..just when you think you're done...

I really thought that I had submitted the last blog entry for 2019, and then a couple of more things popped up, that I wanted to enter..

We were on our way to have dinner on Saturday afternoon with some friends who used to work at Habitat for Humanity, and we came across seagulls... lots and lots of seagulls . . . in a parking lot... I don't think I've seen so many in one place before...  I don't know where their home is, but, thought this picture was kind of cool.

While having dinner with our friends, we expressed the thankfulness that we had for them in helping us with our cabin project... And, it hit me afterwards that these are people who had a 100% clear understanding of what our needs were, what our taste was, and what our vision was.  This is the sign of an amazing friend/sales person... knowing the customer.  I don't know how many time we walked into the store, and someone said, "You need to see this".. or, "I saw this and thought of you" and it was exactly what I would have picked out... Probably Jim was having a stroke, but, he agreed with me on this one, Rachel and Brian have been amazing.  We started out as customers and ended up as friends...  They have moved on to bigger and better things, and we are so thrilled that they are wanting and putting themselves into a position of bettering their lives and families, but we miss them.

I was online a couple of weeks ago, and I saw this knife set, and I thought it was so unique that I just had to buy it.  This is going to go into the downstairs kitchen... I don't think it particularly goes with the main level kitchen, but, will be perfect downstairs...

In keeping with our goal of keeping costs down, we were in Home Depot on Saturday, and saw a trolley of sheet rock, and it was 50% off.. So, we, of course, bought it...picked it up on Sunday afternoon (because it wouldn't fit in the van and I didn't want to try and get it in my Kia Soul - like the bicycle... giggle) and we put it in storage.  The only problem was, it was bitter cold on Saturday afternoon, and Jim and I was hauling these 7 pieces of sheet-rock out of the trailer and into the storage building..  I can attest to the fact that 1/2" sheet-rock weighs considerably less than 5/8" sheet rock... like a lot...  I am not the strongest Mighty Mouse on the block, and this was a serious strain... and it was cold..  (Ok, I'm complaining... but, we're now on our way to collecting sheet-rock...) Jim asks me if I knew how much gyprock we needed to complete the cabin (and I'm still calling it gyprock - because it's gyprock in Canada) and I told him I didn't have a clue... All he said was, "A lot"..

Remember those florescent Boeing flight line jackets from last year? Well, they're still alive and well and... bright.  I wanted to get a picture of Jim, but the reflective pieces in the jacket kind of negated the whole picture!  All he kept saying was, "Hurry up.. it's cold.. my hands are freezing!"

On my travels this past weekend, I found these shelves... I thought the carving on them was just amazing.  I bought them, and showed them to Jim, and he agreed.. they are going to look amazing in the cabin.

And, guess what got put together and ready to ride!!!  I know they say that some things are just like riding a bike, but.... I dunno about this one... I was told that it takes some practice to get the hang of a tandem bike... so, this has me a little nervous...  I told Jim that I think we need to get our mountain bikes out of the garage and let me ride around for a bit on a regular bike first... I just hope his isn't going to be like programming the tv... something that I have to ask the grandkids about...  hmmm...

This this little gem (below) is one of the stocking stuffers that Jim got me this year....  It's wrought iron, mama bear (or maybe daddy bear) and baby bear...  I love it...  Jim went to pick it up, and hid it in the back of the van.  That afternoon we were loading trailer and taking stuff to storage... Jim said that he didn't think I would find it in the van... guess what...  started yanking it out.....Jim figured out at that point, that I'm pretty sleuth at some things.. I thought it was something I had put in the van and forgot about...  uhuh... Either way, I love it...

One of the cute items we got for Christmas was kitchen utensils that Melody and the girls wood burned...  They are going to look amazing in the cabin and I love the effort and time it took to make...  So, a BIG thank you to Melody, Mahayla and Brea for the thoughtful and loving present!

And, this was a stocking stuffer I got for Jim...It's a Smart Vent that is controlled with your iphone - we need another 10 - 12 if we want to have them all over the cabin. Time will tell if we have them in one room, or the whole cabin... I thought it was a cool idea...

And, being that this is New Year's Eve, I think this is going to be the last post for 2019.... It's been an amazing year, and a really wonderful year in the cabin department.  Thank you for all your good wishes to those of you who follow our blog.. it's been an amazing adventure.

And, as always, the adventure continues...  Jim and Cheri

...Winding up 2019....

Well, 2019 has all but come and gone, and we are now, hopefully, beginning the last year of our cabin building experience... I remember my father building our home in Brampton... started when I was in kindergarten, and, I don't think the building and remodeling ever ended...  The Streeters had really had hoped to get more done this year, but the weather came in early, and we have been snowed out since the end of October...

Christmas proved to bring some fun things for the cabin, the first being Moosie!  Moosie hails from the GWN (Great White North) and we are thrilled to have him as part of our cabin.  Jim's Auntie Betty from Washago Beach, Ontario saw him, and couldn't resist.  We both agree that he has the cheekiest look on his face!  And, with the suitcase between his feet, he was ready to travel!  Thank you Auntie Betty - such a wonderful, generous present from the Blue Mountain area!

One of the presents that I gave Jim this year was a tandem bike... giggle...I think he liked it, not quite sure, but let me tell you the best part...  I order this bike online, and I go to pick it up at the store...  The lady comes out with this bike, on a cart and asks me if I brought a truck or a trailer.. basically, what was I driving?

Well, I drive a Kia Soul... not a particularly big vehicle, but, I like it.  I told her that I didn't think it would fit in my car, and she just said, "Let's try"... So, I'm game... They wheel this bike out to my Kia, and put all the seats flat and then hoist it into the vehicle... This first picture is the front passenger seat, reclined with a People magazine on it...

This next picture is the back seat...

And, the last picture of the vehicle is the very back.  The bike went from front to back, with no room for anything else... Even the driver, (me) was crunched to one side.  Giggle.. BUT, it fit, and I got it home.

Here it is, under the Christmas tree in all it's glory..

We have two vans and a pick up truck at the house... I don't know why I didn't take it - let's just say, this is an experience I will not forget..  Giggle... Jim has started putting the bike together... no handle bars or seats quite yet.. That's probably something that is going to happen in the next couple of days!

Many, many years ago, we were up north visiting my mother's family, and my grandmother Zinovia was making bread...  I don't know how she made the most amazing bread, being that she was super old at the time, and she had a wood burning oven that she baked it in.. But, it was smooth, and smelled amazing.  She never learned to speak English, or at least she never spoke it to us, always spoke Ukrainian and my mother translated.  On this one occasion, she was talking to my mother about baking the bread and she was explaining the importance of wheat, how it is the staff of life, and you should ALWAYS have wheat in your kitchen - that it signifies that you will always have food to eat, and your "apron will always be full".  I was just a kid, but that story always stuck with me, and I have always had wheat in my kitchen... and, my kids have wheat in their kitchens also.  This year for Christmas, Brad and Melody gave me wheat for my kitchen down in the cabin... such an amazing, beautiful gift.  It will be a treasure in my new kitchen.  Thank you.

Continuing on, Brad and Melody and family were at a craft fair in Ogden, and they found this little wooden cabin - said it reminded them of our cabin, and it is the perfect addition to the ornaments on our Christmas tree... I love it!  (And, it even lights up!)

I finally made it home to the "Ponderosa" (that's what my brother Bart calls my parent's property) this past year... major tug on he heartstrings here... The house is gone, the greenhouse is gone, the skidoo house is gone... but, a whole lot of amazing memories are left.  Duane and I walked through the area where the house used to be, and had a little emotional moment...  Jim put this collage together for me... I know this will be one of the first pictures  I hang in the cabin.. such an amazing, thoughtful gift.. Jim I love you for this...I know he must have had some help from a little elf up in the GWN, and I thank you.. It's beautiful.

Before Christmas, I told Jim that I would really like some seat covers.. and the ones I want were Snoopy and Woodstock... Well, Christmas morning, I open a gift, and sure enough, it's a seat cover with Snoopy on it... But, it's a toilet seat cover not a car seat cover.. Jim just had this devilish little grin and said, "You asked for a seat cover... and, I got you a seat cover"... Um.. I guess I can't complain.. I got what I asked for.. This is going to look great in the cabin's downstairs bathroom!  The kids are going to love it...

Brianne and Lowell and Coy got us a corn-hole game... I must admit, I really had to figure out what this game was, but I think it's going to be great!  These are custom made, as you can probably figure out, by Lowell's cousin.  I think it's going to be amazing!  They come with bean bags, and I am sure they are going to be a hit on hot summer evenings...  Love, love, love them! (I kinda like that Canadian flag look!)

I saw this little cartoon a couple of weeks ago, and it reminded me of a whole lot of things... relationships, employment and of course building the cabin...  What will the new year bring... lots of opportunities!

And a thought as we plan for next year, the adventure continues . . . .

Jim & Cheri

EVERYTHING FROM THE LAST MONTH!!!

Between Jim being in Spain and life getting in the way of cabin building, we haven't made it down to the cabin in the longest...

BUT,..the biggest story this week... was the weather in Utah..record cold temperatures...  And, just to rub salt in the wound, Bryce Canyon was 3 degrees...  I heard Florida or California calling my name!!!

This is what the Weather Channel had to say.... "RECORD COLD: As of 3:37 AM the temperature in SLC fell to 14°F. This not only sets a record low temperature for Oct. 30, but is also the coldest temperature ever observed in the month of October. The dangerous cold is impacting the entire state. Bundle up and stay safe!"  3 degrees is just waaaay too cold for Jim and I..  We must be really terrible Canadians... we don't like the snow, we don't like the cold, and we prefer a beach somewhere...



We figured out that a better heating design is for two furnaces to heat the cabin in the winter time.. I don't think we are going to be there a whole lot, but it is our dream that for at least ONE Christmas, we have the whole family at the cabin... and, without the furnaces, it's going to be cold, cold, cold... We will only heat the apartment downstairs when people come to visit.  So, this little furnace is for the basement, so whoever stays in the little apartment downstairs, is nice and toasty... This one is a Day & Night Plus 90 furnace that's 40,000 BTU's.   The one for the upstairs, that we haven't purchased yet needs to be at least 80,000 BTU's... That's next on the list.

In true Jim style, when I got out of bed this morning, after finding that Jim had already been up for 4 hours, he had been busying himself by watching a webinar on how to design and install heating duct work... (I figure that if Jim can figure out how to design the septic system for the cabin, and design big industrial aerospace facilities, I'm sure this one would be easy in comparison...)  He told me there are three different methods in the State of Utah for planning the duct work...

1.  Overkill the engineering like it's a commercial building
2.  Underkill - Just say well it's kinda like what I've seen before so let's try this
3.  What the hell, there's three ways of calculating this out, let's pick the most simplistic, this just might work. . .

Last week, we drove to Kamas, Utah (up by Park City, Utah) because there was a guy that advertised that he had over purchased the soffit and facia for a house that he was building.. and was giving the excess away for free - he didn't want to just throw away perfectly good building supplies....  So, we drove up there on a Friday night, and snagged it... It will work perfectly for the cabin and we can purchase more of it at a local lumber yard where he had bought this...

While Jim was in Spain, I was out shopping and saw this bedding set... I at first thought it would be beautiful in the third bedroom (downstairs) at the cabin... It's kind of earth tones but has bears on the edging... I brought it home and then reconsidered... this may end up in our bed in Provo... I considered sending to my brother Barron in Arizona.. because it has bears on it... But, I don't know if a heavy spread would be appropriate for Arizona...  still deciding...

While out and about yesterday, Jim and I found carpeting for the loft area of the cabin...  Years ago, I was talking to an interior designer who told me that most of the people who are purchasing paint and carpeting, buy everything in the colour "oatmeal"... and, I determined that I would never buy that colour for a home again... and guess what... I just did...  But, I like the warmth of this colour, and the dark brown fleck will stay off a little of the dirt that shows on carpeting...so, I'm liking this...

The furniture we have for the loft is a mahogany, and I think this colour carpeting will let that beautiful furniture shine, and not be overpowered.  We bought 70 square yards for the loft.

Anybody who knows me, realizes that I am an eternal list maker... I make lists for the grocery shopping, and the activities for the day...  I really like my lists... I have always used a planner, but in the past couple of years, life has been so complicated that I neglected to buy a new planner... things changed so quickly, that I didn't think it was worth planning, and then having everything fall through.. This year, my attitude has changed...I bought me a planner for next year, and I am stoked to start putting deadlines for the cabin into it.

This planner is from a company called "In The Leafy Treetops"... and I love it...  time to start planning again.

Jim and I are both a little on the "control freak" side of life... My planner will be in addition to the huge white board we have in the hallways, and the paper list on the front door...  Jim calls me a little OCD, but I think we both have a streak of the OCD in us...  Giggle.

And, you thought I was joking... giggle...

We are hoping to get at least one more visit to the cabin this year... but, that is uncertain at this time... It has been snowing earlier and earlier this year.  Normally we can't get up to the cabin after the end of November.  This past week, it snowed, and then thawed which made the road up there muddy...  So, we shall have to see what the weather brings us..

Glad to have Jim home... I kinda missed him...
The adventure continues... Jim and Cheri

..quickly losing our window of opportunity

As we're coming down to the end of the race trying to get as much as possible finished this year before snow, we are working hard, but still coming up a little short.  We had wanted to get the four way completed this year, but, I don't think it's going to happen... between business trips to Dubai, and Spain and England, and hospital stays, a lot of the time that we would have normally devoted to working during the summer months, was taken away...  But, we forge on.

This weekend, Jim went to the cabin by himself...... I'm still trying to recover and it's been a long haul..  Jim took another load of cabinets down - my goodness we have a lot of cabinets and storage space!!!

     

 

These are stored in the basement right now... and, actually, will be going in the kitchen in.. the basement...  giggle.

There are so many things to do before winter hits... and, getting the rest of the siding up before snow, is paramount.  Jim wants to get the siding above the stained glass completed, but also the siding on the loft balcony... it's getting colder and colder and more and more difficult to work...  It's supposed to get to 17 degrees tonight!!

And... if you look above the window, you can see that more of the siding was installed...

Jim is sealing up the cabin, and we found that our contractor didn't do such a hot job on some of the parts of the cabin... there are BIG gaps where the cabin is totally open to the elements and this will need to be fixed before winter hits.. But, in the meantime, Jim was filling in little openings with spray on foam...  It was supposed to be my job last week, but it got too cold and we had to leave..

And apparently, we had a little booboo with the foam...  When you have an opening and you don't know it, you spray foam inside the cabin and it squirts out to the outside.  Ok, let's make up a story here.. Jim was foaming in the light fixture, and a large bear came up on the deck and was about to attack.. and, as Jim turned around to go to war, in his startled state, some of the foam leaked out onto the exterior siding...  It was an amazing attempt and Jim wrestled the bear to the ground... The bear ran away in fear...  uhuh... that makes sense to me.. at least, this is something that Papa can tell the grand-kids....

..does this stuff wipe off?  Not very easily!

Here's more of the foaming job that was done...  Looks pretty legit to me...

This is where the roof meets the walls.

   

And on the way out, on the way home, this is what I call the welcoming committee... But, in this case, the farewell committee... it's either cows or deer.. Today, it was cows... I think maybe this is steers... I'm not sure, I can't see that close to make that judgement call... So, gentlemen, if you are actually ladies, or ladies, if you are actually gentlemen, I apologize...

..they're showing Jim the way to the main road...  and they are not in any hurry...  Giggle

Back in Provo, this is what I was dealing with... snow... I hate snow..  I was talking to Coy yesterday that we needed to leave Ogden a little early from Ben's birthday party, because the forecast said it was going to snow.. It didn't snow last night, but it sure did this morning.  I called Coy and told him to look out the window and I could hear him screaming... he was so excited.. he wanted to go outside and play is that disgusting mess... I guess, that's the beauty of youth... snow is the bane of my arthritis... I hope they took lots of pictures of Coy in the snow...

And, this is the temperature as Jim was coming off the mountain.. Nuff said.

My question with this picture is.. why did he turn off the passenger airbag...where I usually sit... Um, Jim...?  Do we need to talk?  Jim told me that it turns off automatically when there's no one sitting in the seat.  Should I believe him?

...another amazing adventure.

Cheri and Jim