"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