This whimsical playhouse used to stand 8 feet off the ground on a hemlock stump and was accessed by ladder through a trap-door in the floor. 

Sadly, the stump toppled under the snow load in 2013, so the playhouse is at ground level for the time being.  We're hoping to elevate the playhouse once again on some sturdy posts on one side of the glade -- another future project!

    The camp's kitchen has always felt a bit undersized to us.  Cooking was tricky with no oven and only a two-burner propane cooktop.  Counter space was at a premium and there were no drawers for silverware or utensils.  It was livable, but not as convenient as we'd like.  The Finaly Oval wood-fired oven was always more beautiful than functional, especially for summer-living.

    This year we decided to remedy this situation.  We purchased a new, full-sized propane range with batter-operated ignition and planned new cabinets and counter space where the wood stove was located.  The project began with removing the stove pipe and moving wood stove.

Because we want to match the pine cabinet fronts and trim in the existing kitchen, we decided to build our own kitchen cabinets from scratch using birch veneer plywood for the carcasses and pine boards for the face frames, trim, doors, and drawer fronts.

After a full day's work we had the cabinet carcasses built and the face frames assembled.  The counter top and trim were cut (excepting the back splash).

There is work yet to be done before the end of the month, including installing the laminate countertop, building drawers for the right-hand cabinet, and staining and finishing the wood surfaces.  But how exciting to see it all coming together so nicely!

The wood stove has been moved to the south side of the great room as a decorative piece for now.

    We've just returned from Starkey's Point where we were opening the camp for the season!  The unusually cold winter this year meant late ice-out on the lake, which meant late boat put-ins, and a late opening for the camp, but we're excited to get underway.  We spent a week at Starkeys cleaning, washing windows, airing the cabins, and making some updates that we hope guests will enjoy.

    The weather was beautiful: lows in the upper 50s, highs in the 70s with a few showers.  The lake temperature is lovely this time of year, refreshing without being frigid.  The bugs were better than expected, some mosquitoes and some deer flies, but they were actually worse in Wanakena than at Starkey's Point.

    Our big projects for the week, besides routine cleaning, were the replacement of the front porch steps and the installation of a new, full-sized range and new cabinets in the kitchen.  More about that in a later post.

    The other big news is that the AT&T cell tower in Cranberry Lake is operational!  We had great signal on the lake and 1-3 bars at Starkey's Point (the best reception is on the main dock).  We were able to make calls, send text messages, and use our data plans.  We can't say whether cell phones on other carriers will get service, but AT&T users should be in good shape.