the south. We will continue to use him for removal, excavating, possibly even a new septic system. On 11/7 he removed all of the tires, the old tumbledown shed, trash and debris. So it is starting to look tidy. Also he laid down gravel on the north side of the house to use for heavy equipment. See photos below. The new well house that Megan & Peter had installed earlier in the year:

Any old house has some materials that are considered hazardous waste. Asbestos, once considered a marvel as a fire retardant, is now known to cause health issues if fibers are released- particularly lung damage including cancer. Luckily there are people trained to test for these materials and remove them safely. My husband's brother Peter and his wife Megan, while working with Henderson Excavating & Engineering out of Williamstown, had the house inspected for asbestos by a qualified company up in Burlington, VT, K-D Associates, Inc. in June 2023. Samples were taken and tested from many surfaces (floors, walls, ceilings, window glazing, insulation, building paper, and asphalt roof shingles). The only area found to contain asbestos was the downstairs bedroom which had 9"x 9" tiles. Mid-State Asbestos out of Roxbury, Vermont removed and properly disposed of nine bags of asbestos-containing tiles in July 2023. They were shipped to an approved facility in Ohio. Lucky us, poor Ohio.