I got in a nice full day of work at the property today. By the end of the day, I had just about all of the form boards in place for the inside of the concrete stem-walls and the air face of the retaining wall. I would have finished the rest of the retaining wall forms, but... I ran out of nails!

In the process of digging some form boards out of the bottom of the pile, I took a minute to admire this beam. It's a 24-foot 6x12 that's going to support the center of the second floor. It's going to be very visible and a center-piece of the design. I got lucky and was able to pick this one out of a freshly-opened unit at the lumber yard. Straight, tight grain, and as close to clear as lumber gets these days, especially in a longer piece. This was a major score!

About an hour into the work day. Setting these boards got a lot more interesting when the forms got above my head height. 

I came across this gem in my rafter pile. This is supposed to be "#1 and better", and doesn't leave me brimming with confidence in the lumber graders.

I got almost all of the form boards in place for the inside of the stem-walls and air-face of the retaining wall. Also built the scaffold to give a working surface during the concrete pour. The greenery in the foreground is a bit of dinner shrapnel... wild onions to go with steaks on the grill (Thanks Shawna!). 

End-of-the-day progress shot from the usual spot up the hill. I am feeling more and more like I know where every piece of this house goes; it's just a matter of putting each of them in place.