5/01/08: Well the Art Shanty is over and the ice is off the lake. Time to grease the wheels of the old off-road bike. Getting muddy and going fast is just as much fun as freezing your butt off on Medicine Lake.

Thanks to those who have supported the project by designing and donating time and materials, I appreciate it.

1/27/08: If you haven't yet noticed, I started a few albums here and here

1/26/08: The sunny and warm weekend brought many people to the lake. The shanty had some good questions, mainly from little kids asking "what's it supposed to be?" I guess it's hard to explain eco-responsibility to little kids. my answer was a fish powered by the sun... well, close enough.

The highlight of my day was to ride in the bike races. I didn't win, but did pretty well. I also found my very favorite looking shanty... guess what it does (pic 12)

1/20/08: The shanty is on the lake and and working great (pic 10 and pic 11). The entire shanty village is very neat and fun. The art shanty bike races were mentioned in the Sunday Star-Tribune noting how cold it was. Negative 4 degrees on opening weekend is not that bad, well until you eyes start sticking shut from all the frost on your eyelashes.

1/19/08: Opening day at the lake for the Art Shanties! Very exciting. According to my estimate, we used about 90% re-used/green materials (the other 10% would be the treated lumber for the base). The solar panel is up and running (pic 09); it charges a car battery which powers interior lights and a car stereo.

1/9/08: The windows are in, the door is hung, the bench is made and the cracks are sealed (pic 7 and pic 8). We also made the mounts for the solar panel and planned most of the wiring. This weekend will be a big push to finish the main structure, hopefully by saturday. Let's hope for good ice and a lull in global warming.

1/7/08: The house is coming alive! We put up the walls, cut the doors and windows, put a roof on it and shingled over the weekend (pic 3 and pic 4). Tonight we made the door, trimmed the rest of the shingles and caulked all the cracks (pic 5 andpic 6). What's left you ask? We have to hang the door, put the glass in the windows, paint the exterior, and make the bench and bunk on the inside. And, before we put up the interior paneling (by the way, the paneling is vintage 1970) we need to install and run the wiring for the solar panel and stereo system. Once this is complete we will start to shape the head of the fish. It will be fun... only 12 days left.

1/1/08: Construction is going well. The base is finished (pic 1 and pic 2), now to build upward. We have gathered enough materials to begin a more intense building effort. Hopefully we can organize a team building session to really get things moving. Only 19 days left!

12/19/07: Construction to start tomorrow...

12/17/07: Solar Panel came in the mail!

11/15/07: Materials list goal of 80% recycled/"green" materials:

1. treated lumber
2. 2x2 pine
3. treated plywood
4. osb sheathing
5. misc. wood scraps
6. storm windows
7. old door
8. hardware for door
9. rope
10. furring strips
11. recycled clothing
12. chicken wire of wire mesh
13. misc. fasteners
14. styrofoam insulation
15. solar panel
16. 12v battery
17. car stereo
18. speakers
19. led lights
20. propane heater
21. fishing gear