COLD AIR RETURN GRILL....

I know it's a really strange name for this blog... but, we were at an antique sale yesterday in Pleasant Grove. We found this piece that really caught our attention.  I thought it was absolutely beautiful - a little over priced, but beautiful.  It was almost closing time, and the lady selling it took 50% off the price, and we were sold. It was from a home that was in Logandale, NV - a home that Mormon pioneers had built.  I don't know anything else about the house or the piece, except that it's absolutely beautiful, and it's going to be beautiful in my cabin as a cold air return.

Cheri

ANOTHER PICTURE....

Here's another picture of what's going on at our property.....

Cheri

SNOW!!!

This is what happened in Bryce Woodlands/Duck Creek this morning... groan.... We were going to go down and continue digging today, but the forecast said there was an 80% chance of rain, so we changed out plans... We didn't expect... SNOW!

Cheri

ONE HAPPY MAN!

I love this picture!  Jim looks so proud of himself - he worked so hard clearing this section and it looks amazing!  Another grand adventure has started!

Cheri

NEWS FLASH!!! WE BROKE GROUND!

Such an exciting weekend!  Jim and I drove down to the property, with backhoe in tow.... and WE BROKE GROUND!  Seems like we've been waiting a life time for this!  So freakin' exciting!

Our F450 didn't quite like the drive - she has an issue with towing 16,000 pounds of backhoe, PLUS 3,000 pounds of trailer.  Poor thing... We're going to take her to the truck spa this week, and have all her troubles fade away!  (That's my way of saying she is going to get a tune up....)

It took us almost 6 hours to drive down, as opposed to the usual 3 - the load was exceptional and we had to drive particularly slow.  But, this time, the boom was tied down really securely, and we didn't have the major sway like we had before.

I took a ton of pictures, but I don't want to totally bore anybody, so I've selected the ones that make me smile!

The first picture is Jim driving the backhoe to the site, and our address is #10 Crestline Avenue!  Third picture is Jim about to dig a hole for my blue spruce.  I always said that on the day we broke ground, I would plant a blue spruce and watch it grow for the next 20 years!  (About half way to the property, I realized that the blue spruce wasn't in the back of the truck, so we had to buy one.  We spent the night in Hatch, Utah, and we asked these cute ladies at the local hardware store where I could buy a blue spruce. Now get this, the hardware store sells everything from cross stitch patterns, to worms to fish with, to lumber.  it's awesome.

The ladies give us the the name and phone number of a gentleman, 95 years old, who sells trees.  We get to his place, and he's in Ogden, Utah for the weekend...  but, he tell us to just go into his greenhouse, and look around, see if we like anything, and pick out a tree... we'll settle up later.... um... ok?  So, we picked out this little cutie, and she is now a permanent part of our home!

We really didn't have a clue what we were doing... Jim was at the controls, and I was kind of playing navigator!  We did a whole lot of yelling, and arm motions and even a few hand motions in there!

AND... this is what the final product looked like!  Sooooooo excited!

Our Manzanita plants are covering the property still... and are in full bloom... kinda pretty.

On the down side... our Canadian flags, which map out the property lines, didn't wear the winter months so well....  Sad face....

All in all... was an amazing weekend....  Jim and I were in bed last night at 8:30.... totally exhausted.  We slept for a couple of hours, and then woke up at about 10:30 and just talked and laughed and made plans for next week....1:00 in the morning, we finally fell asleep for the night....  Amazing, amazing weekend!

ANOTHER GRAND ADVENTURE.

MORE BRICK!

We made another trip to Coalville, Utah (up by Park City) last night and picked up another 300 brick.  The brick we picked up last week was so pretty that we decided to get another load.  This time, we brought a little trailer with us instead of piling it all into the back of our pick up.  Last week, after all the brick was loaded in the truck, we felt like we were doing wheelies all the way home - was a little back heavy!  This week, it was considerably better.  The only concern I had last night was driving through the canyon, at night, knowing that there are major numbers of deer that cross the road on a regular basis... But, we did ok.

We got home about 10 last night, unloaded the brick, returned the trailer, and got back home, all by about 11.  I feel like I've been hit by a truck this morning, but, the brick sure looks pretty.

The lady who sold us the brick told us that the name of the hardware store that burned down was Bullock's Incorporated.  She is trying to find us a picture of the original store.  I am doing a little research on the store and hopefully will find something... To this point, I found out that the Bullock's were some of the first pioneers to the Coalville/Park City area.  Very prominent family who owned considerable property in the area.  She said there was a store in town that had the very same brick in it.  It was too dark last night to go looking for it to get some pictures - that will be another adventure.

I love that our brick have a past...

Here's the brick all nicely stacked in our driveway.

Cheri

PANTRY DOOR

I have been looking for vintage doors the past couple of months... I wanted something in the cabin that was not just "old" but elegant and amazing and have personality.  I found a door this past week that fits the bill.  We are going to put in in the kitchen as the door to the pantry.  I love it.

It is an etched glass pattern of flowers and leaves... It really appealed to me.  It is an inside door, so I don't know why the original owners put a deadbolt lock in it - but, we're going to take that out.

It is elegant, and graceful and something about it speaks to me.  I love it.

Cheri

BRICK!

I was online a couple of days ago, and I saw an blurb advertising "vintage" brick for sale.  The lady was in Coalville, Utah, which is just outside of Park City, which is about a little over an hour away for us.  I call her and ask her about this brick, price etc., and she asks me how much brick I would like.  Well, I want a certain look for the floor of my outside shower and the patio.  I tell her how much brick I need, (which Jim tells me after the fact that it's really not enough for what I want to build) and she quotes me a price that is waaaaaaaaay cheap.  I tell her that Jim and I will take a drive up to see the brick.

I was wanting a really antique looking, old, weathered type of brick.  We drive the hour to Coalville, find the place and this brick is actually in these piles out in her horse pasture.  There's like 10 horses wandering around.  I find that the brick is absolutely, 100% what I wanted.  It's beautiful.  

In talking to the lady, she tells me that this brick came off of a hardware store that her grandfather owned.  She said that the store burned down (arson) years and years ago.  The grandfather was really quite a conservative man, and decided that the brick was salvageable, so he pulled the building down literally, brick by brick, and put the brick behind his house.  He then got the boy scouts to come out and chip all the mortar off the bricks (paid the scouts .05 cents a brick) and the brick has sat in this field for the past 40 years.  The grandfather has long passed, but the brick has remained.  The grand daughter now wants it out of the backyard.

This pile of brick has yellows and reds and cream colours all through it.  There is even a little bit of "burn" from the fire.  It's absolutely beautiful.

I am so excited to get this brick, and that my brick has a colourful past!

Cheri

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

Was a very busy weekend for us!

We were going to try and take the backhoe to the property this weekend, but the weather forecast was calling for rain, so we had to regroup and make other plans!

We finally picked up the trusses from Goshen - I really didn't think I could pick up the trusses by myself - and I was right.  But, they are in the back of the truck right now - we'll unload them tonight.  

We bought a soil compactor, and a couple of nail guns out of Salt Lake.  Jim got a really good deal on them, and they will definitely come in handy.  

This next weekend we are planning on driving down with the backhoe and start the excavating work.  Getting so exciting!  We've been working on this project for the last 2 years - seems kind of strange that it's actually happening!  There is so much to do this week - feeling like I don't have enough time!

Cheri