catching up

What??? I haven't added anything since JULY??? Well, in my defense, we've been a little busy . . . Both daughters (and their husbands and children) have moved back to Nebraska, with appropriate attendant hubbub, and we raced like crazy (for us) to get the cabin "habitable" for a week's vacation stay with them. I'll let the pictures bring you up to date. These are from mid-August 2008.



Above: this is from the loft, construction mess all cleaned up prior to kids' arrival

above: these two pictures show the bedroom, partially paneled. I needed to get just enough done so the electricians could do their magic. So, lights are all in (see other photos, too), air conditioners and fans all have power.


above: this is the loft, with drywall in the very peak. The drywall was suggested by friends, and we like it as sort of a contrast to all the wood.


above: this is taken from the loft. You can see the loft light, the ceiling fan, and three sets of track lighting.

July 7-9, 2008

Alisanne & I worked on walls & windows Monday-Wednesday. We really were puzzled as to how to trim our windows, given the non-standard construction of the cabin. I think that on Tuesday,we spent three hours discussing (OK, occasionally arguing) about how it should be done. Since between us we have ZERO experience, what we found to argue about now escapes me . . . . But, anyways the sun always comes up in the morning, and Wednesday morning, we arrived at a solution. It may not be elegant, but it seems to work. So, we now have ONE more or less completed window, and a PLAN for the rest. Pictures below.







Alisanne & I worked on walls & windows Monday-Wednesday. We really were puzzled as to how to trim our windows, given the non-standard construction of the cabin. I think that on Tuesday,we spent three hours discussing (OK, occasionally arguing) about how it should be done. Since between us we have ZERO experience, what we found to argue about now escapes me . . . . But, anyways the sun always comes up in the morning, and Wednesday morning, we arrived at a solution. It may not be elegant, but it seems to work. So, we now have ONE more or less completed window, and a PLAN for the rest. Pictures below.

4th of July weekend 2008

This weekend (4th of July), we got the kitchen paneling up. We didn't waste a panel (much to my surprise), and the lines all match up! Then, we hired John Young (Mary Ells' brother) to install our cabinets. He started around 9am Sunday, and was all done--including cutting out the hole for the sink--by 4:30pm. He had to do some minor plastic surgery (yuk yuk) on the counter, but, like any talented plastic surgeon, made it look better than it had! The water isn't hooked up to the sink yet, but the kitchen looks pretty cool, we think!

June 30 2008

We had a shortened workday, having helped (minor roles) with a wedding Saturday, and going to church today (gotta go once in a while!!). But, as you can see below, we got the vanity into the bathroom, hooked up and operable. Plumbing is quite a mystery to me, despite the allegedly simple 2 rules . . . Also, Alisanne and our friend Beth Haase got a coat of decking coating on the bathroom floor Friday and we put another down today. Picture below. So, on to the kitchen area! Excelsior!!

June 2008 Update

Well, it's not like we've been exactly slothful. Not setting any construction speed records, either! Since December 2007, we have wired, had our rough-in electrical inspection (we passed), got power INTO the cabin (no more running extension cords to the construction box), put a ceiling in the bathroom, had the cabin insulated, driven to Minnesota and back in 2 days to pick up pine tongue & groove paneling (more on that later), bought a drywall hoist we decided we don't need, ordered our kitchen cabinets and counter, got hot water, slept in the cabin overnight three times, paneled the bathroom, and started paneling the kitchen area! It all takes so much time, working a few hours here & there. We forget our camera more often than we remember it (had to use my brother's this weekend), question our sanity for that and other reasons, but we LOVE working on our cabin, and are beginning to think we will actually finish it. Someday. Here are few recent pictures to show where we are. More will get posted on our Picasa sight. Someday . . . . ;<)