Once I'd decided to buy a specific piece of land my dreams became more concrete and practical; and I was very enthusiastic. Although I'd originally considered it an investment only, I guess I'd already turned it into more than that in my own mind - a place where the family could relax and enjoy each other and all of the summer activities in which we'd always participated - swimming, boating, hiking, camping, campfires. All of the children had spent time at the Scout camps just a few miles away on Cayuga. The "children" were now 15, 17, and 19. They would probably enjoy the lake with their friends more than with their family; but that was important to me too. We hoped our friends would enjoy the lake with us also. We had a canoe and we'd always enjoyed tent camping.
What did camping areas offer? A picnic table, a fireplace or grill, toilet facilities and water. I planned to bring drinking water with me; washing water was as close as the lake. One of my first purchases was a port-a-potty. If we used a tent, we would need a place to put the potty. I thought of a shower curtain type of shelter around the potty. Perhaps a tent wouldn't be the best solution for using the property frequently, however. I started eyeing campers and small trailers that we could park there. But they were expensive and we didn't really need something that we could move. At the same time, I thought about other problems. Unless we wanted to haul things back and forth every time we camped, we should have something lockable for storage. It would also be nice to have water pumped to the top of the cliff instead of having to carry up every bit of water that would be used; for that we would need electricity. Could electricity be brought to a pole or only to a building? A small shed would solve all of these problems. It should be at least 4x4 for use as an outhouse. If a 4x4 shed was built, why not make it 4x8 to accommodate a cot? And always, in the back of my mind, was the cottage I dreamed of having eventually. I started jotting down possible floor plans. Since I'd been drawing plans in my head each time I'd seen a property, I had lots of ideas and knew pretty much what I wanted.
I realized that work at the lake would be pretty much limited to the months between April and October. Once the first snow has fallen, the road is usually impassable; it's not plowed and is quite steep in places. We have two alternatives: to park on the highway and walk almost a mile or use the next road north (a paved plowed county road to the lake, then a dirt road along the beach, therefore flat, for a mile to within one lot of our property). During the early Spring, our road can be a sea of mud for a while - worse than ice or snow. I was anxious to be ready to start working as soon as the road was passable and the ground had thawed.
I had picked up a copy of the "Land Management Ordinance" for Seneca County before I decided to buy. It told me what information I'd need to apply for a building permit. One thing led to another. I would have to decide where I wanted the shed. But first I should determine where I would want to locate a cottage if I ever had one and it would be helpful to know how large that cottage would be and how it would be oriented; I jotted and drew and dreamed a little more. One constraint was a requirement that a building be at least 20 feet from any property line and 50 feet from the right-of-way (the dirt road). I would want it to be far enough from the edge of the cliff to prevent "landslide" problems. I inquired about restrictions caused by the power line that bisected the property and found that there were essentially no restrictions since it was so old - only that any building should be at least 10 feet from the line (based on the 1936 National Safety Code); and I didn't want to build directly under it. Meanwhile I contacted the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) about a permit for a raft (or dock) and found that no permit was necessary for a raft anchored a reasonable distance from shore, but that I would need a permit to put a water line in the lake. A dock or any alteration to the shore line would require a permit.
The day of the closing I was prepared to gather all of the information I would need to continue with my plans. I was armed with a 100 foot tape measure and pencil and paper as well as simple "REGAN" signs I'd made of 1x4 lumber, black on white with protective varnish, and a hammer and nails. After the closing I walked over the property and decided where a cottage and the shed would be located. I discovered a couple of new constraints. One was a small gully that looked like it would be a stream during wet seasons; the other was a grove of trees that I hesitated to disturb. I took all of the measurements I thought I'd need and I nailed up my signs to "stake my claim" as well as provide identification for lumber deliveries and introduce our name to our neighbors. I also noted the mileages and the route for delivery instructions; later I photocopied a map with mileages attached for my own reference and for visitors. Those signs have turned out to be very readable and durable; they don't look much different now than they did that first day and I've received all of my deliveries with no problem. One sign went at the turn-off from the main highway, one at a branch near the end, and one at each of two "parking areas".
It was a good feeling to own land. I had asked Dave to sign the papers with me, but he had declined so it now belonged solely to me - my own, my responsibility, mine on which to pay taxes.
I was now ready to apply for my first building permit. Since I was satisfied with my plans for the cottage I decided to submit that application as well although I still felt it was a dream that might never materialize. However, I would also need a permit from the Health Department prior to approval of the cottage building permit. Probably the most difficult part of filling out the forms was estimating the cost of the building; I estimated $10,000 for the exterior only. I submitted the water/sewage application February 16, the shed application February 24, and the cottage application March 3. Everything was approved by April 12 and I was rather proud of my building permits. The process became much more complicated the next year so I was fortunate I had applied when I did.
Now came the birth of the carpenter. I had three projects in mind: the shed, a picnic table, and a raft. I had already found that I wanted to invest myself as well as my money. I've always had a lot of self-confidence and a belief that anyone can do anything they really want to do. I had never used a circular saw, but I knew that I wouldn't get very far very fast without one. Dave had one; I read the instructions and chose a day to cautiously try it out when there was someone around to pick up the pieces in case I had an accident. My session went well and I gained confidence.
I had general concepts of what I wanted. Now I needed specific designs. I knew I wanted a picnic table with attached benches to deter wobbling on uneven ground. Dave had long ago cut out an article from the newspaper "House Doctor - A Table for Unhandymen"; I looked at that, but wanted more information. Dave laughed as I stopped at every roadside picnic table to measure the height and width of tables and benches and the distance between them and tried them out for comfort.
As for a raft, I knew that I wanted foam floatation rather than barrels. The only place I could find to purchase it was in a Sears Boating and Fishing catalog. With the floatation came instructions for building a raft. I varied the design somewhat since I wanted the surface of the raft to be closer to the water.
My first purchase at the lumber yard could have been much worse than it was. I went to a store where the customer selects each piece of wood and loads it himself. I was well prepared and determined. I knew exactly what I wanted for my picnic table and raft - widths, lengths, thicknesses. I had built a car top rack with a kit and had purchased sturdy tie-down straps. The kit included four ends that clamp on to the rain gutter; the user cuts wood or pipes of appropriate size to connect two clamps. By using different sets of holes, I could adjust it to fit either our station wagon or our compact car. I had visited the lumber yard previously to see what was available - prices, sizes, types. I knew I wanted pressure treated lumber. What I didn't know was how heavy it would be. When I was only part way home in the station wagon, I heard a crack and pulled over. I found that my front rack had cracked from the weight. Since it was still joined, but resting on the top of the car, I continued to cautiously make my way home without further problems. Dave must have seen me pull in. He told me I was not to put that much weight in the car ever again. It did appear rather low-slung when I took another look at it; I had to admit that he was right.
So began a learning process in which I found I could immerse myself entirely and with great pleasure. I spent a good deal of time during the next several years reading handyman books, project books, house plan books, house building books, how-to pamphlets. I spent hours curled up at one end of the couch thinking, drawing my own plans from ideas I'd read about or seen, and calculating measurements. Many of my ideas and solutions to problems came to me as I was driving; I had a 1 1/4 hour drive to the lake and I drove 1/2 hour to work. Other solutions came in the middle of the night or when I woke in the morning as if I'd been unconsciously working on the problem while I slept. I asked questions and made observations. How had other cottage owners handled this or that problem? Employees at the self-serve lumber yard were happy to offer suggestions when I couldn't find the appropriate pamphlet or had an idea that I wanted to try, but couldn't find the materials to make it work; I felt like an inventor at times.
Perhaps at this point I should mention that I have a BS degree in Math and an Associate degree in Nursing. My father had built a cottage when I was about 14 and I now feel that I probably learned more from him than I realized at the time. I was working as a Registered Nurse in an Emergency Room when I started this project, as a Computer Programmer when I finished it, and I started working on my Masters degree in Systems Science during it; I was involved in all three at the same time for a while. My time at the lake was my way of unwinding; I remember a day when I realized that I was smiling when I reached the lake - and I began to notice that this was almost always true. Just being in the area of the lake made me happy. There is a place along the route to the lake where you arrive at the top of a hill and can suddenly see the lake. It reminds me of the game of "I see the lake first" we used to play as children approaching Skaneateles Lake; it was a game our children also played when we approached the lake in Virginia where my parents now have a cottage. I started to try to put a name to the color of the lake every time I first saw it. Some days it was "slate gray", others "turquoise blue"; it seemed to be a different color every time. Often I couldn't even name the color; sometimes there were lines of demarcation between two distinct colors. I usually listened to the radio en route to the lake, but always turned it off when I reached Holton Beach so that I could listen to the sounds of the fields and woods.
The picnic table and raft went "together" without any problem. I cut them out at home and only partially assembled them; final assembly would take place at the lake. I had bought a saw guide and a drill guide to make the angles of cuts and holes more accurate. Since this whole project was an "investment", I had decided immediately to keep records of all of my expenditures; I have records of everything that has gone into the property, divided into two groups - things that will forever be part of the property and things that I can remove if I ever sell. Every rope and hinge is listed. The only thing missing is my labor - and I wouldn't have wanted to miss the learning experience and the pride of accomplishment that I've felt.
Once the road was passable and the ground thawed, one of my first jobs was to create an area where I could park the car off the road. There were two possibilities - one at each edge of the property; the remainder dropped off into a small gully. One side was easy to develop using a camping saw and pruning shears and some minor shoveling to level it a bit.
One of the first things I "installed" at the lake was a hammock. One way I relieve stress is by reading romance novels; reading them takes no concentration and being interrupted creates no problems. I always keep one in my purse and one in my book bag. Whenever I have to wait - in a line, for a class to begin, for a child to finish with a sport - I pull out my book instead of getting irritated with the situation. It was also a great way to relax when I was physically tired from a strenuous job at the lake. Sometimes I'd fall asleep. Often I found that a problem I'd encountered would suddenly be solved while I was reading - without being aware that I was even thinking of the problem.
My next project was the storage shed. I decided to put a window in each end of the shed, shelves for storage, and a door that swung out since there would be little room for it to swing in. The windows and door were the hard parts. Since the hinge pins had to be on the outside, I needed to find hinges that had permanent pins - a difficult thing to find. My windows and door were both homemade, nothing elaborate, but they were the first tests of my inventiveness in this project. My roof would slope only one way, the high side over the door. Now I would have a place to hang the pretty cedar "REGAN'S RETREAT" sign that I had purchased a couple of years earlier at the seashore for just such a project.
I cut the pieces for the shed at home in the garage. Meanwhile I leveled concrete blocks where I wanted to assemble it at the lake. It was my first experience with mortar and it strengthened my resolve to pump water to the top of the cliff. I discovered that the most effective way to mix mortar (and later, concrete) was to don rubber gloves and turn and fold and squeeze, like playing with clay or kneading dough. These concrete blocks just sat on top of the ground instead of being a real foundation below the frost line. The ground had been frozen when I had first tried to scrape at the dirt, but soon I was ready to haul the pieces out there and nail them together. It took a few more days and some more "how-to" reading before I had it shingled and stained. It was just a wooden shack, but I felt elated. It had gone together beautifully and I had created something in which I could actually shelter! I have often thought since that carpentry is a lot like sewing to me: I enjoy seeing the original pieces fit together and take on the shape of something recognizable. It makes me feel very creative and accomplished, little effort with very obvious results. But all of those little finishing touches (buttonholes, snaps, hems or sanding, staining, trim) are a bother - a lot of effort without a lot to show for it, but also necessary for the finished product.
Now that I had a waterproof building, I requested electrical service. I was told that it would have to be temporary (one year) since the structure could not be considered a permanent building. I was under the impression, however, that the one year might be extendible indefinitely as long as the shed was in good condition. By now my intention to build a cottage had been strengthened by the success of my first building attempt. I discussed moving the electrical service to a cottage eventually and was informed that I would have to agree to insulate the cottage entirely (they gave me the R-ratings) or petition the State Energy Office to waive the requirement. Since the road was impassable in the winter and I never intended to heat or cool, I did petition and it was accepted.
About the same time I contacted a tree care expert to give me an estimate for cutting down the 11 trees I had marked that were beyond my ability to remove. These stood where I planned to put the cottage. They were down by the end of April.
After the trees had been removed our neighbor, who had bought one of the three lots sold by the same couple from whom I had bought and who was at about the same stage of construction as I was, called and asked if I would agree to have the power pole moved. The power line passed almost through the middle of the lots, but the pole was on our property. He wanted to position his cottage in front of the line and I had planned to position mine behind the line due to the problems I had seen with landslides. I was not willing to have the pole moved, but I think I may have agreed if I had not already submitted my application for the building permit and felled the trees. I sometimes envy them the nice view they have of the lake. But, if the cliff ever starts to crumble, I'll certainly be the winner.
Once I had electricity I would be able to pump water to the top. I started to look into water pumps and electricians. Electricity was an area in which I did not really want to get involved. I guess it scares me enough to be very cautious of it. That also influenced my decision on the type of water pump to install. I decided against a deep well pump which would have required an electric line into the lake. Instead I bought a jet pump which sits with its small reservoir on top of the cliff with two lines running into the water; it needs to be primed every spring (or every time the electricity has been turned off if there are any leaks in the system) with 16 gallons of water. Water shoots down one line from the reservoir to push lake water up the other line. There's a "foot valve" on the end to keep water flowing in only one direction.
I would need the electrician to install a light, switches, and outlets in the shed as well as an outdoor outlet. I also wanted a flood light on the top of the cliff shining down on the beach. And I would need the water pump wired.
Since the water pump would need to be in place before the electrician did his work, I built a small pump house (about 2 feet square and 4 or 5 feet high). I placed it at the top of the cliff near the picnic table and it had a spigot handy for filling pails. It also had a small storage area on top. The sides and the shelf for the storage area were all removable for easy access to the pump.
Earlier I had submitted a request to DEC to be allowed to extend a water line into the lake. I was told that I must notify the local Conservation Officer at least 24 hours in advance of doing any work. Although I did informed him of that date, I never saw anybody inspect it.
I had all of the basic necessities now - shelter, water, and electricity. I was ready for the niceties and the fun. I sewed some yellow checked curtains for the windows and a larger one to pull across the potty area.
I spent a great deal of time and research trying to decide how to anchor the raft and I never really did feel satisfied with the solution. I found little information available, mostly related to anchoring boats. It looked like I needed a line about twice as long as the depth of the water and it should have some "give". I decided on a length of chain from the anchor, then a length of nylon rope, then another length of chain around a part of the raft. For an anchor I poured about four bags of concrete into a large metal container that I'd found on the beach and embedded both a cable and a chain in it. I learned to splice a thimble into both ends of the rope so that it wouldn't be worn away by the chain. Although I had checked the work load of all parts of the system, I wasn't confident that the chain wouldn't be pulled out of the concrete or that the links would hold or that the rope wouldn't break with that constantly moving water tugging at the raft day after day so I also planned to tie a rope from the raft to a tree on the shore and pass that rope through swimming buoys so that it would be easily seen by boats.
My parents were here for our daughter's high school graduation the week of June 21 when I was ready to assemble and launch the raft. They and our youngest son, Jim, and one of his friends also came to the lake with me one day. The raft went together without any problem. Then we used a ramp to roll the anchor on to the middle of the raft. My father volunteered to paddle the raft out to where it belonged, my mother went to a neighboring dock with a rope attached to the raft, and I went out in the canoe to test the depth and decide where the anchor should go (I wanted it at about eight feet). When it was in the proper location, my father would roll the anchor off the raft. I'd had nightmares about launching it - about a foot getting tangled in the rope/chain. My father decided at the last minute to take off his glasses and shirt. Good thinking! As the anchor rolled in, the raft tipped steeply and my father dove in. The raft was launched!
It was a good day. It was the first time my parents had seen the property, the boys went canoeing and caught a fish. We had a nice picnic. And we all went swimming; we hadn't really planned that activity, but my father had gone in with the anchor, the boys tipped over the canoe, I think I must have gotten wet getting everything adjusted on the raft, and my mother didn't want to be left out. The water was still very cold. That's one problem with Cayuga; there are years when it never seems quite warm enough to swim all summer long. I think that was also the weekend when Jim established a tradition. Each of his friends seems to undergo a baptism via overturned canoe during his first visit to the lake.
To increase the fun-value of the property that summer, I also purchased a small sailboat and mounted a basketball hoop in the parking area. Jim has declared both efforts flops. He calls the sailboat a bathtub. The basketball rolls into the woods and down the hill too easily.
I've been involved in a battle since I first bought the property - not a vigorous one, more of a nuisance - against poison ivy. I've always been very susceptible to it and learned young to identify it. There were large patches of it growing on the beach. I donned long pants, long sleeved shirt, long socks, and gloves and pulled out as much as I could during the first attack. Since then I've sprayed some every year. I always think I've gotten it all, but more has appeared each year. I had never seen it on the higher part of the property until 1989; I surmise that birds dropped seeds since it was rather scattered and not near where I'd seen it previously. Somehow, without realizing I've gotten into it, I seem to break out with its blisters every year also.
Every fourth of July there is a Holton Beach Lake Association meeting. The main purpose of the meeting is to collect dues to maintain the dirt road serving the twenty three cottages along the road. The southernmost sixteen cottages are built on the beach with the cliff rising behind them; I've often wondered how they ever managed to move refrigerators and other heavy or awkward furniture and building supplies down the steep, wobbly stairways that some of them boast. The northernmost seven cottages are on the higher ground. The Holton Beach road runs east from the main highway, then north and south about 150 feet back from the top of the cliff while the Interlaken Beach road runs east from the main highway, then south along the beach. The northernmost 5 cottages at Holton Beach are served by both roads. We're number six, but the northern extension of the Holton Beach road is maintained by the Interlaken Beach Association so we are charged by both associations for road maintenance - about $20 each, some years more, some years nothing. The annual meeting gives everyone a chance to socialize and to discuss common problems. One of those is trash disposal; another is fire protection.
I have always disposed of trash by taking it home with me. For cottage owners whose residences are far away trash disposal is a problem. There is a dump about 12 miles away for which I obtained a permit one year and I was able to dispose of a lot of the left-over pieces of drywall at that time. However I've heard that dump is no longer open to us. I haven't visited it lately and I don't know what other cottagers do now.
Fire protection had never worried me until someone mentioned that the current fire equipment is too large to get down many of the lake roads and that they usually can't save a cottage on fire, only attempt to save the surrounding cottages. I have a fire extinguisher handy and I'm careful with fire. I've done nothing else about it.
At the time of the raft launching, we were still climbing up and down the ravine with the aid of a rope I'd tied to a tree to reach the beach - not very convenient. It was time to think about building stairs. I examined the cliff along the shore and finally determined where it would be easiest to build a stairway. I planned to build in the shape of an "L"; I'd go perpendicular from the top of the cliff to a landing supported as close to the bottom of the cliff as possible, then turn and continue parallel to the cliff. It wasn't necessary to secure a building permit for the stairs, but the landing would be supported by four 4x4x16's so I thought I might as well enclose them and use the space for beach storage; that permit was approved August 22.
I worked on the stringers at home, bolting tread supports at the proper angle and interval, while I worked on the supports at the lake. I asked a neighboring teenager if he would like to have the job of digging the post holes for the two supports at the top of the cliff and he agreed. I left the post hole digger and a pry bar for him, but I guess he tried and decided I couldn't pay him enough to make it worth while. I think he may have been right. There were many rocks. I'd remove a small amount of dirt, then pry out another rock, then repeat, but I was able to dig the two feet that I needed. At the bottom of the cliff I made forms for a 4x4 concrete base, screwed brackets to the bottoms of the 4x4x16's to help anchor them, and filled it with about 4 inches of concrete. Dave and Jim helped me to maneuver the top two stringers into place, but I managed the bottom two myself. Then came the fun part - nailing the treads in place. Sit on one and nail the next - sitting in space - a unique experience. Where there was nothing, now there was something solid. There are 51 steps, 32 from the top to the landing and 19 from the landing to the beach. I added more supports and railings later. The job was complete on September 27.
My last job of 1984, completed October 4, was to string a wire fence across the top of the cliff as a safety measure if we ever had small children visiting. There had been one there before; I found rusty pieces here and there, but there was not enough of it left to be effective. There were enough trees so that I didn't need posts and it was an easy job.