...um.. whoops?

Well, the weekend didn't go quite as planned, but it was memorable and monumental, none the less.

If you follow us on facebook, you'll know that we walked the Suicide Awareness Walk in Ogden on Saturday morning - longest mile of my life, I swear...  But, we made it, we didn't bail out, and we actually feel pretty good about the whole thing.  We were going to go to Mahayla's hockey game at 4 that afternoon, but we didn't get everything packed into the U-Haul trailer, so we felt it best that we go home, and load the trailer and get on the road.

Look close, that's a 12 X 12 X 10 foot long piece of rough hewn log in there.  It will be the mantel over the wood burning stove.

Well, loading up the trailer didn't work quite as planned either. We got home, absolutely exhausted...  I slept most of the drive from Ogden to Provo, and when we got home, it was raining.  I have been battling a little congestion issue - actually I've been battling it every fall and winter for the past 10 years - it gets to be a little on the cold side, and I get this horrible rattle in my chest that is just about unbearable. So, we had a change of plans... Jim went to storage to load the trailer, and I stayed home, out of the weather.

Jim goes to storage, loads the trailer and comes home... and both of us decide that we are absolutely exhausted and we need a nap... So, we took a nap.  I set the alarm  for an hour, and after an hour, Jim said that I need to set it for another hour.  After the 2nd hour, we have a change of plans, and decide to leave early Sunday morning.

So, I set the alarm for 7 am, and we get up and are on the road by 8. We get as far as Beaver, Utah, and we're in the middle of a snowstorm... snow?  Really?  It's only September.  The temperature outside was 34 degrees... and snowing...  I couldn't believe it.

We get to the cabin, and see that the windows have been installed.. How freakin' exciting!!!  I love these kind of surprises!

If you remember from last week, we had this HUGE refrigerator that we took down to the cabin.  It ended up spending the week on the back of our trailer covered with a blue tarp... we couldn't get it off the trailer.  It took 3 men and a forklift to get it into the trailer, and we had this stupid idea we could get it off with one person and an appliance dolly... So, we back the trailer up to the cabin, and put a board across the back of the trailer, and we decided to tilt the refrigerator backwards, and then pull the refrigerator into the cabin... Well, we tilted the refrigerator back, it hit the wood, and slid all the way down the trailer and onto the ground...  Woops...

We had the couple from down the street come driving by on their side by side, and we flagged them down, and they came by... we explained the problem, and agreed that we needed more help.. They called friends, and they came over and with the help of 3 men, and 1 woman, and our backhoe, we got the 1,000 lbs. refrigerator upright and into the cabin...  a little bit of damage, but nothing that can't be repaired...  Thank goodness.

Before we left, we got the kitchen window in the basement installed, and the sliding glass door in the basement.  We were going to install the last garage window, but it got way too late, so we are putting that one off until next week.

All in all, it was a pretty successful and busy weekend...  The adventure continues.

Jim and Cheri

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Good: I finished the first stained glass panel this week - only took me about 6 months to complete.  It was really a difficult job physically and emotionally.  But, it got done!  Tonight I am going to start the soldering process, and then off to the glass shop to be insulated and framed.  This is the first of two pieces that will go into the main floor bathroom.

The Good:  Jim and I (mostly Jim) put the garage door put into the cabin.  While we were driving down on Saturday, I asked Jim if he knew how to install a garage door, and he said yes.  What he meant to say was, "Yes, I have an understanding of how to install a garage door".. What he didn't say was, "I've never done it before so I don't really know what I'm doing."  Well, now, we can say, we know how to install one.

The Bad:  Working with stained glass tends to cut your fingers to pieces.  Not only that, but when little shards of glass hit the floor, and you walk over them, you get said little shards of glass in your feet... Not good.

The Bad:  When installing the garage door, one panel had to be held up and I didn't have the strength to hold it with my arms...BUT, my head was just the right height.. So, I balance the door on top of my head.  After it crashed up and down on my head a couple of times, I realized, it wasn't a really good idea.

The Ugly:  Massive headache from garage door bouncing off my head...

The Good: Jim met Eric Brethauer Jr. on Sunday morning.  He is one of the family that owns the majority of the development.  Eric helps run the water company.

The Bad:  More importantly  it was Eric that shot the buckshot at the bears taking advantage of us last week.  Eric told Jim it was his brother that punched two of the bears on the nose while they were occupying the bed of his pick-up truck.  Eric says he is an adrenaline freak and now boasts knowing what a bear's nose feels like.

The Ugly:  Jim said he would have just shot the invading bears but he's never killed anything in his whole life.  I don't think he has it in him.  Jim now agrees.

The Good:  We bought and picked up this amazing refrigerator and decided to haul it down to the cabin.. It's a Kitchen Aid!

We were just going to store it downstairs at the cabin because we don't really have room at the house. This sucker us HUGE... and the panels on the doors are knotty pine, so, it'll fit into our decor perfectly.

The Bad:  The refrigerator was loaded onto our trailer by three guys and a forklift.  We didn't have that advantage when trying to unload it and one of the wheels was broken so it currently doesn't roll.

The Ugly:  The refrigerator is still on the trailer as we speak.  Jim was going to try to unload it using the backhoe, but that didn't work out quite as well as we had hoped.  So, we covered it in tarp, and are going to try again next weekend, when we perhaps bring an appliance dolly with us.  Wasn't pretty. We worked for the longest, trying to figure out a way to get the refrigerator off the trailer.. didn't happen.  We didn't get back on the road to drive home until... 8:30 pm.. It was cold and dark, and we were exhausted and hurting.  We didn't pull into our driveway in Provo until about 12:30 am.. not good...  The alarm rang at 5:15 this morning, and I could barely move with all the aches and pains... Jim asked me how I was feeling and I told him I was really achy.. .He was still laying in bed, and said that he felt pretty good.. I told him to just wait until his feet his the floor... I was right... He's in pain too!  Poor man.  Getting old sucks.

The Good:  The prow at the front of the cabin looks fabulous.  The view is amazing, and we are thrilled.

The Bad:  We're still waiting for the windows for the prow to be delivered so they can be installed.

The Ugly:  A family of birds has moved into the very top of the prow, and seem to call it home.  They're pooped all over my living room floor... Not happy.  They are about to get an eviction notice, and it's not going to be pretty.

The Good:  The days are beautiful - perfect for working - not too hot, just a nice breeze to keep things moving.

The Bad:  There still is a little bit of rain, but not too much..

The Ugly:  The evenings are really cold, especially when you don't bring a jacket and aren't wearing socks...  I know.. you don't have to tell me.

The adventure continues... after we take a nap...

Jim and Cheri

What Do You Think We Do At 5:44 am?

This weekend was another quick trip down to the cabin - and though lots was accomplished, it seemed like a quick trip.

We were going to drive down on Friday night, because we needed to make a trip to pick up some wood at Sunroc Lumber in Cedar City.. BUT, we didn't get things loaded up until late Friday night, which would have made up get into the cabin after midnight, so we bagged that idea.

Jim picked up the two stained glass windows in the morning, and two sets of french doors after work.  We left on Saturday morning, for the cabin, and made it in plenty of time. We didn't make it to Sunroc, but we made it in enough time to do a little grocery shopping in Panguitch, and have a really nice dinner at the trailer.

We had made a trip to Harbor Freight in Orem before we left town to purchase some lights to go in the basement.  We're still powering the RV and the house now with extension cords and the power pole, but it works.  Jim got the lights up in the basement, and it gave us the opportunity to do a little work on Saturday evening.

After dinner, and after a little RV cleanup, we get into bed.  It was a little on the chilly side, so, for the first time this year, we had to turn the heater on.  It worked like a charm.

At 5:44 am, on this lovely Sunday morning,  Jim's cell phone rings, and the mom in me took over immediately.  As I'm rushing to get the phone, I'm freaking trying to figure out which one of my kids or grandchildren were sick or hurt, or had to be rushed to the hospital, or maybe my mother was having problem.... a 100 things went through my mind.  As I got to the phone, I saw that the number was from Ron at Sunroc...  Ron.. at Sunroc.. at 5:44 am on a Sunday morning?  Really?  I hand the phone to Jim, and with as quiet as it is at the cabin, especially in the middle of the night, I hear..."Jim, is that you? This is Ron from Sunroc, hope I didn't wake you up... I just wanted to know what time you'll meet me at the store to pick up your lumber?"... Really?  Jim does the, "Yes, we were asleep"... and I'm in the background saying, "Of course we're asleep, Ron... it's 5:44 am on a Sunday morning.. dude, really?"  Jim tells him that we'll call him back.. in a couple of hours...  how about 5 hours....  couldn't believe it...

And, in about 3 hours, we actually got up, and got moving for the day...  I don't know what everybody else in Utah is doing at 5:44 am, you may be getting ready for church, you may be feeding a baby, you may be romancing, but at that time of the morning, on a Sunday, the Streeter household is asleep...

We made a trip to Panguitch to empty out a little more of the storage building, and then, headed to Cedar City to meet Ron at Sunroc...  It amazed me that the guy was working on Sunday.. He opened the store just for us, and we were able to pick up the lumber.  I asked him what time he gets up in the morning, and he said between 4 and 5.. every day...  Oh. My. Hell... I'm still in shock... Jim tells  Ron that we're not really morning people - that was the understatement of the year!

We got back to the cabin, unloaded the beautiful 3 X 12 inch rough hewn lumber to be used as stair treads.  Twelve feet long.  Talk about heavy!

And our contractor showed up to do a walk through... We're just about done with the framing.  The tyvek and the windows and doors will go in next, and after that, the cabin will be all sealed up for winter.  Travis, our contractor, built me some stairs...  Now, I can actually get into the 1st level...

While we were visiting with the contractor, we had a visit from our neighbours, Ron and Mary.

They told us that there were four bears roaming the neighborhood...  Um... four bears?  Apparently, over the Labor Day weekend, people were having BBQ's and leaving their trash out by the road - um, there's no trash pick up people - that's what the dumpster is for...  Anyways, the bears were attracted to the smell, and came for a taste...  Somewhat concerns me...

I saw this little picture on facebook, and it gave me a heads up of our situation... not really, but it made me giggle.

We're making such amazing progress... I'm stoked.

The next phase has begun.  Windows and doors.

The amazing adventure continues.

Jim and Cheri

Up On The Roof.....!

Big week, and we hit another milestone!

The roofing was scheduled to be installed on Tuesday, and on Monday, Jim was talking to Kane County Building Inspection, and we were scheduled for a structure inspection on Tuesday also.

On Monday, we got pictures from our contractor, they started the roofing, and actually finished it on Tuesday.. We were stoked.

Jim took off work and at 6:30 am was on the road to the cabin - the inspection was supposed to be between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm...

He made it to the property in time, and we passed inspection.. there was 4 little minor items, but, they were fixed before the inspector left.  Then today Jim got a phone call from the building inspector, Barbara and she raised an issue about the overhang not being supported in the corners.  So we have to find something like a structural corner bracket that will hold up the corners of the roof.  Really people? ? ?  See the corners?  They want them supported.  Bleh.  I see a Google search coming.

The contractor was doing a little finish work, like cutting out the wood that was covering windows, and bits and pieces of things like that...

Jim took another load of windows to the cabin, and we will be having them installed in the next couple of weeks.

What an adventure this has been...  we are looking forward to finishing and having visitors!  But we know we still have a long way to go.

Having a serious hard work adventure.

Cheri and Jim

IN A CABIN, IN A WOOD, A LITTLE MAN AT THE WINDOW STOOD.....

Do you remember that little song that we used to sing to our kids...

"In a cottage, in a wood
A little man at the window stood
Saw a little bunny hopping by
Knocking at the door..."

We got to the cabin on Saturday afternoon, and after seeing jackrabbits, and deer, and skunks, and chipmunks, and squirrels, this is the only song that I could think of.. giggle. I sang it to Jim, and he looked at me like I was crazy.  When we got there the framer had erected the main 8 inch wood column in the center of the cabin that supports the ridge beam.  It is 22 1/2 feet tall.

It wasn't a particularly busy week at the cabin for building, but it sure was busy for us this weekend. Saturday was more of a drive down to the property kind of day, than a work day... and, that's ok.  I took a picture of downtown Panguitch on a Saturday night, because it just made me smile.  Real busy, no?

Being that Jim and I both grew up in a bigger city (Jim from Etobicoke, Ontario which is the suburbs of Toronto, and I grew up about 20 miles outside of Toronto), we are used to more of a hustle and bustle, than the gentle quiet that Panguitch offers.  Jim revels in the quiet of the cabin... I turn the radio on..I just have to have a serving of Ann Murray instrumentals from  the local radio station.... not.

Again, we are trying to empty out the storage buildings, and that was our main goal.  Jim loaded another trailer full of cabin stuff, and we took it down to the cabin and put it in the basement.  One of the things that we took down was the sliding door for the kitchen in the basement.  We ran out of time, so Jim didn't get it installed - that'll be next time.

Jim started measuring for the stairs...

He just looked confused.  LOL.Now 36 degrees down and a 7 1/2 inch drop. . . 

We took a drive to  Duck Creek Sunday afternoon because they have the exact set of stairs that we want.  So, we went by, and Jim measured the stairs, and I took lots of pictures for reference.


When we were leaving the property to go to Duck Creek, we were greeted by this little sweetheart... She didn't seem to mind that we were staring at her and taking picture.

But, windows got measured and the spaces where stairs are going to go got measured.  Jim learned after going up and down a particularly tall ladder, that when he explained something to me, didn't translate into my brain very well.. let's just say, he's patient... very, very patient.
















He doesn't like heights.  Small wonder.

The roofing materials were delivered on Thursday and we are anticipating the roof to go on this coming Tuesday.  So exciting.

We made a quick trip to our storage in Panguitch, and picked up a load of building materials from there also.  Slowly, but surely, we are emptying them out.


Here's one of my favourite spots - the bay window... Jim says he's going to build in a bench here.

And, this big gaping hole is where the patio and the Jacuzzi are going to be...

We got out of Panguitch a little on the late side, and the sun was just starting to set.  As we were driving down the mountain, we were greeted by two bucks, and two mama deer, each with two fawns, and a plethora of random deer just enjoying the sunset.  Actually, they were enjoying dinner, but it sounds better and sort of romantic that they were enjoying the sunset with us....

We're loving our adventure.

Jim and Cheri

Uhuh.... Oh Ya!

We didn't go down to the property this weekend... instead, we spent the night with two crazy little grand daughters in their tent trailer, in the back yard...  We had a little stay-cation, and had a blast... Brad was super to put up with us and put it up and pull it down when we were finished.

BUT....

... a whole lot of activity was going on at the cabin...

We heard on Friday, the framing is finished!  Can't wait to see it in person.

The bay window, on the far left, above the garage, has been covered with sheeting and we'll open it up to put the windows in...  The same goes for the windows on the front (below).  The big spaces are french doors, and between them, and to each side of them, are windows... they've been sheeted over also...

The overhang on the roof was an engineering feat that Travis, the framer put together.  I think it turned out fabulous.  I'm almost tempted to put brackets on the corners to look like they're holding it up.  Haven't really decided yet.

It seems kinda strange.  A chapter is finished, like graduating from college.  You just stop doing what you were doing and now you're off to do something else.  We've waited so long for this, it almost seems like a dream that it's come this far... Cheri, don't pinch me!

Next will come Tyvek, and windows, metal roofing, maybe siding and seal it up for the winter.

What an amazing adventure.

Cheri & Jim.

THE STARS AT NIGHT, ARE BIG AND BRIGHT......

Well, another weekend has come and gone, and a lot of work was completed on the project...

Our newest project is to get all the building materials out of our four storage buildings, and get them into the conex to be used in the building process.  Our goal is to close down two of the storage buildings this year... So, Saturday, we started loading the trailer with windows and doors etc and started out drive down to Kane County.

The heat was intense as we were loading the trailer, and after just about having heat stroke, or almost being stung by wasps, we got out on the road.  We pulled into Panguitch at about 9:00 pm and decided to have a little dinner at the C-Stop - that's the local pizza place.  We walked in the door, and the staff took a moment to say, "Hello Cheri" or "Hey, Mrs. Streeter"... and immediately got us a table.. I was like.. um... somewhere in the last couple of years, I became a local.. Actually, it was kinda nice.

We got to the property and of course, it was pitch dark... It had rained earlier in the day, and the sky was this inky black/blue colour, no moon, and there was thousands of stars that seemed to be just at my finger tips....It was the most incredible thing ever...  Jim got out of the truck first, and he had told me to get out and just look at the sky...  and it was absolutely incredible.  I have never seen such beautiful stars ever... So bright, so many, and they looked so close.  I am glad that I had the opportunity to see them...  And there looming in the darkness was a house, a real house.  This was the first time we saw it live and not via texted photos.  There it was.  Strange kind of feeling.  It's ours.

We got up Sunday morning, and started unloading the trailer....  We were supposed to meet with our contractor, but he was running a little late, so we headed into Panguitch where we picked up a 2nd load of building materials, and drove back... Got them unloaded, and it was, at that point, about time to go home.

The cabin is coming along fabulously.

The dormer in the loft is up as is the loft!  Not all  the roof joists are in place, but 90% are.

Got the first chance to climb up into the loft via step ladder.  It has the most wonderful view from the bathroom window.

Looking to the west you see this.  Our lower driveway.

The work going on in the main living room looks chaotic.  You can see they are working on the main central 8 inch square column that supports the ridge beam.

The views just keep getting better and better.  This is what everything looks like from the loft.

This is what we'll see out the french doors in the living room.  It is so quiet up at the cabin, it's unreal.

We took the furnace up and set it in the basement along with more windows and doors.

It was a lot of lifting and hard work, but you might say it was another weekend - grand adventure.

Cheri & Jim