Moonrise.
Well, work is going forward in leaps and bounds here at 8,100 feet elevation. Besides still being a little on the frosty side of life, the scenery is still breathtaking... Jim froze his butt off, but, the landscape is beautiful.
Well, there has been major work done at our little piece of heaven this week.. the first being the Internet/TV/WIFI got hooked up! We are stoked. We had the lines run in from the street last fall, but, with the early snowfall, we didn't actually have it installed... So, I called the company last week, and they made the appointment for "between 1 and 4" on Monday... And, sure enough, at 1:00 sharp, the guy showed up. He told Jim that he was at the cabin earlier and hooked up the box to the outside wall of the cabin, so, it was just a matter of running wires inside the house. The WIFI powered up the laptops today, and the tv works perfectly... (The larger box on the left is the electricity meter base, and the little box on the right is the Internet/TV/WIFI!) I told the installer that having him in the cabin was just about as exciting as having the AMAZON PRIME guy there... giggle.
A little preparation had to be done before the furnace guy showed up... Jim calls this area "Cheri's Decorating **it... I call it a whole lot of wonderful... Being that there were probably a couple of dozen boxes in there, and it would hamper the duct work being installed, Jim had to move all the stuff over... It looks pretty good now... so organized... And, Jim knows, organization is not my strong point... And, trust me... saying there are only a couple of dozen boxes is a serious understatement... giggle...
I find this highly exciting....
A couple of weeks ago, when Jim went up to the cabin for the first time, we found this depression across the road and into our property. We don't have a clue what or who has caused it.... we know it wasn't us, but something, maybe a water leak on the far side of the road created it. There was a part of the mountain that disintegrated about the same time, and the water has been cut off for a couple of weeks now... Jim is thinking there has to be a pipe that has froze and burst, and because the water is off, it isn't causing any further damage on our property.. I guess, when the water comes back on, we'll see.. It's been kind of sad that the people that actually live on the mountain full time, have been without water for so long...It's not so bad for people just coming to their cabins on the weekends, but for those who live there full time, they've been unable to shower, or flush toilets or wash dishes etc. for a while now.
Our new friends down the hill sent this picture off the internet.... it cracked me up saying that this is a little loose gravel. Looks like it's some serious loose gravel... Giggle.
While Jim was at the cabin, I went shopping and I found this great ottoman. The colours will fit perfectly in the livingroom. It's about 4' across and I am sure the grandkids are going to love it. I was really hesitant to purchase it - Usually when I find something interesting now, I try and convince Jim that we REALLY need it, and he starts with, "Cheri... really? Where are we going to put it?" And, I counter with, "I'll find a place"... This time was a little different. I sent him the picture and he immediately said, "Buy it!" He thinks it will go up in the loft.
Another big push this weekend was: One, to dig for the propane lines to go in from the tank, as well as, Two, level out the space where the Jacuzzi is going... This is Ben, as in Ben and Kelly fame! They are our new friends down the hill, and Ben has been generous enough to work with Jim this past week. He is amazing and willing to learn how to operate the backhoe... I think it's a guy thing... seems that everyone wants to operate the backhoe... except me - I have absolutely no desire.... But, Ben is fabulous and was an amazing help this past week. And, I think he's really enjoying working the machinery. I think the old adage applies here..."The difference between the men and the boys, is the size of the toys".. Giggle.. And, this toy fits the bill...
And, that $2k water heater was brought into the basement ready for installation... This is almost as exciting as flush toilets! Actually, I don't know which is more exciting... the ability to have inside plumbing, or the ability to take a shower... I was talking to Lowell, and he was pretty excited for that whole shower thing... I think he was the only one last year that attempted to shower in cold, cold water... And, let me tell you... the mountain spring water is FREEZING! But, I guess, after working a long day, under the hot sun, taking any kind of a bath/shower is appreciated by him...
Moving on, this is the area where the Jacuzzi is going in... Last year, when I was discussing the Jacuzzi area with Jim, he didn't quite understand that I wanted it in a different spot than he thought, and didn't think there would be enough room. Well, he and Ben started working on this area, and Jim widened the spot and admitted that is more than enough room and this is now exactly what I wanted... Jim worked the backhoe in this area, and Ben moved dirt around the retaining blocks with a shovel. I know Jim was exhausted at the end of the day, and I can only imagine that Ben slept solid that night... Twenty feet of retaining wall was placed and it's extremely hard work but all the retaining wall is now in to hold back the patio area. The next step will be remove excess dirt in the Jacuzzi area and get it ready for paver bricks.
We were hoping to be able to pour concrete into the sonotubes to continue building the deck, but it's still waaaay too cold at night. Poor Jim was hoping to spend the night in the cabin, BUT, being that there is no furnace/heat hooked up, this plays a major role. On top that there, there was a rock slide in the east canyon, and it broke the water lines from the development's well, so, as mentioned above, everyone in our little community has been without water for several weeks now. Hopefully, this problem will be fixed this week... I was kind of wanting to go to the cabin this next weekend.... but, without water there is no toilets, and I'm not really the kind of girl that likes roughing it. Jim says it was bitter cold, and had a hard time working in that temperature early in the morning...
Looks like he's snug as a bug... not!
And, taking a walk down memory lane....I was thinking back to a time when my Bradley went on a scouting trip.... it was in Fillmore, Utah, which is basically a huge open dirt field. The scouts pitched 100's of tents, but with no grass around, Brad came home with, I swear, 10 pounds of dirt in the cuffs of his pants, in his socks and shoes... And, after he showered, that 10 pounds of sand was in the bathtub. Well, Jim came home from the cabin last night, and because there is a lack of water at the cabin, the first thing he did was climb in the shower. We used to be able to go into Panguitch and pay the people at the RV park $5.00 to use their showers.. Well, the park was sold last year, and the new owners no longer offer that service. Jim didn't know the service was discontinued and the first day he just put $5 in their mail slot, walked into the showers and had a shower, so he stayed reasonably put together...And, because he and Ben have been doing major dirt work the second day, between digging and runs for blocks, and propane and leveling ground for the Jacuzzi, he was really ready for another shower. But, Sunday night, he went to get a shower and found out the service was no longer offered. . . . After getting back home he showered. . .He felt so much better getting nice and clean ... BUT there was this layer of dirt in the bottom of the tub... and, my thoughts went back to that 13 year old boy scout camping in Fillmore..... Giggle.. I guess Jim will be forever... my boy scout...
Jim was at the cabin for a full week and I stayed in Provo, and I convinced him to come home and not stay another weekend. He was exhausted, mentally and physically and really needed the rest. I'm glad to have him home... Jim has spent the last couple of years doing major travel for work, and while, at first, it was exciting with all the world travel, but, now, even smaller trips are mentally and emotionally taxing, not just for him... I hate evenings alone, and my bed is especially cold...and, quiet... giggle..
With all that, the adventure continues...
Love, Jim and Cheri
Sounds very exciting. Hugs to you both.
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