OH MY!!! I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN!!!

As I go to write this weekly blog, I always start to think several things... First of all, is this going to be boring, and then, do I have enough information to really warrant a blog update, and then, finally, do I have interesting pictures to support an update.  This week, there is so much information, I don't know where to start! So, here goes....

If you follow our blog, you'll know that several weeks ago, we purchased a table that seats 10 people.  I was totally excited for this purchase - I've always had it in my head that I wanted a huge table that could seat the whole family! Well, this week, we found the chairs that matched the table!  

These are ladder back chairs, made by the Hunt County Furniture company that was started in 1926.  They are antique and not reproduction.  I am not sure what year these chairs were made, as there is no date markings on them, only this information on the underside of one of the chairs.

We purchased them from a dealer in Salt Lake...  This is how they were set up when we got there..

And, this is how they were transported down to the cabin..  I was thinking that these chairs were like beautiful little old ladies... beautiful, elegant, fragile, and each with their own story to tell.  Jim told me when he pulled in for gas some guy walked up and asked "how old are they?" and Jim replied we don't know we just bought them yesterday.  Then when he stopped for dinner later another person responded "nice chairs, wanna sell them?"  I guess they get attention.

The 2nd piece we bought, at the same time that we bought the chairs, was a corner chair.  I loved this piece because of how different it was - not quite sure where we're going to put it, but I love it.  The urban legend is that soldiers who wore swords on their dress uniforms, would sit in chairs like this, so that they didn't have to take their swords off..  Don't know for sure, but, it's a great story!





When you turn off Hwy 89 into Bryce Woodlands Drive, there is always some kind of welcoming party - sometimes it's deer, sometimes jackrabbits, sometimes a bear  (well only once in the history of Bryce Woodlands, but it was 2017) ... This weekend it was... COWS!

Oh, come on... you know you saw this picture and went, "Moooo!"

With the table and chairs in place, Jim decided to set up a little more of the livingroom... This is a temporary livingroom, like the kitchen, but, it will make it a little more "homey" .. I don't think he particularly does it for him, but for me... I really like going and there is some semblance of living...

The chair/couch/lounge to the left will be going up into the loft... Like I said, some of this is temporary.

Jim said that every time he goes to the cabin, he wants to see actual changes - like stairs being built, or the deck being worked on, or siding going up.  This weekend, it was electrical.  Jim got the light fixture wired in the kitchen, and cans put into the ceiling.  Jim knows that not having enough light in the kitchen, just about pushes me over the edge.  So, this kitchen will be well lit!!!  I love it.

 I believe Jim said that he will be putting 3 more cans in the ceiling and a 2nd central light fixture like this one into the kitchen.. BUT, we need to wait to install them because we aren't quite sure of the position of the island yet. When that is decided, I'm sure they will go up.  We have to figure out where to put the refrigerator, and the antique stove also.  The regular cooktop and oven will go into the island - but, we're still up in the air with the others.

With the stairs being completed (Jim is so freakin' proud of this accomplishment - he has mentioned it a couple of times, and even had a little tiny grin.. tiny... ) he decided to put up some railings, so his clutzie wife has something to hold onto when I go up into the loft..  I am not particularly co-ordinated, to say the least... (There was a blurb on facebook this week, and it was praising all the women who can walk in stiletto heels and not fall over...  because, I am one of the women who trips wearing flipflops..)

As we've mentioned many times before, the scenery is amazing.  Jim took this shot on Friday night - it's amazing, and mysterious... beautiful!  This shot is actually of "Cheri's Heart"... but, at a weird angle, so the heart is skewed...

Ok.. this next picture cracks me up.  In Hatch, Utah, which has a really, really small population (131), there is a bar, named the Outlaw.  It's only been open a year or so.  The best thing about this bar, is that it has a really decent restaurant.  So, people go to have dinner, not particularly to drink...In fact, this bar, doesn't have a "full bar" list of alcohols, so you are really limited...  Giggle... I know... Well, Jim goes there on Saturday night, to have dinner....  The food is great, but, even though this is the height of tourist season, it's not really a really rockin' place, five people in the place... Giggle.

But, it has really good food!!!

JIM:  I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU SENT ME THIS PICTURE... SO, YOU'LL NEED TO ADD THE TEXT TO THIS ONE... OK, he's edited here, the white space on either side of the ridge beam is an open space (hole) to the outside.  This is where the birds have come in.  The problem is, that open hole is 24 feet above the floor in the living room.  So we have to buy or rent scaffolding to get up there and plug it up.  This will have to happen before the snow flies.

While Jim was working tirelessly on the cabin, I was back in Provo - kinda hangin' out...  But, I found a set of drinking glasses from the 50's, with a wheat pattern on them... and, I think they would look amazing on that 10' table...  My mother always said that in Ukrainian culture, "wheat" is considered the staff of life... I have always had wheat in my kitchen, so that my "apron will always be full".  This glasses are in remembrance of my mother, and my grandmother, Zinovia, who incidentally, baked the best bread on the face of the earth..

And, finally... while I was kickin' around, doing nothing.... I completed the flowers on my stained glass project.  I had this idea that I wanted the whole panel to be completed by this coming Wednesday.. not gonna happen... But, in the next week or so, it should be done and taken to the Glass shop for insulating and framing... Here's the individual sunflower that I completed, and....

..... here's an overall of the project.

As you probably don't know.. I love Pooh Bear and Snoopy... This week, which was a revelation to me, someone suggested that Pooh Bear was a girl...  her first name is Winnie...  Um...  still trying to get over that one... Anyways, I saw this little blurb with Pooh Bear and it just summed up Jim and I..."A grand adventure was about to begin when we met"... and it has...

 Here's my advice:  Take a chance; go out on a limb; live the dreams that are in your heart...  don't die with your dreams still inside you...

OUR grand adventure continues.

Jim and Cheri

CAN I SAY.. SIXTEEN!!!?

One more weekend down, and the summer is quickly coming to a close.. This means, the number of weekends left to work on the cabin is getting smaller and smaller.  With September just a couple of weeks away, we have September, and October, for sure, to work... and November is questionable.  So, we are under the gun.

I haven't been going to the cabin because I have just felt miserable sick.. I finally went to the doctor earlier in the week and found that I have ear infections and infected lymph nodes in my neck.  My right ear was so infected that the ear drum split, and it's caused me major pain.  I've been on antibiotics for a week or so, and a little by little, I'm feeling a little spunkier, so, I think in a bit, I should feel well enough to spend a weekend at the cabin...

Lots of things are appearing in the cabin...  but, these are appearing on my walls!!!

You know, there are times, since Jim and I got married, where the two of us are so in sync with each other, it's truly scary... sometimes, not so much.  But over the weekend, we were so in sync, it was terrifying, but amazing all the same.  Jim calls me, and says that he is doing the electrical wiring in the kitchen.  I, at first, thought this was pretty boring, until he said he put 16 electrical plug outlets in the kitchen in the back splash area.  Yes, I said SIXTEEN.... This is like a dream come true!  Eight plugs on each side of the kitchen window.  Does this man know me, or what??  This means I can have my two Kitchen Aids on the counter at the same time, along with the Blend-tec, waffle maker, toaster, hot pot.. etc, etc, etc.  Giggle..


One of the huge projects that needs to get completed before the snow flies, is finishing the siding.  Jim started once again nailing the siding on, Sunday afternoon, and I think it looks fantastic!  We have the prow yet to do and around the dining room bay window... two really big jobs, but the front door looks pretty good.

On Saturday afternoon, Jim calls me and said that we had fatalities in the cabin again.  Several weeks ago, he called and said that there was a dead woodpecker in our living room.. and we figured that she got into the cabin while the doors were open, and with the heat and the lack of water, she died during the week.  On Saturday, Jim called to say that there was another dead bird in the living room.. and while we were talking, he found a 2nd bird.  So, we figure, there had to be another entrance.  Jim spent Saturday looking at the eaves, and around the doors.  He found several smaller openings, but nothing big enough for a bird.  By the time he left to come home on Sunday afternoon, he had figured out where the hole was - and it's 23 feet above the floor, at the top of the ridge beam.  There is a little space, where we think birds sit, and eventually come into the cabin, and then can't figure out where to get out.  The only problem is, we have a 16' ladder, so, it's going to be a little tricky to get to.  I just hope we don't wipe out the whole woodpecker population, before we get it closed off..

While Jim was at the cabin, I was back in Provo, working on my glass.. As I've said many times, it's not if you are going to get cut, it's when...  I was going to grind a piece of glass, and there was one tiny little little shard of glass sticking out on the off the side... when I went to grind the glass, that tiny little piece punctured my thumb, and the bleeding was incredible... Took me the longest to get the bleeding stopped... Not a huge cut, more of a puncture...now to let it heal for a couple of days, before I'm back at the cutting and grinding...

I got a call from Jim on Sunday morning, and he started the conversation with, "Um, there's a little fuzzy tail that just ran under the couch"... I was having a freak... A mouse?  Jim says no... bigger.  A rat?  Jim says no.. bigger... and I'm thinking bigger?  He finally tells me that it is a chipmunk that ran from one couch to the other.  About that time, the little beast ran out the front door, and was just hanging out on the deck.  From that, Jim figured that this little guy, probably has been getting in under the door.  So, that little space was filled in and those visitors will be no longer welcome.(Yes, he's cute.. but...)

A couple of weeks ago, we purchased two book-matched slabs of wood for a sliding barn door in the loft.  I forgot to mention that we bought a slice of wood to make the perfect charcuterie board.  After all the projects that Jim has going, I am sure this piece won't be finished for a couple of years, but, I can wait.  It is a slice of maple, (those maple trees hold a special place in my heart...sort of like moose), is interesting, and beautiful all in one.  This slice of maple is about 3 feet wide...

When I was out shopping on Saturday, I found a piece for the kitchen, that holds a sentiment unlike anything else.  When I was growing up, my parents always had this Corningware coffee caraf on the stove.  They were not coffee drinkers, but my mother and dad brewed up some of the most interesting teas... from peppermint to chicory to who knows what... it was this coffee pot that reminds me of my parents, my home, and growing up...  a sweet memory.

I was reading about a couple in a publication this past week, that interested me.  They had very successful careers, but decided to walk away from their careers, and go on an extended bike tour - because they wanted to prove that people were essentially good... Unfortunately, their adventure came to an end when they were killed by ISIS.  But, it was something the husband wrote before they left that interested me.  He wrote:  "I've grown tired of spending the best hours of my day in front of a glowing rectangle, of colouring the best years of my life in swaths of grey and beige. I've missed too many sunsets while my back was turned.  Too many thunderstorms went unwatched, too many gentle breezes unnoticed."  How beautiful; how poetic; how sensitive and touching, but how true.  This is sort of the philosophy that Jim and I have... we are building something lasting, enduring and a monument to the love we have for each other, and for our children and grandchildren... not to let the sunsets go unnoticed, to take time to sit on the porch here in Bryce Canyon and enjoy the breezes and the rocks, and learn how to love those things around that are given freely.

Once again, the adventure continues. . . .
Jim & Cheri

IT WAS A QUICKIE!

This week has come and gone, and another successful, VERY QUICK trip to the cabin... and I mean, VERY, VERY QUICK.... we left Sunday morning at about 8:30 am, and made it back to Provo, at 9:30 pm... and please remember, this is a 4 hour trip - one way!

Jim and I have been married 11 years, and in those 11 years, I thought that we were reasonably decent communicators.. But, this week, it was proved that our communication skills were a little on the lacking side - and I am not going to place blame on either side, but, let's just say, what one person said, was not what the other person heard.

Jim had told me on Tuesday morning, that he wanted me to go and pick up some light bulbs... He told me where to pick them up and what they would cost, $37.  So, I left for work a little earlier than I normally would, got to the place, paid the money, and asked the guy where they were.  He told me that they were outside... leaning up against the building...  (Inside my head, I'm going..."Leaning up against the building..?")  I go outside, and there is a pile of lights, but they are 4' industrial fluorescent fixtures.. I'm like.. ummm, 25 of these? ...  I go back into the building, and confirm what I am supposed to pick up from the cashier.. He says that, there are 25 of them, and they are mine... I am about to have heart failure.  I call Jim on his cell phone - no answer.. I call Jim on his desk phone - no answer.  I finally leave him a message that just says, "Jim, call me, like NOW".  I'm driving my van, so I figure that someway, I'm supposed to get them into the van....  they are not particularly light, and VERY awkward... I back the van up to the stack of lights, and I got 15 in the back of the van, with the seats all pulled down...  I am in a total sweat, and off to work I go.

About 10 minutes after I get to work, Jim calls me, and I explain the situation to him.. and he calmly says, "I didn't say they were light bulbs, I said they were light fixtures.. and I didn't say you had to pick them up, I just asked you to pay for them... I wrote the guy and said you'd pay for them and I'd pick them up tomorrow.... " Grrrrrr...

OK, on to better things. . . . Several months ago, I was looking for bookmatched wood planks.  I wanted to have a huge table made out of this ... I looked everywhere, and contacted everyone and couldn't find anyone in Utah that had something like this from a sawmill.  Well, a couple of weeks ago, I saw an advertisement from a guy in Salt Lake, selling EXACTLY what I wanted.  The only problem is, we already bought the table... Well, Jim and I decided to go and look at the wood, anyways... And, this guy really has some beautiful pieces.  We decided, that we wouldn't use the wood for a table, but we would use it as a "barn" type sliding door for the upstairs bathroom... that's the type that doesn't swing open, but, the fixture is on the top and it slides to the side.  The pieces we bought are Russian Elm.  I think these pieces are going to look amazing.  If you flip the right one over, it matches the one on the left.  The right one is what you'll see from inside the bathroom.

As I just said, we already bought a large table, and the main reason for going to the cabin this weekend, was to drop off the table.  It's huge, and it's beautiful, 9 feet long and seats 10 people.  Jim was going to go down by himself on Saturday morning, BUT, I checked the weather report just before he left, and it said there was an 80% chance of heavy rainstorms all during the night.  Because the table is on a trailer, if it spent the night outside, it would be totally ruined.  So, our plans changed.

I didn't get a picture of it, but all those "light bulbs" that I picked up, were tucked under the table for the trip down south.

And, this is where the table ended up.

...in the dining area in front of the bay window.  The carpet I had picked out, doesn't quite fit.  This is a 8' rug, and I think we need something a couple of feet longer, and wider.  But, the placement of the table is exactly what I wanted... BIG HUGE IMMENSE, big thanks to Jim and our neighbour's Ron and Mary Horton for helping get this big boy into the house...  Do you remember us talking about two planks laid over Galt's Gulch..?  Yep, that's what they carried the table over - balancing it, while walking on two wobbly planks.... with Jim walking backwards...  talk about nervous... Couldn't take a picture.

We are putting a few pieces of furniture in the cabin - just so it's a little liveable, while we are working.  We find that we work a little bit, and take a little break, and then work a little bit.. and the sequence repeats itself.. So, these couches, are exactly what we need - in amongst ladders and nail guns and a little bit of everything... it's our place....

This has nothing to do with the cabin, but it made me laugh.. On Thursday, I got a little picture in my e-mail from Coy...He's a robot.

So, this is what I sent back to him...

I think he got a kick out of it!!  Giggle...

Another successful trip, and another amazing adventure...

Jim and Cheri

OMG OMG OMG... I have a kitchen!!!

Ok, people.. this might not look like much to you, but to ME, this is better than Christmas, sex, birthdays and kisses,  all rolled into one!  So, that's pretty impressive!  I don't do camping, or glamping, or any of those "live like a hobo" kind of activities, so going to the cabin, and even trying to make a sandwich has been more than I want to be involved in.  Jim is very aware of this, so this weekend, at the cabin, he put in a little makeshift kitchen for me... complete with a little refrigerator, hot pot, cupboard space AND a radio.  Anybody who knows me,  knows that I just can't do anything in the kitchen without the music blaring - so, this is an extra plus.  Jim sent this picture to me before he even got home, and I actually screamed when I saw it!  VERY EXCITING. I believe this kitchen is going to in the end move downstairs where we are planning a little living area, with a kitchenette, bathroom/bedroom... But, for now, this is amazing! I was thinking that this reminds me of when my parents were building our house in Brampton - we moved into kind of primitive conditions, but Dad put in a quasi kind of kitchen, so mom could at least put meals together for us.. didn't help her cooking any, but, I remember dad putting in a couple of counters... but, never a table... I don't know why...  The table was in another room...  memories...  Thank you Jim for my kitchen..... you know me well.  Jim just said "Wait till you see the table!"

As you can see, it was a VERY BEAUTIFUL day to be at the cabin.  Jim was absolutely amazed - he kept saying how perfect the weather was.  It is an incredible view.

The project that Jim has been working on the last couple of weeks, has been the stairs..first of all from the basement to the main level, and then the main level to the loft.  Well, the stairs are all finished, and we can now go from the main level to the loft... and it looks incredible...  Jim has done an incredible job!!!  I know this next line is going to make me sound like Brianne and Bradley's great grandma Annie - typical southern grandma...  whenever something was pretty wonderful, she used to say, "I'm so proud"... and now, I'm saying the same thing...  It looks amazing.

And, with the stairs put in, Jim put a couple of chairs in the loft so it can start to have a "homey" kind of feel... I love it.

And, now that we could get up to the loft, it was time to fix the door... The builder, well let's just say, he wasn't having a good day when he put the framing in... the place for this door was lopsided and we couldn't get the door in properly.  Jim jammed the door in last fall, just so we could get the cabin closed up and winterized... but, this summer, it came out, the hole was recut, and the door was re-installed...  whole lot better..  This door will open up to a little balcony, and I imagine eating breakfast out there in the mornings.. reading the newspaper.. eating a croissant...  ok, it's a dream.. Jim already broke the bubble on that dream telling me that there is no newspaper delivery where we are...  but, I can still dream... I went out on Saturday, and bought a set of dishes just for eating breakfast here...  When I told Jim about it, he just looked at me with "that" stare..  Ladies - you know the stare...  uhuh.. we all do.. The plates are really simple, but they have a rooster on them, with the word "Bonjour"...  get over it, Jim!!!

Seriously... isn't this the cutest set?  Jim just said "Really?"

Look... the door fits!

Here's a view from the loft, looking towards the prow.. I love it.

Jim brought the love seat from the basement up to the main level, which makes this room start to look like an actual living room! There was a large workbench in the middle of this room, and, presto - it's gone!!  This is one amazing man...  He has worked so hard on those stairs all weekend, but took time to add a couple of touches that makes this wife... very happy.

The work on the 2nd glass piece goes on...This is by far one of the hardest pieces I've ever made... It is so wide, that I have to lean over, at a really strange angle to get the pieces in... and then, I have this terrible pain in my shoulders and hips, afterwards.. But, I think the two pieces are going to look fabulous together in my bathroom...

Again, the adventure continues.... the amazing adventure goes forward...  We are blessed.

Jim and Cheri