2019 Growing Pains...

This winter we expanded our operation. For the first two harvests our basement was filled with drying lavender plants but this year it will hang in our new workshop.

Manny VI stumbled across a trailer for sale that had been utilized by the Legacy Castle for event bookings while the luxury event space was undergoing renovations. This unexpected find would soon become our workshop.

After seeing the trailer online and in person, we put in a bid and won it at auction. For the first time after purchasing it, the reality of how we would get it to the farm set in. Over 100 miles away and divided into two 12ft wide trailers for transportation, this would not be an easy feat. Originally, we believed the trailers could be towed by a commercial pick-up truck. The extra wide load and heavy weight of the trailers prevented this and required an alternative route that added considerable time and distance to the trip.

Luckily, the inhabitants of Kauneonga Lake were happy to recommend someone up for the job - or at least able to recommend someone, who was then able to recommend someone else, whose father was a hauler willing to attempt the move. After reinforcing the 1970's trailer bed and only a few breakdowns, the trailer halves were finally placed in the field in March of 2019. Nothing, went according to plan, especially the weather, and a few stressful months passed before the trailer halves were both transported, connected, and properly tied down. In the end, the move and installation of the trailer cost more than the trailer itself - but we couldn't be happier with the end result. Today, the trailer, officially repurposed as a workshop, sits on the northwest corner of the property looking out over the lavender rows.

By June the workshop was solidly a part of the farm and we set to work on its beautification. Manny VI, Manny VII, Doreen's brother-in-law Darryl and nephew Carson all got together and mounted a cupola on the roof of the workshop - because no building is complete without a cupola and we wanted to elevate our trailer from its humble beginnings. Transforming the relatively flat roofline, breathed new life into our structure. In order to transport the trailer halves, much of the siding had been removed and the next step in this beautification process was reinstalling that siding. Manny VI and Manny VII set to work and spent a sweltering day recovering the exposed sides. The front of the workshop will need to be refaced, but we are all thrilled with the improvement so far.

Furnished from odds and ends we found at home, discarded, or donated, the workshop became a space that the whole family likes to enjoy. No one would guess what it once looked like, unless of course they read this blog!

Now I know everyone is tired of this story and just wants to see the reveal...enjoy!

Our first view of the trailer parked in the back corner of a NJ parking lot

Trailer halves parked at the farm and waiting to be "married" or reconnected after transport. You can see the plywood "marriage walls" that were installed temporarily to transport each half.

Finally Installed! This was a race to the finish as the snow covered ground began to thaw at an alarming rate. To move these heavy trailers and tie them down (to prevent shifting) heavy machinery was required to drive across our soggy fields. Joe and Amanda even had to come to the rescue and pull one work truck out of the mud with our tractor.

Procuring the Cupola: Now that the workshop was in place, the beautification project began. Doreen and Manny found this cupola for sale online and drove out to pick it up this spring.

Doreen and her mom Lili can be seen here hard at work giving the cupola a facelift (Not captured: Amanda and Tiffany who tied for messiest painter). To match our plans for the front of the workshop and give the cupola a fresh look, the girls got together and painted it white.

Painted and looking sharp!

Now that the cupola was ready to be mounted, Manny VI and Manny VII, along with family members Darryl, and Carson had to get it onto the roof! Everyone got a hardhat and the adventure began!

Working together, the cupola was positioned and the ropes were in place to haul it up. The photography crew (Doreen, Amanda, and Tiffany) were all needed to help boost this cupola up and over the roof line. Sadly, this means there are no photos of the actual cupola raising - but we think you get the picture!