... pls let me quote President Trump.... this is HUUUUUUGE!

Well, this was supposed to start out as a week to remember, and oh my, did it ever turn out to be... This is one for the books.

We were expecting the septic tank to be delivered on Friday, so Jim went down to the cabin on Thursday to finish digging out the hole and get the gravel in the bottom - as per specifications.  He worked all day Thursday on the project, and was ready for the delivery on Friday at noon with the gravel all levelled out in the bottom.

Well, the 18 wheeler showed up at about 10:30 am instead of noon and Jim was still in Panguitch having breakfast and making a trip to the hardware store... But, it's only a quick 20 minutes away, so he met the driver shortly there-after.  When Jim got there, he saw that driver had already set the tank in the hole.... only one problem.  The tank was 3 inches too tall... they brought the wrong tank.  But, we suspect that they do this on a regular basis, because concessions were already being thrown out before Jim could make any decisions.  If we kept the tank, we would have to drill a hole on the opposite side of the tank, so that "poop would go downhill instead of uphill"...  you know the old saying, "Poop runs downhill".  This would involve Jim renting the tools and putting in time to drill through the concrete, and he decided it was not worth it. So, the driver took the tank out of the hole and drove back to Salt Lake.  He was going to have to talk to his boss to see if he would drive back on the Saturday, or wait until Monday.

The driver calls us on Saturday and says that he is going to wait until Monday.  The only problem, is that snow is coming on Monday, and the hill that surrounds the cabin gets pretty slick - but, the driver chooses to attempt it.

Monday morning comes and I checked the weather report, and it says it's going to be 21 degrees, with a little snowfall... this is good because the road is going to be frozen.. and guess what... the driver barreled up that hill with no problem, set the correct tank, and drove away... no problem. We are thrilled...  This means, my days of using that big ol' pine tree are coming to an end soon.  I am so excited...

During this whole digging process, the van had a little booboo... rather, the backhoe and the van got into a spat, and the van lost..

And, you know how duct tape fixes everything...  Well, in this case, packing tape fixes everything! I think it looks pretty good!!!

Jim collected up all the little pieces and taped the light all back together.. like a pro... he apparently has crazy taping skills!!!  He said he didn't even feel it crash...

Well, here's the correct tank going into the hole... huge crane truck, and the driver set it in the hole just perfectly.

 

And, this is what it looks like now.  We are going down to the cabin this weekend to cover it up with luck.  Jim is going to attach the pipes to it first...

With the tank in the ground, it's Jim's job to attach the pipes in the cabin to the tank... and of course, it proved to be a challenge....  The size of the pipe coming out of the tank, doesn't match up with the size of the pipe coming out of the house...  why does this not surprise me...

Unable to complete the septic tank project, Jim had to move on to a different project, and figure out how to make the pipes fit at a later date.

On Friday afternoon, before he came home, Jim worked a little on the siding and got a few more rows on.  I think that is part of the plan this weekend also... but, not sure.  It's supposed to be kind of on the cold side, and it's difficult working in such cold.  We're hoping to get it weatherproofed in before the winter arrives in full force.

We had a rather interesting event happen with our pick-up truck just before Christmas.  It started making a clunking sound when shifting from forward to reverse and back.  Jim thought it was a U-joint and took it in to a local shop.  They called the next day and informed Jim that the aluminum driveshaft had been deformed at the U-joint and we needed a new one.  All for $450 plus installation.  In the past Jim had had steel driveshafts repaired but he was unfamiliar with aluminum ones so he did some research.  He found a driveline shop that repaired them for $250 so off the truck went to a second shop.  A day later they call him and it's all done.  When he shows up and pays for the repair they try to give him a different truck!  That's when he learns our truck needs the 4 wheel drive transfer case rebuild.  The shop owner is embarrassed that he switched trucks and had ours all torn apart for transmission work.  So in the spirit of the holidays he says "you just got a $1,500 transfer case for $300.  When Jim asked how much the transfer case job would really cost he said "I can't do that to you".  We were dumbfounded and our truck was going to be out of service for a few more days, but we can adapt by using our old van.  When Jim returned to pick up the completed repair the owner gives Jim the wrong keys and although they look identical to our keychain they won't open our truck out in his parking lot.  We eventually got the right keys and off Jim went.  The poor shop owner must be getting old and a bit forgetful.  Sad.  We are planning on stopping by with treats for his entire shop to thank him early in the new year.

OK, next.  This is one of the exciting things I bought Jim for Christmas.... it's the form to make an outside brick pizza oven.  He thinks it's going to be an amazing project for him and Lowell to make.  I thought it was a great idea.   The instructions say that it takes about 30 hours for one person to brick the form in... but, who knows.. .IKEA says that their projects take under an hour, and they usually take about 3 days...  But, this is a summer project.... Jim is already figuring out how he is going to modify it... why does this not surprise me....  Giggle.

And, as we usually do, we took another load of "stuff" down to the cabin.  It always cracks me up how much we can actually pack into the van.  This time, it was a bathtub, wood and pipes....

...brand new sewer pipes from the front window to the back window...giggle.

OK, so Jim tried to adapt the 3 inch ABS pipe coming out of the cabin to 4 inch ABS.  But, the tank has 4 inch PVC.  The only way to put them together is threaded fittings, so we have to go back to Home Depot.

So crafty!

More digging.

And, this week, we purchased two toilets also!  So, this proves it... I won't have to pee behind a tree for the rest of my life.... This is most exciting for me!  Jim keeps quoting the printing on the box like "enduring strength and classic beauty".  Really?  It's bathroom stuff!

It was my job to pick out the tub and the toilets, and  you have no idea how many tubs and toilets I have looked at...  Jim gave me some idea of what to pick out, like a right hand drain on the tub, or an elongated seat on the toilet, but there are 100's of variations...  and, you have no idea how many toilets have I sat on in various stores...  And, after sitting on the first 10 or so, you don't care who watches... It's sort of like having a baby.. after a while, you lose your modesty, and just keep on keepin' on... So, that's how we came up with this "strong, classic beauty"!

Along with the two toilets and the bathtub, we also purchased the air conditioning unit, and the vents that go above the stoves.  Jim has to take the air conditioner to the sheet metal guys who are making the duct work to make sure everything fits perfectly.

I really thought I had one more week of blog writing, and unfortunately, the 1st of January starts on Friday, and we won't be at the cabin until Saturday... So, this year's adventure ends with this blog.  We have had challenges like no other, and lots of heart ache, BUT, lots of positive notes.... and, we'll try to cling to the positive notes as much as possible.

And as we always say, the adventure . . . continues.  Jim & Cheri.

 

 

"ROCK CONCERT"

 Oh, my... what an eventful weekend... maybe for everyone else, our story is ho-hum, but for us, it was major exciting.

You know that hole we have been digging for the past 150 years... and, just couldn't get through one rock in the corner... Well, we broke through today... and, moved a billion pieces of rock!  No joke... at least it seemed like a billion pieces of rock.

Jim and Lowell were trying to dig out the rock, and then Jim was trying, and yesterday when Jim and I arrived at the cabin we decided that we needed to rent an electric jack hammer to break it up.  We called all over Panguitch and Duck Creek looking for a place we could rent one, and we found out that the hardware store in Duck Creek had one, but it was broken, and an excavator had one, but it would cost about 2k to get him to bring it up the mountain from Cedar City and break up the rock.

So, Jim decided that he would come back to the area this next week, with a jackhammer from somewhere in Provo, break up the rock, and go home the same day - make it a one day trip. Well, Sunday, we got ambitious, and the two of us worked together to get rid of the rock.  When Jim is working on the backhoe, he can't really see down the hole, so he's working blind.  So, I was his eyes, telling him where to place the bucket, and where to smash down with it.... and, our plan worked.  It started with little pieces starting to move, and then the whole rock broke and we lifted it out - and then it rolled back into the hole... a couple of times...  Finally got the biggest piece out, along with a half a dozen of his buddies.  This is critically important at this point, because the 12,000 pound septic tank is being delivered next Friday, and we couldn't get the dimensions right in the hole to fit the tank, without removing that stupid rock... So, we are tired but stoked.   I think Jim is more tired that I am - and I know his leg is really hurting, poor thing....  Jim and I don't really work well together - he thinks like an engineer, and I'm always right, so it's sometimes a little difficult.. But, today, we were a team, and it was wonderful!

Here's that stupid rock..

..see how it totally fills the bucket on the backhoe?  Jim thinks it would weight at least 250 lbs. if not more.

And, here's a couple of his buddies...

After the rock came out, Jim had to mark the ground with the orange paint to make sure we had the right dimensions and level...  if you look to the top right side of the picture, that's where that stupid rock was.  We just busted off one end of it.

And, here's a close up of what's left... We've now got lots of room for the tank to go in now...

I was talking to Brianne about the progress made, and we are both excited... with the septic tank going in, the next step is toilets and bathtubs going in....  I don't think either one of us has been more excited for flush toilets in our lives!  Totally exciting!

A little more work was done on the hearth.  Jim spent 3 more hours this week cutting more rock and we put it in place today.  We have a saw at the house, and each slice of rock takes about 30 minutes to cut...  So, we got a little further done, and it's looking beautiful.

And, again, our reception party was waiting... But, this time, it was in the middle of the day, not in the morning... and, it wasn't just one cow or bull, or whatever they are, there was a whole herd.  I really checked these animals out this time, and I really didn't see any boy parts, so I think they are all girls... at least, they are stubborn like girls, and didn't want to attack our vehicle, so, I'm going with the stubborn girl theory.  But, they sure took their time crossing the road - to the point that I got out of the van and took pictures.  They didn't care... they just all stood there and stared at us... didn't move.... had to be boys...

I don't know for sure, but there must have been over 100 of these beasts, taking their time, crossing the road.  Uhuh...

..yep... and there were more of them.. all waiting in line to cross.

And, I did a little shopping on Saturday at an antique shop in Panguitch called the "Old Fire House".... I love this place... and, I found a few pieces for the cabin...

This first piece is going into the upstairs bathroom... it's a towel hook or maybe a bathrobe hook, but it reads,  "Hot Bath - 25 cents.. Soap and towel 10 cents extra"... I love it.

I think I am going to put this next one in the kitchen as a towel holder...

... not quite sure where they two are going to go... still deciding....

And, you know how much I love moose... I have absolutely no clue where this is going...  I just loved the moose on it!  How can anyone not love mooses...?

And, I forgot to add a blurb last week in our blog... when we were driving into the property, we saw a flock of eagles... They're actually called a "convocation" of eagles instead of a flock, but we were in total awe watching them.  There was one large eagle, and several younger ones... Beautiful and magnificent.  The wildlife in this area is inspiring - except for those stupid deer that ate all my flower bulbs...  we are still not friends.

Well, have a great week, and have an amazing adventure this week, as our adventure continues.

Love, Jim and Cheri

... SMALL WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

We had something really unusual happen on the way to the cabin this week... It was a Friday night, and we stopped in Spanish Fork to get a bite before getting on the road... we didn't get driving as soon as we had liked, but were making the best of it.  We went through a drive-thru and as we pulled up to the window to get our food, the guy in the window said, "The car in front of you paid for your food.."  What???  We have NEVER had it paid forward for us and we were super surprised..  Such a nice gesture and made us smile...  So, when we got to Panguitch, I bought a bag of groceries for their local food bank, just to pay it forward Cheri and Jim style.  Now, with this being my birthday week, this is what I would like... pay it forward to someone you can actually see... doesn't matter where or who..  make a donation to the food bank, buy a sandwich for someone standing in line behind you, sweep snow off someone's walkway, give a flower to someone who looks sad, buy an ice cream for a kid who is crying.. doesn't matter what, just do something out of the ordinary...  it feels great to give, and wonderfully surprising to receive. 

As usual, our welcoming party at the cabin consisted of Bessie and Bossie... After working in the College of  BioAg at BYU for years, I still can't tell the difference... so this might be Bessie and Bossie, but it might be Bert and Ernie also.. All I know, is these bovines seem to own the road and stare at us, every time we show up.  Giggle.

The main project this weekend, was to dig out more of the septic hole so that the 1/2 inch gravel, (not pee gravel) can be put in the bottom and the septic tank set.  This was a little bit of a challenge because when Jim measured the depth and width, he found that instead of being too shallow, he was too deep and had to replace some of the dirt, add the gravel and then level it out.  This was a challenge, as the side of the pit wasn't frozen dirt, it was rock.  So, it was eventually,  back working with the back hoe. 

Jim first of all got the pipe out from the house to the inset running downhill aligned, but, didn't much like crawling into the pit to really check it out.  Quite frankly, I don't blame him... Here's a guy who just had knee replacement surgery and he's climbing up and down a 12 foot ladder... not pleasant.

Jim always seems to have an interesting job at the cabin, and I kind of just sit there with little to nothing to do... So, before we went this time, we decided that I would start working on the hearth.  I was really excited for this, and it's a lot like piecing together stained glass - so, I really was really enjoying this.  I had read a little bit about doing this kind of rock work, but have absolutely no experience, so, I'm running kind of blind.

The hearth had been kind of a catch all for building materials, so I figured the first thing to do was to clean and sweep it down...check

All nice and clean, now we needed to bring the rock over that had been stored on the steps going upstairs to the loft...  check check

Next, we trip and fall and start bleeding... hey.. when was this part of the script?  Whether it was in the script or not, this impromptu chapter turned into a reality.  I tripped on the side side of the loft stairs and took a header...  After a huge crash that could be heard outside the cabin, (which brought Jim running) the first thing I did was check my nails.. I was convinced I had broken a couple - but, upon inspection, nothing was broken.  Big relief... But, my fingers were cut and bleeding, and my knees are now black and blue.  What was interesting, is that I fell on the insulin pump that is inserted at my shoulder - it didn't get smashed, but the skin around and under the pump is bruised...  So, I guess it could have been worse - saved by the pump!!

After Dr. James M. Streeter came to the rescue, I was good as new (with a couple of ibuprofen to ease the pain of my shoulders and knee, and my wounded pride) I was back at work.  Jim thought I should be taken to the hospital, but my stubbornness kicked into overdrive...

This was my job hereafter... stapling down the wire mesh that holds the mortar and rock into place...

..and, here's Jim, adding sparks to my heart... Ok, it wasn't to my heart, but he was cutting the wire mesh so I could staple it down.  I was just thrilled that he didn't cut off a finger, or I didn't staple my foot to the hearth.. now, that would have been a story!  I have never worked with an air powered staple gun before, and, it's pretty intense. . . I like air tools!

...all mesh up and stapled into place.... on the side...

and bottom...

..and the rock has been set into place.  It takes a little bit of juggling to get everything to fit.  We thought we had just about enough cut rock to fill the hearth, but we were considerably short.  Jim is going to have to cut a bunch more for this weekend to finish it off.

We are putting three inch thick, cut rock on the flat surface of the hearth, and the uncut rock up the sides.  I am really thrilled how it's turning out.  This picture makes the rock look pinkish, but it is actually more yellow... We believe the rock to be honey quartz... and it has a very subtle, creamy colour to it.  

We did buy another drink rack for the jacuzzi area this past week... We travelled down to the cabin with it, sans the three pieces of glass, but, you can kind of get the gist of what it looks like.

One of the projects we wanted to complete by the end of the year, was to clean out and close out one of the storage buildings that we had building materials in...

  

This is what Jim pulled out today - the granite for the bathrooms..   This first piece, I believe is going into the main floor bathroom...

...and, this piece, is going into the loft bathroom... this green piece is my favourite.  I showed it to my boss today, and he said it kind of looked like a road map... and, I think with the white cabinets, this green is going to look fabulous.. it's more green than the photo appears.

The rest of the counters in the main level kitchen and the downstairs kitchen is black with a little bit of a fleck to it.  And, right now, those pieces are being stored outside the side door of our house in Provo!.. and, to answer your question... we did get the storage building totally emptied out!  Now, only four more to go.  This was the biggest of all of them.  

And, on our way home, we saw the most amazing moon over Bryce Canyon.  This picture just does not do it justice - it was absolutely beautiful.... there were cars stopped up and down the road taking pictures... a sight I would like to always remember.

We are quickly losing our window of opportunity to work here.... last year, we were snowed out by October, but Mother Nature is giving us a little break this year.  We are hoping to get the septic tank delivered (December 11)  and the water running to the house before it snows like crazy... here's to crossing our fingers.

Well, stay safe, stay healthy, and on to another amazing adventure.

Love, Jim and Cheri