It's getting exciting.

What a beautiful sunset... this picture was snagged from our neighbour, Kelly's, facebook page.  The sunset looks so calm and inviting...  like something you want to sit on the deck or in the hot tub and just watch.... I can't wait...

The work continues and the daily adventures switch between working on the kitchen and working on the ceiling.  Here's the progress in the kitchen...

The correct 9 inch cabinet was received and installed and Jim put some of the items we already had in the drawer to show me how it looked.  I wholeheartedly approve!!

One by one, more cabinets are being installed and I also approve.  Jim is doing fantastic work!

And, here's lower cabinets installed.  I believe the picture from last week had the cabinets put in place, but not installed.  These are now installed...

...more cabinets...

And, more backsplash... I'm still loving the backsplash...

And, this is super exciting!  The dishwasher was installed and I ran the first load of dishes... Actually, I ran about four loads of dishes.  I took everything out of the cabinets and some boxes and washed everything in them... Some of the dishes had a fine layer of sawdust on them, so they got a good washing and were put in their new homes.  They approve!

The work on the ceiling continues.  Ben told Jim that his goal was to get the insulation and mesh work on the ceiling completed this week so we can start the blown in insulation work next week.  

 

You have to understand.. this is not an easy feat.  This ceiling is 32 feet in the air, and you have to work completely on scaffolding... with your arms above your head the whole time. There is a 60 foot ridge beam running from end to end, so the work is massive.

We have cameras all around the perimeter of the cabin, and the notification of movement set them off.  We checked the cameras and this is what we found... it's those stupid deer again!  I am still ticked that they ate all my spring bulbs...  They really are pretty... sometimes... if I'm in a good mood...

But, this little pain in the rear, I don't tolerate.  If you look in the middle of the shot, there's a squirrel running away...  These little jerks are so destructive and they constantly want to take up residence in the cabin.  They are so bold and have no fear... This little guy set off the cameras also...!

And, (trumpets sounding)... the storage building got emptied.  Poor Jim made so many trips back and forth with box after box after box.  Jim would fill up the back of his pickup, and I would unload it and sort through... garbage, donate, or keep... It was emotionally and physically draining... But, we both turned a page in our lives, and just got rid of things that we realized didn't matter any longer.  Multiple boxes were sent to Brad and Brianne - things I thought they would like to keep.... things were donated to Deseret Industries and Habitat for Humanity... and get this, I packed boxes (25 x 12 x 12) full of stuff... that's the perfect size for me to handle...  I called a friend and told her that I had fabric and would she like it.  She belongs to a sewing club and I thought they could use this perfectly good fabric. She thought her club would love it.. Get this, I sent 30 of these boxes to her...  I think they were overwhelmed.  I told her that when I said I had lots of fabric, I really meant it.  Giggle.

You can see that massive ridge beam in this picture.  The guys that installed it, said that it was the biggest, longest, uncut ridge beam they had ever installed.  Apparently, they usually install in pieces..

How Ben keeps a smile on his face, is beyond me.  This job would have me in a not particularly happy disposition.

Code says we have to put this grey foam insulation up first, and then the mesh goes over top...

After the mesh, the insulation is blown in...

Here's Ben surveying his work... 

And, into every life a little rain must fall... as is evidenced by this light fixture....

It had a little mishap while the mesh was being put up.  I'll have to go looking for a new fixture... But, I'm pretty good in the shopping department, so I don't see this as a problem... I like shopping... to Jim's dismay....  Giggle.

And, here's my Brad and his son, Ben.  I believe the summer session of hockey has ended, and they will begin the new season in a month or so...

And, here's the bleedy shot of the week.  I have lost track of what caused this week's event... All I know, is Jim is bleeding, but this one didn't require a trip to the emergency room, so we're good... This one can be fixed with a little triple antibiotic and a bandaid.

... And, here's a new lower cabinet.  We are starting to have a little problem with finding odd sized cabinets and are having to have them custom made... sigh.

And, here's an overview of the backside of the kitchen... LOTS of cabinets and lots of counterspace...

And, the mesh installation continues..

and, keeps on going...

...and going...

And, this is the end of it.  The guys found out that they were a little short on the grey board so they are having to use all the scrap pieces to fill up the spaces... If you look closely at the last grey piece, it is pieced.... Giggle... We got this board about 5 years ago, and Jim probably didn't know exactly how much we needed... so, he done really good with guesstimating!

And, here's the tin ceiling tile I picked out for the kitchen... I really like this look and it matches perfectly with the tin backsplash.  We are not quite ready for installation, but just in the preparation stages.  Some of these jobs take a little research on how to do the installation, and this is one of them...  But, we're learning...

Before Jim went to the cabin this time, he was sitting at the island at our house in Provo one morning.... eating his cereal, and I came downstairs and started talking.. He had this really confused look on his face and told me, he was having a quiet, relaxing breakfast, and then I came downstairs like a tsunami and disrupted everything... A tsunami?  Seriously?  He said that as soon as I arrived, his world kind of exploded..  If nothing else, I'm glad he noticed I was there, and I had an impact... Giggle.

And, our WIFI went out again....I was thinking that the mouses chewed through the lines again, but low and behold, it wasn't mouses... The line just deteriorated and snapped....  So, I can't blame mouses even though I would really like to blame them..  However, we did have a pica in the cabin again.  I don't know how he got in, but he was caught in a mousetrap, and couldn't escape...  I think I hate picas more than mouses...  

And, this guilty little face has a lot to feel concerned about....  I sent a little care package to Jim at the cabin... thinking every once in a while, he would like a little something from me... We don't have regular mail delivery at the cabin, so I sent it to our neighbour, who can actually get Fed Ex deliveries.  I could send it to the post office in Hatch, but it would take driving the 20 minutes into Hatch, and I like the surprise aspect.  So, I sent the package, and checked on line to see if it was delivered, and it was... About an hour later, I get this picture.  My friend Kelly told me, that this little sad face took the liberty to open the package, and eat two packages of cookies and a bag of M & M's...  There were also two boxes of Maple Leaf cookies, that the dog knew well enough to leave alone...  Smart dog... There was a cute t-shirt in the box also, but the dog realized it wasn't his size, so he left it alone...  Giggle... After eating chocolate, I hope the dog is ok... Next time, I hope he looks at the name on the package and realizes the delivery is not for him...  

With that, this week's episode is completed and we move on.  The ceiling preparation did get completed and Ben's goal was realized.  Next week, it's blown in insulation.  With all the work last week, Jim not only was exhausted, but had lost 10 pounds.  I don't know whether to say it's good or bad.  It was a lot of long hard work for both Jim and Ben, and the work and effort is greatly appreciated.  This cabin is getting completed by leaps and bounds.

The adventure continues....

Love, Jim and Cheri

Yep... this sure scares the poop out of me....

 

The additional smoke visible above the France Canyon fire is a result of planned firing operations occurring just east of Pole Canyon road on the southwest flank of the fire. These firing operations are tactics used by firefighters to ignite the vegetation between the fire and a control feature such as a road or handline. Instead of letting the fire consume this vegetation in an uncontrollable manner, firing operations allow firefighters to put fire on the landscape with greater control and precision.

Current reports from the field indicate that the operation is going well. The intent of this operation is to protect the community of Bryce Woodlands, and firefighter safety is a top priority.

I believe the fire has been listed as 85% contained...

Sage advice from Brea......

Canada Day has come and gone, and here's the shirts from this year!  First up, Brad and Mahayla.  I had bought a different shirt for Mahayla, but it didn't show up until after Canada Day, so I had to get another shirt quickly and send it to Alaska!  Brad is sporting an "Elbows Up" shirt... and of course, I think he has the best smile ever.  I think they all just put up with this grandma's stupid ideas...  Giggle.

Update:  Here's the original shirt I bought Mahayla for Canada Day.. She finally received it yesterday.  It's kinda different - looks like blood splatter, but it appeals to me, and I think she likes it also!

And, here's our Brea.  I thought she would look super cute in gnomes!

And, Coy just is cute in his Canadian wildlife shirt!  Super cute!

And Ben got a Canadian hockey shirt!  He's such a cute little goalie, I couldn't resist!

Jim was travelling to the cabin and called me and said they have a major backup on I-15 south... So, I went on the web and tried to figure out what the issue was.  Usually, in Utah, it's construction.  But, this time, it said there was an accident.. Apparently, a truck caught fire, and, this was the picture from the UDOT webcam...

..someone kinda had a little accident....

And, we're back into driving things for the cabin in the back of our truck...  This time it's eaves troughs...  Jim informs me that they are called rain gutters here...  ok....

And, I found this carved rock that I love.  It is carved in Selenite from southern Utah.  I am not quite sure is it is a feather or a leaf, but I really appreciate the intricate design.  I think it is going to look beautiful in our outside shower.  The guy I purchased it from asked what I was going to do with it and I told him it is going in the wall of my outside shower.  He paused a minute and said.... "Outside shower?"... and, when I explained it to him, he thought it was a great idea.  He wanted me to stay in touch with him and send him pictures when the shower is completed for his portfolio.  I've added his name and number into my phone and will definitely send him pictures.  I think he does beautiful work.

But, in getting all these rocks for my shower, I am learning a whole lot about the different types of rocks and minerals... Here's what Google has to say about selenite:

Selenite is a transparent, crystallized form of gypsum. It's known for its soft, pearly luster and is often associated with the moon due to its white, translucent appearance. Selenite is a popular choice for crystal healing and is believed to possess various metaphysical properties. 

So, now you know!

And, Jim had a little finger booboo this past week.  I asked him if needed to go to the hospital and he said no, but until I actually see it, I can't be sure.  He's got this idea that unless he's missing a limb, he doesn't need medical assistance..

And, our ceramics guy, Will, showed up to work on the floor in front of the hearth and in front of the front door...  He does absolutely amazing work..,

I asked Will where he learned how to do this work, and apparently, he is self taught. 

And, he's teaching his kids the same skill.  Here's the finished product in front of the door....

And, here's the hearth...

And, I've always said it's a little different living with an engineer...  Not that it's bad, it's just different.  Jim and I were trying to figure out exactly how much accent tile we needed and Jim did the figuring. He told me how many pieces to purchase and I did and then shipped them down to the cabin.  And, after all is said and done, this is how much tile we had left... Uhuh... I think he nailed it.

I really think it looks pretty... The floors in the great room will be wood, and I wanted ceramic at the front door and in front of the hearth just so we don't have a problem with water from the front door getting on the floors, or embers from the wood burning stove burning the wood...

And, while the floor in front of the door was being laid, they had to actually remove the door, and take about an inch off the bottom to make room for the tile.  Because this job took two days, they had to put a makeshift door in it's place...

Jim is putting in the kitchen and I was in charge of purchasing a 9" drawer to take up a little space... I picked this one out and thought it would be perfect.  When Jim opened the packaging, he realized that I had ordered an insert (spice rack) instead of the actual cabinet.  Woops.

I think I kinda like it...  

Here is said cabinet being brought home from Home Depot.

And, here's a 2nd kitchen cabinet.  Things are really moving forward in the kitchen.

I told Jim the other night, that he's making a "woman's" kitchen...  lots of cabinets, a huge island, two stoves, two sinks, two ovens, granite countertops, and lots and lots of countertop space.  Well, maybe not all women would love this kitchen, but, I sure do!  I was talking to our pharmacist today, and he says this kitchen is actually called a "chef's kitchen".

Here's the backsplash materials we chose... We found this material in Salt Lake several years ago.  It is about 100 years old and came out of , I believe, an old hotel in Kansas City, KS.  We bought the pieces, cleaned them up, and then had them powder coated.  I love the old, antiquie look..

And, here's what it looks like installed...

I actually forgot I bought this mat... Jim sent me a picture and it made me smile.

Jim and I were talking on the phone the other night, and all of a sudden, he said that he thought we had a mouse or a bird or some other small creature in the cabin.  He couldn't see it, but he could hear it rustling around.  I figured it was a bat.  In the morning, the creature made itself known by flying around the loft.  It finally landed on the window sill and Jim walked over, gently had a conversation with it,  and just picked it up and took it outside... He didn't fight, or fly or try to bite Jim... Just was calm and wanted to get out.  We found out, this is a Kestral falcon.  We have had a lot of birds in our cabin, but never a falcon.  I think he's so pretty...

And, we brought 56 bales of blown in insulation to the cabin... They've been in the trailer for a couple of weeks, and when Jim opened the back of the trailer, it kind of exploded... Giggle.  

..and then, Jim got all the bales out of the trailer and onto the ground.  Now, the work begins trying to get all the bales into the cabin... in 90 degree weather... But, the guys have a plan....

They built a hoist with a sling, and attached it to the cabin with the boom truck and then used Ben's winch and got them into the loft.  Who'd a thought?

Here's the boom truck at work...

..and, here's all the bales in the cabin...

And I found these bathroom fixtures on Marketplace.  I think they are darling.  They are wrought iron, so they're really heavy, and the little mooses are darling.  They are going to go in the downstairs bathroom.  

And finally, this is a t-shirt I found for Jim that explains his carpentry ability perfectly....

This is really difficult to see... BUT, there were thousands and thousands of stars in the sky on Sunday evening at the cabin... It was absolutely beautiful.  This was taken about 2 in the morning from our balcony.  Absolutely beautiful... (If you click on the picture, and zoom in, you can actually see the thousands of stars...)

 

With that, this edition is officially closed.  The adventure continues.

Love, Jim and Cheri

Logic will take you from A to B.  Imagination will take you everywhere.