..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

I finally made it back!!!

Such an eventful week...

This is the first visit I have made to the cabin since the springtime.... and, it actually was kind of exciting.  Jim and I took a load of cabinets down - these are for the kitchen in the basement - and we both realized, they are really really heavy... But, I was just excited to be making the trip!!

Every time we make the trip, we pack the truck chuck full of everything, including the backseat and the bed.  It makes it a little difficult to see out the rear view mirror, but I am determined to empty out at least one of the storage buildings by the end of the year... The largest one is about half way empty - so, I'm feeling hopeful.

I'm always looking for fun things for the cabin, and this week, I stumbled on this cute checker board...But, the cutest of all, is the checkers pieces - mooses and trees.... Jim and I both thought it was cute - Jim suggested we find squirrels and replace the trees, but, um....  I guess we can look...  giggle.

Jim's big project this weekend was to work a little more on the siding.  There is so much still to do, and it is so time consuming.  He was finishing the siding around my stained glass getting it all ready for the winter to blow in...



..and here's the finished product!!  Well, so far anyway.

Because I haven't been there in months, I was really pleasantly surprised to see all the little things that have been finished, that I didn't know were in process... This is one of the night lights that are in the front of the hearth... the covering is that translucent honey quartz rock that will cover the rest of the hearth and the wall behind it.  With the light behind the rock, it gives off this beautiful, warm colour.. It really appeals to me.

This is one thing I didn't know went up - this light fixture with the deer antlers is above the landing in the staircase going to the basement.  I kinda like it... It's a good fit for the staircase...I knew we had bought these fixtures, but didn't really know where we would put them...  Jim made an excellent choice... it's on the way to the "man cave".  If it had showed up in my bedroom, I would have complained, but this is perfect.

And, just as we were packing up to leave, Jim pulls out this bucket of tools and put them in the living room... MY TRICK OR TREAT BASKET IS NOW A TOOL BOX!!  When I mentioned this to Jim, he just kind of grinned at me, and went "Trick or Treat"!  What a brat.  He says it's the perfect size for "stuff"...  That stuff was supposed to be candy, but I guess this is "guy candy"...  I'm actually glad he's put it to good use!  But, he's still a brat...

One the way home on Sunday afternoon, the sunset was just beautiful..  this picture does not do it justice.. The horizon was this amazing, vivid orange colour.  It was breathtaking, and the picture taken with my cell phone just didn't do it justice.  It was warm and calming, and the type of sunset where you sit on the porch with your sweetheart and just hold hands.. I am looking forward to these types of moments...

Although I didn't do a whole lot of work as my endurance and stamina level is just not where it should be yet, it was nice to see the progress that has been made in my absence - it's like we're one step closer to moving in - still a long way to go, but closer.  Jim, however, is working himself silly, and the fruits of his efforts, are beautiful.

I am glad to be alive, glad to have Jim by my side - he is my rock and my support and my heart...I'm having my moments, but, just like this afternoon, when I was struggling, he was quick to say, "Do you need a hug?" and I did... He's amazing, as well as cuddly... and he smells good.. and, is cute... and, maybe I should stop right here.... giggle.

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

Sigh... Much Needed Break!

Oh my goodness.. we finally got a much needed break... We stayed home this past weekend - recovering from both of us having the flu, and exhaustion... not on my part, but mostly on Jim's.  He came home last Monday night, and was so sick... has taken him a couple of days to recover.  I suggested that we go to Bryce and take a load of stuff down from our storage building - even if it was a quick trip, but we finally decided against it, just because Jim needed the rest. 

BUT, we did go shopping on Saturday and found a couple of pieces that I thought were amazing.  First of all, we found this amazing lamp - not sure where we are going to put it, but it has a Frank Lloyd Wright look to it (one of my favourites) and I love it.

The second piece we found was this chair - kind of art deco, and the carving and intricate design really intrigued me.  I was thrilled we found it, and I think it is going to be a beautiful addition to our cabin.  Again, not sure where it is going to go - maybe a bedroom, but not sure at this point.  Jim and I both love it... It needs a little love, but I think it's going to turn out amazing!

Apart from a lot of rest, we had an amazing weekend, and the very aggressive list we had of things to do this summer, is little by little, being accomplished.

As a parting note.. I was thinking that we have quite a few teachers and educators who read this blog - makes me a little nervous.  I am not a professional writer, or an English major - I write as I think and how I feel.  So, I'm sorry if my writing or punctuation isn't quite to par - it's just me... and I really don't think it's going to change any time soon!!!  Giggle.


The adventure continues - Jim and Cheri

MOOSE AND SQUIRREL.... WELL, SQUIRREL AT LEAST!!

Well, to start out with, The Count has disappeared... we don't know where he went to, or how he got out, but, he's gone...There are other battles that are being fought, but, having a one on one with a bat, is not one of them... Jim was prepared for battle this weekend - he took his .22  with some shot shells with him for a shoot out... bat vs engineer.... But, I think the bat realized what he was up against, and he bowed out gracefully... I was just hoping that Jim didn't create a new skylight, so I am glad the bat left... But, in his place, we now have....  Squirrel!!!  Jim was talking to me over the phone, and all of a sudden he says, "I gotta go"... I asked him if there was a problem, and all he said was, "There's a squirrel"...  Apparently, this little critter was gathering leaves and taking them into his den for winter...and, apparently, taking a picture of a squirrel gathering leaves is more important than... TALKING TO YOUR WIFE......  probably cuter too..  Jim says that all we need now is "Moose" and we will have Moose and Squirrel.. although, I have never seen a moose up at the cabin... I thought we needed to complete the picture with "Moose and Squirrel" and "Boris and Natasha"...  Giggle...

Jim informed me that this little guy's nest is exactly where our retaining wall is going to go under the bridge... so, he might be making a move before long...

So, here's a quick shot of the black PVC drain pipe under test.  It is three stories high, filled with water and not leaking out anywhere!  Mission accomplished after lugging 75 gallons of water up to the loft.

And we had hail early Sunday morning.  This was on the deck at 7:30 in the morning.  Brrrr . . .Jim spent the night in the cabin, and on Saturday night, it got down to 17 degrees... he had a sleeping bag and a blanket, but that didn't cut it...  We usually have an electric blanket at the cabin, but we took it to California and it's in the 5th wheel right now.. so, the poor baby just about froze to death.. He came home on Monday night, so sick with the flu.. After a couple of days, he's finally beginning to feel better..

A new sign has appeared in Bryce Woodlands.  Are we supposed to celebrate? Jim said that he and the plumber were intrigued by the sign and decided to follow it, and get a little info... But, after driving around a bit, they still don't know why the signs were put up..

The remains after stabbing oneself with a razor blade knife.  Blood smears were accidental also. Jim sent me this picture and I just about screamed..... first of all, he stabbed himself and it was bleeding... all over the table where I do my glass work...These papers are the back of a pattern for stained glass...  Um, I think I'll have them reprinted...

The leaves are beginning to turn.  It's a beautiful place. Bryce Canyon has thousands of visitors every fall from all over the world, just to see the mountains and the colours of the leaves.. It really is beautiful.

Stubs for the sink and toilet in the main level bathroom. Do you know what this means to me.. Absolutely nothing... I know it has something to do with plumbing and water, but that's about it!

100 PSI pressure test of the Pecks water lines.  Tested for two days with no pressure loss.  High fives all around... again, means nadda to me...I guess I'll appreciate it when I can get into a hot shower...  But, until then, it's plastic pipe and a little pressure thing a ma jigger..

In the basement, everything plugged off for the standing pressure test of the drains.  I guess this was important also... Jim is telling me what these pictures are... still drawing a blank...

Basement kitchen drain under test.... took a test and passed...

This is the water main into the cabin.  Don't worry, there will be a wall between the electric main and the water main.  I guess if the water main broke and hit the electric panel, it would be a shocking moment... But, the electric main is in the hallway, water main in the bathroom behind the door.

Artistry in Pecks.  Well that's what Jim thinks.  Red, blue, white, whatever it takes. . . Just make sure it's hot when I turn the hot water tap on.  No cold showers for this girl. Actually, just having a hot shower and a flushing toilet would be amazing...  The pecks could be purple and orange for all I care, but I believe the county wants the blue to represent cold water, and the red to represent hot water...  they're so picky!

Again, here's the beautiful changing of the colours... It seems that it has started to change earlier and earlier every year.. still is beautiful, but earlier all the time.. Maybe I'm just getting old.

So beautiful this time of year.

My outdoor shower connections. Don't judge... until you're taken a shower outside, with the sunshine on your back, and listening to birds singing, you can't imagine how amazing it is... Can't wait to install the lines under the deck and out to the Jacuzzi. The Jacuzzi will be absolutely amazing at night... it's so dark outside and the stars seem so close, sitting in a Jacuzzi would be heaven.

After it hailed and melted someone was walking over the bridge with muddy shoes.... and being that there were only two people at the cabin, we have a 50/50 chance of figuring out who's muddy footprints these are! Notice that no one went near the edge!  I don't blame anyone... if you fall off that bridge, you fall 10 feet down into Galt's Gulch!  Chickens.

And when we were waiting for the county building inspector, Jim installed the front door latch plate so we don't have to lock the deadbolt in order to keep the door closed now.  I know, just one step at a time.  But this was really needed.

It has been a great few weeks, we are tired, but happy to see forward movement... Jim has spent the last three weekends working on the plumbing and it's been a brutal event.. He works all week at his regular job, and then drives 3.5 hours to the cabin, and works long and hard for 2 or 3 days...  He's exhausted.  I am hoping he takes this next weekend off..  I kinda miss him and look forward to sleeping in with him on Saturday morning...

We have the building structure and the plumbing approved.  Now on to the electric and heating...

The adventure continues.  

Jim & Cheri.