.... Thoughts from Jim...

Here's a switch!  This is Jim and I want to have a very out of character post tonight.  Remember I'm the engineer.  Well here's some sociology from me.

Cheri and I were talking in the car tonight and a couple of very interesting things came up.  We were talking about how different the cabin is from building a house in the city.  We discussed some of the design details we've incorporated and Cheri said "Older homes had beautiful stained glass in them.  It was an art form 100 years ago." 

Look at the stained glass she has in our entry door.

I agreed and then she said that modern homes lack beauty because they are built upon basics. " Beauty is no longer necessary in many homes, but beauty is necessary."

This is the sunflower piece that goes in the main level bathroom.

We thought about it and Cheri then said "Color is beautiful and necessary" and I thought how so many homes have painted walls of beige or the outside is so bland.  I'm not advocating purple paint or bright red siding, but it fits us.  We want color throughout our cabin.  Warm, rich color soothes our souls.  The wood burning stove and hearth is going to be so inviting.  I'm looking forward to sitting in front of it warming my well worn body, resting.

This woman is so creative.  I love what she is doing and the details she adds are exactly what I want, but can't envision them by myself.


(This is Cheri... This conversation started as we were driving through the old section of Provo - looking at some of the architecture of the houses that were built, 100 years ago.  They have beautiful stained glass above the doors and windows, that is haunting and beautiful and so expressive.  Some of the glass has been replaced, probably because of deterioration, and just has clear glass, at this point, above the doors... so sad...  I love stained glass, I love the creativity that I feel when I am working with glass.. I love walking through churches, and temples,  that have these impressive works of art in them. I imagine God looking down and being pleased with this expression that honours something bigger than we are. When I see glass projects, I feel humbled.  I love the creativity, and colour and the spirit of the artist coming through.  I love that Jim lets me express this side of myself, and works with me to put my pieces on display... I want my world filled with colour and beauty and expression... Colour is necessary, beauty is necessary.... Jim is so much a part of the beauty and colour of my world... Couldn't love anyone more.  Cheri)

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it... NO!

We enjoyed a long, beautiful fall.. clear into February... then, Old Man winter realized that he had slept through a huge part of the winter, and came back at us, with a vengeance!!  We have tons of snow, and cold, cold, cold weather in Provo, and equal amount of snow and cold at the cabin.. hence - we're finally snowed out! We were going to try and make it to the cabin this next weekend.. BUT, the weatherman is predicting 6 - 10 inches of snow here on the Wasatch Front, which translates to about the same amount at the cabin...So, we're going to have to suspend that little trip for a couple of weeks.  If we could get close to the cabin, we could use the skidoos to get in, BUT, there is a mountain pass that we've crossed once in a snowstorm, and we don't choose to try that one again... nope.. not happening!

But, that hasn't stopped us... We've been preparing for the spring.. 

Our latest acquisition has been exterior lights... We have looked on different sites, and in different stores, and finally found exactly what we wanted, at the price we wanted to pay...  So, here they are:

Not a great picture, but it gives you the idea of what we wanted.. We needed 10 of these lights for beside the doors and windows on the main level...  and I truly love the look..

Jim has started the CAD work on the bridge that goes over Galt's Gulch, and the railings for the deck.  He said that he had all the information in his head, and he didn't think he needed drawings... then, it was explained to him that the pictures weren't for him... they were for ME!  Giggle.  He started the drawings this morning.  We are going to incorporate some iron work along with the wood, and I think it's going to look spectacular.

We purchased more of the wood flooring for the kitchen and livingroom this past week.  If you remember, we are mixing different colours of wood for a patchwork kind of look...  This purchase was a darker maple.  It really like the mixed up, patchwork look.

I haven't worked on my glass the past week or so...  the cold weather really bothers my shoulders and make it all but impossible to work.. But, it's getting down to the point that I'm going to have to power through the pain, and just get it done... This window needs to get finished and sent to the glass shop for insulating... grrrr..

Always an adventure...

Jim and Cheri

INTRODUCING... THE PROTECTOR OF THE FAIRIES!

A couple of weeks ago, I was on facebook and I saw the cutest statue... had a godzilla looking figure that was either eating, or fighting off gnomes... I thought it was darling... I said at the time, that I really needed this figure for the fairy garden...  Right after my post, my friend Lynn sent me a picture of the identical statue.. in her livingroom window!  (Great minds think alike, right?).

Well, Saturday afternoon, Amazon delivers a package to my house, and we were busy on our way to Coalville to pick up a load of brick, so it sat in the livingroom until Sunday night... Sunday night, I pull out the package, open it, and... here's a little statue...  There was no card, but I knew who sent it to me... Had to be Lynn!!!  I am so stoked!  She says that we need something to protect the fairies from intruders... or gnomes, or whom ever else bothers fairies!  Thank you to Lynn, for such an amazing gift..  I am sure our fairies will appreciate being so looked after!!!

As mentioned above, we made another trip to Coalville to pick up brick.. We picked out 165 bricks and lined them up in our trailer.  We have a couple of pallet loads already in the backyard, but they are stacked, and we can't really see how they are going to look on the patio...

I think they look spectacular.. sort of like an English cobblestone road...  I have decided that I want the whole patio floor done in this brick, so we have a couple more loads to pick up... It was so clear and warm on Saturday, and it was easy to make the trip...  With the major snowstorm that hit last night, I am sure Coalville is as buried under as we in Provo are. We may have to wait a couple of months...

We've been trying to decide what the railings on the deck are going to look like...  Jim liked the all wood look, and I really want them to have some kind of wrought iron...  We are getting two wrought iron lights to go beside the front door, and I think having something like that on the railings would make the whole thing tie together nicely.  This is what I found today...We will have the same design on the bridge going over Galt's Gulch.




Jim and I have decided we both like this look, but we are going to put a piece of wrought iron between the two smaller pieces of wood...  We are both happy now...  at least I am happy, and I think maybe Jim is just appeasing me...  Either way...  We like this look..

This is going to be the next project - digging it out of storage and getting it modified for propane.  I have had this stove in storage for probably close to 20 years... I did some accounting work for a guy, and he couldn't pay me, so he traded me this stove, for my work.. At the time, I didn't know what to do with it, but loved the look... So, it has been sleeping, peacefully, in storage...  It's about to get a rude awakening, and a facelift!!!  It's going to look amazing in my kitchen!!!

Even though we can't make it to the cabin because of snow, the adventure continues...  and, it's still amazing.

Jim and Cheri

LET THERE BE LIGHT.. and it was good light... 60 watt!

I didn't go to the cabin this weekend, so I am writing this with 2nd hand information...  It gets kinda cold, and even though we have this immense heater, one of us gets cold... so, I stayed in Provo.  I had lots of cabin stuff to work on here at the house!

Jim drove down to Bryce Canyon on Friday afternoon, after loading the trailer with rock, a water heater, glass block, light fixtures, my trellis, insulation, a log bed frame and tools... Every time we go down, we load the trailer with a plethora of this that and the next thing, and it's being stored down there in the basement... We don't quite need all this stuff now, but within the next 2 years, we will...  and, it's my secret goal to get storage buildings emptied out!

It was a very busy weekend for my Jim... poor thing - goes to the cabin and works himself crazy...  I am hoping that by next summer, there will be something more for me to do...than sit around and play on facebook, or help the fairies make houses...

Jim's 2.5 days at the cabin were busy, busy, busy...  I am so glad he takes pictures, so I can see the progress.

He started by starting to putting the 2nd night light in the hearth, complete with the electrical box.  We're waiting for our rock guy to get finished with other projects, and then he'll start putting that beautiful blonde quartz on the hearth and up the wall...

Next, Jim was starting to put in the electrical boxes and the wiring in the living room and the kitchen..

This culminated with a light fixture being installed in the breakfast nook in front of the bay window,

and in the kitchen... I have lights - we'll sort of... Let's say, I have the possibility of lights, at this point, and that's exciting!

Jim also, finished off the day by putting a little more siding up.. Does this man ever wear out.

I spent my two days in Provo... working on... glass..  It may not look like a lot to anybody else, but, it's huge progress this weekend on the second window...

We decided that we were going to put an additional piece of glass in the bathroom, and I had it pieced together, also this weekend, and it's ready to go.. But, I think I need to concentrate on getting this piece finished before I attempt a 3rd piece... This 2nd piece is going to go beside the single sunflower panel that was finished last fall..

On the way home, Jim had the job of bringing our 18' ladder back.. Brad has an attic repair that needs to be done, and our 18 footer is the only one tall enough...  So, Jim strapped it onto the trailer, with about 6' hanging off the end, and brought it back.. Not his favourite thing to haul, but necessary.

Through the smashed fingers, the bruised toes from a 2 x 6 falling on his foot, cuts on hands, and achy knees and hips and back, Jim says, "It's all worth it"...  I'm just glad he made it home..  I kinda missed him.

The adventure continues... Jim and  Cheri

PS:  The overwhelming vote on the feet for the bathtub was for the white feet....BUT, my friend Debbie showed me pictures of the old tyme tubs with the silver feet... and I really, really like them...  But, before we make a final decision, Jim says that we need to measure the tub and see what feet will fit..  The white ones might win.. sad face...  giggle...

REAL SNOWMOBILES ARE YELLOW...!

Years ago, (and I mean, a lot of years ago) when I was probably about 12 or 13 years old, my brother, Barron bought a snowmobile... a skidoo to be exact.  And, he loved that machine...really babied it, and my brother, Bart and I, had a blast on it.... Barron built it, it's own little house, and that machine was his pride and joy...  I don't know what ever happened to it, but, while it was alive and well, we loved it.

Since that time, it has been my understanding, that if you were going to buy a snowmobile, there was only one kind to buy... a  Bombardier Skidoo, in that beautiful yellow with black stripes... It signifies my youth, and my nationality, and 1000 different things all rolled into one.

So, when we decided to buy snowmobiles, Jim understood that there was only one kind to buy, and that was... Skidoos...

Well, Wednesday night, that purchase was made.. and they are beautiful yellow...  real snowmobiles... Bombardier, Skidoo, Summit 700's to be exact.

Well, on Saturday afternoon, we drove down to the cabin to drop off the Skidoos... relatively uneventful.. We stopped in Scipio to get some drinks and snacks and there was a couple from Calgary in the store... saw that beautiful yellow colour and knew exactly what we were hauling!

Earlier in the week, I found a set of feet for the clawfoot bathtub that is going into the loft... They were polished and plated chrome, and I thought they would look amazing.  They were from a tub from the turn of the century.. had been in someone's grandma's house for years and years and years, and, got rid of the tub, but didn't want to throw out the feet...So, I bought them and we drove to Payson, Utah to pick them up.. I think they look amazing.  

Jim agreed..  But, there is a small problem.. We already had bought a set of feet that were in really rough condition... and, Jim cleaned them up and powder coated them white..  We put them beside the silver ones, and now I can't decide which ones I like better... So, blogger friends, we are leaving it up to you... Which do you like better... the silver, or the white?  Let us know!  The white ones are a little bigger.

A couple of years ago, we were in California visiting friends, and my friend Debbie, had the cutest little fairy garden in her backyard.  She and her husband, Steve, also had the most amazing waterfall, and it was at that time that I told Jim that I really, really wanted both at our cabin...  At Christmas time, I received the most amazing gift... the first fairy house!   The dollar is there to give you a size perspective.

It's made from the same siding and roofing materials from our cabin, and I instantly fell in love with it... Such a touching and thoughtful gift...(Jim of course...such a sweet man...).  So, I decided that we would build a fairy house community, so the little granddaughters could have a blast visiting the fairy village, when they come see us...  So, today, the 2nd fairy house got started.

Here's the framework... the little squares that are drawn on are where glass windows were placed... I haven't purchased the door yet - hopefully this week, and we'll get it finished...

I used sea shells that were given to me about 35 years ago, as a wedding present from Peter and Donna...  Yep, I've had them for that long, and I felt it was time to re-purpose them into something amazing..So, Jim built the frame for the little house, and I glued on all the shells...burning my thumbs, and hammering my nails in the process...  But, I think the little girls are going to get a kick out of these houses.. they look amazing...  Thanks to Jim for indulging my wishes....

While I was hot glueing my fingers and nails together, Jim was continuing to build the frame for the hearth...    He built a light box to house an LED light that will shine through the thin cut quartz rock on the hearth.

When Jim got another part of the hearth project completed, he went on to the next part of his weekend project, and that was continuing to put the siding on..He is figuring out how to put the frames around the windows and doors, and I think it looks amazing.

Several weeks ago, when we were at the cabin, we installed the security lights... we couldn't get pictures because it was too dark, but as we were leaving today, the motion detectors kicked on, and we knew, at that time, we had done it right!!

On Saturday night, we took in another show at the Gem Theater in Panguitch... we saw Hugh Jackman in "The Greatest Showman".... great show.. was a lovely, relaxing evening....I was impressed by several quotes in the movie, I'm not sure if they're P.T. Barnum quotes, or just Hollywood, but the first is:

"The noblest art is that of making others happy"

and the 2nd talked about the amazing adventure that Barnum and his wife were on... and, it had me thinking about the life that Jim and I have...  he's taken me on this amazing journey and adventure in building this cabin, and in the process has made us both happy... I couldn't ask for a more amazing husband, or adventure..  

The adventure continues.

Jim and Cheri 

CONSIDER THIS YOUR OFFICIAL INVITATION!

Welcome to our cabin!  Here's a couple of chairs on the deck just for you!

A friend of our's, Debbie, insisted without a railing, she's not coming.  Sent us this edited version.

Now, after a couple of weeks of coughs and colds and doctors appointments and prescriptions, we got to the point of feeling relatively healthy, and not contagious (we hope), and we made it down to the cabin this past weekend!

We always follow the Weather Channel, and the surrounding area was showing beautiful weather... and, the mountain was just that.. beautiful... very little snow, kinda muddy in places, but beautiful, clear weather.

We had got a call from the "HOA" and they told us that we needed to move our trailer up to our property, so that was the first on the list...  They have a space at the base of the mountain where you can store your four wheelers and snowmobiles, and our trailer has been there, for the last 5 years... This is the trailer that we transported the backhoe from New Mexico to Utah on.. So, it's huge...  I think they were a little sick of looking at it.. So, now, it's moved up to the round about, just down from the cabin on our lot #10....  I'm glad that little job is completed.

Even though the weather was fabulous, it was cold in the cabin... was colder inside the cabin than outside.. A couple of months ago, we bought a propane burner heater, and we hooked it up and turned it on...  really warmed up the joint.  When we originally took it up, we couldn't get the burners to stay lit... something about not enough oxygen, to keep it lit.. But, Jim did a little research (go figure) and found if we put a different something or other on it, it would work.. and it did.. perfectly.. It makes a ton of noise, but also a ton of heat!  Made it very, very comfortable.

Jim's goal was to build the platform for the hearth... and, that project was started.  Mine was to get curtains up... the curtains aren't particularly to block the sunlight, but to block anonymous people from peeking in... Jim and I both accomplished these goals.

Jim also completed a little more of the winterizing the cabin... Above the bay window in the dining area, there was an open space that went directly out to the weather...  A little something that was missed in the framing process... So, he covered that in with sheeting, to keep the weather out, and whenever it decides to snow, it'll keep the wet snow and rain off my curtains...

And, the more things that happen inside the cabin, the more I love it.  I can envision a home. 

The hearth will be covered with cut, flat rocks so the wood burning stove will sit nice and flat.

Sawing these up takes a lot of time, but it will be worth it.

The hearth platform is going to have a rock facing on it, like we've showed you before, with a set of night lights underneath on either side of the cold air return... That was most exciting for me.  One of the antique pieces that we bought years ago, we attached as the cold air return on the front of the hearth platform... and I think it looks amazing...  This cold air return piece was from an old hotel in Nevada, and I fell in love with it, the very first time I saw it.  I think at the time, Jim was wondering where in the world we would use it.. Well, we found it a home.. and it's nice to see these little pieces being incorporated into our dreams.

I've taken some pictures of the inside of the cabin now... My dishwasher is in the livingroom, along with the cabinets for the bathrooms..

I have one pantry cabinet that is actually in the kitchen, and I love it there...

The rest of the cabinets are in the main level bedroom... We also have a shower door in the bedroom - I guess it's the right place for it, right now..  This shower door was purchased at Lowe's... Jim's daughter-in-law, Teresa used to work for Lowe's and whenever she found a smokin' deal on an item, she would call us, and we would go over... This is one of the items.. It's a glass shower door, with the pattern of leaves through the glass.. I think it's amazing, even if it is upside down right now.

We have new neighbours across the street, and he came over and introduced himself.. Very nice man.  He and his family live just outside of Ogden, which is where our Brad and his family live.  Wayne and his wife are about our age and looking to retire...  Ogden is about an hour and a half north of Provo, so it takes them a little longer to get to their cabin, but their love of the mountain mirrors ours.. He came over just as we were about to leave, and we didn't hear him knock on the door.. between the heater and the air compressor, you have to all but scream to be heard... I didn't hear the knock, but, I did see the door handle move - so, I knew somebody was at the door...  We had a nice visit - very nice neighbour..

We were a little nervous with the drop off the side of the balcony, and "Galt's Gulch", so we installed some motion detector lighting to the front and the side... at least, if someone comes over in the evening, they'll see where they are going to land before falling over the side.

"Cheri's Heart" is covered in snow - but, it still looks lovely.

All in all, it was a successful journey, with goals being accomplished... The adventure continues.

Jim and Cheri

ROCK CONCERT

Do you remember the pictures of the rocks in the dishwasher?

Well, those rocks are about to make their debut.

Just before Christmas, we figured that we needed to cut the rocks in slices, so they will fit more evenly on the fireplace hearth wall, and the hearth surface that the wood burning stove sits on.  If we use the rocks as is, they will be too heavy and uneven.. So, we need to slice them to a more uniform thickness and to reduce some of the weight.

We have about 36 quartz rocks down at the cabin and about 75 bigger ones still at home.  Some of them are over 12" thick and maybe 30" long, and they need to be about 2 to 3" thick...So, we had to figure out a way to slice them.

Jim has a bandsaw in his machine shop for cutting metals, but I asked if it could cut rocks and Jim said with a little modification and a diamond cutting blade ($30 Thank you eBay!), it works perfectly.  Jim had to rig up water to cool and lubricate the blade so it wouldn't wear out too quickly.  See the water on the right splashing on the blade.

Today, the first slices were made... and they look beautiful.

I love the rich yellow colour..

Now all we need to decide is do we leave the cut surface natural or seal it for a deep, richer looking colour?








Dry or wet (will look like this if we seal the rock)





The decision was made to seal the rock with a satin finish and go for the deeper, richer colour.  Mmmm . . . . reminds me of bacon, oh but I digress!



Jim found me a heart in a rock!  He's a rock star.

Along with the quartz rock, we gave the grandkids geodes for Christmas.  Jim also got a geode about the size of a football.  I'm excited to see what it looks like inside.


The amazing adventure continues.

Jim and Cheri