The Meade Hall

[Chungas Revenge]

Small muscle movements from yesterday.

Moving things out of the great room and occupying recently cleaned space. Spare/guest room taking shape. Mostly left overs from the lake house.

No direct intention of turning the thread into an HGTV spinoff. It’s the only “material” I have until we start some of the outdoor projects . I guess the only rationalization that I can muster is, it’s the “character phase” of the Hall. Bits and pieces of old and new coming together to give the place an identity.

Ok, rationalization over.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Captains lounge revisit PH I.


New threads for the lounge. Slightly worn look reminiscent of the owner.

Headed back on Monday to start the “great room” declutter. Also, working through the logistics of the wrap up campaign. Hoping to get started again soon on the electrical/plumbing. Tentatively shooting for the end of April to have the large items checked off of the punch list. There’s always little things going I can putter along with as necessary until then.

It’s not quite time to start mowing yet but, I think I’ll transport the mower Monday and stage it. I service and store it in the fall so I can hit the ground mowing come spring. When it comes to mowing, there’s something uniquely satisfying about it.

My presence has been conspicuously absent in Florida and I think I’m running out of leash. I may be out of the net most of May so I’ll be engaging the property as much as possible till then.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Busy day but not many pics to verify.

2nd coat of paint down on the west wall. “Most” of the trim work is down. Commenced clearing ops in the main room. I need to make a run to the lumber yard for an extra 8’ section of trim and order some T/G for the bathroom ceiling. Lounge is back together. Took it for a test drive. I think it’s going to work.

 

[Jdc1]

J - you’ve probably considered it already but without Ms Revenge being local having a hard time committing. I think this would really look good on the West wall….

 

[Chungas Revenge]

J - you’ve probably considered it already but without Ms Revenge being local having a hard time committing. I think this would really look good on the West wall….

100% Classic..

Timing is everything. Hang it during the New Hunter “Lord of the Flies” briefing…

 

[Buffchief]

Captains lounge revisit PH I.


New threads for the lounge. Slightly worn look reminiscent of the owner.

Headed back on Monday to start the “great room” declutter. Also, working through the logistics of the wrap up campaign. Hoping to get started again soon on the electrical/plumbing. Tentatively shooting for the end of April to have the large items checked off of the punch list. There’s always little things going I can putter along with as necessary until then.

It’s not quite time to start mowing yet but, I think I’ll transport the mower Monday and stage it. I service and store it in the fall so I can hit the ground mowing come spring. When it comes to mowing, there’s something uniquely satisfying about it.

My presence has been conspicuously absent in Florida and I think I’m running out of leash. I may be out of the net most of May so I’ll be engaging the property as much as possible till then.

View attachment 4111363

View attachment 4111364

Is that a cow hide with tiger stripes added?

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Is that a cow hide with tiger stripes added?

Yes, it’s a genuine cow hide imitation of an endangered species . If you look at the right hand corner of the pic, there’s another genuine imitation. The painting is called The Pelt Merchant, it’s an 1869 work by Jean-Léon Gérôme that depicts a tiger skin in the market place of Cairo.

Probably wondering what does a faux tiger skin and a giclee reproduction have to do with a hunting camp in Appalachia? Well, actually nothing at all. It’s a Kipling fired inspiration from a grade-school library.

 

[Buffchief]

Yes, it’s a genuine cow hide imitation of an endangered species . If you look at the right hand corner of the pic, there’s another genuine imitation. The painting is called The Pelt Merchant, it’s an 1869 work by Jean-Léon Gérôme that depicts a tiger skin in the market place of Cairo.

Probably wondering what does a faux tiger skin and a giclee reproduction have to do with a hunting camp in Appalachia? Well, actually nothing at all. It’s a Kipling fired inspiration from a grade-school library.

View attachment 4113466

Hunting camps can have all types of odities. Mine has a Jackalope mount on the wall. They once roamed all over Texas !

 

[Chungas Revenge]

No Texas outpost would be complete without one..

Hunting camps can have all types of odities. Mine has a Jackalope mount on the wall. They once roamed all over Texas !

 

[PAToyota]

Along these lines, in Baltimore, the Walters Art Museum has a section that is set up like a Renaissance-era gentleman's study. If you ever have the chance to visit, it is worth seeing.

Cabinets of Curiosity and a Hall of Knights​

From there, we ventured into one of my favorite corners of the museum, a re-creation of a Renaissance-era study, lined with wood-paneled cabinets and drawers labeled with careful script.

This Chamber of Wonders is a time capsule of curiosities: preserved butterflies pinned in ornate arrangements, tiny skulls and seashells, taxidermied birds and insects, and strange marine creatures in jars.

Nataliya leaned over a case displaying an armadillo shell beside a carved nautilus, marveling at the juxtaposition of nature and art.

Next to it, we wandered into a small library-like space, where shelves of rare books shared room with miniature bronzes, ivory carvings and delicately painted trinket boxes. It felt like discovering a collector’s private study.

Between these two rooms lies a narrow hallway of armor — gleaming helmets, shields, swords, crossbows, spears, and even ivory-handled pistols suspended in glass.

Standing before the child-size suit of armor, a perfect miniature that once fit a noble boy, I remembered my son staring at it in awe years ago, convinced it was built for a knight his age.

That is from this article: Wonders Within the Walters: From Mummies to Masterpieces - Baltimore Style - https://www.baltimorestyle.com/wonders-within-the-walters-from-mummies-to-masterpieces/

Here is the catalog of the collection: Artwork found at Charles Street: Second Floor: Chamber of Wonders | The Walters Art Museum - https://art.thewalters.org/browse/location/chamber-of-wonders/

This is one of the rooms:

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Wow…

This caught my eye in the article.

“Another painting I sought out from memory was “A Christian Martyr’s Last Prayer” by Jean-Léon Gérôme, that sweeping, chilling canvas of early Christians huddled in the Roman Colosseum as lions approach, an image that once stunned my children into silence”.

Along these lines, in Baltimore, the Walters Art Museum has a section that is set up like a Renaissance-era gentleman's study. If you ever have the chance to visit, it is worth seeing.


That is from this article: Wonders Within the Walters: From Mummies to Masterpieces - Baltimore Style - https://www.baltimorestyle.com/wonders-within-the-walters-from-mummies-to-masterpieces/

Here is the catalog of the collection: Artwork found at Charles Street: Second Floor: Chamber of Wonders | The Walters Art Museum - https://art.thewalters.org/browse/location/chamber-of-wonders/

This is one of the rooms:

 

[Chungas Revenge]

It’s official…


This is day three of cleaning, storing and hacking my way through the hoarders paradise that has become the main room.

The best (smartest/sane) course of action would have been to clear everything out of the big cabin before starting on the addition, instead of the constant moving, stacking, storing, moving again tango I’ve been doing since OCT 2024..In my defense, town is thirty miles due west and it would have been a semi excruciating venture at best. How’s that for a ready made rationalization!!??

Well regardless, hind sight is always a 50/50 proposition and I can’t lament about the extra work or circumstances.

Starting to reclaim the “big room”. Totes, boxes and containers of semi important items are very neatly arranged in the laundry room (again ).


The Captains area is now officially designated (yet to be christened) and the taxidermy is finding its way back to its proper overhead location.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Calling this the “once over”.

Moving and cleaning in sections. Just hitting the high spots.

I have some professional hired guns with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a bucket ready to tame a few months worth of dust and debris waiting in the wings. For all of the abuse, the oak floors have held up nicely. A few characters marks here and there but, but for all the wear and tear, I’m pretty happy.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Better shot of the semi-reclaimed main room.

It’s a slow slog through the construction clutter. Back on the hill this AM for another round. Enlisted CB as a second set of hands this week IOT tidy up some trim work and start on the bathroom. Bathroom sink is inbound from a big ticket store. Handmade vanity courtesy of CB is on the punch list. Kicking the can on the final wall covering/shelving/ceiling.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Nice bucks. Did those come off the property?

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Thank you. Yes they did. They were a few years in the making. I/we tried to clean up the genetics the first five years or so. Gradually, there was positive shift in the bucks we were taking.

Last year and the previous year, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) really had an effect on the population. So much so, that I’m thinking about holding off hunting this year.

Nice bucks. Did those come off the property?

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Thank you. Yes they did. They were a few years in the making. I/we tried to clean up the genetics the first five years or so. Gradually, there was positive shift in the bucks we were taking.

Last year and the previous year, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) really had an effect on the population. So much so, that I’m thinking about holding off hunting this year.

Well at least that's not chronic like CWD. Still bad though.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Gaining ground.

CB with the assist today. Late start followed by an extended BS session with neighbor “Chuck”. Absolutely gorgeous morning so chewing the fat with the neighbor seemed like the thing to do..

Bathroom door and trim in pre-paint configuration. I told CB “I kinda like the contrast of the battens on the painted wall”. That was followed by a long lengthy pregnant pause.

I’ll knock out the paint work some time next week. There’s a little light sanding to do where some of the primer bled through my painters tape. We used the rough side out on the cedar so my seal wasn’t perfect.

Two coats of urethane on the door.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

The war on grime continues..


Second half of the main room received the once over treatment today. I realize the cleaning phase is not the sexiest muscle movement(s) thus far. Including the pics and commentary as part of the story. I’m at a 90% solution in the main hall. Progress.

1. View from the laundry room door.
2. End of the kitchen looking east.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

I picked up this Cawley Lemay 500 wood stove circa 2013-14.

Designed by Bob Cawley and his wife Martha, who did the wild life reliefs/sculpting. Company was originally founded in PA. It’s 100% cast iron, has two front doors and glass windows behind wildlife scenes. That’s the thumb nail sketch and the good news. Bad news is it’s going to need some love..A brass wire brush and some stove black should bring it back visually. I think the door gasket was/is new. I haven’t used it in several years, so a thorough inspection of the exhaust, thimble and triple wall pipe is in order.

It’s a unique cabin essential. Heats the main hall nicely and there’s a 30,000 BTU LNG wall mount just beside the Captains Bar for backup.