..just trying to recover

..it's been such a long, hard week, we decided not to go to the cabin and work this weekend... more of an emotional, and physical recovery weekend..

But to start with, co-workers at my job found me this sign...

I love it... Thanks to the Account Managers!

AND, I was in a store on Saturday, and I saw this interesting clock... When I saw it, I immediately thought of Jim, and how amazing this clock would be in his workshop...  But, knowing Jim, I thought that he would give me all kinds of reasons why I shouldn't buy it... I was going through the list in my head of what I would say to convince him like... it's an engineering kind of thing... you need a clock in your workshop... it's incredibly unique and reminds me of you...  all these kinds of things.... Well, when I showed him, he immediately said, "I like it - it's looks like an engineer would buy it, and it'll be perfect in my workshop"... I immediately said, "Where is my husband and what did you do to him?"  I then asked him pertinent questions that only he would know, and he just laughed at me... never gave me the right answers, so it's still suspect if he's been abducted or not.  I did buy it, he does like it, and when my husband is released from this alien abduction, I hope he likes it too...

Jim drove down to the cabin on Friday afternoon before I even got home from work... which is good, because the plumbing is still not in, and ya....  He sent me these pictures from the truck as he drove south on I-15...

Jim Insert:  As I drove down to the cabin I kept running in and out of rain showers.  The weather report said it would be gone by Saturday.  But it made me a little philosophical.  In all the years of doing this and it seems like a lot of trips have gone down, I always leave exhausted from my day's work and so look forward to getting to the cabin.  (Are we there yet dad?)  I usually arrive by 9:30 and just unpack and mellow out.  

This looks so inviting, even in the dark.  I love this picture.  This was taken on Friday night.  The stars were absolutely amazing against the ink black of the sky.  You could see the Milky Way streaking across from one horizon to the other.  I love the look of the cabin at night...Don't those two chairs look inviting?

Saturday morning, the sun comes up before 7:00 and always wakes me up and then it's OK, this is wonderful to lie here. its so quiet and peaceful.  Let's get going!

I always make a mental plan of what I want to accomplish that weekend.  This weekend I wanted to complete the modifications to the backhoe gas tank rebuild and get the power into the cabin from the street by mounting the meter base on the outside wall.  As usual Streeter had to design the install "better than code".  I guess I want this cabin to be some sort of monument to our existence after we're gone.

Back to Cheri. . . .

This is really something that Jim is going to need to explain...  I know this box has something to do with the electrics, but...

More electrics. . .

More from Jim:  The electrical work is tedious, boring and takes what seems to be forever.  It isn't too exciting to post pictures of electrical boxes and wiring on 2X4s but what is satisfying is to finally hook up the circuits to the breaker box in the basement and turn the lights on for the first time -  with power coming through your house.

OK, back to Cheri.

Well, this what I know about... the lights in the hallways (square lights) and the light in the main floor bathroom (round light) in the main floor bathroom, turn on by flipping a switch!!!  I love it!

...and, this light (kitchen) turns on by flipping a switch also!

On the drive home, Jim usually stops in Fillmore to fill up with gas and get a bite to eat.  He stopped at the Maverick (best gas prices), and went to use the restroom... this is what he saw... He went in there, and said that there wasn't any "men type stuff"...  Apparently, Jim has never been in a ladies bathroom before... he wasn't used to all stalls!  Giggle.  So where do the women go when it's turned into a temporary men's bathroom?

By the time Jim came back home, the weather was lovely...  the roads were clear, and apart from being tired, Jim made it home safely...

As a post script... I was talking with Coy this afternoon and he wanted to know where Papa was... So, I told him that Papa was at the cabin in Bryce Canyon.. He didn't know what Bryce Canyon was, so, I pulled up a picture for him to see... This is called "Thor's Hammer".. and this is the picture I showed him..


As soon as he saw the picture, he gasped... and, in a very quiet reverent voice said, "It's orange, like my hair!"  And, I told him, "Exactly!"... he just stared at the picture, in a very, very reverent manner, totally amazed at the red rock, and was taking in the whole picture... was a beautiful moment.



..he just never knew he had "Bryce Canyon" hair!

Post, post script from Jim.  You see that mountain peak to the left of the sunset?  That's where our cabin is.  Just over that peak on the other side slightly to the left.

The adventure continues... Jim and Cheri

...after many weeks of absence.....

 It's been many weeks since our schedule was freed up so a trip could be made to the cabin to continue on with work.  Jim spent a couple of weeks in Dubai on business, and then, after all of that, we went on a quick little vacation to California.

Jim took a little walk through the open air market in Old Dubai and had a couple of pictures taken.... looks like he's turned into a local!!

One of the vendors in the market complimented him on growing a "really good beard".... If you look at the little box in Jim's right hand, it's a box of Tim Bits from a Tim Horton's Donut franchise.. in Dubai.. I swear, Dubai has everything.

At the pool, in the background, the tallest building in the world.

After getting Jim home, and working on getting the time zones in his head straightened out, we took off for California... with our cat, Mokie...  We couldn't find a babysitter for the cat over the long weekend, so he made the journey with us...  Let's put it this way, he won't be visiting California again... After he hissed at me, and bit me, I have decided that we are not friends...

While we were in California, we experienced a first... we felt a 7.1 earthquake!  We were in our 5th wheel, and all of a sudden, the 5th wheel started rocking back and forth.  I thought Jim was on the outside of the trailer and was working on something, and making it move back and forth.. then, I realized Jim was in the trailer with me.. he thought I was making it move back and forth... well, we learned later on that evening, that it was an earthquake about 100 miles away... Of course, when people asked about it, I had to tell them that we were romancing, and I just figured Jim rocked my world... giggle...  (saying that, people don't have a response... giggle...)

One of the first things Jim had to do this weekend, was to replace the gas tank on the backhoe.  Apparently, it had a metal gas tank, and it rusted through. So, Jim researched it out and found the only way to pull the gas tank was to either pull the engine out or split the frame of the backhoe.    He decided to cut the top off and mount the new gas tank inside the old gas tank.  We have a lot of dirt work to do this summer... the property needs to be graded so that a retaining wall can go in.  Jim was working on the repairs in the morning before the area really heated up.  That big round thing above the gas tank is part of the frame of the backhoe.

While Jim was in Dubai, I found this amazing stove and bought it... we are now changing how we were going to put the kitchen upstairs together... Now, I think this stove and oven is going to go in the kitchen on the main level, and the wood-burning stove/oven is going to go in the kitchen downstairs... I still think it's going to look amazing. (I hate making big purchases without Jim... I took pictures, and sent them to him, and we agreed it would look amazing... but still.... don't like making these purchases...) PS:  This brand of stove was made in... CANADA!!  Jim asked if it was gas fired so we could convert it to propane.  Turns out it's electric.

Jim has been furiously working on the electrics and he told me this was his big accomplishment this weekend... the electric conduit for the meter was installed on the outside of the cabin and we can now call Kane County to come and remove the temporary power pole... Jim was so excited.. in the same breath, he told me he didn't think it would mean that much to me, but it was a HUGE advance in the cabin building.. I am glad he was excited, but, he is right, I guess I don't understand the importance.

I have been looking for a large iron framed mirror... something that would go along with the other wrought iron things I have collected, and this past weekend, I found one!  I know it's large, (it's actually a BIG ASSED mirror.. - about 4' wide and 3' tall.) BUT... it's what I wanted... I think it's beautiful...  The game warden is out of town this weekend, and I am a little nervous to see what he says about it... giggle... First thing he said was "where are you going to put it?"  I know exactly where I am going to put it... in the bedroom downstairs where my granddaughters are going to sleep...  I want them to get up in the morning, and look in that mirror, and see how amazingly beautiful they are... and, be able to know they are loved, and love themselves... just because...

And, the other thing I bought this weekend was a box of 6 can lights for the cabin... Jim told me to buy them, so, you can't blame me for being a shop a-holic... But, in reading some of these blog entries, it looks like I really like shopping...  OK, I admit it.. I really like to shop... I think it gives Jim heartburn some times.. but... a woman's go to do what a woman's got to do!

I don't know much about this electrical stuff... but, Jim does.. and he was pretty excited when I bought this...

..and those beautiful light fixtures we bought... well... as you can see, they are now installed!  The two lights above are in the kitchen for the island.... Both are working now!

..and, this huge white fixture is about 22 inches across, it's beautiful and it's now in the main floor bathroom....

..and, this coach light (gas light) looking fixture, is in the loft bathroom upstairs... I think it looks absolutely beautiful...

And, Jim has been working feverishly this weekend to get the electric service/breaker panel up and running... He was explaining each set of bare, white and black wires represents a part of the house that now has light switches, electric plug outlets and light fixtures.  So we now have four circuits, the south side of the kitchen, the living room lights, the central hallway and bedroom and the main level bathroom.  But we still have a long way to go . . . keep going Jim!

Since Jim has been away at the cabin this weekend, it's given me lots of time alone and to think and ponder my life... Jim and I always joke about why I love him, or that a lot of times I'd like to slap him upside the head... but, I came up with two reasons why I am amazed and love my Jim....Although I know I could list hundred of reasons, these are two that stood out in my mind over the past couple of weeks... One, he makes me want to be a better version of myself.. and two, he pushes me to explore new things and get out of my comfort zone...  I probably will spend the rest of my life rolling my eyes and staring at the ceiling when he tries to explain his work to me... But, I love that man more than I can explain...and, whether he is in Dubai, or Florida, or California or just at the cabin in Bryce Canyon, I miss him terribly when he is away...

As always, the adventure continues.

Jim and Cheri